Famous ’80s Songs That Never Hit The U.S. Billboard Hot 100 🎶
Here’s a list of popular rock, pop, new wave, and country songs from the 1980s that were released as a single in the U.S. but never entered the Billboard Hot 100.
🎵 George Thorogood and The Destroyers – Bad to the Bone (1982)
🎵 Bonnie Raitt – Thing Called Love (1989)
🎵 Tears for Fears – Mad World (1982)
🎵 Randy Newman – I Love L.A. (1983)
🎵 XTC – Senses Working Overtime (1982)
🎵 Billy Idol – Dancing With Myself (1981)
🎵 Debbie Deb – When I Hear Music (1984)
🎵 Duran Duran – Girls on Film (1981)
🎵 Bob Marley & The Wailers – Could You Be Loved (1980)
🎵 The Fixx – Red Skies (1982)
Is This ’80s Hit Song More Popular Than The Original? 🎶 Bananarama – Venus
Bananarama’s cover of “Venus” from 1986 topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but was it bigger than the original released by Shocking Blue 17 years earlier?
🎵 Bananarama – Venus
🎵 Shocking Blue – Venus
Was This ’90s Hit Copied For A Beer Ad? 🎸 Spin Doctors – Two Princes
“Two Princes” was the Spin Doctors’ second single and made the top 10 in 15 countries. A few years later, Miller Brewing Company aired a commercial which included music that The Spin Doctors believed sounded like their hit song. In this video, we explore what happened when the band filed a copyright infringement lawsuit.
🎵 Spin Doctors – Two Princes (1991)
🎵 Spin Doctors – Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong (1991)
📺 Miller Lite Ice – TV Commercial (1995)
This 2000s Hit Song Dates Back Before Its ’70s Hit 🎶 Toploader – Dancing in the Moonlight
English alternative rock band Toploader covered “Dancing in the Moonlight” on their debut studio album, Onka’s Big Moka, but did know the original dates back before King Harvest’s ’70s hit? In this video, we present a side-by-side comparison of the 2000s cover vs the ’70s hit vs the original recording written by Sherman Kelly.
🎵 Toploader – Dancing in the Moonlight (2000)
🎵 King Harvest – Dancing in the Moonlight (1972)
🎵 Boffalongo – Dancing in the Moonlight (1970)
’80s Songs By Artists With Only One Top 40 Hit On The U.S. Billboard Hot 100 – Vol. 3
Are these artists technically ’80s One-Hit Wonders? Here’s a list of songs released in the 1980s by artists who have only one Top 40 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (not the airplay-only charts).
🎵 The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) (1988)
🎵 Toni Basil – Mickey (1981)
🎵 Timbuk 3 – The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades (1986)
🎵 Frank & Moon Zappa – Valley Girl (1982)
🎵 Midnight Oil – Beds Are Burning (1987)
🎵 Georgia Satellites – Keep Your Hands to Yourself (1986)
🎵 Lee Greenwood – God Bless the U.S.A. (1984)
🎵 Dazz Band – Let It Whip (1982)
🎵 Michael Penn – No Myth (1989)
🎵 The Jeff Healey Band – Angel Eyes (1989)
This ’70s Classic Wasn’t The Original 🎵 Janis Joplin – Me and Bobby McGee
Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee” topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 after its release in 1971, but did you know it was a cover song? The original, written by American singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson & Fred Foster, was released by Roger Miller in 1969.
🎵 Janis Joplin – Me and Bobby McGee
🎵 Roger Miller – Me and Bobby McGee
This ’60s Hit Wasn’t The Original Recording 🎵 Simon & Garfunkel – I Am A Rock
Simon & Garfunkel released “I Am A Rock” on their second album in January 1966 and reached the Top 5 in U.S. Four months earlier, Paul released it in the UK on his debut solo album, The Paul Simon Songbook.
🎵 Simon & Garfunkel – I Am A Rock (1966)
🎵 Paul Simon – I Am A Rock (1965)
This 2000s Hit Wasn’t Originally From The 2000s 🎶 Goo Goo Dolls – Give A Little Bit
Goo Goo Dolls’ “Give A Little Bit” from 2004 made the Top 40 in the U.S. after the band’s guitarist and lead vocalist John Rzeznik had first performed it in an ad for Gap 3 years earlier, but did you know it was a cover song written by Roger Hodgson of Supertramp that was originally released on the band’s fifth album in 1977?
🎵 Goo Goo Dolls – Give A Little Bit
🎵 Supertramp – Give A Little Bit
Did This ’90s Hit Rip Off A ’60s Classic? 💥 Michael Bolton – Love Is A Wonderful Thing
Released in 1991, Michael Bolton’s “Love Is A Wonderful Thing” made it to the Top 5 in the United States. Ten months later, The Isley Brothers filed a lawsuit against Bolton, his co-writer, and the record label for copyright infringement of their song from 1966. Bolton claimed that he never heard the song. In 1994, a jury ruled Bolton and company were liable and owed The Isley Brothers 66 percent of past and future royalties. Bolton’s team tried to appeal the decision but failed, and paid The Isley Brothers 5.4 million dollars.
🎵 Michael Bolton – Love Is A Wonderful Thing
🎵 The Isley Brothers – Love Is A Wonderful Thing
’90s Hit Bigger Than The ’80s Original 🎶 Rod Stewart – Rhythm of My Heart
Rod Stewart’s “Rhythm of My Heart”, produced by BRIT and Grammy award winner Trevor Horn, peaked at #5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1991, but you might be surprised to learn it’s a cover song that was first released by Dutch musician René Shuman in 1986. In this video, we present a side-by-side comparison of the ’90s hit vs the ’80s original.
This ’70 Hit Bigger Than The Original? 🎸 Grand Funk Railroad – Some Kind of Wonderful
Grand Funk Railroad’s cover of “Some Kind of Wonderful” reached the Top 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but how high did the original chart? In this video, we compare the 1974 cover vs the 1967 original.
🎵 Grand Funk Railroad – Some Kind of Wonderful
🎵 Soul Brothers Six – Some Kind of Wonderful