Late-career hit singles

[Kevin Davis]

Talk in the Pearl Jam 10th album thread about the band consciously attempting to achieve a hit single with "The Fixer" got me wondering: how many other artists have had hit singles twenty years into their career, or further? I'm thinking significant hits here--not things that got moderate airplay for a few weeks/months at the time of release, or things that feel significant to fans of the group. I'm talking about instances of a late-career single unexpectedly blowing up and infiltrating the public consciousness in a way that was competitive with other "big hits" of the day.

A few examples I can think of:

Grateful Dead - "Touch of Grey"
U2 - "Beautiful Day"

Maybe Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World."

Others?

[mastaflatch]

[stip]

wasn't touch of grey also their only hit single? Not that this invalidates it.


I was going to say bruce springsteen, but he has nothing huge 20 years in.

Did the chili peppers have any enduring hits 20+ years in?

[Kevin Davis]

wasn't touch of grey also their only hit single? Not that this invalidates it.

I think it was technically their biggest, but they had some others in the early '70's.

Did the chili peppers have any enduring hits 20+ years in?

Yeah, good example. They were kind of a weird band in that they didn't really start racking up chart points until almost ten years in, but "Stadium Arcadium" was 20+ years into their career. A few of those songs were major hit singles for the band and were (and remain) competitive with other top 40-type material.

[Kevin Davis]

masta's example is really good too. Exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of.

[Wendy Carlos's Twin]

I think it was technically their biggest, but they had some others in the early '70's.

Like a lot of bands back then, they had some songs that were popular on FM radio, but they didn't have a hit "single" until Touch Of Gray. You'd be surprised how many well known songs from back then charted poorly, or didn't even chart at all.

[bada]

Less so in Rock I think. Love Is Strong was a hit for the Stones if I'm not mistaken. Aerosmith had a bunch. Other formats seem more forgiving. Several 60s R&B singers had some hits in the 80s. Country artists used to be able to hold on for decades.

[McParadigm]

I was going to say bruce springsteen, but he has nothing huge 20 years in.

Streets of Philadelphia was 21 years in. And with Neil, I'd say Hank to Hendrix or Unknown Legend. The Stones? Anybody Seen My Baby/Saint of Me.

Arguably Phil Collins, depending on where you start.

[nyquillyn]

Several 60s R&B singers had some hits in the 80s.

This was the first thing that came to mind for me. Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie and I think Michael Jackson's Dangerous was 20+ years into his career.

[i got bugs]

the rising was 20+

the new black sabbath cd is awesome, should produce some hits

[Jorge]

Louis Armstrong recorded what turned out to be his most famous song only 3 years before he died. That qualifies, right?

[Kevin Davis]

Definitely. Sinatra too--"New York New York" was 1979-80.

I don't know if anything off "Harvest Moon" or "The Rising" would qualify. Were any of those songs real "hits?"

[McParadigm]

Unknown Legend and Hank to Hendrix weren't immediate chart climbers, but they remained huge AC and other adult-themed radio go-to tracks for a long time afterwards. I read somewhere once that Unknown Legend had managed over 100,000 plays on standards stations alone over the course of a ten year period. I'd imagine Streets of Philedelphia achieved a similar level of success...nevermind that these songs were also constantly piping into dentist offices, gas stations, and large department stores for years on end.

[Jorge]

Elvis Costello doing "She" for the Notting Hill soundtrack in the late 90s.

I know it's a cover of a crappy Aznavour song, and it didn't really do that well most places, but it was HUGE in Latin America (more so than anywhere else in the world). It's so big that whenever I mention I like Elvis Costello, people still tell me "oh I love She!". They think he's some sort of schlocky balladeer.

[Gods' Die]

John Fogerty: Centerfield. I hate the song but it's certainly still resonating to this day.

Clapton: Tears in Heaven.

Johnny Cash: Hurt.

[doug rr]

for whatever reason, Duran Duran's Ordinary World came to mind..not sure if it qualifies though

[Heathen]

Unknown Legend and Hank to Hendrix weren't immediate chart climbers, but they remained huge AC and other adult-themed radio go-to tracks for a long time afterwards. I read somewhere once that Unknown Legend had managed over 100,000 plays on standards stations alone over the course of a ten year period. I'd imagine Streets of Philedelphia achieved a similar level of success...nevermind that these songs were also constantly piping into dentist offices, gas stations, and large department stores for years on end.

I don't know. Maybe it's different in the USA but here I don't think I'll ever come across an "ordinary" person who has even heard of Unknown Legend, while Streets of Philadelphia was a huge hit.

[VinylGuy]

Elvis Costello doing "She" for the Notting Hill soundtrack in the late 90s.

I know it's a cover of a crappy Aznavour song, and it didn't really do that well most places, but it was HUGE in Latin America (more so than anywhere else in the world). It's so big that whenever I mention I like Elvis Costello, people still tell me "oh I love She!". They think he's some sort of schlocky balladeer.

He actually did a lot of those Burt Bacharach records around that time too...im guessing that helped with that notion too.

God i hate "She".

[Kevin Davis]

I like "She" a lot. It's schlocky but it's a well-crafted song and Elvis sings it well. Like most of his projects, it's best viewed in context.

[AndySlash]