The biggest charting hit that was exclusive to a Greatest Hits type compilation?

I thought that maybe it qualified because the OP labeled it, "Greatest Hits-TYPE", album, not just limiting it to a greatest hits album, but something in the greatest hits arena.....

.....see what I did there?

 

as painful it is for me to do this, i have to give credit where it is due. so I nominate "Tears In Heaven" from Eric Clapton's Unplugged greatest hits album

 

‘Don’t Stop’ by The Rolling Stones was recorded specifically for Forty Licks in 2002 and reached #21 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock charts and #36 on the UK Singles charts.

‘Doom and Gloom’ by The Rolling Stones was recorded specifically for GRRR! in 2012 and reached #8 on the US Billboard Herritage Rock charts and #21 on the UK Airplay Top 50 charts.

‘One More Shot’ by The Rolling Stones was recorded specifically for GRRR! in 2012 and reached #13 on the US Billboard Herritage Rock charts and #74 on the UK Airplay Top 100 charts.

 

Personal favourite's - Tom Petty Mary Jane's Last Dance (also such a cool video) & U2 - Window in the Skies - IMO an super under-rated track on their 18 album...blow away the crappy (again imo) collaboration with Green Day - The Saints Are Coming,

 

Chili Peppers’ “Fortune Faded” from 2003’s Greatest Hits reached #11 in the UK singles chart and stayed in the charts for 9 weeks. Not amazing but pretty good going by the Chili Peppers’ chart history in the UK. To compare, the most recent lead single from the last album, Dark Necessities, peaked at #72 and spent 2 weeks in the charts.

 

Beatles will have some contenders

 

Earth, Wind & Fire - September (#8 Hot 100, #1 R&B)
George Benson - Turn Your Love Around (#5 Hot 100, #1 R&B)

 

The only Beatles song that would remotely qualify would be that godawful "Movie Medley" thing from 1982, which nearly hit the top 10. However, I guess it wasn't actually on the "Reel Music" compilation it was designed to promote, so even that doesn't quite make it.

 

Originally released on Clapton's soundtrack to the movie "Rush" a year before, so NOPE.
And I don't think the Unplugged album (which contains 7 blues covers, 3 songs from Journeyman, and only one original Clapton song recorded before 1989) counts as any sort of "greatest hits."

 

Was that the Stars on 45?

 

No although it was one of several medlies from various bands that followed the Stars on 45 hit in 1981.

 

The U2 song that was originally recorded for a greatest hits album and was a big hit is the joint venture with Green Day, "The Saints are Coming," from the U218 Singles album. It was not a big hit in the USA, but it was #1 in at least 10 countries and did well in many other countries.

 

Far from the biggest, but memorable: "Missing You" (#23 Billboard) and "Make Love Stay" (#29 Billboard) from Dan Fogelberg's Greatest Hits.

 

History was a combined new material/Greatest hits album. Grey area there.

 

this is a great thread, thank you to @Rooster_Ties for starting it

 

The answer would be...

Mull Of Kintyre.

 

The Police Don't Stand So Close To Me '86 (distinct from the Don't Stand So Close To Me single from 1980). An execrable song from their '86 Singles album that did manage to chart to #46 in the US -so not a contender, but I just wanted another chance to dump on this crummy remake.

 

So Clapton Unplugged was a "Greatest Hits" album...

 

All That Money Wants by The Psychedelic Furs recorded for their All Of This And Nothing hits collection managed to make it all the way to #1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

 

Fernando by Abba.

Was added as an afterthought to the recently released Abba's Greatest Hits as it was their new single. It was number one for ages in Australia (for 15 weeks I think), No. 1 in the UK for 4.
Number one also in Austria, Ireland, Belgium, Canada, Holland, France, Germany, Hungary, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa and Switzerland. Wasn't number 1 in Sweden though and made no. 13 in the USA

It didn't appear on any of Abba's studio albums.

I doubt there's anything bigger than this.

 

For the record, That Girl peaked at #4 pop.

 

dan fogelberg - missing you b/w make love stay

 

ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

 

First one I thought of.

Adding a previously unreleased song to a greatest hits compilation, as a purchase incentive for those who might already have all or most of the albums, seemed to become a standard thing at some point in the 1990s.

 

Monkees -That Was Then this is Now was a top 20 hit and 1986 and first appeared on a Best of the Monkees collection that year;
Fleetwood Mac; As Long as You Follow was on a 1988 Greatest Hits album and was a #1 a/c hit..