’80s non-top 40 hits, yet classics today

EdisonLite wrote: Was the "Playing for Keeps" soundtrack released on CD?

Indeed, it was. Label & no. for the U.S. CD was Atlantic 81678-2; I have it myself. The soundtrack was a complete flop (didn't even make the top 200 in Billboard), and thus was a cut-out rack staple back in the late '80s - hence 90% of all copies you find today (any of the three formats) will have a drill hole or saw-mark on the spine. This is one of those titles that is fairly rare on CD, but because it stiffed, there is little demand, and thus it can still be had fairly cheap. (It contained no top 40 hits, and therefore, isn't included in Pat's db.) So while I don't run across Playing for Keeps on CD every day, when I do, it's one that I almost always see in the $1-$2 cheapie bin or in thrift stores while out on my music travels. It was released in September of '86, and because that was still the early days of the digital format, all U.S. copies of the CD I've seen to date were pressed in Japan. In addition to being a remix, the title of the Phil Collins track was actually modified slightly to "We Said Hello, Goodbye (Don't Look Back)" on the soundtrack. Used copy currently on eBay, w/ photos: O.S.T. - "Playing for Keeps" (U.S. CD)

Is the remix of "We Said Hello Goodbye" noticeably different?

On YouTube:
PHIL COLLINS - "We Said Hello, Goodbye" (45 & No Jacket Required CD version) (4:15)
PHIL COLLINS - "We Said Hello, Goodbye" (O.S.T. Playing for Keeps version) (3:42)

Edited by 80smusicfreak

MTV was such a huge influence on perceived hits!

MCT1 wrote: in the parallel 50s/60s/70s thread, TimNeely wrote: You have two different categories of songs here: Those that never charted because they were never issued as commercial singles...and those that were issued as singles but didn't catch on with the Top 40 crowd...I'm going to list some that you might hear on the radio today, usually on "classic rock" stations. These lists are far from complete. Looking at all the responses in both threads, I see four different categories: 1) Songs that were popular with Top 40 audiences, but weren't Top 40 hits because they weren't eligible to chart (generally because they weren't released as singles at the time). Examples: "Into The Groove", "Isn't She Lovely", numerous Beatles album cuts. 2) Songs that weren't popular with Top 40 audiences when new, but eventually became popular with audiences that listen to formats that play old Top 40 hits, to the point where a modern observer who isn't familiar with chart data might assume that these songs must have been Top 40 hits. Examples: "What I Like About You", "I Melt With You". 3) Songs that were/are popular with some type of non-Top 40 audience (AOR seems to be the main focus in the responses of this type so far) but never crossed over to Top 40 audiences. Examples: numerous Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd songs. 4) Songs that people feel should have been Top 40 hits. Everyone's are different. I'm not sure what the original poster had in mind, but in this post I'd like to focus on #1 and #2. They are probably the easiest to define, and the most relevant for this board. By contrast, #3 and #4 both cover a lot of ground. Under #1, the most obvious '80s example is undoubtedly "Into The Groove". Another that comes to mind is "Be Good Johnny" by Men At Work. Although it was eventually released as a single, Michael Jackson's "Thriller" was getting Top 40 airplay well before the single came out. Once Billboard began maintaining an airplay chart (and allowing non-singles to chart in it), "Never Say Goodbye" by Bon Jovi and "Spotlight" by Madonna both made the Top 40 of the airplay chart despite the unavailability of commercial singles. (Tim's Goldmine price guides actually indicate that a 45 of "Never Say Goodbye" does exist, but it doesn't seem to have been available when the song was on the airplay chart, and it seems to be a very obscure release; I've never see one myself.) Did "Back In Time" by Huey Lewis & The News or "Pink Cadillac" by Bruce Springsteen receive significant Top 40 airplay when new? I don't think the former was ever released as a single, while the latter was a B-side. I remember hearing these on the radio, but in the mid '80s I was switching back and forth a lot between CHR and AOR, and I don't really remember which stations I heard these on. If they don't fit here, they definitely fit under #2. Under #2, "What I Like About You", "Dancing With Myself", "I Want Candy", "I Melt With You" and "Tempted" are all great examples. I'd bet that many people would assume that Squeeze had at least one Top 40 hit before "Hourglass" (certainly "Tempted", maybe "Pulling Mussels From The Shell" or "Black Coffee In Bed"), and U2 at least one before "Pride" (certainly "New Year's Day", maybe "I Will Follow" or "Sunday Bloody Sunday", which wasn't even released as a single). Among others noted upthread, I'm sure that "Rebel Yell", "Mexican Radio" and "Blister In The Sun" are all probably widely believed to have been Top 40 hits, and that many people would be surprised to learn that Yaz never had any Top 40 hits, and New Order just one during the '80s. If "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure hadn't managed to sneak into the Top 40 for one week, it would belong here as well. Several others already listed are at least arguable. I'd also add "Workin' For A Livin'" by Huey Lewis & The News and "I Don't Care Anymore" by Phil Collins to the "arguable" list. What a lot of these songs have in common, of course, is the MTV factor alluded to upthread. Many of them are new wave/alternative songs that were ahead of the curve in terms of what Top 40 radio was playing at the time. When new, they were considered too "out there" for Top 40 radio, but in hindsight they seem to fit in with what we now think of as "'80s Top 40".

SInce you mention Yaz, their biggest "hit" was probaly 'Situation"(aka that "Move Out, don't mess around" song), and it's their best, early 80s).