What artists and musicians assume will resonate with the public doesn’t always become popular. On the other hand, sometimes what singers and songwriters dislike about their own work turns into massive hits! Public opinion can be unpredictable, especially in the recording industry. Some songs take on a life of their own, climbing the charts and achieving lasting success, even though everyone involved thought they would be forgotten or dismissed.
Let’s explore ten of these songs. These singles were once so unappreciated by their creators that they almost didn’t make it onto their albums. But once they were released, they exploded and became runaway hits! Get ready to discover the stories behind ten unlikely hit singles that nearly missed their chance. Thankfully, they made it, giving us some truly great music!
Radiohead, “Creep”
Radiohead’s biggest hit, “Creep,” was written by frontman Thom Yorke when he was just 19, studying English and fine arts in college. Feeling stressed and isolated, he channeled those emotions into the song.
When Radiohead started recording their debut album, Pablo Honey, released in 1993, “Creep” didn’t seem edgy enough for the band’s image. The band members themselves weren’t fond of it! Guitarist Jonny Greenwood even tried to ruin it with a pre-chorus guitar riff he thought would make it sound terrible.
However, college radio stations loved the song, and soon, American fans were obsessed. “Creep” climbed the charts in many countries, enjoying sustained radio play and strong sales, especially in the US, UK, and Australia.
Since then, Yorke and other band members have often expressed their weariness of performing “Creep” at concerts, yet it remains a staple. Despite the band’s initial attempts to bury it, “Creep” became their breakthrough hit, catapulting them to global fame.[1]
Prince, “Kiss”
In the spring of 1985, Prince was busy with his album Parade at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles. Mazarati, a band formed by Prince’s bassist Brown Mark, was also there. They asked Prince for a song to record for their album. Prince quickly wrote and performed a rough one-minute version of “Kiss,” recording it on a cheap tape recorder.
Mark and a producer developed the song’s funk groove into what we know today. But when Prince heard it, he was angry! He took the song back, promising Brown Mark a songwriting credit, and the deal was done.
Warner Bros initially refused to release “Kiss” as a single, deeming it too minimalistic. However, Prince insisted on its release. He was right; “Kiss” topped the American charts, sold over a million copies, and won a Grammy. Unfortunately, Brown Mark never received his promised songwriting credit and eventually stopped working with Prince.[2]
Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Nirvana brought grunge to the mainstream with “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” but Kurt Cobain was so unenthusiastic about the song that he didn’t want to release it. While recording the album that would make them famous, Cobain was listening to a lot of the Pixies’ music.
He wanted to create a song that sounded like the Pixies to see if Nirvana could create a popular pop-like arrangement. That’s exactly what happened. But by the time they recorded it, Cobain was over it and wanted to scrap it.
“I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies,” he later admitted. “When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band—or at least in a Pixies cover band…We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.”
It worked for Nirvana in the end, but not for Cobain, who hated fame. He resented both the music industry and fans’ demands to constantly play their hit single.[3]
The Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart faced hard times before The Eurythmics made them famous. They went on an Australian tour with a previous band, The Tourists, which broke up in a motel. The couple also ended their three-year romantic relationship soon after.
Back in the UK, they played small gigs to small crowds. Eventually, their luck started to change. They took out a bank loan, bought new music gear, and experimented with synthesizers. One day, Dave accidentally stumbled upon a bass line and reversed it on the synthesizer.
Annie recognized its potential and helped create a song. Thus, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” was born. However, record company executives hated it because it lacked a traditional chorus, making them feel its release would flop.
Undeterred, Dave and Annie tried to promote it themselves. A radio DJ in Cleveland, Ohio, loved the song and started playing it. Call lines lit up, and other radio stations followed suit. The Eurythmics were in![4]
Michael Jackson, “Billie Jean”
Michael Jackson knew “Billie Jean” would be a hit as soon as he wrote it. However, his producer wasn’t convinced. Quincy Jones thought the demo was lacking.
He disliked the bass line and the song’s title, worrying that fans would think it was about tennis star Billie Jean King. But Michael Jackson insisted, saying the song was perfect and made him want to dance, which would inspire others to dance, too.
Jones tried to compromise by changing the title to “Not My Lover,” but Michael refused. In the end, Jackson convinced Jones to let him record the song as he wanted and keep the original title.
As we know, “Billie Jean” became a massive hit. This story shows that even legendary producers can sometimes misjudge the public’s taste![5]
Smashing Pumpkins, “1979”
The Smashing Pumpkins quickly rose to fame in the 1990s. Their second album, Siamese Dream, brought them mainstream success. They were eager to work on their third album.
Frontman Billy Corgan was excited to collaborate again with their producer, Mark Ellis, known as “Flood.” Flood had significantly shaped the Smashing Pumpkins’ sound in their first two albums. However, with the third album, they hit a snag.
Corgan loved the single “1979” and brought it to Flood with high hopes. But Flood hated it. He demanded Corgan completely rework it, threatening to cut it from the album if it remained unchanged.
Corgan spent hours revising the track to Flood’s liking. Finally, Flood approved the new version, and a hit was born![6]
Metallica, “Nothing Else Matters”
Metallica rose to fame with their self-titled hit album, also known as The Black Album, in 1991. A 1990 tour inspired frontman James Hetfield to write “Nothing Else Matters,” which appeared on their 1991 album.
The song was about being on the road and missing home and his girlfriend. He wrote the ballad on the tour bus but had low hopes for it. He felt Metallica couldn’t release a sappy love song; they needed to be tough and aggressive.
Despite his doubts, Hetfield played the song for drummer Lars Ulrich. Ulrich insisted they put it on The Black Album. Hetfield tried to convince the others that it wasn’t the right fit for Metallica.
In the end, they won. “I thought that Metallica could only be the four of us,” Hetfield later recalled. “These are songs about destroying things, head banging, bleeding for the crowd… The song was about a girlfriend at the time. It turned out to be a pretty big song.”[7]
Rolling Stones, “Satisfaction”
The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” almost wasn’t released, but a band vote convinced Keith Richards it had to be a single. Richards woke up one night with an eight-note riff in his head. He recorded it and went back to bed. The next day, he played the recording for his bandmates—along with thirty minutes of his snoring!
Richards thought it was a weak riff, maybe suitable as album filler. But the rest of the band heard its brilliance and pressured him to make it a single.
Despite Keith’s reservations, it became a massive hit, instrumental in making the Rolling Stones one of the most legendary rock bands.[8]
John Mellencamp, “Jack & Diane”
John Mellencamp topped the American charts for four weeks in 1982 with “Jack & Diane,” but it almost didn’t happen. If Mellencamp had stuck to his original vision, it might never have left the studio!
Originally, the rocker wanted the song to feature an interracial couple. “Originally, the line was that Jack was not a football star; Jack was an African-American,” Mellencamp revealed in a 2014 interview. “In 1982, when I turned the song into the record company, they went, ‘Whoa, can’t you make him something other than that?’”
Mellencamp was reluctant. “I said, ‘Well, I don’t really want to. I mean, that’s the whole point. This is really a song about race relationships and a white girl being with a black guy, and that’s what the song’s about,’” he recalled. “And they said, ‘No, no, no, no.’… So, anyway, through much debate and me being young, I said, ‘Okay, we’ll make him a football star.’”
Record company executives, thinking an interracial relationship was too scandalous in the early 1980s, turned the song into a “little ditty” about a football star. The public loved it! Would they have loved it as much if it had been about Mellencamp’s original topic? We’ll never know…[9]
Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”
Taylor Swift was already popular when her fifth album, 1989, came out. However, studio heads at her Big Machine record label weren’t happy with the album, particularly “Shake It Off.”
They felt the track was too pop-oriented for Taylor and tried to persuade her to remove it from the album. They disliked the artwork, the feel of the track, the sound, and even the title!
Taylor insisted on including “Shake It Off” on 1989, and it quickly topped the Billboard U.S. Hot 100. It also topped charts in many other countries. Big Machine ultimately benefited from letting Taylor have her way with what she knew would be a hit![10]
These songs remind us that success can emerge from unexpected places. Sometimes, the very qualities that artists and producers question are what resonate most powerfully with listeners.
Which of these songs surprised you the most? Leave your comment below!
