1980's US Hits & UK Misses

Richard Marx - Hold On to the Nights. Only 60 in UK

 

That should be it. Thanks everyone who contributed.

We can keep working on the UK hit vs. US miss list.

And it's interesting what the songs are. The US hits include a lot of soft rock & hair metal.

The UK hits we've seen to date include some great stuff (e.g. Ghost Town) and some truly weird stuff.

 

Milli Vanilli - Blame It On The Rain (only 52 in UK)

 

Uh oh. That's 10 songs whereas Classic Pop said there were 29 all up.

Along with the original 20 we've got:

"The One That You Love" by Air Supply (1981)
"Amanda" by Boston
"When I'm with You" by Sheriff
Heart - These Dreams
Huey Lewis and the News - Jacob's Letter
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam - Lost In Emotion
"Look Away" by Chicago
"When I See You Smile" by Bad English
Richard Marx - Hold On to the Nights
Milli Vanilli - Blame It On The Rain

Did we get one wrong or did Classic Pop. Maybe they used Cashbox?

 

These Dreams went top 10 in 1988 as part of a reissued AA-side with Never.

So perhaps that doesn't count for this list?

EG.

 

Maybe you can do a double check of what we came up with? Then we know for sure. I for one am convinced that the collective wisdom of SHF is much larger than that of Classic Pop

 

Well, I can assure you those were all US #1’s.

Slightly off the main topic, but I’m surprised a huge hit like “Hot Long Summer” by the Style Council never charted in the US. Some of these non-transatlantic hits are easily amongst the greatest of the era.

 

I was checking as we went. I think the error is with the Heart song. I hadn't noticed it bounced back later as a Double A-Side.

Looks like we did it.

 

And some are simply bizarre.

 

In 1989, 19 songs hit #1 in the UK, the vast majority of which did nothing in the States, and in some cases, weren't even released as singles here. If I state "no US release," there was no single release; they might have been on albums.

Especially for You - Kylie Minogue & Jason Donovan (no US release)
Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart - Marc Almond feat. Gene Pitney (no US release)
Belfast Child - Simple Minds (no US release)
Too Many Broken Hearts - Jason Donovan (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Hand on Your Heart - Kylie Minogue (no US release)
Ferry Cross the Mersey - various artists (no US release)
Sealed with a Kiss - Jason Donovan (no US release, though a promo-only CD single exists)
You'll Never Stop Me Loving You - Sonia (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Ride on Time - Black Box (did not chart in US Hot 100)
That's What I Like - Jive Bunny (US #69)
Let's Party - Jive Bunny (no US release)
Do They Know It's Christmas? - Band Aid II (no US release)

I omitted songs that made the US Top 40.

 

Looking at 1988, 19 songs hit #1 in the UK. These were not Top 40 hits in the US. If I state "no US release," there was no single release; they might have been on albums.

Don't Turn Around - Aswad (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Heart - Pet Shop Boys (no US release)
Theme from S-Express - S-Express (US #91)
Perfect - Fairground Attraction (US #80)
Wet Wet Wet / Billy Bragg & Cara Tivey - With a Little Help from My Friends / She's Leaving Home (no US release)
Doctorin' the Tardis - The Timelords (US #66)
I Owe You Nothing - Bros (did not chart in US Hot 100)
The Only Way Is Up - Yazz and the Plastic Population (US #96)
First Time - Robin Beck (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Mistletoe and Wine - Cliff Richard (no US release)

 

Interesting how there were way more No. 1 songs in the UK that didn't do much in the US than the other way around. Perhaps it's simply a matter of difference in size of population of both countries? To top the Billboard Hot 100 you need to sell a lot more of your song than it takes to top the UK Singles Chart. I wonder if this still holds true in the utterly globalized age of streaming.

 

Continuing to work backwards, in 1987 again 19 songs hit #1 in the UK, but a lot fewer were flops in the US, as we shall see. If I state "no US release," there was no single release; they might have been on albums.

Jack Your Body - Steve "Silk" Hurley (did not chart in US Hot 100
Everything I Own - Boy George (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Respectable - Mel & Kim (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Let It Be - Ferry Aid (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Star Trekkin' - The Firm (no US release)
You Win Again - Bee Gees (US #75)
China in Your Hand - T'Pau (did not chart in US Hot 100)

 

Now to 1986. In all, 20 songs hit #1 in the UK, and these are the ones that didn't make the US Top 40. If I state "no US release," there was no single release; they might have been on albums.

Chain Reaction - Diana Ross (US #66)
Living Doll - Cliff Richard and the Young Ones (no US release)
The Chicken Song - Spitting Image (no US release)
Spirit in the Sky - Doctor and the Medics (US #69)
I Wanna Wake Up with You - Boris Gardiner (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Every Loser Wins - Nick Berry (no US release)
Caravan of Love - The Housemartins (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Reet Petite - Jackie Wilson (US #62 in 1957; reissued by US Columbia in 1987, but that reissue did not chart)

 

In 1985, 19 songs got to #1 in the UK, and these failed to make the top 40 in the States. If I state "no US release," there was no single release; they might have been on albums.

I Know Him So Well - Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson (did not chart in US Hot 100)
Move Closer - Phyllis Nelson (did not chart in US Hot 100)
You'll Never Walk Alone - The Crowd (no US release)
Frankie - Sister Sledge (US #75)
Into the Groove - Madonna (did not chart in US Hot 100)
If I Was - Midge Ure (did not chart in US Hot 100)
The Power of Love - Jennifer Rush (US #57)
A Good Heart - Feargal Sharkey (US #74)
Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens (no US release)

 

In 1984, only 14 songs got to #1 on the UK charts, and most of them were at least Top 40 hits in the States. These are the exceptions. If I state "no US release," there was no single release; they might have been on albums.

Pipes of Peace - Paul McCartney (no US release)
Two Tribes - Frankie Goes to Hollywood (US #43)
I Should Have Known Better - Jim Diamond (did not chart in US Hot 100)
The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood (no US release, but a promo may exist)

 

Thanks to MTV, very few of the 17 #1 hits in the UK in 1983 failed to make the US Top 40. The ones that didn't are as follows. If I state "no US release," there was no single release; they might have been on albums.

Candy Girl - New Edition (US #46)
Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) - Paul Young (US #70)
Only You - The Flying Pickets (no US release)

 

There’s also the fact there were a lot of UK novelty hits around this time. Songs like Doctorin the TARDIS and Living Doll were never gonna be hits in the US.

 

Thanks for the contributions. I'm surprised Candy Girl didn't do better in the US and that it did so well in the UK. It was a #1 Soul tune.

 

Fun idea for a post. Thanks all.

 

Nice work. The Huey Lewis and the News song is titled Jacob's Ladder, not Jacob's Letter, though.

 

Some of the songs that weren't hits over here are a real surprise, at least to me:

. Dolly Parton's 9 To 5 is one of those songs that everyone knows and a regular of the pub and karaoke circuits.

. Hall & Oates & Huey Lewis were chart regulars during the Eighties so no idea why the songs listed failed.

. Starship's singles We Built This City and Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now were #1 hits so i would have expected Sara to at least graze the top forty.

. Sembello's Maniac seemed to be on the radio constantly so I'm shocked it stalled at only #43.

Success is a fickle mistress.

 

Yes, I'm gobsmacked to learn that 9 to 5 wasn't a big UK hit. I'm sure that pretty much everyone aged 40+ remembers it. It's actually the only one of those US No.1's I know.

 

There are some good songs up there. Would have been worthy additions to the charts had they made it over here.