Bands you'd totally get the wrong idea about if you just heard the famous song

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Man, whenever I hear that Bone Thugs song "Tha Crossroads" I always envision people at their prom dancing and all this shit, but when you hear the album it's all about glocks and gats, slanging rock, and shooting cops. weird.

― Jiminy Hendrix, Thursday, 16 September 2004 21:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Dexy's Midnight Runners maybe?

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Nazareth

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

chumbawamba, obv.

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Mr Big

― adam. (nordicskilla), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:04 (twenty-one years ago)

geto boys

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:05 (twenty-one years ago)

A no-brainer: Chumbawumba.

― mottdeterre, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Blind Melon

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:07 (twenty-one years ago)

loudon wainwright III

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Kiss

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:07 (twenty-one years ago)

will to power

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Um... duh? Chumbawamba?

Sorry, couldn't resist...

Isn't that recent hit Hoobastank song very different from the rest of their fratty nu-metal? I heard somewhere they were selling lots of albums to people who then became confused and angry when they realized it wasn't all power ballads.

― Taxi Dancing in the Soft Prison (Ben Boyer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Blue Oyster Cult -- you wouldn't even know what their real singer sounds like!!

― Reed Moore (diamond), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:10 (twenty-one years ago)

queensryche

and hey wait, what about chumbawamba???

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)

That "Tubthumping" band

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Extreme

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Jay-Z!

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Teena Marie

― Mr. Policeman, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:16 (twenty-one years ago)

The Tubes

― phil d., Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Devo

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

(to a degree)

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Tori Amos!

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Modern English
XTC

― Mr. Policeman, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember a friend of mine in college heard "Jane Says" by Jane's Addiction and picked up the record based solely on that track (although you think the cover would've thrown her a bit too) -- boy was she in for a surprise. I think she later returned it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:19 (twenty-one years ago)

the zombies

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:21 (twenty-one years ago)

David Bowie

― Mr. Policeman, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Killing Joke

― Mr. Policeman, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

which is david bowie's famous song now?

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Randy Newman
Warren Zevon

Wait, I thought Jay-Z had at least THREE OR FOUR famous songs!
Same with Kiss. And the Zombies.

And I didn't know XTC had any! (A bunch of semifamous ones, maybe.)

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Dear God = famous

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

This is off topic, but is it me or is EVERYONE listening to Bone Thugs lately?

― Ian c=====8 (orion), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

"Let's Dance"

"Dear God"

"Sanity"

― Mr. Policeman, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:23 (twenty-one years ago)

chuck, didn't the zombies only have "time for the season" in the US?

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:23 (twenty-one years ago)

This is off topic, but is it me or is EVERYONE listening to Bone Thugs lately?

I'm certainly not.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Modest Mouse

― Mr. Policeman, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I always think of "Beth" as being Kiss's most famous song. It was their biggest hit, wasn't it?

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Soft Cell!!!

― Mr. Policeman, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know what Tori Amos's famous song is, either.

Zombies = She's Not There, Tell Her No also.

― ch, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"Sanity"

I'd say the Joke's more "famous" songs would be "Love Like Blood" or "Eighties", not "Sanity," but y'know...that's me.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Jay-Z's famous song "Hard Knock Life"
Tori Amos' "Professional Widow (Van Helden remix)".

This is probably off-base in the States, though.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, Zombies had 3 big hits here.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

butthole surfers

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I think of Kiss as having 3 hits! Rock and Roll All Night is at least as famous as Beth in the long run, I would think. (Maybe Detroit Rock City, too.) And I think of Nazareth as having one quiet hit and one loud one.

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Seriously, though, Extreme OWN this thread. If all you'd heard was the soppy "More Than Words," you'd never know they were actually a third-rate metal band.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

a-ha

― Mr. Policeman, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Murray Head

― Mr. Policeman, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:28 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah yeah yeah's

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:29 (twenty-one years ago)

>Extreme OWN this thread. If all you'd heard was the soppy "More Than Words," you'd never know they were actually a third-rate metal band. >

I can't tell if Alex is joking here or not!

Actually they were a third great funk-metal concept-album band though.

― ched, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:30 (twenty-one years ago)

steely dan?

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

third RATE I mean.
Or third grade.
Or something.

xpost

steely dan have like 20 famous songs!!!

― ched, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, whether you liked'em or not, you must admit -- "More Than Words" wasn't entirely indicative of Extreme's normal fare.

..and I wasn't joking.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:32 (twenty-one years ago)

THE famous song is rikki don't lose that number. and it's their worst!

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:32 (twenty-one years ago)

i thought THE famous song was Deacon Blues? And it fuckin rules.

― Ian c=====8 (orion), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:33 (twenty-one years ago)

murray head and buttholes OTM though.

boomtown rats too maybe.

― ched, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:34 (twenty-one years ago)

chuck. that's the first time we've agreed. i think i'm crying.

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Dandy Fucking Warhols - Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth.
Though they somehow turned into that band at some point.

'Float On' didn't sound too out of place I thought.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:35 (twenty-one years ago)

And oh yeah that one famous Fleetwood Mac song "Tusk" is NOTHING like their other stuff.

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:36 (twenty-one years ago)

how bout those guys that sung "little red pill". can't be bothered to remember their name, but didn't parents complain in droves about the foul mouthed lyrics to the rest of their stuff at concerts?

― Darraghmac, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Heard but not seen the video: Tracy Ullman - They Don't Know.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm pretty sure the most famous Steely Dan song in the U.S. is either "Reelin' In The Years" or "Hey Nineteen." Not that either would give one much of an idea of what, say, Aja sounds like.

― Phil Dennison (Phil D.), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:37 (twenty-one years ago)

And "Tom's Diner" -- it's nothing like all those no-wave DNA records!

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I do remember being really amused when I heard Blind Melon's album on the radio and most of it was bad guns & roses stuff except for the bee girl song.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Steely Dan really did and do have a bunch of famous songs. cuz they have been playing a handful of them ever since they came out. Rikki might be the most famous i guess.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Metal Mike claims that there's one great song on the second Blind Melon album that sounds like some super obscure psychedelic 1970 band called Kak or something like that, but I don't think I ever heard it.

Rikki was Steely's biggest hit (#4 pop). I think it sounds like the same band as all their other hits though (which is not to say they all sound the same, just that they don't sound like anybody else.)

I got a good one though: 10CC (TWO huge hits, neither of them anything at all like their other stuff. Both sappy ballads that they must have had to sing a zillion times without completely cracking up.)

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)

butthole surfers
-- cutty (holle...), September 16th, 2004.

OTM

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

liz phair, maybe? (how many famous songs does she have by now?)

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

i guess i just really hate rikki

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Fischerspooner, because you might think they were any good.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I knew there was a Metal Mike allusion on the way.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:47 (twenty-one years ago)

just start asking yourself if rikki is a boy or girl and what exactly his or her relationship is to the singer, and you won't be able to get enough of it, trust me.

xpost

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:48 (twenty-one years ago)

i will try it out chucky

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Flaming Lips - that Jelly song, specifically.

― Collardio Gelatinous (collardio), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Metal Mike is probably thinking of "Lemonaide Kid" by Kak, that sounds like a Blind Melon precursor. Except, like, a gazillion times better.

― Reed Moore (diamond), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:49 (twenty-one years ago)

can (i want more)

― cutty (mcutt), Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Herbie Hancock!!!!!!!

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Exile

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 22:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Ram Jam

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The Chambers Brothers

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

sugar fucking ray. all those people who bought that album with 'fly' on it must have been pissed.

― still bevens (bscrubbins), Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I think 'she don't use jelly' gives you a pretty accurate idea of the flaming lips sound.

― Symplistic (shmuel), Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Nada Surf

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Suzi Quatro (at least in the States, where she only hit with "Stumblin' In.")

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Herbie Hancock is the best example on here so far ...

Other good examples:

Jimmy Eat World -- "The Middle" is more of an '80s throwback than most of their stuff, which I think is generally brilliant.

Digital Underground -- "The Humpty Dance is a pure fluke of a novelty hit

Blind Melon -- I think someone mentioned them already, but No Rain is a total aberration. Not ashamed to admit that band's first recoird in an all-time favorite.

Fat Joe -- "What's Luv" is garbage compared to most of his stuff

Badfinger -- That band could rock.

Arguably, T. Rex -- Their other stuff goes all over the place and has that gorgeous mid-tempo to it. "Bang a Gong" is atypical, I think.

Men Without Hats -- The album stuff is even geekier.

Biggie -- "Big Poppa" just seems like ready-to-order Puffy ... I had no clue the guy was as profound and dangerous on record until I heard the actual album. Came as a shock.

Arguably, Neil Young, though that depends of what hit you consider the alpha hit. "Heart of Gold" is probably the conventional wisom template, though "Hey Hey, My My" comes close.

― Chris O., Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Is "Tusk" Fleetwood Mac's biggest hit? I would have guessed "Go Your Own Way."

Either way, Fleetwood Mac is grossly underrated. I would rank Tusk and Rumours among the best pop albums ever made. Buckingham is an f'n genius. His stuff on "Tusk" is bizarre, but most of it is fantastic.

― Chris O., Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I was joking about Fleetwood Mac, Chris! (And about DNA, too, actually. I was going to say Suzanne Vega but then I remembered "Luka.")

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I hate most of *Tusk* the album though. (But then I never did understand Brian Wilson. Or whoever.)

― chuck, Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Is it scary that I *wasn't* joking? ;-)

Dunno, I'm a sucker for the whole complex sweet California wuss-rock thing, I guess. One of those quirks in my pop music worldview. No rhyme or reason to what I love ...

― Chris O., Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:31 (twenty-one years ago)

The Sweet: if you've just heard "Love is Like Oxygen," the earlier, glammier stuff would be fairly odd, I think.

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, the Tom's Diner thing is splitting hairs, ain't it?

Also, Chuck, does Bob Seger merit an argument for this thread? Old Time Rock n Roll -- great song but it lies between his greatest stuff -- the ballads and the stuff like Katmandu and Come to Poppa.

― Chris O., Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:33 (twenty-one years ago)

The Sweet: if you've just heard "Love is Like Oxygen," the earlier, glammier stuff would be fairly odd, I think.

Surely "Ballroom Blitz" is more well known than "Love is Like Oxygen," though, right?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Ultimately, that's probably true, but I grew up with "Oxygen" as a contemporary radio hit, and didn't hear "Ballroom Blitz" until later. (And didn't make the connection between them until much later.)

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Although, actually, I think I spent a large part of my life believing "Love is Like Oxygen" was by Foreigner.

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Quite possibly the most disappointing CD purchase I ever made was that Primitive Radio Gods album. I would have been perfectly content with 10 pallid imitations of their pretty little trip-hoppy fluke, but no, the rest was just interminable butt-metal. The same goes for The Nails' album, but since I found that on vinyl for a quarter I guess I can't complain. Though sometimes I still do. Which leads us to...

― Jesse Fuchs (Jesse Fuchs), Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I adore "Love is Like Oxygen"....

Taking Sides: Sweet's "Love is Like Oxygen" vs. Boston's "Don't Look Back"

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I only bought that shitty Primitive Radio Gods record because homeboy's name was Chris O'Connor. Kinda cool at the time, I thought ...

― Chris O., Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:48 (twenty-one years ago)

yes

(the band. i'm not responding to chris's post in the affirmative. not that i disagree with it or anything.)

― amateur!!st, Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not looking for ego stroke, so no worries ...

― Chris O., Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Louis Armstrong, "What A Wonderful World"

Would "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" be Yes' only famous song? (Their MOST famous, surely. #1 on Billboard and all.)

Alex, I would bet that Killing Joke's most famous song is "The Wait", or at least Metallica's cover is. Unless that's splitting hairs.

Marcel, how could anyone mistake "Love Is Like Oxygen" for a Foreigner song?! Surely everybody knows it's ELO!

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Would "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" be Yes' only famous song? (Their MOST famous, surely. #1 on Billboard and all.)

it's the only one that i know enough that gets played on a bunch of different commercial radio formats. maybe their only single to chart pretty high too??

you'll hear "heart of the sunrise" etc. on a few adventurous (relatively speaking) classic rock stations.

― amateur!!st, Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:58 (twenty-one years ago)

did someone mention scott walker already? if you consider "sun ain't gonna shine anymore" his most famous song...

― amateur!!st, Thursday, 16 September 2004 23:58 (twenty-one years ago)

not sweet: fox on the run also more famous than love is like oxygen

not seger: he has lots and lots of famous songs; old time rock'n'roll not all that atypical of his late '70s stuff (though worst than most)

not digital undergound: well maybe, but weren't they pretty much wise guys in general? or at least i always figured they were

not t. rex: "bang a gong" sounds like all the other songs on electric warrior (or at least a lot like jeepster and mambo sun etc.)

not yes: roundabout and long distance runaround more famous than owner of a lonely heart (or okay, MAYBE yes, but if they count, then you might have to say queen for another one bites the dust and/or crazy little thing called love, by FAR their two biggest pop hits. or heck, even for bohemian rhapsody for that matter -- almost every queen hit sounds nothing like any other queen hit, pretty much.)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 00:00 (twenty-one years ago)

& by that token "i want to know what love is" sounds nothing like any other foreigner song (but i took "THE famous song" to imply bands only had ONE famous song, not their most famous of many famous etc.)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I totally agree with you, amateurist, regarding Yes - my question above was rhetorical. Those pesky x-posts, don't you know.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 17 September 2004 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

also, chris o., this is not true at all!!

>his greatest stuff -- the ballads and the stuff like Katmandu and Come to Poppa. <

seger's GREATEST stuff (give or take "night moves") was all his early garage punk singles. (see many many seger threads on this board.)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 00:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Counterarguments ...

On Seger, I just remember how big that song got when Risky Business hit -- that seems like a mainstream starting point on his catalog. I guess you could argue for Like a Rock because of the truck commericals, or that Beverly Hills Cop II song, which was pretty big. And yes, Old Time Rock n Roll is nowhere near as good as the other stuff from that period ...

Digi Underground, yes, mostly was a party shtick group, but it wasn;t anywhere near as borderline retarded as "Humpty Dance" (though that my favorite song of theirs).

On T. Rex, yes the album has a unified sound, but most of the other songs are more leaden and slower. That's why I said arguably, because "Bang a Gong's" rhythm is much more infectious and uptempo to me.

I would also disagree on Yes. They got famous on Roundabout et al, but Owner of a Lonely Heart was freakin' huge because of the dawn of MTV (they use to play that video like all the fucking time) and multiple radio formats and the such ...

― Chris O., Friday, 17 September 2004 00:07 (twenty-one years ago)

On Seger, it's a subjective preference thing. I'll agree that stuff like "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" is awesome and should be lauded. But I'll take that arena rock stuff, just cuz it fits me like a glove ... :-)

― Chris O., Friday, 17 September 2004 00:08 (twenty-one years ago)

And "Night Moves" is my favorite song of his overall.

― Chris O., Friday, 17 September 2004 00:09 (twenty-one years ago)

You know this whole discussion may merit a seperate thread -- how do listeners and consumers of music come to associate an artist with one specific song? And what determines what we think of the song people know the most?

Look at a guy like Billy Joel ... his songs are over the place. When I think of him, I start with "Pressure" because that was big when I was 7 and first learning about pop music. But the older guys on here may think of The Entertainer or something early.

Or how bout Warrant? There's "Heaven" people and there's "Cherry Pie" people.

Interesting matter to contemplate ...

― Chris O., Friday, 17 September 2004 00:14 (twenty-one years ago)

okay, well, if we're gonna talk bands with LOTS of famous songs we should probably also throw in blondie (biggest hits: one rap song, two eurodisco songs, one reggae song) and maybe even zz top, then...

(and maybe even van halen for "jump.")

(and chris, bob got way more punk than "ramblin gamblin man." though i'm not saying you had to love that stuff as much as i do, right.)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 00:17 (twenty-one years ago)

ZZ Top is an excellent example of this, actually. Now, what song would you say is the "hit"? I'd say "Legs" but others might say "Sharp Dressed Man" or "La Grange."

I actually need to explore early Seger a little more ...

― Chris O., Friday, 17 September 2004 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Harry Nilson?

― Kevin Gilchrist (Mr Fusion), Friday, 17 September 2004 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Never underestimate the power of commericals and licensing, either. Speaking of which, has anyone else noticed that there's a camera commercial that's using "Picture Book?" If it gets folks past "Lola" and "Come Dancing," then I'm all for it.

― Chris O., Friday, 17 September 2004 00:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Did I miss Frank Zappa here? He had a hit or 2 with Valley Girl and Joe's Garage which, to me at least, sound unrepresentative of a great deal of his work.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 17 September 2004 00:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Dancing Fool and Dirty Love did pretty well, too, I believe.

― Chris O., Friday, 17 September 2004 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Joe's Garage was a hit? Not as much as Sheik Yerbouti, I'd think.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 September 2004 00:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Joe's Garage got significant air play, at least in Boston.

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 17 September 2004 00:47 (twenty-one years ago)

grateful dead [touch of grey]
the fall [ghost in my house / victoria]
blur [song 2, their only hit in the u.s.]
velvet underground [sweet jane]
wasn't "wake up" the boo radley's biggest hit by far in the uk?
wasn't beefheart's "too much time" a sort-of hit?

the flip of this are artists like human league, soundgarden, nana mouskouri, genesis, pointer sisters, dolly parton... there's the well-known stuff, and then there's the much earlier [or sometimes, like the monkees, the later] and less catchy and accessible period that is beloved by many hipsters who spurn the famous stuff.

― mig (mig), Friday, 17 September 2004 00:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry, Boston.

x-post

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:05 (twenty-one years ago)

"Roundabout" seems to get a lot of play on classic rock stations (and even that's not that typical) and "I've Seen All Good People" and "Heart of the Sunrise" are probably familiar from the movie trailers but "Owner" seems to be the most well-known Yes song to the average under-40 person in the street who's not, like, a guitar player or rock dork.

"Rikki" totally sounds like Steely Dan - I don't think it's at all far removed from Katy Lied.

A lot of people just know Sonic Youth by "Bull In the Heather" and Soundgarden by "Black Hole Sun" (which isn't typical at all). Queensryche's a really good call too.

I've never heard "Dear God"! I've heard "Peter Pumpkinhead" and one or two other XTC songs though ("Helicopter"?)

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Styx - "Mr Roboto"?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:16 (twenty-one years ago)

The Smiths - "How Soon Is Now?" maybe, at least in terms of the backing music.

Also, Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:17 (twenty-one years ago)

What's interesting is that with bands I don't really like, the famous song seems typical enough in that it contains enough of what I don't like about the band (e.g. The Cure - "Friday I'm In Love" even though it isn't representative of all their stuff; or probably the Steely Dan and Nazareth examples too). But with bands I like, I'm more picky. Yet I do like those Smiths and Joy Division songs for similar reasons to why I like a lot of their other stuff - they're made similar enough by the voices, melodies and lyrics.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Jesus Jones

― Mr. Policeman, Friday, 17 September 2004 01:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Outkast!

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:29 (twenty-one years ago)

The KLF

― Mr. Policeman, Friday, 17 September 2004 01:30 (twenty-one years ago)

John Cage!

"3 am Eternal" was the KLF's hit, right? What's their other stuff like?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:35 (twenty-one years ago)

"3 am Eternal" was the KLF's hit, right? What's their other stuff like?

The album from whence that single came, The White Room, is pretty consistent i'd say. There other stuff was different, but at the time, I'd say that single was pretty indicative, no?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:37 (twenty-one years ago)

The KLF win this thread, because almost everyone has no choice but to get the wrong idea about them on a first listen to any of their songs.

I'm including their collaborations with Tammy Wynette and Extreme Noise Terror here (not both together, although that would be temptingly off-the-wall amazing)

― Mr. Policeman, Friday, 17 September 2004 01:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Not to mention them burning 1,000,000 pounds (as in the currency) and filming it, also dumping buckets of blood onto the first row of people at the Brit awards, fire blanks into them, then subsequently dumping a dead sheep onto the red carpet upon exile from the ceremonies.

― Mr. Policeman, Friday, 17 September 2004 01:41 (twenty-one years ago)

(Ignoring that fascinating KLF exchange, esp. as I preferred "Justified & Ancient" [which hit #11!] over "3am.")

Everything But The Girl would have been a perfect answer if they had stopped at "Missing." But when that smashed they decided to make that their sound.

Can I go with Little Esther Phillips b/c her only "pop" hit was a disco demolition of one of her songs?

P.S. Surprised no one said Grateful Dead.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:44 (twenty-one years ago)

John Cage has to be some stiff competition though. You know how many people write him off as some artflake who thought it would be funny to write a piece with nothing in it, not knowing that he actually wrote some of the most pretty and accessible music the avant-garde has ever had to offer?

I had no idea the KLF did all that. That sounds like it would belong in the ILE thread about the cat torture video.

xpost: Someone said Grateful Dead. "Ripple" actually makes them seem good!

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"Train in Vain"/"Rock the Casbah"/"Shoudl I Stay or Should I Go?"

I can't decide which of these is the Clash's "most famous," but i don't think any of them are particularly indicative of their "normal" sound.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"Rock the Casbah" surely?

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 01:57 (twenty-one years ago)

A moot answer as everyone's heard more than the hit, but Bob Dylan would be an obvious contender otherwise.

― mottdeterre, Friday, 17 September 2004 05:46 (twenty-one years ago)

I suspect Kraftwerk actually fall into this category - although I love "The Model", it's fairly atypical (in that it's short and direct).

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Friday, 17 September 2004 07:32 (twenty-one years ago)

The Fall (There's a ghost in my house)

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 17 September 2004 07:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Maria McKee, Boo Radleys, Supergrass.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Friday, 17 September 2004 08:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Lou Reed, if you'd only know "walk on the wild side"!

― xenografia, Friday, 17 September 2004 09:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Jeff Beck

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Bis.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 17 September 2004 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

In the UK, Kiss's famous song is "Crazy, Crazy Nights".

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Friday, 17 September 2004 10:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Faith No More.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 17 September 2004 11:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Prefab Sprout's "The King of Rock n' Roll" (depending on if you consider the multiple releases of the previous "When Love Breaks Down" to be a hit). The gloss of the song translates to other work but the "Hot dog, jumping frog, Albuquerque" lyrics might cause someone to ignore "Appetite", "Desire As", and many, many other fantastic songs.

― Chris Hill (Chris Hill), Friday, 17 September 2004 11:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Love and Rockets.

I mean... "So Alive" - where did *that* come from?

― Danger Whore (kate), Friday, 17 September 2004 11:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Bonzos

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 11:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Mr. Oizo. Well, it’s not totally the wrong idea, but the album is quite different.

― Orange, Friday, 17 September 2004 12:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Mauro Picotto (based on his two chart hits you'd expect commercial hands-in-the-air trance, whereas the bulk of his productions and all his DJ sets are pounding looptechno)

― Siegbran (eofor), Friday, 17 September 2004 12:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Simon Dupree and the Big Sound (even less like Gentle Giant)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

how exactly are the joy division/smiths/xtc songs that people nominated above atypical? to me they all seem pretty representative of what those bands sound like, but maybe i'm missing something...

"touch of grey" is not the most famous grateful dead song. ("truckin' is.)

and "mr. roboto" is not the most famous styx song by a long shot. ("come sail away" is probably, or maybe "babe".)

the clash and klf had both occurred to me, but i couldn't remember what their most famous songs were.

otherwise, i'm amazed how many of the "famous" songs mentioned are so famous that i've never heard them -- including the one by the fall, who i own at least ten albums by. (i gather they were hit in england.)

outkast and john cage and harry nillson are really good choices.

i keep wondering whether golden earring or focus belong here, too.

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 13:50 (twenty-one years ago)

(golden earring for BOTH of their atypical hits, that is.)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 13:50 (twenty-one years ago)

i keep wondering whether golden earring or focus belong here, too.

"Radar Love" or "Twillight Zone"?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 September 2004 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Might After the Fire belong here? Apart from the Falco cover, weren't they actually a metal band (I don't know....they opened for Van Halen at one point).

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 September 2004 13:52 (twenty-one years ago)

They were more new wave, I think. At least the one album I own is. But yeah, I don't think they did anything else like "Der Kommissar." (Didn't they also have a smaller hit called "One Rule for You One Rule For Me" or something like that, though?)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 13:54 (twenty-one years ago)

After The Fire are still going I think and they're like a vaguely new wave prog Christian thing or something. Alles klar?

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 17 September 2004 13:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah, here you go, if you can be arsed:
http://www.afterthefire.co.uk/biography.htm

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 17 September 2004 13:58 (twenty-one years ago)

War

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The Smiths - but only if you hear "Girlfriend in a Coma." "How Soon Is Now" is a bit more representative.

Eminem, actually. His biggest hits are three Slim Shady joke raps over a Billie Jean beat... and an inspirational ballad.

And, since Robert Smith has now written at least two awful songs that try to be "Friday I'm In Love," I suppose it has become retroactively representative.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:01 (twenty-one years ago)

"How Soon Is Now" is a bit more representative.

Err.....not it isn't. I don't think the Smiths ever captured that same sort've woozy groove ever again.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Stranglers - Golden Brown

― NickB (NickB), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

What's the difference between "girlfriend in a coma" and "Panic"?

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Eminem, actually. His biggest hits are three Slim Shady joke raps over a Billie Jean beat... and an inspirational ballad...in an alternate universe where "Stan" was never released.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)

otherwise, i'm amazed how many of the "famous" songs mentioned are so famous that i've never heard them -- including the one by the fall, who i own at least ten albums by.

The Frenz Experiment cd has it, not sure if it's a tack on or if it was on the original album. I'd be amazed if this isn't one of the ten Fall albums you own. Also on the singles comp with a number for a title.

"touch of grey" is not the most famous grateful dead song. ("truckin' is.)

'Truckin' was perhaps at one time, but 'Touch of Gray' is for those not old enough to dress in hippie rags and spin in a circle at their concerts.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:51 (twenty-one years ago)

It's the only one I know.

― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Zappa OTM. Not so much "Valley Girl" as "Bobby Brown".

― strom (strom), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Which is the Harry Nilsson hit, "Without You" or "Everybody's Talking"? (I think that, while he didn't write either, neither one sounds that out of line with the rest of his stuff.)

What about the Avalanches?

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Friday, 17 September 2004 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

moloko: 'sing it back'

it's partly a remix thing, cf tori amos, and groove armada, whom fatboy slim managed to make sound good.

― HKM, Friday, 17 September 2004 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Wire - "Eardrum Buzz" WTF?

― Paul (scifisoul), Friday, 17 September 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I *hated* Wire for a long time, cause that was the only song of theirs I'd ever really heard.

― Danger Whore (kate), Friday, 17 September 2004 15:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Eminem, actually. His biggest hits are three Slim Shady joke raps over a Billie Jean beat... and an inspirational ballad...in an alternate universe where "Stan" was never released.

Wow. I guess I live in that universe. I have completely forgotten about "Stan." Yeah I guess that one is pretty representative. I stand corrected, then.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Friday, 17 September 2004 15:26 (twenty-one years ago)

OutKast is a weird one to me. Are we going with "The Way You Move" and "Hey Ya" there? If so, I get it. But that band got huge to the mainstream originally on "Ms. Jackson," which is much closer to their usual shtick, though their best material to me still is on Aquemini.

― Chris O., Friday, 17 September 2004 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

RE:Bowie-Other famous, but not necessarily characteristic, hits="Fame" & "Golden Years."

Big Star-"In The Street" (or "That 70s Song" as most know it today)
James Brown-"I Got You (I Feel Good)"*

*C'mon, admit it.

― Doobie Keebler (Charles McCain), Friday, 17 September 2004 15:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I think, by now, "Hey Ya" is far and away Outkast's most famous song. (I didn't get that nomination at all at first, until I realized that.)

I assumed Nillson meant "Without You," which has always struck me as his real-world-sappy irony-free equalivalent of those 10cc songs I mentioned above (despite its suicidal underpinnings, even)

I don't get the Eminem nomination at all.

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Still don't get the "Touch of Grey" stuff though. Are people saying that that gets played more on the radio now than "Truckin"? On what kind of stations? Or is it just that the video shows up on VH-1 or something? I figured "Touch of Grey" was famous for 3 months a bunch of years ago then everybody forgot about it, but maybe I'm wrong.

― c-huck, Friday, 17 September 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

And on what planet did Wire have a hit??

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 15:38 (twenty-one years ago)

MTV video, hello?

― Paul (scifisoul), Friday, 17 September 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

"Hey Ya" is the only Outkast song I've heard at the grocery store.

I dunno, "Mr Roboto" seems to be the one Styx song most people who missed the 70s know. Wasn't it in Austin Powers or something?

I've never even heard "Touch of Grey" I don't think but I could pretty much sing along to "Ripple", "Truckin", or "Uncle John's Band". I remember "Foolish Heart" too.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 15:51 (twenty-one years ago)

"Come Sail Away" was in South Park, though, sundar!!

― chck, Friday, 17 September 2004 15:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry, I didn't mean to be so asshatish about the Eminem thing. I do think it's interesting how quickly such MONSTROUS hits can get forgotten (in this case, "Stan"). I think though he's lucked out, in that there's really not ONE song of his that is more ubiquitous than any others.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 17 September 2004 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Since nobody has pointed out how OTM I was with Faith No More, I'm just gonna go ahead and do that now. Cuz, y'know, it's true.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 17 September 2004 16:00 (twenty-one years ago)

But if you heard any one FNM song, you'd have the wrong idea about them.

― n/a (Nick A.), Friday, 17 September 2004 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Nickalicious explain yourself re faith no more please.
xpost

― superultramega (superultramarinated), Friday, 17 September 2004 16:03 (twenty-one years ago)

When The Dead performed on Conan O'Brian or whatever it was a couple weeks ago, the song they played was "Touch Of Grey", FWIW. When they mention Grateful Dead on MTV Rockumentary thingies or I Love the Whatever Decade That Was With The Music And The Drugs, they show the "Touch of Grey" video. Amongst Dead FANS, I would say "Truckin'", but amongst the unwashed (or, in the case, washed) masses, I would DEFINITELY say "Touch of Grey".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 17 September 2004 16:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Faith No More have a definite undisputed #1 Song By Which People Who Aren't Fans Know Them By in "Epic". Based on this song alone, they have a legacy as some sort of "rap-metal" pioneers, when in reality Mike Patton only ever rapped on like 5 AT MOST FNM songs (and that's stretching the definition of the word "rap"). Often, when a modern rock band has vaguely rapped verses and big retarded frat-boy choruses, people refer to a Faith No More 'influence'.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that, based on "Epic"'s legacy, there are a shit ton of copies of the fucking PHENOMENAL album Angel Dust in used/discount bins all over America.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 17 September 2004 16:09 (twenty-one years ago)

A few more possible nominations

Edwin Starr (though *maybe* he has other stuff like "War")
Melanie (though ditto "Brand New Key")
Charlie Rich for "The Most Beautiful Girl"
Johnny Taylor for "Disco Lady"

As for Jan Hammer's "Miami Vice Theme," I have no fucking idea.

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 16:10 (twenty-one years ago)

And I am not a "Dead fan", by the way. Far from it.

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 16:12 (twenty-one years ago)

ha ha me neither Chuck. Although I do have a special place in my heart for "Eyes of the World", for some reason.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 17 September 2004 16:14 (twenty-one years ago)

The Pretenders? "Brass in Pocket" vs. the rest of their first album?

Though there's "Back on the Chain Gang" and "Don't Get Me Wrong," so that might disqualify them. Though those are not terribly representative of the third album.

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Friday, 17 September 2004 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Maria Muldaur for "Midnight at the Oasis"

I don't think "Brass in Pocket" is very atypical, actually. (Though maybe it sounds more like their later stuff than their early stuff.)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

The deadfans are neatly divided between deadheads and touchheads. The local dinorawk station still plays Touch of Gray from time to time but I don't think I've heard any of the other songs on the airwaves. 'Ripple' et al. seem to require actually knowing at least bare minimum about the band.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Friday, 17 September 2004 17:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually, the Spin Doctors TOTALLY fit on this thread, duh. (Two big hits that sound like Joe Jackson meets Steve Miller amid an ouvre that alternates between bad hippie mush and worse chili pepper crap)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Re: Faith No More, did "We Care a Lot" not go far past college radio? Man, I loved that song in the day. Still do.

― Chris Hill (Chris Hill), Friday, 17 September 2004 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

And that was a rap song too, right? (I mean, didn't FNM at least *start out* as a rap-metal band, more or less? They even evolved somehow from the Pop-0-Pies of "Truckin' Rap" fame, I thought...)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I always forget about the Chuck Mosely days in my tiresome FNM-weren't-rap-metal tirades. "Ann's Song" and "We Care A Lot", their singles during that period, were BOTH very much rap-rocky.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Friday, 17 September 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

CHUMBAWUMBA!

― I am a genius! (Dan Perry), Friday, 17 September 2004 18:50 (twenty-one years ago)

No Doubt, if Don't Speak was "the hit".

― Crackity (Crackity Jones), Friday, 17 September 2004 18:53 (twenty-one years ago)

oh jeez, here's an obvious one: Pixies - "Here Comes Your Man"

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

kelis!

― Symplistic (shmuel), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Eh?

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

milkshake isn't really representative

― Symplistic (shmuel), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

"Milkshake" isn't THAT far removed from "Caught Out There".

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:21 (twenty-one years ago)

We care a lot about the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines
about the NY, SF, and LAPD
about you people, about your guns
about the wars you're fighting
gee, that looks like fun

We care a lot about the Cabbage Patch, The Smurfs, and DMC
about Madonna and we cop for Mr.T
about the little things, the bigger things we top
about you people, yeah, you bet we care a lot

Still fairly topical, at least the top verse...

― Chris Hill (Chris Hill), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

the lyrics are pretty different, both in subject and tone. I guess the music and production on those two songs have some similarities (all Neptunes songs sound the same, after all). But I guess my idea of the average Kelis song is a thoughtful song about an ambivalent relationship, and Milkshake is funny nonsense about how good in bed Kelis is.

― Symplistic (shmuel), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually it's funny nonsense about how Kelis has great TITTEHS but yeah, point taken.

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

also, I actually know lots of ppl that have the wrong idea about Kelis since they've only heard Milkshake. SO THERE! Personal experience trumps all other evidence!

― Symplistic (shmuel), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:35 (twenty-one years ago)

I also nominate Tesla ("Signs").

And Rickie Lee Jones.

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)

Incubus

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

And probably Was (Not Was).
And what was Toni Basil's other music like??

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha, guess I don't listen to enough Q107, Noodles! "Truckin'" was the one I always heard on Ottawa classic rock radio growing up and "Uncle John's Band" and "Ripple" used to come up in the Carleton campus pub.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 19:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Scritti Politti!

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 20:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Divinyls

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 20:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Incubus

Which one's the big one? "Drive"?

― The Good Dr. Bill (Andrew Unterberger), Friday, 17 September 2004 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes.

― Dan Perry '08 (Dan Perry), Friday, 17 September 2004 20:56 (twenty-one years ago)

And Kid Rock, maybe (if "Picture" qualifies)

I don't think I've ever even heard of the Dead's "Ripple" before today, btw. The rock stations in Detroit used to play "Shakedown Street," "Dire Wolf," and "Alabama Getaway" though, I think.

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 20:56 (twenty-one years ago)

And I'm guessing Ozark Mountain Daredevils ("Jackie Blue") might fit here too. (Sorry, this thread is driving me nuts right now when I'm trying to get work done; I swear these just keep popping randomly into my head.)

― chuck, Friday, 17 September 2004 20:59 (twenty-one years ago)

It's totally the best Dead song, chuck!

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 21:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Not that I know all their work or anything.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 17 September 2004 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Kid Rock is a weird example if only because while "Picture" might have been atypical for him when it came out, it sure is less atypical for him now.

― Chris O., Friday, 17 September 2004 22:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Maybe the Prodigy, since there were so many people who thought that Keith Flynt was the "lead vocalist" of the "band" after "Firestarter" was a bit of a hit.

― Taxi Dancing in the Soft Prison (Ben Boyer), Friday, 17 September 2004 23:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha, guess I don't listen to enough Q107, Noodles!
I had the misfortune of working in construction industry for a few short periods. I feel sorry for whoever has to live in those homes. Though I read in the paper one of them became a "bawdy house", which always made me wonder what differentiates that from whorehouse.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Saturday, 18 September 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Edwin Starr (though *maybe* he has other stuff like "War")

nothing so political, but some of his other motown singles have that strident, brassy sound and stentorian delivery. although yeah i guess some mistake him for a protest singer.

Charlie Rich for "The Most Beautiful Girl"

well rich was so protean anyway. there are a few billy sherrill-produced records where there's a *lot* of stuff that is very similar to "the most beautiful girl."

if we consider that "yesterday" is the most popular beatles song in the world, yeah, then, the beatles.

the kinks! if you consider "you really got me" to be the one kinks song that almost everybody knows, and how they really only have a half dozen other songs that sound like that.

― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Saturday, 18 September 2004 02:34 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread has inspired me to pull out Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk" starting with the title track. Then it goes into this other one that reminds me how absolutely smitten I tend to get over Christine McVie.

― Bimble (bimble), Saturday, 18 September 2004 02:47 (twenty-one years ago)

"In The Meantime" is selling pretty well around here. I hope she never grows old. pant pant pant...

― jim wentworth (wench), Sunday, 19 September 2004 02:12 (twenty-one years ago)

'Easy' is probably Faith No More's most famous song, in the UK at least. Other than that, it's got to be 'Epic'. Neither is particularly representative.

― Wooden (Wooden), Sunday, 19 September 2004 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

has anyone mentioned blur yet (because in america their only hit was song2)?

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Sunday, 19 September 2004 08:52 (twenty-one years ago)

'Easy' is probably Faith No More's most famous song, in the UK at least. Other than that, it's got to be 'Epic'. Neither is particularly representative.

I've no idea what 'Easy' or 'Epic' are. The only Faith No More song I know is 'We Care A Lot', but then I'm 31.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 19 September 2004 10:51 (twenty-one years ago)

TMF is having a one hit wonders weekend and the video for 'La Bamba' came on. I think Los Lobos is a pretty good example of this.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 19 September 2004 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"Easy" is a fairly faithful rendition of the Commodores version, but with Mike Patton going "Urgh" loudly in the middle of it. I'm 31, so you have no excuse. "Epic" was great.

Has anyone mentioned Chumbawamba yet?

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 September 2004 10:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Has no one said Bjork yet? (specifically solo-Bjork in UK i.e. It's Oh So Quiet)

― Alex in Doncaster (Alex in Doncaster), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Has anyone mentioned Chumbawamba yet?

Yes, they have.

I feel I should know this 'Epic'. How does it go? Your "Urgh" comment was very evocative and I now feel I have a handle on their cover of 'Easy'.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:04 (twenty-one years ago)

I suppose 'It's Oh So Quiet' is her biggest hit, but I'd be surprised if there were many (any?) people who had heard that but nothing else.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:05 (twenty-one years ago)

A moot answer as everyone's heard more than the hit, but Bob Dylan would be an obvious contender otherwise.

This obviousness is lost on me. What is Dylan's most famous song? I kind of think of 'Blowin In The Wind'? 'Mr Tambourine Man'? 'Like A Rolling Stone'? I've no idea, but all these would give you a

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:11 (twenty-one years ago)

... pretty good idea of Dylan, in as much as one song can.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I think my mum has only heard 'it's oh so quiet', of bjork's songs.

― cºzen (Cozen), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, OK. Ask her if she's got the wrong idea about her.

― Alba (Alba), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I was joking about Chumbawumba.

Alba, you can hear a bit of Epic here.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:25 (twenty-one years ago)

I know we've said the Boo Radleys but it's so true. I often feel a bit embarassed telling people they're one of my fave bands because they usually turn round and ask "aren't they that really annoying chirpy Britpop band?". AAARGH!

― dog latin (dog latin), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:37 (twenty-one years ago)

The Roots? ("The Seed")

And possibly The Jam. I know I got the wrong impression of them from just hearing "That's Entertainment" and "Going Underground").

― the todster (the todster), Sunday, 19 September 2004 11:52 (twenty-one years ago)

the kinks! if you consider "you really got me" to be the one kinks song that almost everybody knows, and how they really only have a half dozen other songs that sound like that.

beat me to it!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 20 September 2004 01:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Supposedly the rest of Wild Cherry's catalog is nothing like "Play That Funky Music White Boy." But I dont care enough to investigate this.

― j.lu (j.lu), Monday, 20 September 2004 01:34 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

I can only figure "the famous" Nilsson song here has to be "Jump Into The Fire," which really does sound completely different from the whole rest of his catalog. He has about fifty songs and three whole albums that sound like "Without You," and if he doesn't have too many that sound exactly like "Everybody's Talkin'," I don't think you would really have the wrong idea about him from hearing it either. Then there's "Coconut," which is one of those songs where I don't think most people even think of it being by anybody, as they're most comfortable just hearing it in Coke commercials. Of course, the fact that we've gotten to Nilsson before Chumbawamba's name has come up even once should suggest something about the level at which this discussion's been pitched...

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Saturday, 12 August 2006 01:25 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, this is eeeeasy. "I will now sell five copies of The Beta Band's The Three EPs", and they all wound up sitting through Monolith. :-D

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Saturday, 12 August 2006 01:36 (nineteen years ago)

The Scorpions- Winds of Change

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Saturday, 12 August 2006 05:30 (nineteen years ago)

I guess people may get the wrong idea about Nick Cave if all they've heard is "Where The Wild Roses Grow".

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 12 August 2006 07:58 (nineteen years ago)

Captain Sensible. I remember stories going round back in the day of families going to see him on the back of Happy Talk, only to find that he was actually a nasty punk with scary fans.

― Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Saturday, 12 August 2006 08:14 (nineteen years ago)

three years pass...

Kim Mitchell (of Max Webster) - "Go For A Soda" (only hit in the States; no idea what his/their most famous song is in Canada)

― xhuxk, Thursday, 4 February 2010 01:33 (fifteen years ago)

With Max Webster, still Go For a Soda. On his own, probably Patio Lanterns.

― Binjominia, Thursday, 4 February 2010 01:36 (fifteen years ago)

the human league
simple minds

― Mr. Snrub, Thursday, 4 February 2010 01:49 (fifteen years ago)

Kix -- "Don't Close Your Eyes" (#11 pop hit, their only Hot 100 single, and almost the only ballad they ever did.)

― xhuxk, Thursday, 4 February 2010 01:59 (fifteen years ago)

two months pass...

Michael Franti

― xhuxk, Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:01 (fifteen years ago)

Chumbawamba

― a fucking stove just fell on my foot. (Colonel Poo), Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:03 (fifteen years ago)

xp: Television the Drug of the Nation?

― huh! tikuuta. (kingkongvsgodzilla), Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:03 (fifteen years ago)

pretty sure xhuxk means "Say Hey", the totally-random top-40 hit Spearhead had earlier this year

― Marriage, that's where I'm a Viking! (HI DERE), Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:10 (fifteen years ago)

xp Nope (assuming you're not joking). "Say Hey (I Love You)" from last year, which was an actual hit (went to #18 on the U.S. pop chart.)

― xhuxk, Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:11 (fifteen years ago)

Yeah, I was quasi-joking. Sorry. TTDOTN is a pretty well-known song, though.

― huh! tikuuta. (kingkongvsgodzilla), Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:13 (fifteen years ago)

If not #18.

― huh! tikuuta. (kingkongvsgodzilla), Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:13 (fifteen years ago)

TTDOTN is a pretty well-known song, though.

yeah.... not really

― Marriage, that's where I'm a Viking! (HI DERE), Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:14 (fifteen years ago)

C'mon. Among like, nerds, it's got a pretty strong currency. They were on 120 minutes! They opened for U2!

― huh! tikuuta. (kingkongvsgodzilla), Thursday, 29 April 2010 15:16 (fifteen years ago)

"say hey" sounds exactly like the horrid crap i heard spearhead play live 8 years ago (worst concert i've ever been to; lineup was karl denson, spearhead, and blackalicious w/o gift of gab.)

― hobbes, Thursday, 29 April 2010 19:31 (fifteen years ago)

Cornershop
Lilys

― PaulTMA, Thursday, 29 April 2010 20:45 (fifteen years ago)

Stories

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Thursday, 29 April 2010 20:47 (fifteen years ago)

the human league

Which famous song is meant here? (In the U.S., at least, they had two #1 singles and another top 10. And I bet they did even better in the U.K.)

― xhuxk, Thursday, 29 April 2010 20:56 (fifteen years ago)

Black Box Recorder

― PaulTMA, Thursday, 29 April 2010 21:11 (fifteen years ago)

Can't believe no one's mentioned "Creep," which is pretty much the only Radiohead song our local alt-rock station plays anymore.

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Thursday, 29 April 2010 21:55 (fifteen years ago)

blackalicious w/o gift of gab

how does that work?

― pug it out with enbb (The Reverend), Thursday, 29 April 2010 22:26 (fifteen years ago)

What's the most famous Lilys song?

― billstevejim, Thursday, 29 April 2010 23:24 (fifteen years ago)

xp gab was ill at the time. a couple of other quantum guys (latyrx? lyrics born?) were there to make up for it but the whole thing was just a sloppy disaster.

― hobbes, Thursday, 29 April 2010 23:35 (fifteen years ago)

chumbawamba

― 69, Friday, 30 April 2010 00:07 (fifteen years ago)

Soul Asylum

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 30 April 2010 00:19 (fifteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBmf05RQLfw

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 30 April 2010 00:20 (fifteen years ago)

I always think of "Beth" as being Kiss's most famous song. It was their biggest hit, wasn't it?

Their biggest may have been "Crazy Crazy Night", which still doesn't mean it's the one most people remember them for today.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 30 April 2010 00:22 (fifteen years ago)

10+ years ago i would've said green day "time of your life" but i think maybe their fanbase has expanded since then?

― hobbes, Friday, 30 April 2010 00:24 (fifteen years ago)

Santana

― kornrulez6969, Friday, 30 April 2010 00:25 (fifteen years ago)

Todd Rundgren, presuming 'Bang the Drum All Day' is better known than 'Hello, It's Me'.

― Phil Will, Friday, 30 April 2010 00:31 (fifteen years ago)

10+ years ago i would've said green day "time of your life" but i think maybe their fanbase has expanded since then?

I thought "Basket Case" was their biggest hit then? It may still be although "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" (which is surely less representative) may be a contender.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 30 April 2010 00:33 (fifteen years ago)

Todd Rundgren, presuming 'Bang the Drum All Day' is better known than 'Hello, It's Me'.

Pretty certain "I Saw The Light" is his most famous song.

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 30 April 2010 00:38 (fifteen years ago)

Not in the U.S. it's not. And "Hello It's Me" was a much bigger hit than "Bang The Drum" (#5 to #63), though maybe the latter has gotten more famous since via sports events or something? Still think "Hello It's Me" is his best known song.

"Beth" was Kiss's biggest U.S. hit; went to #7. "Crazy Crazy Nights" only got to #65, but "Forever" -- which I don't know if I've ever even heard, at least knowingly -- reached #8 in 1990. I'd pick "Rock And Roll All Nite" (#12 in 1975) as their best-known, though. ("I Was Made For Loving You" would be up there too, I bet.)

― xhuxk, Friday, 30 April 2010 00:54 (fifteen years ago)

Not in the U.S. it's not. And "Hello It's Me" was a much bigger hit than "Bang The Drum" (#5 to #63), though maybe the latter has gotten more famous since via sports events or something?
Fair enough, I wasn't really sure, I thought the sports event factor might have elevated 'Bang the Drum', where its played quite widely, I believe. Geir's right too about 'I Saw the Light' being most famous here in the UK, and I would imagine in Europe too.

― Phil Will, Friday, 30 April 2010 01:02 (fifteen years ago)

The *only* Kiss song I've ever heard on the radio is "I Was Made for Lovin' You," and that was when I moved here.

― Walter Melon (Abbott), Friday, 30 April 2010 01:10 (fifteen years ago)

chambawamba
chembewembe
chimbiwimbi
chombowombo
chumbuwumbu

― Moka, Friday, 30 April 2010 01:28 (fifteen years ago)

10+ years ago i would've said green day "time of your life" but i think maybe their fanbase has expanded since then?

My mom, who typically buys maybe 2 CDs a year, bought that album based on "Time of Your Life" when it was out and was quite surprised when she heard the rest of it.

― he's always been a bit of an anti-climb Max (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 30 April 2010 02:09 (fifteen years ago)

I guess "Nothing Else Matters" isn't Metallica's one most famous song, but it sure brought them some new "fans" who may have gotten second thoughts when they heard the rest of their material....

― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Friday, 30 April 2010 10:26 (fifteen years ago)

What's the most famous Lilys song?

Nanny In Manhattan - in the UK anyway, due to Levi ad, TOTP etc.

― PaulTMA, Friday, 30 April 2010 10:31 (fifteen years ago)

I think in the US, Talk Talk surely qualify here.

― turkey, Friday, 30 April 2010 10:55 (fifteen years ago)

fwiw, I (in the UK) know "Bang on the drum" and "I saw the light", and don't think I have heard "Hello it's me"

― Mark G, Friday, 30 April 2010 10:57 (fifteen years ago)

Underworld.

― New Hors d'œuvre (DavidM), Friday, 30 April 2010 10:58 (fifteen years ago)

Definitely "I Saw the Light" (in the UK), don't even know what "Bang on the Drum" sounds like (and I've got a fair few of his albums... including the one it's on!) (xp)

― Football's Flocking Home (Tom D.), Friday, 30 April 2010 11:00 (fifteen years ago)

Coolio - "Gangsta's Paradise" in the UK.

― Check this, in fact. How exciting. He literally cuts the mustard. (snoball), Friday, 30 April 2010 11:07 (fifteen years ago)

Can't believe no one's mentioned "Creep," which is pretty much the only Radiohead song our local alt-rock station plays anymore.

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Thursday, April 29, 2010 10:55 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark

it represents early radiohead accurately enough

but yeah since then they got rid of the whiney godawful singer and self-pitying lyrics and oh wait what's that?

― one of your top-tier posters! (history mayne), Friday, 30 April 2010 11:08 (fifteen years ago)

lol

― The Reverend, Friday, 30 April 2010 16:42 (fifteen years ago)

*sigh*

― I just wish he hadn't adopted the "ilxor" moniker (ilxor), Friday, 30 April 2010 16:59 (fifteen years ago)

Hey lets start another Radiothread about it and lets hash this out once and for all!

Wait, please don't.

― he's always been a bit of an anti-climb Max (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 30 April 2010 17:22 (fifteen years ago)

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