00:06Welcome to WatchMojo. And today, we're counting down our picks for the top 10 songs that didn't
00:12truly achieve their peak commercial success until years after their release.
00:26Number 10, Dream On, Aerosmith.
00:37Sometimes, when you know you have a hit single on your hands, it is well worth taking a second punt
00:44at releasing it.
00:45For Aerosmith, the initial 1973 release of their track, Dream On, was met with a pretty muted response,
00:53peaking at number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100.
01:02Radio play steadily picked up from there onwards, and in late 1975, the band re-released it.
01:08This time, with momentum on its side, it climbed all the way up to number 6.
01:13Nowadays, it's regarded as a staple of classic rock playlists and one of the greatest songs the band has ever
01:20put out.
01:21Dream On, Dream On, Dream On, Dream On, Dream On.
01:26Number 9, She's Gone, Hall & Oates.
01:30Timing is everything when it comes to getting the most out of a single's potential.
01:35For Hall & Oates, they had not quite managed to hit their stride fully as a mainstream act in 1973.
01:48So, naturally, their song, She's Gone, didn't live up to expectations, peaking at number 60 on the Billboard charts.
01:55The years that followed would be kind to Hall & Oates, though, and when they gave the track a second
02:01release in 1976 under a new label, it had a different story.
02:11This time, it rose all the way up to number 7, while also achieving the duo's first-ever UK chart
02:18position at 42.
02:25Number 8, I'm Gonna Be 500 Miles, The Proclaimers.
02:31Well, I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who makes up next to you.
02:37It's hard to believe that a song as infectious and instantaneous as the Proclaimers' I'm Gonna Be was not immediately
02:44a big success in every corner of the globe.
02:47The song, more commonly known as 500 Miles, was, of course, a hit at home and in several countries.
02:53I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more.
03:00However, American sales were elusive, or at least they were, until the song was included on the soundtrack of the
03:07movie, Benny and June, in 1993, five years after its initial release.
03:12All of a sudden, the Proclaimers had a smash hit on their hands, reaching number three on the Billboard charts.
03:18These days, the song is synonymous with the Scottish duo and one of the most famous songs the country produced
03:24in the 20th century.
03:35Number 7, Red, Red Wine, UB40.
03:40This Neil Diamond penned classic received the most unlikely of makeovers when reggae group UB40 hit number one in the
03:47UK charts with it in 1983.
03:50That said, it landed just outside of the top 30 in the States.
04:02Thankfully, when the group performed it in 1988 for Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday concert, it propelled sales of its re
04:09-released version to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, a staggering jump in success.
04:16Even Neil Diamond himself was a huge fan, frequently playing the track live in an arrangement that was closer to
04:22UB40's version than his own.
04:24If that's not the ultimate seal of approval, we're not sure what it is.
04:28Stay close to me.
04:32Number 6, Here I Go Again, Whitesnake.
04:45While re-releasing a promising track can be a good move, sometimes entirely re-recording it can truly take it
04:53to another level.
04:54For Whitesnake, they were so confident in the underperforming 1982 track, Here I Go Again, that they returned to the
05:01studio in 1987 to do it all over again.
05:05Here I go again on my own.
05:10Going down the only road I've ever known.
05:15Despite not selling well in 82, a glossy arena rock makeover served it well.
05:20All of a sudden, the band had a number one hit single on their hands.
05:24Sure, it lost some of its raw edge, but this anthem became the band's signature track and the only Billboard
05:31number one in their discography.
05:37Number 5, The Hole of the Moon, The Waterboys.
05:48When The Waterboys initially put out The Hole of the Moon, it was destined to become a favorite in underground
05:54circles.
05:55Its first peak after its 1985 release saw it reach number 26 on the charts.
06:01A modest success, but not quite as high as Mike Scott and his band had predicted.
06:05I pictured a rainbow.
06:11You held it in your hands.
06:14They were clearly certain they had an absolute gem on their hands, though.
06:18So confident, in fact, that a 1991 re-release was scheduled.
06:22This time, the band were more established, and the world was ready to fully embrace this truly excellent song.
06:29It reached number 3 in the UK, becoming a classic of its era.
06:33And a song that has rarely left The Waterboys set in the time since.
06:38You saw the hole of the moon.
06:41Number 4, Walk This Way, Aerosmith.
06:45A lot of songs that have a resurgence tend to do it once, and that's it.
06:50In the case of Walk This Way by Aerosmith, the first time they released it, it really didn't make any
06:56waves.
06:58Walk This Way, Walk This Way, Walk This Way, Walk This Way, Walk This Way.
07:07Not to be discouraged, they decided to put it out again the following year in 1976.
07:13Eventually, it rose to number 10 on the Billboard charts in 1977.
07:17For most tracks, that would be the end of the story.
07:20For Walk This Way, it would then go on to have a third major release in 1986, when it was
07:26remade alongside Run DMC in a hard rock-slash-hip-hop crossover.
07:31It became an international hit, reaching number 4 on the US charts, fully accomplishing its clear potential as a single.
07:42It's over to Walk This Way, Walk This Way, Walk This Way.
07:49Number 3, Pink Moon, Nick Drake.
07:53I saw it written and I saw it say.
07:59Pink Moon is on its way.
08:03The elusive and ever-mysterious Nick Drake unfortunately passed away before he had any chance to enjoy his own success.
08:10His music largely went unnoticed by the mainstream world, with only his fellow folk musicians championing it.
08:22When he died at the age of 26, he did so with very little recognition for his work, leaving three
08:29studio albums that have since been regarded as masterpieces.
08:33The title track of his final album, Pink Moon, would be used in a Volkswagen advert in 1999.
08:39Introducing a whole generation to Drake's music.
08:43In the times since, his status as a folk legend has only grown as the years go on.
08:49These days, he is universally seen as a legend and a trailblazer of his genre.
09:04Number 2, Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen.
09:09Now I've heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord.
09:18To those in the know, Leonard Cohen succeeded in a truly magical feat of lyricism when he released Hallelujah in
09:251984.
09:27Unfortunately, it really didn't move the needle when it first came out.
09:31Even the greatest songs require that initial spark to ignite interest.
09:35For Cohen, it might never have come.
09:38If it weren't for a cover by the Velvet Underground's John Kale that inspired Jeff Buckley to release his own
09:44rendition of the track.
09:45Well, it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift, the baffled king composing
09:55Hallelujah.
09:57When Buckley's velvet voice and electric guitar brought this song to the masses, it soon became a standard.
10:04It went on to become one of the most widely covered songs of its time and Cohen's most famous composition.
10:11Hallelujah.
10:15Hallelujah.
10:24Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Aria, Songs from Iran, reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock,
10:32metal, and pop songs.
10:33Check out the full track and album below.
10:50Number one, Tiny Dancer, Elton John.
11:04When you consider that Tiny Dancer has become something of a signature song for Elton John,
11:10it may be surprising just how long it took for it to really catch on.
11:15Initially released in 1971 on the Madman Across the Water album and then as a single in 1972,
11:21it really didn't make a huge splash at first.
11:33However, it slowly picked up steam, circulating on college radio, becoming a fan favorite.
11:38Eventually, when it was a key feature on the soundtrack to the 2000 film Almost Famous,
11:44it finally reached major mainstream acceptance.
11:54These days, it's a staple of his live shows, and in terms of its commercial success,
12:00it went platinum in 2019.
12:13But what do you think is the greatest sleeper hit of all time?
12:17Let us know in the comments below.
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