Why did P. McCartney last 19 years longer on UK top 40 vs USA

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by johnny moondog 909, Jul 16, 2017.

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  1. johnny moondog 909

    johnny moondog 909 Beatles-Lennon & Classic rock fan Thread Starter

    A surprise to me as an American. Put simply, McCartneys last USA top 40 single was My Brave Face in 1989, from the Flowers in the Dirt album.

    But in the UK, & sometimes Germany, Canada, Australia & other markets, McCartney continued to regularly snag a top 40 single. Most recently with Dance Tonight a #26 single in the UK in 2007. Flaming Pie & Chaos & Creation had a whopping 5 top 40 hits between them in 1997 & 2005.

    Hope Of Deliverance in 1993 sold a whopping 250k copies in Germany alone hitting top 5 & hitting # 18 in Britain.

    Why & how did McCartney get another 10 ( TEN ) top 40 singles over the next 18 years in the UK, & sometimes Germany Canada & Australia. But couldn't get a free cup of
    coffee on the Billboard hot 100.

    Europe likes Paul more, Germany likes him better, seriously what's the explanation for this huge discrepancy ?
     
  2. AppleCorp3

    AppleCorp3 Forum Resident

    My thoughts are that the US record buyer's tastes aren't as eclectic as the European record buyer.

    This as a US record buyer.

    EDIT: I'll also place responsibility at the feet of the radio stations that promote music to the masses. Perhaps it's cause and effect.
     
  3. Psychedelic Good Trip

    Psychedelic Good Trip Beautiful Psychedelic Colors Everywhere

    Location:
    New York


    Love this video. This tune should of been in the top 40 in America. IMHO
    Guess blame the radio stations or record companies for guessing what the listening public in America like. It is odd for all the love of Paul in America you would think on his later albums of the last 25 years he would have had a few more top 40 hits.

    I think most people (not all) feel McCartney is a greatest hits package. Rereleased albums of Pauls through Archive box sets of his older albums. Pure McCartney box set covering all stages of his solo career. There were a few tunes on the NEW album that could have been top 40 stature.
     
    alexpop likes this.
  4. stewedandkeefed

    stewedandkeefed Came Ashore In The Dead Of The Night

    It's easier to get on the charts in the UK than the US. A loyal fan base in the UK can propel singles into the charts albeit usually for a short run. In the US it's harder to gain the airplay that gets you on the charts.
     
    Rigsby, PhoffiFozz, Tim S and 6 others like this.
  5. ajsmith

    ajsmith Senior Member

    Location:
    Glasgow
    With the UK at least, ( UK resident here: I won't speak for other countries ) it's due to a much smaller population and a faster moving national single chart system compared to the US, meaning that Paul's fanbase was able to push those songs up that high by buying those singles upon their first week of release.

    None of Paul's UK chart showings of the late 80s/90s/00s were 'hits' in the sense that they got blanket airplay and registered widely with the public, they just sold to his existing fanbase enough to get them in the top 40 (I would bet that all these single only stayed in the top 40 for one week too).
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2017
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  6. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    We just love Fab Macca!
     
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  7. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    This is very true. Plus sales have dropped so much over the years you can pretty much get a top 10 hit for about 50 copies and a packet of Skittles sold.

    You also may hit #5 on your first week only to fall to #36 on the second. Of course when you look at the artist's singles listings on Wikipedia or something, it looks like due to it peaking in the top 5 that the single was a huge hit..
     
  8. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    SHMF crawler!
     
    Man at C&A likes this.
  9. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    More than the US!
     
    Bobby Morrow likes this.
  10. The Hole Got Fixed

    The Hole Got Fixed Owens, Poell, Saberi

    Location:
    Toronto
    America's remarkable lack of taste that's proven time and time again?
     
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  11. Beatlened

    Beatlened Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    When McCartney last hit the UK top 40 the charts were based purely on sales . As others have said sales werent huge overall. In the USA airplay counted for more than sales and classic rock artists were ditched by mainstream radio in favour of light pop and r&b. Nowadays streaming rules the roost and he has no chance - on his own at any rate- of having enough streams to do that again. I'd still prefer him to have no hits than to team up with Kanye or Rihanna again.
     
  12. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I would have agreed with this until recently when I saw a list of the top selling UK artists on another thread here. Some repulsive and depressing stuff on there.
     
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  13. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    I think the US market was/is too large and diverse for aging mainstream artists like McCartney to storm the charts based on sales largely restricted to longstanding fans.
     
  14. I'd suggest that the UK's continued enthusiasm for Paul McCartney's pablum is an indication of the UK's lack of musical taste. On the other hand their continued enthusiasm for The Beach Boys at a time when they couldn't attract an audience here gives them a full pardon.
     
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  15. Gaslight

    Gaslight ⎧⚍⎫⚑

    Location:
    Northeast USA
    Changing musical tastes. Starting with hip hop / dance music, most likely.

    Plus likely differences in marketing, between the US and elsewhere.
     
    SixOClockBoos likes this.
  16. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    Remember that from 1973 to 1982, when you look at chart positions, he generally had greater success in the US than the UK.

    My Love [UK: 9|US: 1]
    Live and Let Die [UK: 9|US: 2]
    Helen Wheels [UK: 12|US: 10]
    Jet: [UK: 7|US: 7]
    Band on the Run: [UK: 3|US: 1]
    Junior's Farm: [UK: 16|US: 3]
    Listen to What the Man Said: [UK: 6|US: 1]
    Letting Go: [UK: 41|US: 39]
    Venus and Mars/Rock Show: [UK: --|US: 12]
    Silly Love Songs: [UK: 2|US: 1]
    Let 'Em In: [UK: 2|US: 3]
    Maybe I'm Amazed: [UK: 28|US: 10]
    Mull of Kintyre/Girls' School: [UK: 1|US: 33]
    With a Little Luck: [UK: 5|US: 1]
    I've Had Enough: [UK: 42|US: 25]
    London Town: [UK: 60|US: 39]
    Goodnight Tonight: [UK: 5|US: 5]
    Getting Closer: [UK: 60|US: 20]
    Wonderful Christmastime: [UK: 6|US: --]
    Coming Up: [UK: 2|US: 1]
    Waterfalls: [UK: 9|US: 106]
    Ebony and Ivory: [UK: 1|US: 1]
    Take It Away: [UK: 15|US: 10]
    Tug of War: [UK: 53|US: 53]
    The Girl is Mine: [UK: 8|US: 2]
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2017
  17. deany76

    deany76 Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Wales, UK
    Our American friends are just not romantic enough, anymore!
    All Paul wants to do is fill the world with Silly Love Songs....Whats wrong with that?, I'd like to know!

     
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  18. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Based on what you've shown here, I don't think that's true at all.
     
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  19. Haristar

    Haristar Apollo C. Vermouth

    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    I meant the other way round.

    [​IMG]
     
  20. ralph7109

    ralph7109 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Franklin, TN
    -
    I think the final score is 17-4-4 in favor of the US.
     
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  21. delmonaco

    delmonaco Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sofia, Bulgaria
    I think it's normal for any UK or European artist to sustain his success longer on his home territory than in the US. Think about ABBA, Queen, Bee Gees..they all had hits in UK / Europe before and after their prime time in US charts.
     
    walrus likes this.
  22. WolfSpear

    WolfSpear Music Enthusiast

    Location:
    Florida
    Almost every 60's artist had a difficult time in the 1990's.

    Ageism on the radio plays a factor, and the change in music (rap, grunge, boy bands) didn't help.
     
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  23. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    Also, most artists stopped releasing actual retail singles in the US around that time, another record company ploy to force people to buy expensive full albums. In the UK, retail singles were a major thing through the mid-2000's.
     
  24. SixOClockBoos

    SixOClockBoos The Man On The Flaming Pie

    The 90's really showed how the music industry changed from changing genres, to the emergence of boy bands and also rap/hip-hop getting a greater following. Radio stations now usually play the same 20 or so songs and mainly that focuses on the more popular artists. Streaming also doesn't help since more people will listen to Ed Sheeran or Drake songs more often putting them high up on the Billboard 100 and often keep them around for over 30+ weeks. The current oldest song on the Billboard 100 is "Closer" by the Chain Smokers and that song has been on the charts for 49 weeks and currently it's #36. Who knows how long that song will drop from the Hot 100. If the charts still worked like they used to, then Paul would have more appearances on the Hot 100 today, granted they most of the time won't be Top 40 hits, but since NEW was a #3 album and full of his best material in years, you never know if songs like "NEW" and "Queenie Eye" would chart in the Hot 100.
     
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  25. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy

    Location:
    USA
    He's England's darling...of course he will chart better there
     
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