Hits from yesterday, but not today.

[Wästed The Great]

A friend and I listen to classic rock stations on the way to work each day, and some Buzzsaw during the day, and we are always commenting on songs that were hits back in the day that would still be a hit if released today.  Also, there are some songs that we liked back in the day (and still do, usually) but wouldn't be the 'hit' that they were back then.

For example:

Crazy Train (Ozzy) could be released today as a new song, and it'd be a hit.

Dream Warriors (Dokken)  Tho a great song when it came out, I (personally) don't think it'd be a hit today.
Pour Some Sugar On Me (Def Leppard)  Hit then, prob not much of one today.

Any one out there with thoughts/examples?  And I'd think of a hit as 'popular in its genre'; some metal hits wouldn't find the mainstream, but we,here, would mostly consider them a hit.

 

[Deano]

Dream Warriors (Dokken)  Tho a great song when it came out, I (personally) don't think it'd be a hit today.

Blasphemy!

I'm going to go with Rock Me Amadeus by Falco.

 

[Wästed The Great]

Blasphemy!

Ha!  Hope that doesn't get me excumunicated!

I'm going to go with Rock Me Amadeus by Falco.

I assume that's 'not a hit today' 

A song that I think would still be a hit is Fire Woman (Cult). 

This should prob go into the 'Deep Dark Secret' Thread, but Self Esteem (The Offspring) is a song that I think would do well today.  That mite get me bashed here, tho...

 

[Deano]

I like Self Esteem a lot and Fire Woman is THE SHIT! For now, then, the future, past... all times.

 

[SinisterMinisterX]

I never liked Fire Woman much. OTOH, She Sells Sanctuary is brilliant. Buzzsaw should play the latter more and the former less.

 

[Deano]

That's another great "Cult classic" SMX, in fact, The Cult is vastly under-rated as a whole I think.

 

[Albie]

Pour Some Sugar On Me (Def Leppard)  Hit then, prob not much of one today.

And there is a very good reason for that, the whole album was just so suited for that era and did not have, in my opinion, any lasting appeal. However, On Through the Night has to rank as one of the greatest debut's of all time. Very UFO inspired.

 

[Wästed The Great]

And there is a very good reason for that, the whole album was just so suited for that era and did not have, in my opinion, any lasting appeal. However, On Through the Night has to rank as one of the greatest debut's of all time. Very UFO inspired.

Funny, 'cause my friend and I were commenting on exactly the same thing; that album is my fav of Leppard's.

I also think that Spirit Of Radio (RUSH), if it were released today, would still be a hit.  When at the Rush concert, my son (new to Rush) wanted to know if that was off the latest album; he likes it a lot and has become quite the Rush fan.

 

[Cornfed Hick]

A few more metal/hard rock songs from the 70s and 80s (call it the Buzzsaw test-- coincidentally, they just played Spirit of Radio, and now are playing Heaven Can Wait)  that could still be hits by today's standards:  the entire Back in Black album by AC/DC would be a huge hit and would be considered an instant classic even if released tomorrow; "Rainbow in the Dark" by Dio; "Love Hurts" by Nazareth; I would hope that the riff from "Smoke on the Water" would have timeless appeal, as would the sentiment of Alice Cooper's "School's Out" [remixed for High School Musical 4!]; "Welcome to the Jungle" by G'n'R; "The Zoo" by the Scorpions; the Cult does indeed hold up 20 years later, and "She Sells Sanctuary" was a brilliant choice, though I think "Love Removal Machine" would also be a hit today. 

Other non-metal songs that would be hits if released today; "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey (after the Sopranos finale, it became a hit AGAIN); "How Soon Is Now" by The Smiths; "Wild World" by Cat Stevens holds up surprisingly well; "Pride" and "With or Without You," to name several possibilities by U2; "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop; "Cherry Bomb" by the Runaways; "Call Me" by Blondie; "Give Up the Funk" by Parliament. 

The list of songs from the 80s that wouldn't be hits today is too long to count -- suffice it to say, nearly all of them.  For example, nothing by Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy, Jethro Tull, etc.  And especially nothing by Kiss -- thank goodness. 

 

[Deano]

My favorite song by The Cult is Sweet Soul Sister... it wasn't a hit when it was released and probably wouldn't be considered a hit now but that is one damned fine song.

 

[Wästed The Great]

That is one of my fav's too!  It's a great tune.

I"m gonna throw out a Maiden tune, but I think that The Number Of The Beast would be huge in any decade.

 

[Aeolis]

Among my favourites are (in no particular order):
Crazy Nights (Loudness)
One (Metallica)
Highway Star (Deep Purple)
Sweet Child O' Mine (Guns N' Roses)

 

[Mega]

Well, I don't think that there are any good song that could be hits today as they were when the were released. Or hits at all for that matter

 

[Jonszat]

That is one of my fav's too!  It's a great tune.

I"m gonna throw out a Maiden tune, but I think that The Number Of The Beast would be huge in any decade.

I'd argue it wouldn't be as huge as it was in the 80's if it was released now. It gained a lot of buzz over the satanic thing which probably increased it's sales figures and stuff. However it would probably get a better media reaction now then it did back in '82 which might counteract the satanic accusations.