4 Iconic Hit Rock Songs That Were Album Tracks and Not Singles

When pop or rock songs become massive charting hits, it’s usually because they were released as singles. Singles, usually released ahead of an album’s release, preview an album and give audiences a taste of what the artist is cooking. More often than not, the singles are the money-makers, more so than the non-single tracks of an album. For the following four songs, though, that wasn’t the case. These iconic rock songs became hits, even though they were not released as singles. Let’s take a look!

“Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin was not known for releasing singles, interestingly enough. There are some exceptions, such as “Whole Lotta Love” from 1969. But for the most part, massive Led Zeppelin hits like “Stairway To Heaven” from 1971 were not released as singles. 

That was intentional, according to Jimmy Page. Apparently, they didn’t want to “be a band that was known for singles” as they preferred to focus on their albums as whole, solid pieces of work. Today, “Stairway To Heaven” is considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time.

“Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen is known for megahits like “Born To Run” and “Born In The U.S.A.”. He’s also known for the incredible tune “Thunder Road”, which also serves as the opener of his famed 1975 album Born To Run. This song was never released as a single, but that didn’t stop fans from falling in love with it. “Thunder Road” quickly became one of Springsteen’s biggest career hits.

“Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by Jimi Hendrix

This is probably the most famous example of rock songs that were not released as singles but became legendary anyway. “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” by Jimi Hendrix was a standout track from the 1968 album Electric Ladyland. It’s one of Hendrix’s most well-known songs. 

“All Along The Watchtower”, one of the biggest singles from the album, became a huge hit. But “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)” is probably even more well-known than that single, despite never being released as a single itself. It also became Hendrix’s only No. 1 hit in the UK.

“Where Is My Mind?” by Pixies

This younger entry on our list comes from Pixies’ iconic 1988 album Surfer Rosa. “Where Is My Mind?” is their signature song, and the one that most fans think of when they think of this alternative rock outfit. It became enormously famous a little over a decade later after being featured at the end of Fight Club. And it was never released as a single.

Photo by Ross Marino/Getty Images

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