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)

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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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