Chart Displacement / Pop Music

• ABBA had four #1 singles in their native Sweden, and four top 10 hits in the US (including their #1 signature "Dancing Queen"), but "Mamma Mia" only reached #32 stateside (and a worse #64 in their native Sweden). Inverted in the UK, where both songs hit #1.
• Neither of ABC's two Top 10 US hits were "The Look of Love" (#18) or "Poison Arrow" (#25). Instead they were "Be Near Me" (#9, 1985), which remains popular as a radio recurrent but is not as well known as "Look", and the mostly forgotten "When Smokey Sings" (#5, 1987). Averted in their home country, where "Arrow" and "Look" both reached the Top 10 (along with another single "All Of My Heart" which also remains a radio staple), while "Be Near Me" and "Smokey" only peaked at #26 and #11, respectively.
• Adam Lambert has had three top 40 hits: "Whataya Want From Me", his cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World" and… "Ghost Town"? No, that song only got to #64. It was actually "If I Had You", the followup to the first song.
• Air Supply only had one #1 in the U.S., "The One That You Love", which isn't quite as well known as "Lost in Love" (#3), "All Out of Love" (#2), or "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" (#2). It's a bit different in their native Australia, where the former three peaked at #10, #13, and #9 respectively, while the latter stopped at a measly #45.
  • They had three #1s on the AC chart. One of them was "Lost in Love", so the other two must've been "All Out of Love" and "Making Love Out of Nothing at All", right? Actually, those two only got to #5 and #2 respectively. The other two were the relatively lesser-known "Here I Am" and "Even the Nights Are Better".
• a-ha's sole #1 hit in the UK and Ireland surprisingly wasn't their signature song "Take On Me" (which just barely missed it at #2), but rather the follow up hit "The Sun Always Shines on TV" (which is still kinda well known, but nowhere near as iconic as "Take On Me"). Averted, however, in the U.S., where "Take On Me" did hit #1 and was their only visit to the top 10.
• AJR averts this on the Hot 100, where their signature "Bang!" was their highest-charting song at #8. However, they've been a mainstay on alternative radio since 2018, and yet "Bang!" fell short on the alternative chart at #2. Their only #1 there was "Sober Up", which despite being their breakthrough hit on the format, isn't as well-known. This was especially egregious as "Bang!" was indeed the bigger hit from a chart-length perspective, but was stuck behind the 14-week domination of Twenty One Pilots' "Level of Concern". "Sober Up" isn't even their second best known song overall; that would probably be their overall breakthrough hit "I'm Ready", which is mainly remembered for the novelty of being based around a looping sample of SpongeBob SquarePants saying his catchphrase.
• Alanis Morissette averts this, as "Ironic" was her biggest hit, reaching #4 on the Hot 100. People will be surprised she only had one other top 10 hit, due to most of her songs being ineligible due to the lack of physical single releases. That must have been "You Oughta Know", right? Not exactly. It was actually "You Learn", with a live version of "Know" as its B-side.
  • Morissette achieved six #1s in her native Canada, but "You Oughta Know" only got to #6.
• In the UK, Alphaville are remembered for two songs: "Big in Japan" and "Forever Young". Nothing unusual in that, the same is true in many places. Except that only "Big in Japan" was actually a hit in the UK; "Forever Young" only got to #98 there, but has gone on to be an equally well-remembered oldie anyway.
  • It's a bit worse in their native Germany. While "Big in Japan" topped the German chart and "Forever Young" got to #4, the latter got outpeaked by one spot by the considerably lesser-known "Sounds Like a Melody".
• Andrew Gold had a big hit in 1977 with "Lonely Boy"; its follow-up, "Thank You For Being a Friend", stalled in the 20s and quickly faded into obscurity...only to be revived later on through the classic sitcom The Golden Girls and ultimately outlived "Lonely Boy" in public consciousness.
• Ariana Grande has nine #1s, yet some of her most iconic songs like "The Way" (#9), "Problem" (#2), "Into You" (#13), "Side to Side" (#4), and "No Tears Left to Cry" (#3) were not among any of them. In contrast, the lesser-known "Stuck with U", her charity single duet with Justin Bieber released to raise money for the COVID-19 Pandemic, was one of the nine.
• Avril Lavigne normally averts this, as her "Complicated" and "Girlfriend" were her biggest hits in both native Canada and the US (with "Girlfriend" being her only #1 on the Billboard Hot 100). What many would be surprised to find out is that "Sk8er Boi" (probably her third most well known song) stalled on the Canadian charts at #29, lower than songs like "Keep Holding On" (#14), "Nobody's Home" (#4) and "Don't Tell Me" (#5), which aren't anywhere near as well-known. This is also present with "I'm With You" (which is slightly less remembered as "Complicated" , "Girlfriend" or "Sk8er Boi" but far from forgotten either) which peaked at #18, after lesser known songs like "When You’re Gone" (#8) or "Hot" (#10).
• The B-52s had five Top 40 hits in the US, but "Rock Lobster" (which peaked at #56) and "Private Idaho" (which made it to #74) weren't among them. Their highest charting songs, "Love Shack" and "Roam" (both #3 hits) remain among their most popular songs. The other three, however - "Deadbeat Club", "Good Stuff" and their cover of "Meet the Flintstones" - are almost completely forgotten.
• Most people would assume the Backstreet Boys' highest-charting song on the Hot 100 was either "I Want It That Way" (#6) or "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" (#4). It was actually "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" (#2), which is still a fan favorite and is still iconic enough to not be obscure, yet is stuck in the shadow of the other two. Even "As Long As You Love Me" is probably better-known than that song despite not charting.
  • One would be surprised to find out that "All I Have To Give" outpeaked "That Way" (#6), "Shape of My Heart" (#9), "Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely" (#6) and "Larger Than Life" (#25). It's not obscure, but it's definitely not as iconic as any of those songs.
• The Bangles achieved two #1 hits: "Walk Like an Egyptian" and "Manic Monday", right? Wrong, the latter only got to #2. The second was "Eternal Flame", which, while likely their third best-known song, isn't exactly on the level of "Monday".
• British indie pop band Bastille's two biggest hits, "Pompeii" and Marshmello collab "Happier", are also the only two to make the leap into the U.S. Top 40. However, they actually had a third song reach the Billboard Hot 100: the Title Track to their debut album, "Bad Blood", which spent a week at #95 and became gold certified. This would likely shock fans in Europe, as the band had two other songs that went platinum internationally but never sniffed the American charts while "Bad Blood" barely registered.
• The Bee Gees had five UK #1s, but "Stayin' Alive" only got to #4.
• The Belle Stars' most recognized song stateside, "World Domination", though a #2 Hot Dance Club Play hit, didn't chart at all in the UK and missed the Hot 100 as well. Their only Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 was a reissue of their 1982 single "Iko Iko" in 1989 due to its use in Rain Man, three years after the band had broken up. Averted by "Sign of the Times" in the UK, where it is both their Signature Song and highest-peaking hit.
• Berlin easily avert this, as their only #1 hit was "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun, which is by far their most famous song. Although they were cult new wave icons, the mainstream will likely be hard-pressed to name any other song of theirs, and will be surprised to find out that they had another top 40 hit. That song, "No More Words" (#23) likely isn't even their second best known song: "The Metro" (#58) and "Sex (I'm A...)" (#62) are probably both more known than it.
• In the UK, Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" is at least as well-known as Top 20 hits "Lean on Me" and "Lovely Day", but only made #40, and even that wasn't until 2009, 38 years after its original release. The biggest UK hit version was a 1972 recording by Michael Jackson which reached #8, but is barely remembered today.
• Billy Joel had three #1 hits: "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me", "Tell Her About It" and "We Didn't Start the Fire". While all of those are well known, many will be surprised that he didn't hit the top with such songs as "Piano Man" (#25), "Just the Way You Are" (#3), "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)" (#17), "Only the Good Die Young" (#24), "Uptown Girl" (#3), "She's Always a Woman" (#17), "My Life" (#3), or "The River of Dreams" (#3).
  • Other songs that are considered classics, such as "Vienna", "New York State of Mind" and "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant" never charted, as they weren't released as singles at all.
• Bonnie Tyler had two smash top 5 hits: The chart-topping "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and...."Holding Out for a Hero", right? Nope; the latter never made it past #34. Her actual other hit was "It's a Heartache" from the 70s. Averted in the UK, where the former two songs are her highest-peaking.
• Bow Wow Wow's cover of "I Want Candy" is much better known than the original version by the Strangeloves, even though the original was a #11 hit while the cover only hit #62.
• Britney Spears' biggest hit on the Hot 100 was her signature "...Baby One More Time". Her other #1 hits, "Womanizer", "3", and "Hold It Against Me" aren't nearly as well-remembered, versus more iconic songs like "Oops!... I Did It Again" (#9), "I'm A Slave 4 U" (#27), "Toxic" (#9), "Gimme More" (#3), and "Till The World Ends" (#3).
• The Brothers Johnson's highest charting song on the Hot 100 wasn't Quentin Tarantino favorite "Strawberry Letter 23" (#5), but the less iconic "I'll Be Good to You" (#3). Averted on the R&B chart, where they were among their three #1s.
• Carly Rae Jepsen has had three Top 40 hits in the US. The first were her #1 smash "Call Me Maybe" and the Owl City duet "Good Time" which reached the Top 10. The third was "I Really Like You", which made to #39 but did not have the staying power as the first two songs. "I Really Like You" was largely overshadowed by other songs from Jepsen's critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful E•MO•TION album, none of which charted. That includes follow-up single "Run Away with Me", which has become Jepsen's second best known song (even better known than "Good Time"), despite not being a major chart hit anywhere.
  • It's a similar situation in her native Canada, where the former two songs were chart-toppers, while "I Really Like You" peaked at #14, 69 spaces higher than "Run Away with Me".
• Cher had five #1 hits (including "Believe", which was Billboard's top song of 1999, and "I Got You Babe" with her ex-husband Sonny Bono), but "If I Could Turn Back Time" only made it to #3.
• Christina Aguilera had 5 #1 hits in her career, but 2003's "Beautiful", one of her Signature Songs and a track widely regarded as an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community, stalled out at #2 behind B2K and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' largely forgotten "Bump, Bump, Bump".
• Christina Grimmie had four songs enter the Hot 100, all of which were Voice performances, and the highest charting of which (her duet with Adam Levine for a cover of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know") peaking at #66. However, the first song most people associate with Christina is likely not any of them, but rather her, Kurt Hugo Schneider, and Sam Tsui's cover of "Just a Dream" by Nelly. Despite the video of their version going viral in the early-2010s, Billboard did not count YouTube views for the Hot 100 until 2013, and the song seems to have not been released to other platforms (like Spotify) until 2017, after Grimmie's tragic murder.
• The Cover Girls had two Top 10 hits with the mostly-forgotten Black Sheep Hit Power Ballad "We Can't Go Wrong" and their similarly obscure cover of Rose Royce's "Wishing on a Star" (both charting when the group were well past their prime), plus three more Top 40 entries on the Hot 100, none of which were their Signature Song "Show Me", which fell just short of the Top 40 at #44. Averted on the Dance Club Songs chart, where the lattermost was one of their two highest entries, both peaking at #4.
• Cyndi Lauper had two #1 hits with "Time After Time" and "True Colors". While still considered '80s classics, they don't quite compare in legendary status to "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", which fell just short at #2.
• Daniel Powter only had one song hit the Top 5 in his native Canada. Was it "Bad Day"? Wrong, that stalled at #7. His sole Top 5 was "Love You Lately", which outpeaked his big hit by two spots; this is because the Canadian charts relied solely on physical single sales until Billboard introduced the Canadian Hot 100 in 2007. This song, like the rest of his discography besides his debut single, is completely forgotten today even in his home country. Nonetheless, "Bad Day" was his sole #1 hit down south, and by extension, his only visit to the Hot 100.
• Danity Kane's highest charting song, "Showstopper," peaked at #8, but isn't quite as well-known as the #10 "Damaged".
• Dido's two Top 40 hits in the US were her signature "Thank You" (famously sampled in Eminem's "Stan"), which peaked at #3, and... "Here with Me"? Nope, that song only made it to #116. Her only other Top 40 hit in the US was the #18 "White Flag". While still considered an early 2000s pop classic, it doesn't quite compare in legendary status to "Thank You" and "Here With Me".
  • It's a worse situation in her native UK, where her highest peak was "White Flag" at #2, one spot higher than "Thank You".
• Dua Lipa generally averts this in the USA, as "Don't Start Now" and "Levitating" both peaked at #2; the latter song was even named the Billboard #1 song of 2021.
  • In her native UK, she had four #1 hits. If you guessed that "New Rules" was one of them, you'd be right... but her other three doesn't include anything from Future Nostalgia, instead being "One Kiss" with Calvin Harris, "Cold Heart" with Elton John, and "Dance the Night", which while definitely still well-known, it's unlikely that either of those songs will displace "Start" or "Levitating" as her signature.
• Ellie Goulding's highest charting hit in the U.S. is the #2 "Lights"; although it's hardly obscure and still her best-selling single there, it's not quite as iconic as "Love Me Like You Do" from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, which peaked one rung lower. This is averted in most other countries, where "Love Me Like You Do" was easily her biggest hit.
  • In her native UK, "Love Me Like You Do" peaked at #1, but "Lights" only peaked at a measly #49, making it one of her lower peaks there.
• Elton John had 12 #1 hits stateside, but many of his most iconic songs aren't part of that total. This includes "Your Song" (#8), "Tiny Dancer" (#41), "Rocket Man" (#6), "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (#2), "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (#6), "I'm Still Standing" (#12), and his songs from The Lion King (1994) (the #4 "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" and the #18 "Circle of Life"). The original 1974 version of "Candle in the Wind" didn't even chart in the US ("Bennie and the Jets" was chosen instead of it), but the 1997 re-recording in memory of Princess Diana did top the Hot 100; however it didn't have the same staying power as the original since it only became a global smash hit because of how big an event Diana's death and subsequent funeral were.
  • He reached the top position ten times in his native UK, including "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Candle in the Wind 1997" (the original peaked at #11). Three of those #1 hits were released in 2021... long after his peak in relevance.
• Enrique Iglesias had two chart-topping hits: "Bailamos" and… "Hero"? Nope, that only reached #3. It was actually "Be with You" (which, while not forgotten, isn't quite as well-known). Averted in his native Spain, where the former two hit #1 while the latter only reached #4.
• Exposé's only #1 hit wasn't "Point of No Return" or "Come Go With Me" (both peaking at #5), but rather "Seasons Change". Averted on the Dance Club Songs chart, where the former two topped the chart, whereas the latter never entered the chart.
• Falco's "Der Kommissar", though his best known song internationally, didn't make it to the pop charts in either the US or UK. The two songs that did were the reasonably well-remembered "Rock Me Amadeus"(#1 US Hot 100, #1 UK Singles) and the completely forgotten "Vienna Calling"(#18 Hot 100, #10 UK Singles). Averted in the US by After The Fire's Translated Cover Version of "Kommissar", which was their only hit there (#5), but once again played straight in the UK, where it only reached #47 and was outpeaked by "One Rule For You" (#40).
• While Frankie Valli has enjoyed much success as lead singer of The Four Seasons, two of his solo singles topped the Billboard Hot 100 as well. However, his Signature Song "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" just missed the #1 spot.
• Frank Sinatra: From a chart standpoint, "My Way" and "Theme From 'New York, New York'" were far from Ol' Blue Eyes' biggest hits, reaching No. 27 and No. 32, respectively. While most of his older hits were released before 1958, when the Hot 100 launched; "My Way" was released in 1969, while "Theme From 'New York, New York'" came out in 1980. Yet, to many fans, those two songs are the ones instantly identified with the man from Hoboken, New Jersey. As far as his actual #1 Hot 100 hits go, his 1966 hit "Strangers In the Night" was not the biggest, but it is probably his best known.
  • He had six #1 singles on Adult Contemporary, including "That's Life" and "Strangers In the Night", but "My Way" fell short at #2 and "New York, New York" peaked at #10.
• Glenn Medeiros' cover of George Benson's "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You" still remains a late-80s adult contemporary staple, and while a chart topper in several countries, it only peaked at #12 on the Hot 100. His sole #1 on the chart was 1990's "She Ain't Worth It", which featured labelmate Bobby Brown, who was still riding high off the success of his album Don't Be Cruel. But the song didn't have the staying power of either of their biggest singles, as it only stayed on top for two weeks before immediately dropping off, and the single also snapped Brown's multi-year streak of Top Five singles on the R&B charts, peaking at #43. "She Ain't Worth It" is largely only remembered as a piece of chart trivia, as it was the first song with a "featuring" artist credit (Brown in this case) to top the Hot 100.
• Gloria Estefan had two solo #1 singles (and one with her band Miami Sound Machine), but none of them were "Conga" (#10).
• Due to being ineligible for Hot 100 entry until long after it peaked in popularity, Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" only hit #9, a lower showing than songs like "Name" (#5) and "Slide" (#8).
• A very weird variation of this happened with Gregg Alexander, who was the sole member of New Radicals. Their sole hit, "You Get What You Give", only reached #36. Then he closed down the project to focus on being a songwriter. In 2002, he wrote Santana and Michelle Branch's "The Game of Love", which sounds very similar to "Give" but with female vocals. Despite making it all the way up to #5, it's almost completely forgotten compared to "Give", which peaked thirty-one spaces lower.
• James Blunt is an aversion, as his 2005 smash "You’re Beautiful" was his only #1 in both his native United Kingdom and the United States, as well as his only song to reach the Top 40 in the latter. However, he had two more top 5 hits in the U.K.: "1973" and… "Goodbye My Lover"? Nope, that stalled at #9. It was actually "Bonfire Heart" from 2013, years after his prime.
• Janet Jackson:
  • Due to Billboard's rules at the time, Jackson's 1997 single "Got 'til It's Gone" was ineligible to chart on the Hot 100 because it wasn't released as a physical single in the USA, but became a top 40 hit everywhere else.
  • The title track of Rhythm Nation 1814 is undeniably one of her signature tracks, but most would be surprised that it wasn't among the four #1 hits from the album ("Black Cat", "Escapade", "Miss You Much" and "Love Will Never Do (Without You)"); it was blocked from the top spot by Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise".
  • "The Skin Game" is among Janet's popular tracks, to the point she included it on some of her tour set lists, but it was a B-side to "Come Back to Me", and never charted anywhere.
• Jason Mraz averts this, as his signature song "I'm Yours" was indeed his biggest hit, reaching #6 on the Hot 100. He had one other top 10 hit that reached #8. It had to have been "The Remedy", right? Nope, that only made it to #15. It was actually 2012's "I Won't Give Up", which isn't nearly as iconic.
• Jennifer Lopez had four #1 singles, but her most memorable songs, "Jenny from the Block" and "On the Floor", both peaked at #3.
• Jessie J:
  • The popular UK singer's only Top 5 hit stateside was her #3 hit "Bang Bang". However, since it only became a hit because it had Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj on board, it probably can't displace "Price Tag" or "Domino" as her signature. It's still unquestionably her best-known song, but it's just not really associated with her.
  • Also of note, despite "Domino" far outpeaking "Price Tag" (#6 to #23), it hasn't nearly eclipsed it to the same extent that is seen with most other combinations of songs with similar peaks.
  • This is overall averted in her native UK, where the three above-mentioned songs all peaked at #1.
• John Mayer's biggest hit "Say" (#12) is still fairly well-known, but it's not quite as famous as "No Such Thing" (#13), "Your Body is a Wonderland" (#18), or "Waiting on the World to Change" (#14).
  • Mayer achieved eight #1s on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, but "Say" only got to #17. Additionally, two of those #1s were released in 2021, long after his career peak.
• JoJo only had one Top 5 hit in the United States, and surprisingly it wasn't her 2004 Breakthrough Hit "Leave (Get Out)"; that only reached #12. Rather, it was "Too Little Too Late" from her 2006 follow-up album, which is not obscure but still not quite as known. Averted on the Pop Airplay chart, where "Leave (Get Out)" was her only #1.
• Justin Bieber:
  • His highest-charting hit from his 2009 breakthrough EP My World wasn't "One Time" (#17), but instead "One Less Lonely Girl" by one spot. This is also true in his native Canada (#12 vs. #10).
  • As a whole, he usually averts this, as he has eight #1 hits to his name (all after his 2015 comeback), but "Baby" only hit #5. For comparison, one of those eight was "Stuck with U", a charity single with Ariana Grande released to raise money for the COVID-19 Pandemic that was quickly forgotten.
  • He has ten #1 hits as lead artist in his native Canada, but similar to the above, "Stuck with U" charted higher than "Baby" (#1 vs. #3).
• Justin Timberlake had four number-one songs on the Hot 100 as a lead artist. Two were the hugely iconic "SexyBack" and "Can’t Stop The Feeling!". You’d expect the other two to be some combination of "Cry Me a River", "Rock Your Body", and "Mirrors", right? No, they only reached #3, #5, and #2 respectively. The other two were "My Love" and "What Goes Around… Comes Around", "SexyBack"’s follow ups, which are not obscure by any means, but not quite on the level of the others.
• Katy Perry has nine #1 hits, but "Hot n' Cold" only hit #3.
  • In the UK, she has four number ones as lead artist and five overall. Three of them - "I Kissed a Girl", "California Gurls" and "Roar" - are hugely iconic, but the other lead single was "Part of Me", which is not forgotten but is not as well known as some of her other songs such as "Teenage Dream" (#2 peak), "Hot N Cold" (#4), "Dark Horse" (also #4), "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F) (#9) or her signature "Firework", which peaked at #3 (although aside from the aforementioned "Hot n' Cold", all reached #1 back home). The song she featured on, Calvin Harris' "Feels", is also mostly forgotten.
• Kelly Clarkson hit the #1 spot three times — but her signature classic "Since U Been Gone" got stuck at #2.
• Kesha's sole #1 as lead artist in the UK was "We R Who We R", which while not obscure, isn't as well-recognized as her Breakthrough Hit "Tik Tok", which only reached #4 there. Averted in the US, where "Tik Tok" lasted much longer at #1 than "We R".
• Kim Wilde's highest charting hit in America was her cover of The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On", which hit #1 in 1987. It has been kept alive by classic airplay, but not as much as her 1981 debut single, "Kids in America", which never made it past #25. Averted in her native UK, where both songs are her highest peaking at #2.
• Kris Allen's highest charting song (at #11) wasn't "Live Like We're Dying", which peaked at #18, but his American Idol winner's single "No Boundaries", which was forgotten almost immediately. Averted on the AC chart, where the former was the higher-peaking of the two.
• Kylie Minogue's two Top 10 hits in America? The #3 "Loco-Motion" and the #7 "Can't Get You Out Of My Head". Of course, the latter is the better remembered of the two today as it was not a cover. Inverted in many other countries (including the UK & Australia), where "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" was a massive #1.
• Lorde has four Top 40 hits: "Royals", "Team", "Green Light", and... "Tennis Court"? (Nope, #71) Actually, it's "Yellow Flicker Beat" from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack (its run being overshadowed by the surprise breakout of the Jennifer Lawrence-sung "The Hanging Tree" from the film's score).
  • Lorde has three #1 hits in her native New Zealand: "Royals", "Tennis Court", and "Green Light". Her only #2 hit there? "Solar Power" from 2021, a few years after her peak in popularity.
• In their native Spain, Los Del Río didn't top the charts with "Macarena", but did so with the holiday remix "Christmas Macarena", which unlike the One-Hit Wonder that persisted has faded to obscurity.
• Madonna had twelve #1 hits including "Like a Virgin" and "Like a Prayer", but "Material Girl" fell short at #2.
  • Her 2005 comeback single "Hung Up" topped the charts in 41 countries, but not the USA, where it only peaked at #7.
  • Surprisingly, her Breakthrough Hit "Holiday" was not among her thirty-eight Top 10 hits, only reaching #16.
  • Despite being a #1 hit in many other countries, including the UK and Australia, her iconic 1985 song "Into the Groove" wasn't released as a single in the US. Despite being a huge radio and club hit, and unavailable on any of her North American albums,^*It was written for Desperately Seeking Susan and released on that film's soundtrack. The song was added as a bonus track to the 1985 international reissue of Like a Virgin. it was instead released as the B-side to "Angel" (#5), which is much less remembered.
  • Madonna has a record 50 #1 singles on the Dance Club chart. That total includes almost all of her most famous songs, but not her debut "Everybody" and "Dress You Up" (both #3), "Papa Don't Preach" (#4), or "True Blue" (#6).
• Mandy Moore's only top 40 hit in the U.S. was "I Wanna Be With You". It's not nearly as well known as its predecessor, "Candy", which peaked at #41, "In My Pocket", "Crush", and "Cry", which all failed to chart, and her songs from the Tangled soundtrack like "I See The Light".
• Maroon 5:
  • Most would assume that their catalogue of #1 hits includes "She Will Be Loved" and "This Love" from their Breakthrough Hit Songs About Jane, both of which only made it to #5. Their four #1s were "Makes Me Wonder", "Moves Like Jagger", "One More Night" and "Girls Like You". Out of those four, most people will correctly cite "Jagger" and "Girls"; the others, not so much . In fact, "Night" was their longest-running #1, spending nine weeks atop the charts^note  "Wonder" spent three weeks, "Jagger" spent four, and "Girls" spent seven and notoriously blocking PSY's "Gangnam Style" from hitting #1 (although it hit #1 in many other countries). It is not nearly as remembered nowadays as the song it kept at #2, nor has it aged quite as well as its predecessor, the #2 "Payphone".
  • Speaking of "Payphone", it was their only #1 hit in the UK, even though isn't quite as well known as "She Will Be Loved" (#4), "This Love" (#3) or "Moves Like Jagger" (#2). The latter of which in particular is notable since it was prevented from reaching the top of the chart by six different songs, yet still finished much higher than all of them on the 2011 UK Year-End list. While some of them are still well-remembered ("What Makes You Beautiful", We Found Love"), others not so much ("Stay Awake", "No Regrets").
• Was Matchbox Twenty's only #1 hit "3AM" or "Unwell"? It's actually the far less iconic "Bent". The former reached #3 on the airplay charts but never officially charted due to rules preventing non-physical singles from charting at the time, while the latter only reached #5.
  • They had 11 entries on Adult Alternative Airplay, including the two #1s "3AM" and "Bent", but "Unwell" was the third-lowest peaking of all of them.
• Melanie Martinez has managed four entries on the Hot 100. Were they "Dollhouse", "Cry Baby", "Alphabet Boy" or "Pity Party"? Surprisingly, they weren't any of those, but rather her covers of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" and Alex Clare's "Too Close" from her time on The Voice in 2012, as well as "Death" and "Void" in 2023. While the latter two are too recent to tell if they can stand the test of time, the former two are not as well-remembered as her original material.
• Michael Jackson:
  • Thriller had two #1s: "Billie Jean" (his longest-running #1), and "Beat It", but a third song reached #2. It has to be the title track, right? Nope, that only hit #4. That song is "The Girl Is Mine", his largely forgotten lead single duet with Paul McCartney. It isn't even as well-known as the likes of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (#5) and "P.Y.T." (#10), let alone "Thriller".
  • Similarly, Bad produced five #1 hits, yet "Smooth Criminal" only reached #7. While none of the album's #1s are obscure, "Smooth Criminal" went on to become one of Jackson's most recognized songs (with an equally recognizable cover in 2001 by nu-metal band Alien Ant Farm), and definitely gets more play these days than "I Just Can't Stop Lovin' You" or "Dirty Diana". The latter especially; many people who weren't around when it came out have no idea Michael Jackson recorded a hard rock song, let alone had it top the charts.
  • Jackson's chart displacement in the UK is even worse. Despite being as huge there as he was in his home country, he had only three number ones there in the 1980s: "Billie Jean", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", and "One Day In Your Life" - the latter by far his biggest seller of the decade, despite being a 1975 recording put out by Motown (whom he was no longer with) as a blatant attempt to cash in on the success of Off The Wall. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is seemingly completely forgotten now, and few fans or even casual listeners would consider "One Day In Your Life" essential Jackson - or remember it went to number one where "Beat It", "Bad" (both #3), and so many more memorable songs failed.
• Michelle Branch's only Top 10 hit as a lead wasn't "Everywhere" (#12), but rather "All You Wanted" (#6), which is still well-known but not quite on the level of "Everywhere". On Adult Pop Airplay, "All You Wanted" (#4) got outpeaked by one spot by the more forgotten "Are You Happy Now?". Her biggest hit on both charts? Her spot on Santana's "The Game of Love", which is mostly forgotten today (see the Santana (in the Rock folder) and Gregg Alexander (above) examples).
• Neil Diamond had three #1 hits, but "Sweet Caroline" only peaked at #4.
• Nelly Furtado was massive in her heyday, but she only had two #1 hits. One, of course, was "Promiscuous". The other must've been "I'm Like A Bird", right? Nope, #9. It was actually "Say It Right"; while certainly not forgotten, it's not quite as well-known as "I'm Like A Bird". "Say It Right" also outpeaked "I'm Like A Bird" in her native Canada (#5 vs. #19).
• *NSYNC's sole #1 hit on the Hot 100 was "It's Gonna Be Me", which is one of their most iconic songs, second only to "Bye Bye Bye" in popularity. The latter was their second highest charter, right? Believe it or not, it wasn't; that honor goes to, of all things, "Music Of My Heart", a very obscure collaboration with Gloria Estefan made for the similarly named 1999 film Music of the Heart (it peaked at #2 while "Bye Bye Bye" stalled at #4).
• One Direction's "Best Song Ever," their highest-charting song (#2), is not widely-known outside their fandom like "What Makes You Beautiful" (#4) and "Story of My Life" (#6) are.
  • In their native UK, they achieved four #1s as lead artist, but "Story of My Life" fell one spot short. Among the four #1s are the lesser-known "Little Things" and "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)".
  • Additionally, Zayn Malik has since split from the band and now goes by "Zayn". His debut single "Pillowtalk" topped the Hot 100, but it isn’t quite as well-known to the public as 1D's discography.
• Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark had four pop Top 40 hits in the US, but surprisingly, none of them were "Enola Gay", which never touched the Hot 100, though it was a #34 dance hit, its only stateside single release being a 12" promo. Their highest US charter, the #4 "If You Leave" from Pretty in Pink, remains their best-known song stateside, but doesn't quite have the Signature Song status of "Enola Gay". In their native UK, "Enola Gay" was thir biggest hit.
• With Paula Cole, "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?" peaked at #8, but isn't nearly as well remembered as her follow-up "I Don't Want to Wait", which just missed the Top 10. The main reason for this is that the latter was the Theme Song to Dawson's Creek. The latter however spent over a year on the Hot 100 and was ranked #10 on Billboard's Year End list for 1998. (The former single checked in at a more modest #38 on the preceding year end chart.) Averted on the AC and Adult Pop Airplay charts, where the latter was the higher-charting.
• P!nk has hit #1 four different times, but many would be surprised to learn that her signature "Get The Party Started" stalled at #4.
• Rebecca Black fell into this trope when "Saturday" (powered by music video streams) debuted on the Hot 100 a few spots higher than "Friday" peaked (#55 vs. #58). This was due to "Friday" being popular 2 years before Billboard started including YouTube views in their chart algorithm and therefore having to rely entirely on Itunes sales for its chart peak.
• The Rembrandts' "I'll Be There For You", the iconic theme to Friends, was a massive hit in 1995, topping the Billboard airplay charts for eight weeks, but because it was not available as a physical single for most of its run, it was ineligible from charting on the main Hot 100 until long after it peaked in airplay. Incidentally, it only ever got to #17 on that chart, three rungs lower than their long-forgotten 1991 hit "Just The Way It Is, Baby."
• Rick James' signature "Super Freak" was actually beaten on the charts by the long-forgotten "You & I" by three spots; it hit #13 to "Freak"'s #16. Additionally, "Super Freak" was not one of his four #1s on the R&B chart, peaking at #3.
• The Righteous Brothers scored two #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 during their prime, but their signature rendition of "Unchained Melody" only got to #4.
• Right Said Fred's only UK #1 wasn't "I'm Too Sexy", but rather their third single "Deeply Dippy". This one really is down to a quirk of fate, because "I'm Too Sexy" was by far the bigger seller, but just missed out on the #1 spot because it had the bad fortune to be around at the same time as a real monster hit: Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You".
• Robbie Williams scored seven UK #1 hits, but "Angels" only reached #4. Averted in the US, where "Angels" was his highest entry at #53.
• Romeo Void's sole Top 40 hit wasn't "Never Say Never", which never charted, but rather the mostly forgotten "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)".
• A notable victim of Billboard's policy of placing Christmas songs on a separate chart in the 60s and 70s was "Snoopy's Christmas" by The Royal Guardsmen from 1967. Still a seasonal favorite in America, it could well have been a Top 10 hit had Billboard allowed it on the Hot 100 (it reached the Top 10 in Billboard's main competitor Cashbox). It reached #1 in Australia and New Zealand.
• Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You", despite being one of her best-known songs, only reached #14 in the United States via a live version (the original only reached #65). "Angel" hit #4, but even then it fell one spot short of "Adia", which is mostly forgotten today.
  • In her native Canada, McLachlan only topped the charts once, and it also wasn't with "Angel" (#9) or "I Will Remember You" (#10), but "Building a Mystery". "Adia" (#3) and "Sweet Surrender" (#2) also outperformed them, as did her now completely forgotten cover of Joni Mitchell's "River", which hit #2 in 2006, years after her peak period.
• Savage Garden scored two #1 hits in the US. Their first was "Truly Madly Deeply", the hugely popular ballad and one of the contenders for their Signature Song. Surely, the other #1 must have been "I Want You", right? No, it only reached #4. "Affirmation"? Nope, didn't even chart. "The Animal Song"? Stalled at #19. "To the Moon and Back"? Only made it to #24. "Crash and Burn"? Also only made it to #24. Their other #1 hit was "I Knew I Loved You". In their native Australia, out of the aforementioned songs, the only one "I Knew I Loved You" outpeaked was "Crash and Burn" (#4 vs. #16).
• Seal easily averts this overall as his signature "Kiss From A Rose" remains his greatest hit in most metrics, and "Crazy" a close second^note It's the opposite in his native UK, where the former peaked at #4 while the latter peaked two spots higher. However, it may come as a surprise to discover that Seal had a brief period of Alternative crossover, where this is in effect. "Crazy" reached #5 there, but his 1994 single, "Prayer For The Dying", made it to #3 on that chart. What about "Kiss From A Rose", you ask? It barely even scraped this chart.
• Selena Gomez' highest charter as the frontwoman of Selena Gomez & The Scene was not "Love You Like a Love Song" (#22), but rather "Who Says", which outpeaked the former by one spot. Even "Naturally", the fourth-biggest song from the project peaking at #29, is better-known than "Who Says".
• Shakira’s only U.S. #1 hit was unsurprisingly her Signature Song "Hips Don’t Lie". You’d expect her next biggest hit to be her breakthrough hit "Whenever, Wherever", right? (Nope, #6) Actually, it’s the less remembered Beyoncé collaboration "Beautiful Liar" (#3) which is only remembered today by their fanbases.
• Shirley Bassey's had two #1 hits in her native UK, and neither of them were her Signature Song and Title Theme Tune "Goldfinger". Although that made #8 in the US, and made her a One-Hit Wonder over there, it only made #21 in the UK.
• In 1970, Dutch pop act Shocking Blue stormed the charts internationally with their hit song "Venus", reaching #1 in several countries. Their home country is not among those, with it only reaching #2. Over there, that honor instead goes to their single "Never Marry a Railroad Man", which isn't quite as well-known.
• Sia downplays this: Her only #1 hit in the U.S. was 2016's "Cheap Thrills", one of her best-known songs. Despite this, it hasn't quite eclipsed songs like "Chandelier" (#8) and the David Guetta collaboration "Titanium" (#7) in the public consciousness as their chart peaks may suggest.
  • In her native Australia, Sia's two highest-peaking songs as lead artist peaked at #2. They were "Chandelier" and… not "Cheap Thrills", which peaked at #6, but rather its followup, "The Greatest".
• Siouxsie and the Banshees' greatest (and only Top 40) pop hit in the US wasn't "Cities in Dust"(didn't chart on the Hot 100, though it reached #17 on the Dance Club Songs chart), "Peek-a-Boo"(#53, though it was the first-ever #1 song on Modern Rock), or "The Killing Jar"(didn't make the Hot 100 either, though it peaked at #37 on the Dance chart and #2 on the Modern Rock chart), but the 1991 Black Sheep Hit "Kiss Them For Me"(#23). Conversely, their biggest hit in their native England wasn't any of the above, but their 1983 cover of The Beatles' "Dear Prudence", which peaked at #3.
• Stephen Bishop's highest charting song was not "It Might Be You" (#25) from the Tootsie soundtrack, but the far less famous "On and On" (#11). The former also lost out by three spots to the even less memorable "Save it for a Rainy Day". Averted on the AC chart, where the formermost was his only #1.
• Taco generally averts this with "Puttin' on the Ritz", which was his only major international hit, but it did not chart in the UK, where his only top 100 entry was "Singin' in the Rain".
• Taio Cruz hit the top with "Break Your Heart" in 2010. Follow-up "Dynamite" peaked at #2, but proved to have a much longer life and eventually sold a lot more than "Break Your Heart" did. In his native UK, both songs hit #1.
  • On the dance charts, he had two #1 hits: "Dynamite" was one of them, so the other must've been "Heart"... except it wasn't. It was actually the now-obscure "Higher".
• Taylor Dayne's only #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 wasn't "Tell It To My Heart", which only reached #7 (and was in fact also outpeaked by six other singles), but rather "Love Will Lead You Back", which had the misfortune of being released in 1990, the year that the Milli Vanilli lip syncing scandal triggered a massive backlash against pop music in the US. "Tell It To My Heart" did, however, reach #1 in Austria, Denmark, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and West Germany, as well as on the UK Dance chart.
• Taylor Swift has had eleven #1 hits, but "Love Story" (original at #4, Taylor's Version at #11), "I Knew You Were Trouble" (original at #2, Taylor's Version at #46), and "You Belong With Me" (original at #2, Taylor's Version at #75) didn't make the cut.
  • The Hot Country Songs charts tell a similar story: debut single "Tim McGraw" stopped at #6, while "Teardrops on My Guitar", "Mine" and "Mean" only got to #2, and "Back to December" to #3 ^note although the latter three got to #1 on the Mediabase country singles charts. With the case of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", it's more complicated. The song debuted at #13 on Hot Country Songs (due to the entire iHeartMedia block adding it at once), but quickly began slipping — at the time, Hot Country Songs was determined entirely by airplay from country stations, and the song just wasn't cutting it with listeners or programming directors. But one month into its chart run, Billboard refactored the country charts, along with many of its other genres: the old, airplay-only methodology was transferred to a new chart called Country Airplay, while the Hot Country Songs name was used for a new chart that also factored in airplay from other formats, streaming, and digital sales (effectively making it a country-only version of the Hot 100). As a result, "Together" continued to fizzle out at Country Airplay, but strong sales and success at pop and adult contemporary radio kept it at the top of Hot Country Songs for an absurdly long time. So while it was still a total flop with country listeners, it still had the honor of breaking in a new chart methodology.
  • The original release of Speak Now produced three Top 10 hits: "Mine", "Back to December" and… "Mean"? Nope, #11. The third one was actually the title track, which isn't as well-known (and wasn't even released as a single).
  • "Jump Then Fall" and "If This Was a Movie" both peaked at #10 on the dot, but these were due solely to one-week download spikes; neither song was a single, and in fact, both were such short blips on the radar that neither has a Wikipedia article, which is extremely rare for a 21st-century Top 10 hit.
  • In the UK, her four number one hits were "Look What You Made Me Do", "Anti-Hero", "Is It Over Now?" and "Fortnight". While the latter three are fairly recent, "Look What You Made Me Do" is not nearly as well-known as some of her other hits like "Shake It Off", "Love Story", "I Knew You Were Trouble" (all peaked at #2), "Blank Space", "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", "Bad Blood" (all #4 peaks) or her arguable signature "You Belong With Me", which only peaked at #30.
  • reputation had two Top 5 hits. "Look What You Made Me Do" (the album's only #1 hit) and... "Delicate"? Nope, that one stalled at #12. It was outcharted by "...Ready for It?", which debuted and peaked on its first week, but didn't have the same longevity as "Delicate".
• Prolific producer Timbaland also had a few hits to his name as a solo artist, but only one song on which he was the lead artist went to #1. Was it "The Way I Are" or even "Apologize"? No, those songs peaked at #3 and #2, respectively. The song you're looking for is "Give It to Me" featuring Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake, which isn't nearly as remembered (and actually finished three spots below "The Way I Are" on the year-end chart despite being a bigger hit at the time).
• Tracy Chapman's biggest hit, "Give Me One Reason", which peaked at #3, is still well-known, but it can't beat "Fast Car", which peaked at #6, as her signature. Averted on Mainstream Rock, where the latter was her only top 20 entry.
• Train's highest charting song was their #3 comeback single "Hey, Soul Sister" from 2009, which while hardly obscure is not quite as iconic as "Drops of Jupiter" (#5) from their much more acclaimed first run. Their only other top 10? "Drive By", another song from their comeback run that is not nearly as remembered as their other major hits, "Meet Virginia" (#20) and "Calling All Angels" (#19).
  • Train achieved four #1s on Adult Pop Airplay, three of which were "Drops of Jupiter", "Calling All Angels", and "Hey, Soul Sister". The fourth? If you guessed either "Meet Virginia" or "Drive By", you'd be incorrect; both fell short at #2. The fourth was "Hey, Soul Sister"'s followup, the far-less remembered "If It's Love".
• Ultravox had just one entry on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was not "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes", which only bubbled under at #108, or "Vienna", which didn't chart at all in the US. Instead, it was the forgotten "Reap The Wild Wind" (#71). Averted by the former two songs in their native UK, where they were both Top 10 hits.
• Vitamin C's highest-peaking Top 40 entry was not "Graduation (Friends Forever)", which only made it to #38, but the #18 "Smile". Averted on the Pop Airplay chart, where the former was the higher-peaking of the two.
• Walk the Moon had two #1 hits on Alternative radio, and two entries on the Hot 100: “Shut Up and Dance" and… "Anna Sun"? Not so. While "Anna Sun" was featured in a few commercials and went platinum, it only peaked at #10, and bubbled under at #118. The correct answer is "One Foot" (#65 Hot 100, #1 Alternative).