NOT ALL GREAT SINGLES BECOME CHART-CONQUERING HITS.
MANY SOMEHOW ELUDE THE TOP 40, HOVERING UNCHERISHED JUSTOUTSIDE IT, BEYOND THE REMIT OF TOP OF THE POPS OR RADIO 1’S SUNDAY
EVENING RUNDOWN. BUT THESE SONGS NEED CELEBRATING, TOO, AND
SO, WITH THAT IN MIND, HERE IS OUR LIST OF THE GREATEST SINGLES THAT,
FOR SOME REASON OR OTHER, FAILED TO TICKLE THE HIT PARADE...
MATTHEW RUDDhat happens when more than
40 great singles are vying for
a spot on the chart at any one
time? Well, obviously, some
initially miss out. But as weeks go by, the
jockeying for position means that a select
few then make it to the Top 40 eventually,
and others fall by the wayside forever.
The 80s has countless examples of these
“floppy discs”; classics of the era that
were among the best the acts released, still
staples on radio today and live favourites
onstage for years after... and yet somehow
missed the Top 40.
In our countdown, we’ve disregarded
singles by acts who had yet to make the
Top 40 with anything else (very popular
songs by Simple Minds, INXS and A Flock
Of Seagulls, among others, miss out as a
result) and ordered them according to not
just quality, but also the ‘wow’ factor – as in
“Wow, that WASN’T a hit?”...