I'll start this off.

CAN YOU FEEL IT, by The Jacksons is the first to come to mind. This was released as a single in 1980 and missed the pop top 40 (by a lot) and the R&B top 10 (by a lot.)

It stalled at #77 Pop and #30 R&B, (t was a top ten hit in the UK though.)

Being one of the brothers lowest performing singles, it is arguably their most popular tune some 30 years after it's release. It's still played a lot and everyone knows this song.

A lot of people like Another Part of Me and think it's one of MJ's best from what I have seen, but it was his first epic solo single to miss the top 10.

I was shocked Madonna's Holiday was not #1 if not in the top 10.

Marvin's original studio version of "Distant Lover" was never released but the live version was popular - albeit not so popular that it missed the top 10/20 of both the pop and R&B charts but became one of his most beloved songs in the last several years of his life. Especially during his 1983 concert, people cheered the LOUDEST when it came to that song (it went against "Let's Get It On" and "What's Going On" as the most popular request).

alphastreet said:

A lot of people like Another Part of Me and think it's one of MJ's best from what I have seen, but it was his first epic solo single to miss the top 10.

I was shocked Madonna's Holiday was not #1 if not in the top 10.

Another Part of Me was 11 pop and 1 R&B.

Holiday was 16 pop and 1 on the dance/club charts.

yeah I know, but they were lower than I expected

[Edited 4/30/11 15:21pm]

Rick James "Super Freak".I think it peaked at #18 on the pop charts,but it seems like it would have done better.I'm surprised that it wasn't a Top 5 pop smash.

SoulAlive said:

Rick James "Super Freak".I think it peaked at #18 on the pop charts,but it seems like it would have done better.I'm surprised that it wasn't a Top 5 pop smash.

Slight correction: #16 but I agree.

"Stairway To Heaven" - Led Zeppelin

In fact, there are a huge number of songs which are considered classics which were never released as singles, and until 1998 Billboard magazine didn't chart these songs on the Hot 100. So there a lot of songs which would have been number 1 on the charts or at least in the top ten which technically never saw the light of day.

Purple Rain wasn't a Top 40 hit in Australia.

I'm surprised that 1999 peaked at #12.

I'm even more surprised that Delirious charted higher at #8

Thriller (the song) only charted at number 9 in the UK.

Man In The Mirror only peaked at number 21 in the UK, although did reach number 2 the week after his death.

The Best - Tina Turner

Born in the USA - Springsteen

The classic is Chaka Khan's, 'Through The Fire.'

This song was on the Billboard Hot 100 for 20 weeks, yet it only went to #60. Through The Fire is considered the longest-running Billboard chart entry that didn't make it to the top 40.

http://www.songfacts.com/...hp?id=8800

SUPRMAN said:

The classic is Chaka Khan's, 'Through The Fire.'

This song was on the Billboard Hot 100 for 20 weeks, yet it only went to #60. Through The Fire is considered the longest-running Billboard chart entry that didn't make it to the top 40.

http://www.songfacts.com/...hp?id=8800

It was real successful on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Patti LaBelle's "If You Asked Me To" is one of her best-known songs but for some reason, much like "Through the Fire", only got up to #60 on the Hot 100.

Paris9748430 said:

I'm surprised that 1999 peaked at #12.

I'm even more surprised that Delirious charted higher at #8

That was 1999's second pop chart run in less than a year. It's prior peak I believe had been 42 or 44.

'Delirious' had two hits to follow. I was so disappointed that was a single.

This may be too recent...but "Give A Little More" by Maroon 5

I know they aren't the best band or anything...but this song I really, really liked and it didn't get any airplay or anything.

PurpleJedi said:

This may be too recent...but "Give A Little More" by Maroon 5

I know they aren't the best band or anything...but this song I really, really liked and it didn't get any airplay or anything.

Love this song and I'm also surprised that it wasn't a bigger hit.I guess it needed a guest rapper or something

SoulAlive said:

PurpleJedi said:

This may be too recent...but "Give A Little More" by Maroon 5

I know they aren't the best band or anything...but this song I really, really liked and it didn't get any airplay or anything.

Love this song and I'm also surprised that it wasn't a bigger hit.I guess it needed a guest rapper or something

Yeah...throw in Nikki Minaj and it prob would've hit #1!

lol....sad but true

"Purple Rain" and "Stairway To Heaven" are pretty long songs. So that's limited their airplay.

"Portuguese Love" by Teena Marie peaked at #54 R&B but remains a staple on R&B radio to this day.

"Don't Let It Go To Your Head" by Jean Carn also only peaked at #54 R&B but it remains her most recognized song to date.

SUPRMAN said:

The classic is Chaka Khan's, 'Through The Fire.'

This song was on the Billboard Hot 100 for 20 weeks, yet it only went to #60. Through The Fire is considered the longest-running Billboard chart entry that didn't make it to the top 40.

http://www.songfacts.com/...hp?id=8800

Shockingly, "Through The Fire" failed to crack the Top 10 on the R&B charts. It stalled at #15. But, again, it remains one of her most popular songs. I really never understood why the song didn't chart higher on either chart because both the song and video were receiving just as much exposure and airplay as "I Feel For You".

[Edited 5/2/11 11:09am]

novabrkr said:

"Purple Rain" and "Stairway To Heaven" are pretty long songs. So that's limited their airplay.

Purple Rain has a 45 edit, and some stations played this. Rapper's Delight lasted 15 minutes and it was played on the radio. Sugarhill Records singles were mostly 12" maxi singles and not 7" 45 singles. Back then the charts were mainly based on sales of 45 singles, and this is why non-singles that got airplay like Stevie Wonder's Isn't She Lovely didn't chart.

Yeah, but it obviously can have an effect on how a song performs (or performed) on the charts.

On the other hand, most anthem-like rock ballads are quite long and that's what many buyers have reacted to favourably. It'll usually translate over into album sales in the end.

I can think of many ...

- 'Heroes' (David Bowie)... One of his best-known and most covered song , never charted in the US, only reached #24 in the UK??

-'All About U" (Never charted!!) , "I Aint Mad Atcha" (US # 68/R&B #18) by Tupac ... Most of tupac 'classics' didnt' perform well on charts, surprisingly!

- 'I'm A Slave 4 U" (Britney Spears) (#3 on the Dance chart, but only # 27 on the Pop Chart)

- Ready Or Not" (The Fugees) : #69 US, #22 R&B/HipHop

- "If Ruled The World" (Nas feat. Lauryn Hill) : #53 US, #17 Hip-Hop

- "Blowin' In The Wind" (Bob Dylan) : Never charted!

- "The World's Greatest" (R. Kelly) : #34 US, #31 R&B

- "Senorita" (Justin Timberlake) : #27 US

novabrkr said:

Yeah, but it obviously can have an effect on how a song performs (or performed) on the charts.

On the other hand, most anthem-like rock ballads are quite long and that's what many buyers have reacted to favourably. It'll usually translate over into album sales in the end.

But a 45 always had an edit because it couldn't hold a long song. Also some Top 40 stations didn't play the longer album versions, so the 45 was perfect for this. The album rock stations would play the long versions, non-single album tracks, and also hard rock acts that the pop stations wouldn't play. But they had a separate chart. Groups like Led Zeppelin, Allman Brothers, Metallica, Rush, & Pink Floyd (also the prog bands) weren't really singles oriented and mostly sold to a different audience who bought albums.

I think I remember In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel peaking at like 22 or 23 back in 86 when it was single off of So. A rock radio staple to this day, I dont think really caught on until Say Anything.