“‘I Love L.A.’ never charted? What? That’s astounding. It’s an anthem.”
When I interviewed guitar legend Waddy Wachtel for the first time in 2021, we spent some time talking about some of the classic recordings that he performed on in the studio. Songs like Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes” and Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen.” Next up was Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” Now, if you’re a sports fan and are watching a home game involving one of Los Angeles’ teams either on TV or in-person and they win, chances are that you’ll the 1983 song emanating from either the loudspeakers or from the network production truck. So when I asked Wachtel if he knew that the “I Love L.A.” single had never charted on the Hot 100, he was incredulous. “What do you mean? ‘I Love L.A.’ never charted? What? That’s astounding. It’s an anthem. Living here, I have a different impression of it.”
It’s true. At one point, the song was at #110 on Billboard‘s “Bubbling Under” chart thanks, most likely, to airplay on the city’s own Top 40 stations. But it never got enough support elsewhere to reach the main chart. Wachtel’s surprise got me thinking that there were plenty of other classic rock favorites that most people would assume were pop hits. Here are the stories of 10 of them, many of which are considered among the artists’ signature songs.
“I Love L.A.”–Randy Newman (1983)
We start with the great songwriter’s ode to Los Angeles. Take it away, Waddy… “The solo is Luke [Steve Lukather]. They cut that with Toto and one of the producers said, ‘Okay, it’s done.’ And Randy said, ‘It’s not done until Wachtel plays on this.’ I came in and was really flattered and honored. I heard the intro and I said there needs to be a ‘dirty’ guitar on the opening, so I put that on there. (mimics the opening notes) And then I do the answer to ‘I Love L.A.’ (mimics da-da-da-da-da-da)”
“Move On Up”–Curtis Mayfield (1971)
As the lead singer (and songwriter) of the Impressions, Mayfield was no stranger to the pop and R&B charts, with such hits as “People Get Ready.” Two years after he left the group in 1970, he scored a #1 album with 1972’s Superfly, which yielded a pair of top ten singles. But “Move On Up,” which has endured for use in advertisements and even as “pump up” music for Joe Biden’s speeches during his 2020 presidential campaign thanks to its lively production, failed to chart on either the pop or R&B chart. Go figure.
“The Kids Are Alright—The Who (1966)
They had already earned four top ten singles in the U.K. And though one of rock’s great anthems, “My Generation,” had only reached #74 in America a year earlier, it had at least charted. Not so with this classic Pete Townshend composition.
“‘Heroes'”—David Bowie (1977)
In ’75, Bowie had finally made it in the U.S., with three hit singles including a #1 (“Fame”). But instead of continuing that momentum, his label, RCA, swung and missed mightily with a couple of stiffs in ’76. So, when the title cut from his new effort arrived, it was time to get back on track, right? Wrong! Instead, this absolutely perfect song—produced with Tony Visconti—never reached the Hot 100. Not even just for one day. [In ensuing years, such publications as NME and Rolling Stone have included “‘Heroes'” on their lists of the greatest songs of all time.]
“Alison”—Elvis Costello (1977)
If you ask a knowledgeable music fan to name this prolific songwriter’s most enduring composition, chances are pretty good it’ll be this one. And while it’s perhaps not that surprising that Top 40 programmers in the U.S. never really took to Costello—only three of his singles have even charted on the format—the song, just his second release in the U.K. on the independent Stiff Records, also failed to chart there.
“Blowin’ In the Wind”—Bob Dylan (1963)
The single was an enormous hit in ’63, reaching #2 on the Hot 100 and went on to win a pair of Grammy Awards including one for Best Folk Recording. But that was for the cover version by Peter, Paul & Mary, who were far more well known at the time and also repped by Dylan’s manager, Albert Grossman. But Bob’s own version was ignored by radio.
“Celluloid Heroes”—The Kinks (1972)
As Best Classics Bands’ editor, Jeff Tamarkin, wrote in his feature on the song, “The Kinks Klassik is one of those songs that defines the band and is often cited as being among Ray Davies’ finest creations,” name-checking such bygone Hollywood stars as Greta Garbo, Rudolph Valentino, Bela Lugosi, Bette Davis, and others. [I’m such a fan of the song, I’ve included the full album version here.]
“Black Coffee In Bed”—Squeeze (1982)
Sadly, it’s almost “take your pick” for this great U.K. band that was criminally overlooked by pop radio in the U.S. After ignoring such fab tracks as “Goodbye Girl” and “Another Nail In My Heart,” programmers finally gave a tepid—as in #49—response to “Tempted.” One year later, Squeeze’s songwriters Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford delivered this radio-friendly track. Alas… no milk and sugar, yet again.
“Comfortably Numb”—Pink Floyd (1980)
Okay. Instantaneous success with The Wall which tops the Top 200 Album sales chart for 15 weeks in 1979-80. Check. A monster hit with first single “Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2),” which reaches #1 on the Hot 100. Check. Hugely successful arena tour. Check. After the follow-up single, “Run Like Hell,” reached just #53, “Comfortably Numb” somehow did worse, failing to even chart. [Here’s the full album version.]
“American Girl”—Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1977)
Though the single from their self-titled debut failed to chart, its story about the girl alone on the balcony overlooking U.S. Route 441 resonates with TP’s fans. So many of the great tunes in the Petty canon can be looked at as a perfect song, including this one. Take it easy, baby…
These recordings are available to purchase in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here.
Related: 10 re-released songs that became hits
- 10 Classic Singles That Never Charted in the U.S. - 04/10/2025
- Bob Dylan ‘Nashville Skyline’ Cover: The Inside Story - 04/09/2025
- 10 Re-Released Songs That Became Hits - 04/07/2025
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationIs there some sort of bias against these artists that these songs didn’t track any higher than they did?
Rakman Rob: Just all unique circumstances.