Songs that didn't chart on the Hot 100 - Page 3

brad975 · #31 07-07-2014, 04:28 PM

American pop radio is marketed toward young people and has long ignored older acts (especially women). In the 90s, it was at least occasionally possible for a 50-plus woman to hit the top 40 (Cher's "Believe," Aretha's "A Rose Is Still a Rose," or Tina's "I Don't Really Want to Fight"). Stevie's live "Landslide" with the Mac made it as far as 51 in '98, I believe.

Even Madonna's hot streak had dried up by the time she hit her mid-40s, no matter how good she still looked. "Hung Up" made the top 10 based mostly on iTunes sales, while "4 Minutes" owed its radio play to being a full-fledged duet with Justin T., and "Gimme All Your Lovin" had a Super-Bowl tie-in with the powerful Clear Channel Radio network in order to hit the top 10 for a brief moment.

Of course, Stevie's hit streak drying up in her early '40s had a lot to do with quality:

"Two Kinds of Love" (Grade C+): On the plus side, Bruce Hornsby and some tuneful sections. On the negative, Kenny G. And that line about her "famous friend" who just doesn't know how she does it has always annoyed me with its narcissism. I'm still surprised this didn't at least chart. There was way worse crap overplayed in 1989. Maybe the record company dropped the ball.

"Whole Lotta Trouble" (Grade B-): Prefer the album version with the horns. If I recall correctly, they were conspicuously absent from the cassette single I bought. Is that right?

"Sometimes It's a Bitch" (Grade C-): Klonopin addiction is a bitch (especially when you continually absolve yourself from any personal responsibility for it). This enjoyed a solitary week on the Hot 100. I'm sure Bon Jovi did his best (which is rarely ever enough), given that Stevie essentially recorded this against her will.

"Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" (Grade C-): Another Sandy Stewart number. It's one week of Hot 100 action was probably more than this bland song deserved.

"Blue Denim" (Grade B): A fairly catchy tune with a mostly decent vocal should have been the first single selection from Street Angel. It could have probably gotten some rock radio play. The line "So I'm going away for a little while to remember how to feel" gains power from the fact that she'd enter rehab not long after recording it. She sounds half-awake already.

"Reconsider Me" (Grade B+): This actually did get a single release. Another one she didn't write, but this time a fairly strong song with a surprisingly good vocal from the RAL-era (probably from early in the sessions, given Iovine's involvement). But what's the point of even inviting Don Henley in the recording booth if you're just going to bury him in the mix?

"If You Ever Did Believe" (Grade B): I like this one fine. Sheryl did a good job producing at least a few Stevie songs.

"Every Day" (Grade C-): Bland beyond belief. My boss at the time (a casual Stevie fan) asked me, "Stevie didn't write that one did she?" "How do you know?," I responded. "Because it makes sense," she said. I laughed. Stevie Nicks classics rarely make sense.

"Planets of the Universe" (Grade B, album version; Grade A-, long version): This one needed a video, and the missing verse only heard on the full version featured on the max-single. It's ironic that the most popular dance mix of this song was built around the "You won't forget!" line from the long version. So when I started hearing that remix in the gay clubs, the song seemed barely recognizable. Then I heard the long version and understood.

"Sorcerer" (Grade B+): Maybe this should have been the first single from TISL. I likey.

"Crash" (Grade D): Didn't this have a promotional single release? I don't absolutely hate DMB. But this makes me question Stevie's taste level.

"Secret Love" (Grade B): Honestly, the best bet Stevie had of making a strong impact on the AC chart.

"For What It's Worth" (Grade B+): A good song. Respectable placement on the AC chart.

Please forgive me if I left out any Stevie songs or if you disagree strongly with my assessments. It would be a boring world if we all had the same taste.

Jondalar · #32 07-07-2014, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brad975

American pop radio is marketed toward young people and has long ignored older acts (especially women). In the 90s, it was at least occasionally possible for a 50-plus woman to hit the top 40 (Cher's "Believe," Aretha's "A Rose Is Still a Rose," or Tina's "I Don't Really Want to Fight"). Stevie's live "Landslide" with the Mac made it as far as 51 in '98, I believe.

Even Madonna's hot streak had dried up by the time she hit her mid-40s, no matter how good she still looked. "Hung Up" made the top 10 based mostly on iTunes sales, while "4 Minutes" owed its radio play to being a full-fledged duet with Justin T., and "Gimme All Your Lovin" had a Super-Bowl tie-in with the powerful Clear Channel Radio network in order to hit the top 10 for a brief moment.

Of course, Stevie's hit streak drying up in her early '40s had a lot to do with quality:

"Two Kinds of Love" (Grade C+): On the plus side, Bruce Hornsby and some tuneful sections. On the negative, Kenny G. And that line about her "famous friend" who just doesn't know how she does it has always annoyed me with its narcissism. I'm still surprised this didn't at least chart. There was way worse crap overplayed in 1989. Maybe the record company dropped the ball.

"Whole Lotta Trouble" (Grade B-): Prefer the album version with the horns. If I recall correctly, they were conspicuously absent from the cassette single I bought. Is that right?

"Sometimes It's a Bitch" (Grade C-): Klonopin addiction is a bitch (especially when you continually absolve yourself from any personal responsibility for it). This enjoyed a solitary week on the Hot 100. I'm sure Bon Jovi did his best (which is rarely ever enough), given that Stevie essentially recorded this against her will.

"Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" (Grade C-): Another Sandy Stewart number. It's one week of Hot 100 action was probably more than this bland song deserved.

"Blue Denim" (Grade B): A fairly catchy tune with a mostly decent vocal should have been the first single selection from Street Angel. It could have probably gotten some rock radio play. The line "So I'm going away for a little while to remember how to feel" gains power from the fact that she'd enter rehab not long after recording it. She sounds half-awake already.

"Reconsider Me" (Grade B+): This actually did get a single release. Another one she didn't write, but this time a fairly strong song with a surprisingly good vocal from the RAL-era (probably from early in the sessions, given Iovine's involvement). But what's the point of even inviting Don Henley in the recording booth if you're just going to bury him in the mix?

"If You Ever Did Believe" (Grade B): I like this one fine. Sheryl did a good job producing at least a few Stevie songs.

"Every Day" (Grade C-): Bland beyond belief. My boss at the time (a casual Stevie fan) asked me, "Stevie didn't write that one did she?" "How do you know?," I responded. "Because it makes sense," she said. I laughed. Stevie Nicks classics rarely make sense.

"Planets of the Universe" (Grade B, album version; Grade A-, long version): This one needed a video, and the missing verse only heard on the full version featured on the max-single. It's ironic that the most popular dance mix of this song was built around the "You won't forget!" line from the long version. So when I started hearing that remix in the gay clubs, the song seemed barely recognizable. Then I heard the long version and understood.

"Sorcerer" (Grade B+): Maybe this should have been the first single from TISL. I likey.

"Crash" (Grade D): Didn't this have a promotional single release? I don't absolutely hate DMB. But this makes me question Stevie's taste level.

"Secret Love" (Grade B): Honestly, the best bet Stevie had of making a strong impact on the AC chart.

"For What It's Worth" (Grade B+): A good song. Respectable placement on the AC chart.

Please forgive me if I left out any Stevie songs or if you disagree strongly with my assessments. It would be a boring world if we all had the same taste.

So basically any song Stevie didn't write get a c- or less while God-awful songs,(more like choruses) such as Blue Denim or Two kinds of Love, fair much better.

James89 · #33 07-07-2014, 05:41 PM

'Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind' and 'Sometimes it's a Bitch' spent more than one week on the Hot 100, that's for sure.

BombaySapphire3 · #34 07-07-2014, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jondalar

So basically any song Stevie didn't write get a c- or less while God-awful songs,(more like choruses) such as Blue Denim or Two kinds of Love, fair much better.

They did give the Warren Zevon song Reconsider Me a B+ but then he was a much more accomplished songwriter than John Shanks,Sandy Stewart or even Jon Bon Jovi

Jondalar · #35 07-07-2014, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BombaySapphire3

They did give the Warren Zevon song Reconsider Me a B+ but then he was a much more accomplished songwriter than John Shanks,Sandy Stewart or even Jon Bon Jovi

Everyday is a much better song than Blue Denim or Two kinds of Love. Those songs were bland attempts at commercialism. She came up with decent choruses but failed to build songs around them. Stevie also gave terrible vocal performances on Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind and Sometimes It's a Bitch and horrible, horrible, horrible performances on Cry Wolf, Dockland and Too Far From Texas - all really good songs.

michelej1 · #36 07-07-2014, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jondalar

So basically any song Stevie didn't write get a c- or less while God-awful songs,(more like choruses) such as Blue Denim or Two kinds of Love, fair much better.

I wouldn't call Blue Denim "God-awful." Perhaps, a little pedestrian, though. Michele

sorcerer999 · #37 07-07-2014, 06:55 PM

I really wish they would have released "Moonlight" as a third single for consideration on the Hot A/C charts. I think it would have done a hell of a lot better than "Secret Love" or "FWIW". I think Warners really dropped the ball on that one. Maybe they only decided to give her 2 singles that time around to see how sales would go in their promotion of the album, and when sales weren't what they expected, they decided to call it quits and not worry about anymore promotion with a third single.

Ironic because I think "Moonlight" as a single would have helped sales, tremendously. It's got the essence of "Classic Stevie Nicks" written all over it. Boo, Warners!!!

Plus (for selfish reasons) I would have loved to have seen it as a promo single with a nice "witchy" cover that I could have added to my collection.

James89 · #38 07-08-2014, 03:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sorcerer999

I think "Moonlight" as a single would have helped sales, tremendously. It's got the essence of "Classic Stevie Nicks" written all over it. Boo, Warners!!!

I totally agree.

This should've been the second or first single from 'In Your Dreams' as I think that it's the best song on the album. It's definitely the most commercial which is why I'm surprised that it wasn't released as a single.

brad975 · #39 07-09-2014, 01:11 PM

I used to follow the Billboard chart weekly, and I remember when "Sometimes It's a Bitch" debuted at number 56 on the Hot 100. The next week it was GONE. Poof! All the record store orders were done and the fans who were going to buy had bought it, I guess. I sure never heard it on Top 40 radio, but it placed much higher on the Mainstream Rock chart

I just found an online source confirming that the same thing happened with "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" (debuting at 57 in July 1994). It's Hot 100 run was a solitary week. It probably lasted longer on some other charts like AC.

I guess I am partial to songs written by Stevie. She tends to sound more invested in singing them than an outside contribution requested by a producer or a record exec. There are notable exceptions, of course.

JamieSPC · #40 07-09-2014, 01:41 PM

I know the dude that wrote "Everyday" and a little of the story behind it. He was working at the time with John Shanks, who had already done a bang-up job on the killer title track to TISL and would go on to produce "Planets," a song that had perplexed Lindsey by his own admission (the album version is flat-out beautiful). Shanks brought "Everyday" to the table since execs (in the words of the great Tom Petty) said "I don't hear a single..." and there you have it. In fact, the song was never even rerecorded musically from the demo of the guy that wrote it; they just removed his vocal and Stevie sang over the track.

Not only does it not fit the Stevie vibe, I don't believe it fits the album as a whole in spite of many of the tracks coming from the same producer. Hard to imagine this, but the iTunes store didn't exist when TISL was released, and even though singles hadn't been a "thing" in the consumer consciousness in at least half a decade, record companies were still in the process of turning the Titanic back in those days and the old ways prevailed. I too would argue that "Planets" would have been an ideal first single, especially coming off the resurgence Stevie had with "Landslide" and "Silver Springs" and the expectation for her style in the marketplace that others in the thread have mentioned. But execs aren't fans, are they?

James89 · #41 07-09-2014, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brad975

I used to follow the Billboard chart weekly, and I remember when "Sometimes It's a Bitch" debuted at number 56 on the Hot 100. The next week it was GONE. Poof!

Well that's weird because I found this on a Stevie Nicks chart runs forum: Sometimes it's a Bitch - 86-74-66-63-57-*56*-69-90. The song was on the chart for 8 weeks and Billboard also says this.

MikeInNV · #42 07-09-2014, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brad975

I used to follow the Billboard chart weekly, and I remember when "Sometimes It's a Bitch" debuted at number 56 on the Hot 100. The next week it was GONE. Poof! All the record store orders were done and the fans who were going to buy had bought it, I guess. I sure never heard it on Top 40 radio, but it placed much higher on the Mainstream Rock chart

I just found an online source confirming that the same thing happened with "Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind" (debuting at 57 in July 1994). It's Hot 100 run was a solitary week. It probably lasted longer on some other charts like AC.

I had a subscription to Billboard, and while you have the peak positions correct, both songs were on the Hot 100 for multiple weeks. Back then, any song that debuted in the 50s was destined to make the Top 10.