Bubbling Under - The Songs You Thought Made Top 40, But Didn't.

It's surprising to see popular songs not make TOP 40 when referencing Joel Whitburn's "Billboard" book. Kudos to radio for sometimes going with its gut feel.
Here are ten examples of "Songs you thought made it, but didn't."

10. Knocked Out by Paula Abdul (Virgin/1988) - The first single to be released from "Forever Your Girl." Written by Babyface and LA Reid. Stalled at #41.


 


09. Daughter by Pearl Jam (Epic/1993) - Surprising as the song was all over FM radio in 1993-1994. However, it topped Billboard's Album Rock and Modern Rock  Charts. Stalled at #97.





08. Everybody by Madonna (Sire/WB/1982) - Madonna's debut single from "Madonna" in 1982 was a dud, stalling at #107. Club DJs picked it up though and made it a dance hit. She followed it up with "Burning Up" (another chart failure). The third release "Lucky Star" landed Madonna her first Top 40 hit.


 


07.  China by Red Rockers (Columbia/1983) - Debuted on the Hot 100 same time as "Every Breath You Take."  EBYT at #33, and China at #92. It stayed on the charts for a few more weeks, peaking at #53. It received heavy rotation on MTV and helped develop a cult following for the quartet out of the bay area.





06. Mr. Jones by Counting Crows (Geffen/1993) - Due to technical rules laid out by Billboard Magazine, most of the singles from "August and Everything After" did not make the Hot 100. However, it reached #5 on AT40; made Billboard's Hot AC, and Hot Modern Tracks.





05.  Your Love is King - Sade (Epic/Portrait/1984) - The debut single from the English band named after its singer, "Sade Adu." It was a glimpse of what radio programmers now call "sophisti-pop." Stalled at #54.





04. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin (Atlantic/1971) - Plant, Page, Jones, and Bonham did not release it as a single but became the biggest rock song on Earth. Voted several times by different publications as classic rock's numero uno (trading places with Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" every now and then.) 6x platinum status in the UK, and 23x platinum in the US.





03.  More than a Woman - Bee Gees (RSO/1977) - Just like "Stairway to Heaven", "More than a Woman" was not released as a single in the US (or UK even). Taken from "Saturday Night Fever." The movie soundtrack featured two versions (Bee Gees and Tavares.) The latter taking it to #32 on the Hot 100.





02.  More than This - Roxy Music (Polydor/1982) - One of the best known songs from Ferry et al. Reached #102 (no, that is not a typo.) Remade in 1997 by 10,000 Maniacs and took it to #25.




01. Melt with You - Modern English (4AD/Sire/1982) - Charted Billboard's Hot 100 twice, both times coming up short. 1982 (#78), 1990 (#76). Remains a staple on classic alternative radio.