3 of the Biggest US Commercial Chart Flops From Legendary Artists

Not every song can grace the charts. Artists will inevitably fall short of their intended goal and sink into failure. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, though. And as fans, it’s nothing to hold against our favorite artists. That being said, every musician has smelled failure and had enormous commercial chart flops. It’s just the name of the game.

These flops and or failures often fall into obscurity and get lost in the constant wave of new music. However, we are here to bring them back to life… just not in the greatest of capacities. Failure doesn’t discriminate, as it plagued these three artists and their enormous commercial flops. But these songs are far greater than any chart ranking.

“Mull Of Kintyre” by Paul McCartney

Now, you might be scratching your head at this selection, though our reasoning is warranted. Did Paul McCartney‘s 1978 hit song reach the top of the charts in the UK? Yes, it did. In fact, it charted at no. 1 in the UK. However, its public reception in the US was, in regards to McCartney’s track record, a total flop.

In the US, “Mull Of Kintyre” peaked at no. 45 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart. Oddly enough, in the UK, McCartney broke history by selling more than two million copies of the single. That was not the case in the US, as the sales for the single were far more modest. Regardless, it is a phenomenal song and one of the more unique tracks in McCartney’s popular catalog.

“Heroes” by David Bowie

As the years have gone by, this David Bowie classic has aged like fine wine. However, upon its release in 1977, it did not get the public reception Bowie was known for acquiring. Bowie’s classic song didn’t even make it on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. According to Billboard, its political relevancy and innuendo seemingly did not resonate with Top 40 listeners.

Eventually, the song got the chart love it deserved despite being one of the biggest commercial flops. When Bowie died in 2016, “Heroes” peaked at no. 12 on the Official Singles chart. On Spotify, “Heroes” is now the third most streamed Bowie song with approximately 550 million streams.

“American Girl” by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

This very well might be the most surprising song on our list, as Tom Petty‘s 1976 single is one of the most enduring rock songs of all time. Though, upon its release, it seems the masses did not think that it was great at all. Following its 1976 release, Petty’s iconic single never even touched the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Instead, it peaked at no. 9 on the Bubbling Under chart.

Thanks to it being an initial flop, the song was re-released in 1994 on Petty’s Greatest Hits album. Upon its second release, unfortunately, it remained a flop. The song peaked at no. 68 on the obscure Cash Box Top 100 chart. Despite the poor chart performance, we and the masses know that Petty’s single remains a staple 1970s pop rock tune.

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