songs that weren't a bands biggest hit, but have gone on to be their legacy song and biggest iTunes seller

that's a funny one! apparently "Take On Me" was on the soundtrack to BASEketball, but I can't imagine that was a very wide pathway to trending in the 2010s....

Psychedelic Furs - Is Love My Way now firmly ensconced as their legacy track over Pretty in Pink for its superior new waviness? I am pleased to note that the execrable 86 soundtrack version with more sax is not on Spotify, although that was their biggest hit technically.

Call Me By Your Name helped.

'beer' has definitely always been 'that other reel big fish song.'

Superchunk’s most popular song is “Driveway to Driveway”

Slack Motherfucker not even in top five

"Driveway to Driveway" is the single off their best selling album so I'm not sure what's so hard to imagine there.

Checking some of these bands in Tidal (the streaming service I’m currently using) brings up more “expected” Top Tracks results, without the possibly–algorithm-driven Spotify weirdness discussed in this thread.

Lol I guess when people think of Superchunk they think Driveway to fucking Driveway

“Slack MFer” is their #1 on Tidal

Tom Waits' top song on Spotify is "I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You", which has double the spins of runners-up "Martha", "Ol' 55", and "Hold On".

The Replacements' top song on Spotify is "Swingin' Party", but I also find it interesting that what is claimed to be their 10th biggest song* is "Portland", a Don't Tell A Soul outtake that debuted years later on a comp and is a bonus track on the deluxe DTAS.

*"Answering Machine" isn't on the current list, but it has more spins.

"i hope that i don't fall in love with you" was the walk down the aisle song at a wedding i went to last year, so i guess that's its life right now

Lorde covered Swingin' Party, which might have something to do with it

that's a funny one! apparently "Take On Me" was on the soundtrack to BASEketball, but I can't imagine that was a very wide pathway to trending in the 2010s....

― Doctor Casino,Wednesday, April 8, 2020 6:26 AM (one week ago) bookmarkflaglink

they actually appear in the movie playing the song. your second point still stands obviously

While not quite their 'biggest hit', the 2nd most popular Thompson Twins song on Apple Music (after "Hold Me Now") and 4th most popular on Spotify (after "Hold Me Now", "Doctor! Doctor!", and "King For a Day") is from the prior album BEFORE their big mainstream breakout. Is their #30 US, #1 US Dance hit "Lies"? Or how about the #45 US, #9 UK hit "Love Is On Your Side"?

Nope. It was an album cut, not a single at all. It's a song called "If You Were Here" which appeared in the 2001 film "Not Another Teen Movie" (though didn't actually make it onto the official soundtrack).

move on up by Curtis Mayfield never charted in the US on original release - it did in the UK - but the song and its extended version are the top 2 Curtis Mayfield tracks on Spotify

Now I am curious about the path of Mr. Waits through popular culture. In maybe 1991 or 92 people in my circle adored "Tom Traubert's Blues" My roommate had a copy of Swordfishtrombones. I think I had Small Change (but I don't know where it is right now).

In 1993 some people in my circle liked Shawn Colvin's cover of "Heart of Saturday Night" and it led them to the album of the same name but did not, apparently, inspire everlasting Waits love. Rod Stewart covered "Downtown Train," uninspiringly. He was in some late 80s/mid-90s movies.

I have no idea what his signature song is supposed to be so I have no idea how to feel about what is outranking it in plays.

Fairly sure it was "Jockey Full of Bourbon" back in the 80s because of the Jim Jarmusch connection. Then "Downtown Train" took over, or did Rod cover another of his songs and that was it?

Nope. It was an album cut, not a single at all. It's a song called "If You Were Here" which appeared in the 2001 film "Not Another Teen Movie" (though didn't actually make it onto the official soundtrack).

The song is used quite prominently in (and got its fame from) the movie Sixteen Candles, which I'd guess Not Another Movie Movie is parodying

I have no idea what his signature song is supposed to be so I have no idea how to feel about what is outranking it in plays.

I would have figured it would have been "Ol' 55" or "Way Down In The Hole" (because The Wire) or "Jersey Girl" or one of the Island ballads like "Time" or "Downtown Train" (which is in his Top 5 on the site).

"I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You" is interesting because I don't think it's been in a big movie or TV show; there hasn't been a notable cover aside from the 10,000 Maniacs version, and it only pops up on one of the three available Waits Asylum comps.

where does Goin' Out West rank in Waits' long tail?

That'd be another one...and how could I forget "CHOCOLATE JESUS"!?!

Thank you for confirming that it is a muddled picture. Talking about "biggest hit" or "legacy song" is tough with cult artists, as it probably should be. Here's how I think about signature songs / legacy songs / biggest hits:

When the Rolling Stones played the Superbowl halftime show I don't think they considered NOT playing "Satisfaction."

Pretty sure if Rick Astley were to play the Superbowl halftime show wouldn't play his edgy new crunk album in its entirety, or a freeform jazz odyssey, and - oops - not get around to playing "Never Gonna Give You Up."

Colin Hay doesn't always play "Down Under" last, but I'm given to understand that he pretty much always plays it. If he played the Superbowl halftime show it would be there.

So if e.g. Tom Waits were to play the Superbowl halftime show (a ridiculous premise, I know, but bear with me) he would close with...

?

throwing a really GIANT hammer against a pile of corrugated iron sheets, while spinning on a Peter Pan wire 50 feet above the stage

I don't know where corrs unplugged is from but I wonder if there is some gap where e.g. Britishes (?) mostly know Steely Dan for Aja and the later audiophile jazz-pop? Bc that list of popular Dan songs is basically a list of the Steely Dan songs that get regular rock airplay in North America and have throughout my life.

Per YouTube, the most viewed Van Morrison songs (15+ million views) other than Brown-Eyed Girl are Someone Like You (for those playing at home that's off Poetic Champions Compose released in '87) and then similar numbers for Into The Mystic and Have I Told You Lately (off Avalon Sunset from '89). Many of the YouTube comments for Someone Like You and Have I Told You are about miraculous loves or spouses/lovers that passed away.

“Into the Mystic” was prominently featured in American Wedding (the third American Pie movie).

"Into The Mystic" is also totally a CVS Jam.

...and also The Swell Season (you remember, the Oscar-winning duo from Once) had an NPR turntable hit with their cover (which has also had some film/TV syncs).

Into the Mystic is awesome regardless of YouTube views. The late 80s tunes are head-scratchers at least to me. Kinda ironic that the famously dickish Van is getting lots of plays for, IMO, treacly goop.

used quite prominently in (and got its fame from) the movie Sixteen Candles, which I'd guess Not Another Movie Movie is parodying

Oh yeah, whoops. That's right!
One of the few Hughes films I never actually saw.

Have I Told You Lately is a weak song in Van's hands. Some of his laziest writing. Imagine being a beloved artist, a gifted songwriter, a cultural icon to millions of people for three decades... and you sit down and say "gee, what rhymes with 'I love you'? Hmmm... I know: 'above you'! Damn, I've still got it!"

Of course it got a boost in popularity by being covered even more lamely by Rod Fucking Stewart, who let's just say has a lot to answer for.

I don't know where corrs unplugged is from but I wonder if there is some gap where e.g. Britishes (?) mostly know Steely Dan for Aja and the later audiophile jazz-pop? Bc that list of popular Dan songs is basically a list of the Steely Dan songs that get regular rock airplay in North America and have throughout my life.

― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r),Friday, April 17, 2020 3:34 AM (seven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Speaking as A British, I don't know if I've ever heard Steely Dan in the wild.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNpMC4FslNk

as a britishes growing up in the 80s i heard reelin' in the years, ricky don't lose that number, do it again (#39 in the charts) and haitian divorce (#17) on radio 1.

Yes, those are definitely the four tracks people in the UK would be most familiar with - if they're familiar with Steely Dan at all - thread merely confirming that artists have different legacy songs in different markets (whodathoughit?)

'Peg' is the Dan track that I remember hearing first but that was probably as a De La Soul sample. They had a reasonable profile over here in the 70s and 80s but they weren't a ubiquitous presence or British AOR radio in a way that Fleetwood Mac or Dire Straits or Eric Clapton or The Eagles were.

Reelin' in the Years is also the theme tune to a long-running Irish TV show of (almost) the same name

I was assuming that 'Way Down in The Hole' would be the most popular Tom Waits song on Spotify, but it's not close

The fact that the US has had radio stations playing nothing but 'classic rock' for many more years than the UK is a major differece - I don't listen to radio so I'm assuming there are such stations in the UK now, I don't know how popular they are though.

Reelin' in the Years is also the theme tune to a long-running Irish TV show of (almost) the same name

It wasn't a hit or anything but there's a famous clip of them performing it that used to get shown a lot on UK TV, well on the Old Grey Whistle Test at least.

I used to hear 'Do It Again' on Capital in the late 80s but it was usually that Clubhouse medley of it with 'Billie Jean'. Capital Gold for all their other stuff by that point.

Of course it got a boost in popularity by being covered even more lamely by Rod Fucking Stewart, who let's just say has a lot to answer for.

― Fleetwood Machiavelli (Ye Mad Puffin),Friday, April 17, 2020 5:44 AM

Come now. Rod Stewart's version >>>>> VM's

move on up by Curtis Mayfield never charted in the US on original release - it did in the UK - but the song and its extended version are the top 2 Curtis Mayfield tracks on Spotify

Ike & Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" was never a hit in the UK. It's been my biggest, most failsafe and most ecstatically received floor-filler for the past year, especially with people in their late teens and twenties (its appeal dwindles sharply with older folk).

xp it was also featured v prominently in bend it like beckham (2002)

Not sure if we mentioned this but Public Enemy’s top Spotify track, with 50 million streams, double that of “Fight the Power” is some song from 2007 that seemingly gets used in sports docs or something

Not mentioning the title because I wonder if anyone knows it without looking it up

I don't know it and I don't use Spotify. Do tell.

Their #2 track is also surprising to a lesser degree.

Wow