3 Bands That (Technically) Had Zero Hits, but Defined Your Teen Years in the 1970s

Chart position measures the commercial success of a song or album. For instance, if a single topped the Billboard Hot 100, it sold well and got a good amount of airplay. However, the chart cannot predict how culturally important a song, album, or artist will be. There are many highly influential bands from the 1970s who have enduring cult followings and zero hits on the Hot 100.

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To clarify, the bands listed below had zero top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the 1970s. They did, however, leave a huge mark on the music world. More than that, droves of teens in the ’70s flocked to their music. Many of those fans are still listening to these bands decades later.

[RELATED: 3 Alternative Rock Artists From the 1970s Who Disappeared Without a Trace]

1. The Velvet Underground

The Velvet Underground is one of the most influential bands in American rock music history. They formed in the late 1960s and had already released two albums (and found zero hits) by 1970. The new decade saw them release their last two albums, Loaded (1970) and Squeeze (1973). Their output heavily influenced early punk rock and new wave bands.

The Velvet Underground is a standout example of how little chart success matters when it comes to conversations of cultural importance, influence, or popularity. The band released more than 20 singles in the 1960s and ’70s but had no hits. In fact, none of their singles made it to the Hot 100.

2. The Stooges

Fronted by Iggy Pop, the Stooges were active during the late 1960s and early 1970s and made a comeback decades later, but scored zero hits no matter the decade. This is another example of chart success not being the same as musical importance.

The band gathered a cult following with their raw, primitive, and experimental style of rock and roll. More importantly, they are regarded as one of the few bands that laid the groundwork for the rise of punk rock in the late 1970s and early ’80s.

3. Grateful Dead

To be fair, the Grateful Dead scored a single top 10 hit on the Hot 100 with “Touch of Grey.” However, that didn’t happen until 1987. In the 1970s, though, the Dead had a massive cult following, a huge collection of songs, and zero top 40 hits. Despite that, they were able to shape the teen years of peace-loving kids for generations.

The Dead may have missed the top 40 with everything they released in the 1970s, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t release a long list of classics. The decade saw them release “Truckin’,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Ripple,” and many more songs that became classics.

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