When an artist and their record company select which songs from an album to release as singles, they usually choose the tunes that stand the best chance of becoming a hit. Often, an artist’s signature songs—the ones they are known for by the general public—are ones that were released as singles, while album tracks are typically only known by loyal fans.
But every so often, an album track unexpectedly experiences a breakout and becomes a hit. Here are 10 such tracks that weren’t given the push that singles receive and yet still managed to make a massive impact—sometimes to the point of finally being released as a single years down the line!
Related: 10 Obscure Farewell Albums Recorded by Dying Musicians
10 “More Than a Woman” by the Bee Gees
The Bee Gees – More Than A Woman (RSO Records 1977)
Many of the Bee Gees’ signature songs come from the Grammy-award-winning soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever (1977), part of which was written by the band over just one weekend. Three of their biggest singles come from this album—”Stayin’ Alive,” “Night Fever,” and “How Deep Is Your Love”—all of which spent time at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Coming up right behind that trio in popularity is “More Than a Woman,” which was also included on that high-pitched disco album but was never released as a single in the U.S. or the UK. Despite this, the song was still hugely popular and was a staple on their set list at gigs.
Although “More Than a Woman” wasn’t a chart hit for the Bee Gees, the cover by Tavares (which was also on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack) was released as a single and reached No. 32 on the American charts. And the cover by English boy band 911, released in 1998, managed to hit the No. 2 spot in the UK charts. [1]
9 “Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen – Thunder Road (Official 4K Video)
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