3 1980s Singles Stuck at No. 2 That Proved More Lasting Than the No. 1s

Chart success is tricky. It proves your song is among the most-played each year, but it doesn’t always translate into a long and prosperous career. The charts have been proven wrong many times. Take the three songs from the 1980s below. They all failed to reach No. 1, but they ended up just as popular (if not more so) than the songs that blocked them.

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“Start Me Up” (Rolling Stones)

The Rolling Stones had eight No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. That’s a stellar track record. They don’t need any more added to that list to be considered a commercially successful band, but there are a few singles of theirs that just missed the No. 1 spot and likely should’ve beat out the competition. “Start Me Up” is one.

“Start Me Up” came second to Christopher Cross’ “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”. That yacht rock ballad has staying power in its own right, but let’s be honest, it’s no “Start Me Up.” This Stones song is one of their best and kept their relevance up for yet another decade of their enduring career. This song has maintained consistent popularity despite not reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

“Dancing in the Dark” (Bruce Springsteen)

Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” got beat not once but twice for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The second No. 1 single that blocked him was Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, which is understandable. We can’t fault listeners for catapulting that song to the top spot—even if Springsteen’s song was more than deserving.

But the first song that prevented Springsteen from reaching No. 1 was Duran Duran’s “The Reflex”. While ’80s music aficionados will know this song, it hasn’t trickled down the generations like “Dancing in the Dark” has. Though we don’t have an official tally, it’s safe to assume this Springsteen song has been more enduring than the Duran Duran hit, at least in title recognition, if nothing else.

“Purple Rain” (Prince)

Prince’s “Purple Rain” is a universally beloved song. Even if someone was a little fatigued by this ubiquitous track, they could not deny its merits. Despite its popularity today, this song never reached No. 1. It was blocked by “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham!

“Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” is an enduring song. It’s just as recognizable as “Purple Rain”, so we can’t say that listeners were wrong back in 1984. But this Prince track is one of the best songs ever written, while Wham!’s offering is a guilty pleasure at best. In terms of influential songs, “Purple Rain” is in an entirely different playing field than “Wake Me Up.”

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