album/song would not have been a hit if released by anyone else

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something unrepresentative made by an artist, that only became a hit because it built on previous successes, and would not have been a hit if released by people who spent their whole career doing that sort of thing.

Examples?

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 12:11 (twenty-one years ago)

The Beatles - The Ballad of John and Yoko

― Bad Day At Dadrock (Dada), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm thinking Rolling Stones, but I can't think of a specific example - but something from their Jane Fonda workout era. I saw the "Waiting on a Friend" video last week - laughably horrible.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 12:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Simple Minds - "Alive & Kicking" and "Don't You Forget About Me"
Bob Dylan - Nashville Skyline LP
Patti Smith - "Because the Night" (though it pains me to admit)
Duran Duran - "Notorious" and "Ordinary World"

― mcoleman (lovebug starski), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 12:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Dare I say... Paranoid Android

― don, Tuesday, 29 March 2005 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

"Just Lose It," in terms of quality rather than style.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw the "Waiting on a Friend" video last week - laughably horrible.
dave, I agree with your general sentiment, but not the choice of song.

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 13:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, no that was a non sequitur. Shoulld have been on a different thread, in fact.

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 14:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Ms Dynamite-ee-hee.

Bit silly if Missy Elliot had done it...

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 14:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Agreed on "Just Lose It."

Also, Puffy's "Come With Me."

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 14:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd also add No Doubt's "Hey Baby" and "Hella Good."

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 14:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Associates - "Party Fears Two"

― What we want? Sex with T.V. stars! What you want? Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Ma, Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Donna Summer "Love To Love You Baby" - it would have been pure junk in anyone else's hands.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 18:36 (twenty-one years ago)

U2, "Numb," "Lemon," and "Discotheque."

― Lyra Jane (Lyra Jane), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 21:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Was "Pyramid Song" a hit? If it was, than that!

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 21:41 (twenty-one years ago)

U2, "Numb," "Lemon," and "Discotheque."

And everything else after "One".

― Si Carter (Si Carter), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 21:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Several Elvis Presley singles from the 60s to thread.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

A Girl Like You - Edwin Collins

― elgolfo (elgolfo), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 23:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd also add No Doubt's "Hey Baby" and "Hella Good."

But wasn't being No Doubt more of a hindrance here, since the single (s?) from Return of Saturn tanked?

― mitch dub (ano ano), Tuesday, 29 March 2005 23:59 (twenty-one years ago)

True - but no one on earth but Stefani could have gotten away with those two lyrics/vocals.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 03:37 (twenty-one years ago)

"You Know You're Right."

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 04:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Led Zeppelin - Physical Grafiti

― Hurting (Hurting), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 04:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Wasn't "Because the Night" popular when Natalie Merchant did it too? It's a great rock ballad, come on, and her voice works perfectly for it. Besides, I don't think it makes sense in the context of this thread since it's the only Top 40 hit Patti Smith ever had AFAIK. I don't think she was riding on the massive successes of "Gloria" or "Radio Ethiopia".

xpost Aargh you're hitting a nerve with that.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 04:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, I realize this is a minority opinion but "Numb" and "Lemon" are among the handful of U2 songs that I really like with no reservations at all. I don't even know who "people who spent their whole career doing that sort of thing" would be in this case.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 05:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Radiohead - "Kid A" = elephant in room

― Jacob (Jacob), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 06:14 (twenty-one years ago)

izzo (hova)

― Sym Sym (sym), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 07:02 (twenty-one years ago)

A Girl Like You - Edwin Collins

Yeah, the international record-buying public have always lapped up new Edwyn product regardless of his cynical genre-hopping. etc, etc

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 07:16 (twenty-one years ago)

The War Song - Culture Club
D'You Know What I Mean? - Oasis

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 08:26 (twenty-one years ago)

D'You Know What I Mean? - Oasis

This was actually a great song. Say "All Around The World", and I agree.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 08:55 (twenty-one years ago)

if kylie had done annie's chewing gum!

― Mr Monket (apn99), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 09:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I am pretty sure "Chewing Gun" would have been a hit if released by, for instance, Natasha Bedingfield as well.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 09:06 (twenty-one years ago)

**Wasn't "Because the Night" popular when Natalie Merchant did it too? It's a great rock ballad, come on, and her voice works perfectly for it. Besides, I don't think it makes sense in the context of this thread since it's the only Top 40 hit Patti Smith ever had AFAIK. I don't think she was riding on the massive successes of "Gloria" or "Radio Ethiopia". **

I've got the notion (from interviews etc) that the Patti/Bruce songwriting collaboration on "BTN" was a little forced, and while I've always enjoyed it as a big rock ballad, it sounds like Patti channelling Springsteen on that galumphing chorus. "Dancing Barefoot" feels like a more organic conceived "pop" version of her thing. Also I interpreted the question as "building on OTHER artists' previous successes" too. Like you say, it's a good song that has bubkes to do with "Gloria" or jesus "Radio Ethiopa."

The Natalie Merchant version is the epitome of "good" but lousy singing IMO, Natalie at her strident lecture-the-audience worst.

― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Metal Machine Music. For all the knocks it gets, it did sell 100,000 copies coming as it did post-"Wild Side"/Sally Can't Dance, and there's no way, say, Lamonte Young would've sold that many copies of an album.

― Vic Funk, Wednesday, 30 March 2005 11:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Associates - "Party Fears Two"

As this was their first hit, I don't see how it could capitalise on past successes, ditto for 'A girl like you'.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 11:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Natasha Bedingfield would have made a horrendous bellowing pigs arse of Chewing Gum and I'm glad she didn't have anything to do with it.

Rachel Stevens - Some Girls. Except maybe in a Goldfrapp-esque floundering around #35 way.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 11:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Associates - "Party Fears Two"

As this was their first hit, I don't see how it could capitalise on past successes

Well, I wasn't thinking of that and didn't know that applied. I took the thread literally. Could anyone else have done that song and have it still be a hit? No. There's no way.

― What we want? Sex with T.V. stars! What you want? Ian Riese-Moraine! (Eastern Ma, Wednesday, 30 March 2005 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I imagine "Where The Wild Roses Grow" would not have been a hit had it not been Kylie singing on it.

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 21:19 (twenty-one years ago)

that new mars volta

― Aerodynamic (Aerodynamic), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 21:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Bitches Brew

― Kv_nol (Kv_nol), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 21:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I imagine "Where The Wild Roses Grow" would not have been a hit had it not been Kylie singing on it.

Why? She wasn't exactly the hottest act around back in 1995

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 22:38 (twenty-one years ago)

is it fair to suggest that a lot of consistent hit song/album makers owe a lot of success to one or two initial hits, and everything that followed was built on that?

i mean, i'm guessing many artists are guaranteed *at least* a certain chart placing for everything they release, regardless of how crap/uncommercial it is?

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Wednesday, 30 March 2005 23:27 (twenty-one years ago)

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