Hit songs only known on one side of the Atlantic done by transatlantic stars

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This is a weird one, and I have no idea if there will be many examples, but I was prompted by a curious discovery I made a few days ago to ask this question.

In the liner notes of a Curtis Mayfield greatest hits CD that I picked up for £1 second-hand it mentions that "Move on up", by far his biggest and most enduring hit in the UK and the rest of Europe which still gets used in TV shows and advertisements etc., was relatively unknown and not particularly succesful in the US. I don't know if this is true, and I also don't know how many people will be able to contribute to this thread, but I'm certainly intersted in knowing of any examples.

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Saturday, 1 July 2006 00:16 (nineteen years ago)

Does Hasselhoff count?

― James.Cobo (jamescobo), Saturday, 1 July 2006 00:34 (nineteen years ago)

I kiss you, but no. They have to be transatlantic music. I suppose I wasn't specific enough. You've found the chink in my armour and driven the lance of the Hoff in to it.

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Saturday, 1 July 2006 00:36 (nineteen years ago)

"music stars" that should be. It's all going frightfully awry.

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Saturday, 1 July 2006 00:37 (nineteen years ago)

Wings - "Mull of Kintyre"

One of the highest selling singles in UK history, it only made it to #33 in the US.

― Matt Golden (goldmatt), Saturday, 1 July 2006 01:11 (nineteen years ago)

Most Bananarama singles.

Almost anything by Scritti Politti except for 'Perfect Way,' in the US.
'Perfect Way,' in the UK.

There are plenty of bands that were famous for years on one side (particularly in the UK), and only ever had one, albeit massive, hit on the other side.

― atdaysclose (atdaysclose), Saturday, 1 July 2006 04:35 (nineteen years ago)

"Move On Up" was used about a year ago in a car ad that on US TV every 5 minutes or so. But you're right, if it came on the radio here more people would recognize it as a Kayne West sample source than as a Mayfield song. Didn't the UK also produce an awful cover version, by the guy from the Jam or something?

― ramon fernandez (ramon fernandez), Saturday, 1 July 2006 04:55 (nineteen years ago)

Earth Song by Michael Jackson is much more well-known in the UK than the US, although they were both hits when released. IIRC it just recharted in the UK recently as well.

― musically (musically), Saturday, 1 July 2006 05:51 (nineteen years ago)

Earth Song was British Christmas No. 1, in 1995 iirc which always ups the ante a bit. Thanks for the interesting replies, I'm glad this thread hasn't completely sunk like a lead balloon.

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Saturday, 1 July 2006 13:51 (nineteen years ago)

why atlantic? who cares? why not ,say, asia/us? kept to yrself yr little games boys. keep kissing each other.

― alicer (alicereed), Saturday, 1 July 2006 13:58 (nineteen years ago)

its not a weird one at all. dick.

― alicer (alicereed), Saturday, 1 July 2006 13:59 (nineteen years ago)

Try writing in english.

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:03 (nineteen years ago)

hahahahahhahahahhahahahahhahahaha

point!

― alicer (alicereed), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:06 (nineteen years ago)

are you , what, 17?

― alicer (alicereed), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:07 (nineteen years ago)

Phil Collins "Don't Lose My Number" from No Jacket Required#4 in US - not a single in UK
Hall and Oates "Rich Girl" - #1 in US in 1977, not a single in UK

― pleased to mitya (mitya), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:10 (nineteen years ago)

good ol english:
In the liner notes of a Curtis Mayfield greatest hits CD that I picked up for £1 second-hand it mentions that "Move on up", by far his biggest and most enduring hit in the UK and the rest of Europe which still gets used in TV shows and advertisements etc., was relatively unknown and not particularly succesful in the US. I don't know if this is true, and I also don't know how many people will be able to contribute to this thread, but I'm certainly intersted in knowing of any examples.

― alicer (alicereed), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:16 (nineteen years ago)

Was "Oh Yeah" by Yello ever such a big tune in Europe as it was in the US?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:18 (nineteen years ago)

it was a big hit in malaysia.

― alicer (alicereed), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:21 (nineteen years ago)

The Monkees, "Randy Scouse Git" (aka "Alternate Title") - #2 in UK, not a single in US

Diana Ross, "Chain Reaction" - #1 in UK, unfairly tanked in the US (missed Top 40, but I think it made the Hot 100)

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Saturday, 1 July 2006 14:57 (nineteen years ago)

Also, "Dear Jessie" and "Hollywood" by Madonna made top 10 in the UK but didn't chart in the US.

― musically (musically), Saturday, 1 July 2006 18:18 (nineteen years ago)

Of course, original chart position doesn't necessarily have complete influence on lasting legacy. But I am fairly sure that those two songs qualify.

― musically (musically), Saturday, 1 July 2006 18:30 (nineteen years ago)

"Saturday Night," a US #l and pretty much the only song the Bay City Rollers are remembered for in the US, was not a single in the UK.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Saturday, 1 July 2006 18:43 (nineteen years ago)

I don't know exactly how far "Move On Up" got on the charts in the U.S. but he certainly seems to be more well known here for "Pusherman" and other tracks on the Superfly soundtrack. I could be wrong, though because it seems to me Mayfield isn't all that well known here in general, I mean he's not exactly a household name played on the radio a lot. Anyone here old enough to actually remember when these things were released?

― Vampire Business (Bimble...), Saturday, 1 July 2006 19:53 (nineteen years ago)

Well done folk, I'm still interested! Alicer is still inbred.

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Saturday, 1 July 2006 22:48 (nineteen years ago)

"Saturday Night," a US #l and pretty much the only song the Bay City Rollers are remembered for in the US, was not a single in the UK.

That is amazing.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Saturday, 1 July 2006 23:38 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I'm rubbing my eyes and staring at the monitor in disbelief.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Saturday, 1 July 2006 23:42 (nineteen years ago)

Heed!

― jimnaseum (jimnaseum), Sunday, 2 July 2006 00:35 (nineteen years ago)

There's another Diana Ross hit that made #1 in the UK but barely registered in the US ("I'm Still Waiting").

― LC (Damian), Sunday, 2 July 2006 20:09 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

I was reading the liner notes to this one MJ comp I got, and I noticed that he had lots of singles that were big in the UK that weren't even released or barely charted in the US, if at all...Leave Me Alone, One Day in Your Life, Give In to Me, Why, Liberian Girl, Stranger in Moscow, Blood on the Dance Floor, History/Ghosts, One More Chance, and some other that aren't on here. The only example of the opposite I see is "Human Nature," which either wasn't released in the UK, or did not chart (I assume the former). I guess it makes more sense that they just rereleased all of his singles in Europe and not the US. Anyway, I think I've devoted enough time to this, for today, at least.

― musically (musically), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 21:06 (eighteen years ago)

Thanks for that. I forgot I'd started this thread, it floundered for a minute then died a death. But there was some quasi-interesting stuff on it. Maybe this revival will get some more answers.

― struttin' with some barbecue (jimnaseum), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 21:10 (eighteen years ago)

Leave Me Alone got heavy MTV rotation in the US. don't think the others made any kind of dent.

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 21:11 (eighteen years ago)

"leave me alone" was a hit but probably pretty minor (like 8th single off of bad by that point right? it was all over mtv in any case). "give in to me" was minor squeeze please be a hit - vid was premiered on that oprah special, by that point the record had registered as a disappointment (in terms of sales at least) and he was releasing singles like every month from it waiting for something to catch; 'black or white' and 'remember the time' were the only huge smash michael jackson hits from it but there were a ton of other hits ('jam', 'in the closet', the free willy one) and 'this did definitely receive airplay' misses ('who is it', 'give in to me', 'heal the world' if that was on dangerous i can't remember, i swear to god there's at least one more i'm forgetting also). 'earth song' wasn't actually a hit in the u.s. was it?

― j blount (papa la bas), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 21:19 (eighteen years ago)

I mentioned Earth Song before, it wasn't even released in the US, but it was #1 in the UK at Christmas, which is a big deal I guess.

― musically (musically), Tuesday, 19 September 2006 21:27 (eighteen years ago)

The Jam's 'Going Underground' reached #1 in the UK, but didn't even chart in the US.

― GLC (ZakAce), Wednesday, 20 September 2006 04:37 (eighteen years ago)

one year passes...

"Who Do You Think You Are" by the Spice Girls is one of their most well-known songs abroad, but it was never released as a single in the US due to various timing issues. It was the song that Ginger Spice performed in her Union Jack dress so I suppose if Youtube had been around back then, this might be a different story.

I only found out that it was a big hit recently; weird feeling since as a kid I jammed to this non-stop and assumed it was my little album track favorite.

― musically, Thursday, 14 August 2008 04:11 (seventeen years ago)

The Jam's 'Going Underground' reached #1 in the UK, but didn't even chart in the US.

lol @ The Jam being "transatlantic stars"

― musically, Thursday, 14 August 2008 04:13 (seventeen years ago)

"If You Leave" by OMD wasn't their only US hit but it was their biggest and it's the one you'll still hear on the radio today, just because it was on the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. It only got to number 48 over here and their earlier singles - "Enola Gay", "Souvenir", "Joan of Arc" - are much better known, but were never released in the US.

― ledge, Thursday, 14 August 2008 08:33 (seventeen years ago)

"Saturday Night," a US #l and pretty much the only song the Bay City Rollers are remembered for in the US, was not a single in the UK.
That is amazing.

-- Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Saturday, 1 July 2006 23:38 (2 years ago) Bookmark Link

Yeah, it was. It was the single before "Remember", wiki has it that it was their previous singer, but I'm sure it was Les. Got lots of airplay, sort of re-broke them in the UK, the rest is history.

― Mark G, Thursday, 14 August 2008 10:02 (seventeen years ago)

Not quite. The version of "Saturday Night" released as a single in 1973 had Nobby Clark on lead vocals. The one which topped the Billboard chart was a 1975 re-recording with Les singing lead.

― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 August 2008 10:12 (seventeen years ago)

Seems odd that Nobby left then, as that single did get lots of airplay and turned things around for the band.

Maybe he saw the vision of hell ahead!

― Mark G, Thursday, 14 August 2008 10:19 (seventeen years ago)

(I knew they rerecorded "Keep on dancing" but not "SatNight")

― Mark G, Thursday, 14 August 2008 10:20 (seventeen years ago)

Well, Nobby also sang on "Remember" which actually did get them back in the top ten and started their big run of success, but then he quit. Can't remember why but probably something to do with wanting to play "proper music."

What about "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" by McCartney - #1 in the States, not released as a single back home.

― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 August 2008 10:20 (seventeen years ago)

And of course the Herman's Hermits double - "Mrs Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" and "I'm Enery The Eighth I Am" - which in Britain were album tracks and/or B-sides only.

― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 August 2008 10:22 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.nobbyclarkmusic.com/bio.html

Blimey, everyone has their website nowadays...

Wiki has it that Les re-recorded the lead vocals for Remember.

― Mark G, Thursday, 14 August 2008 10:24 (seventeen years ago)

FUCK HE RECORDED THE ASSOCIATES???

The man's a GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

― Dingbod Kesterson, Thursday, 14 August 2008 10:29 (seventeen years ago)

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