Songs That Were Top 40 Hits...But Not In The United States

In 1982, "If I Were You" by Lulu peaked at #6 in New Zealand. It peaked just outside the Top 40 in the USA (#44).

 

Thanks for correcting my mistake. I meant to say Fireball

 

Globetrotter (#5), Robot, (#17), Ice Cream Man (#17)

These followed Telstar up the U. K. charts for the Tornadoes in 1962-63.

 

The story goes that Phil Spector had pissed off too many people in the music business by that time (which is very, very easy to believe!) and a lot of deejays either refused to play his records or never even got the opportunity to play them in the first place. I'm not sure how true that is, but it does make sense in light of the fact that it took producing the Beatles to get him back on the charts.

 

Free - My Brother Jake UK No4
Free - A Little Bit Of Love UK No13
Free - Wishing Well UK No7
(71/72)

 

He had a top 20 hit w/ the Checkmates in '69

 

#4 in the UK. I just now learned it actually made the US charts, albeit only #65

 

This made #22 in the UK. IIRC Christgau called it "the greatest #81 record in Billboard history" or something like that

 

This was a huge hit in Australia (#1?). Wiki says it made some local charts in the US; other sources I've seen claim it got to #1 in NYC, which seems hard to believe -- can anyone confirm this, or fill in other details? Any uh youse Noo Yawk types recall hearing it on the radio?

 

My favorite song by Crowded House, "Weather With You" from 1991. Charted in about 10 countries and a UK top ten.

 

"From Me to You" - The Beatles.
Number 1 in the UK
Number 9 in Canada
Number 116 in the US.
"Roll Over Beethoven" - The Beatles
Number 2 in Canada
Number 68 in the US.

 

Gary Glitter - I’m the Leader of the Gang (I Am)

Number one in the UK for four weeks in July 1973. It did not chart in the U.S.. We were vacationing in England in 1973 and it was being played everywhere.

 

It is an unforgettable song, and thus it hasn't been a priority to add it to my music collection, although I will purchase a download of it soon (I almost did it yesterday but couldn't decide whether to get the original or one by Sharon & Bram or by someone else.

 

"Northern Lights" by Renaissance: #10 hit in the U. K., did not chart in the U. S.

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"Sucks To Be You" by Prozzäk: Per Wikipedia reached #25 in Canada but did not chart in the U. S.

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Blondie ‘In The Flesh’ went to number 2 in Australia and did not chart at all in the US.
The same could be said for ‘Denis’ and ‘Hanging On The Telephone’ which got to 12 and 39 on the Australian charts respectively.

Debbie Harry’s ‘French Kissin’ In The USA’ reached number 4 here and only limped to 57 in the US and her 1989 single ‘I Want That Man’ reached number 2 whilst in the US it failed to crack the top 100.

 

I love "I love onions" more than "River Deep Mountain High".

 

I think this thread should concentrate on American songs that were big hits elsewhere, but didn't go anywhere in the US. Obviously there are tons of songs that ware big in the country where they were released but didn't bother the American charts.

 

I remember reading in Rolling Stone in 1986 when they used to print the UK top 10 that the Firm had a song called Star Trekkin. I finally heard it on Scott Muni's show Things From England and clearly it has nothing to do with Jimmy Page.

 

ABBA - Money Money Money (UK #3, Australia #1, Germany #1, France #1, US #56
ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (UK #3, Australia #8, Germany #3, France #1, US ---)
ABBA - Super Trouper (UK #1, Germany #1, France #4, US #45)
ABBA - One of Us (UK #3, Germany #1, France #8, US #107)

 

Starting with the Keep the Faith album, Bon Jovi had years of singles that were Top 40 in the UK and Ireland but charted poorly if at all in the USA.

Belinda Carlisle remained very popular on the UK singles charts for almost a decade after her American hits dried up. The differential began with the "I Feel Free" single and also includes "Vision of You," which I consider a nice little song that completely missed the American charts.

After "Steamy Windows," almost every Tina Turner single did well in the UK while missing the American Top 40. Her pal Bryan Adams had a similar divergence halfway into the 18 til I Die album cycle. Most of us can't even name more than a few of his singles from then on. For Bryan, the charts still loved him in Canada, not just the UK.

Prince had a few of those in the last 20 years of his life, including the "Musicology" single, which didn't even make the Hot 100 in the USA but made the Top 40 in several other countries.

 

The Kinks' charts are interesting. It was a crime against humanity that "Waterloo Sunset" hit #2 in Britain and #1 in the Netherlands, but didn't even make the top 100 in the US! Talk about a perfect opportunity for some other band to have an easy hit with a cover song. But nobody tried, I guess.

And "Dandy" was a number #1 hit in Germany and #2 in the Netherlands. The Kinks' version wasn't released in the US, because the Herman's Hermits rush released a #5 hit there, and #1 in Canada. But what's really weird is that neither the Kinks nor the Herman's Hermits released it as a single in Britain! Why, when it was a big hit everywhere else?!

The Dutch also deserve some special credit for not giving up on the Kinks in the late 1960s. For instance, "Shangri-La" was a #24 hit there and didn't chart anywhere else. "Wonderboy," "Days," and "Starstruck" were also top ten hits there and nowhere else.

 

Blondie 'Denis': Number 1 in Belgium and the Netherlands, 2 in the UK.
Nowhere to be seen in Billboard.

 

It means nothing to me ...

 

I'm a big Belinda Carlisle fan. Her 1993 song "Big Scary Animal" was a top 20 in the UK. Didn't fare too well much anywhere else. Great guitar hook. One of my favorites.