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

When I saw the first part of that sentence was about footie, thought it would be about “Seven Nation Army.”

thinking about 'celebration' made me realize that the version I hear in my head is this one, from a commercial I probably saw a couple of times 35 years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYljOcM0zgU

they’ve been playing “celebration” after Oakland A’s wins since the song came out, I believe.

(home wins)

I was going to write that I actually also sing "Celebration" in reference to food...all the time.

This morning, I had a bite of leftover sponge cake for breakfast, and unbidden, sang to myself, "ahweeeah, eating lots of sponge cake, ahweeeah, tasty tasty sponge cake" etc.

Ba dee yah!

Elton John was already mentioned upthread but now it's "Rocket Man" that is his biggest song on Spotify while there are around a dozen songs of his that were bigger hits.

This may have been mentioned before but La Grange is ZZ Top’s most streamed song. It was a much smaller hit than their big 80s singles—peaked at 41 in the US.

a how how how HOW did this happen

Idk if La Grange was a hit but it’s been ZZ Top’s icon song for decades now. It’s one of those songs with high odds you’ll learn first if trying to play guitar.

"Decades" is overstatement, surely? Fwiw, "Sharp Dressed Man" is first on this list, although I'm not sure if Apple Music lists are in order of streams/sales?: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/zz-top/215917/see-all?section=top-songs

UCR do say "La Grange" is "without a doubt" their most popular song of all time. Interesting: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/top-zz-top-songs/

I would have guessed "Sharp Dressed Man", "Legs", and "Tush" before that one, although I'm not complaining.

Not very acquainted with ZZ Top’s discography but yeah La Grange might be #41 in the US maisntream rock charts but the six #1s they have there are all songs I’ve never heard before: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZ_Top_discography

As someone not overtly familiar with them my guess for their 5 most popular songs, independent from actual chart position would be: La Grange, Tush, Cheap Sunglasses, Sharp Dressed Man and Legs

this is a good time for everyone to vote in the zz top poll

La Grange was 41 regular US chart (not sure they had a mainstream rock chart back then) but they had also two ten hits on the US top 40.

Legs and Sleeping Bag. Tush made it to #20.

This is pretty much what this thread is about btw

I can at least bet those 5 are more well known than those five #1 singles.

I’ve found that chart positions don’t really work as a measure of popularity in some genres… in this case “classic rock”. We could make a test to prove the theory… let’s see I’ll google classic rock right now… I’ll pick mmm Journey, Bon Jovi and AC/DC… be right back with the results for their most popular songs according to the us mainstream rock charts.

just checked and john lee hooker’s too played song on spotify is “boom boom,” that’s how deep this goes!!

(“boogie chillen” is his fourth-most streamed)

For a certain generation I’d wager that Legs and Sharp Dressed Man are the iconic ZZ Top songs. I didn’t know they had any older hits back yhen

*top played, obv

Let’s see… here’s the most popular songs according to the US mainstream rock charts:

AC/DC

Big Gun #1
Hard As A Rock #1
Stiff Upper Lip #1
Rock n roll train #1

Bon Jovi

Apparently no US mainstream rock charts available for them? Livin on a Prayer and Keep the Faith both hit #1 in the gral US charts

Journey

Separate Ways #1
The party’s over #2
Be good to yourself #2

So it kinda works for Bon Jovi… they’re probably more of a pop rock band which is better for the charts, but I have no recollection of ever hearing those Journey and ACDC songs… I’d certainly wouldn’t name them in their 10 most popular songs of all time.

Separate ways was big

Sorry not really acquainted with Journey either… It’s #5 on spotify and I just heard it and it rang a bell. Not really the song everybody thinks of when they think of Journey and it wasn’t true back then either. That song dates from 1983 and it was probably a hit because it preceded their two most popular songs regardless if they were bigger chart hits or not.

I think the problem with classic rock in the charts is that it usually took a couple of years for the rest of the population to catch on and rock was more album oriented than single oriented anyways.

https://aboutthe80s.com/8-movies-and-shows-played-journeys-separate-ways-worlds-apart/

Oh i definitely remember that Journey video lol… this is hilarious if you haven’t seen it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD8ffB9JU64

The mainstream rock chart is (was?) an airplay chart that tracks a specific radio format. It's not necessarily reflective of a song's general popularity (even at the time) or hit status, for which the Hot 100 is a much better reference point.

I mean, I did listen to that format a lot in the late 80s/early 90s so I know a lot of those songs but "Doubleback" wasn't a #1 song for most people.

That said, Bon Jovi were definitely not absent from the mainstream rock charts: https://www.billboard.com/music/bon-jovi/chart-history/RTT

Oh so the one I was looking were actual the US mainstream rock charts for bon jovi, then the 2 songs I mentioned are the biggest ones according to that one.

The US Mainstream Rock Charts didn't exist until 1980 or thereabouts.

And I mean maybe? Bon Jovi depends on the age group you ask… for people aged 20-30 it’s probably “it’s my life”, for people 30+ Livin on a prayer is not a bad guess

this is a good time for everyone to vote in the zz top poll

― grove street (party) direction (voodoo chili), Saturday, September 25, 2021 12:07 PM (forty-one minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

^THIS

It Sure Got POLLED After The Rain Fell: ILM Artist Poll #110 – ZZ Top

xpost For others it’s Who Says You Can’t Go Home

"You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "I'll Be There for You", and "Bad Medicine" were all #1s on the Hot 100. "Livin' on a Prayer" was surely the biggest at the time? "Livin' on a Prayer" and "You Give Love a Bad Name" are comfortably their two most-streamed songs on Spotify.

xpost For others it’s Who Says You Can’t Go Home

― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes)

Lord almighty no

Their only #1 country song. Still gets lots of radio play.

*shudders

I'm honestly not sure who is currently a dedicated listener to the mainstream rock format, e.g. who would pick these as their favourite songs of 2020: https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2020/mainstream-rock-songs-artists

Yeesh

Tbh I look at the full 2010s list and feel extremely confused:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Mainstream_Rock_number-one_songs_of_the_2010s

No wonder most of my older rockist friends think there has been nothing exciting going on in music for the past decades.

That list is downright depressing

I was walking around a large university campus packed full of tailgating football fans today and heard Livin' On A Prayer twice, once with a bunch of drunken middle aged people singing along at full volume.

weirdly I didn't realize until just now that La Grange was a ZZ Top song (nor did I even know the name of the song, though of course I've heard it a million times...I just don't care for that type of blues rock)

Re: Those mainstream Rock #1's

WOW @ Godsmack and Papa Roach still being things in 2019.

I think even them are surprised by it.

Also props to Ozzy for being the only artist to ride the charts in 1980 AND 2020.