Pop music history is littered with incredible songs that never quite made it all the way to the top of the charts. Many of these songs made it up the ladder to No. 2 before stalling and dropping back down.
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When we looked back to the charts of 1981, we were amazed to see the high quality of these US No. 2s. Look back with us at four incredible tracks that just missed the top that year.
“Start Me Up” by The Rolling Stones
This is the one that shocked us the most, as we couldn’t believe that it didn’t make it to the top. For those who were around in 1981, it sure seemed like “Start Me Up” was everywhere. Not that we ever tired of it. The song found The Rolling Stones rocking out with a brashness and abandon that they hadn’t shown in years. Maybe that’s because the song was actually six years old. Like the rest of the Stones’ Tattoo You album, “Start Me Up” was rescued from the band’s copious cutting-room floor. The band originally tried it as a reggae track during their sessions for the album Black And Blue. In the midst of those efforts was the famous three-note riff that defined the finished version of the song.
“Woman” by John Lennon
The wave of affection for John Lennon that enveloped the world following his death in December 1980 led to high demand for his music. That meant there was great nostalgia for his older work. But it also brought more people to his excellent 1980 album Double Fantasy, which, in terms of the singing and songwriting, he split right down the middle with his wife Yoko Ono. “(Just Like) Starting Over”, first released while he was still alive, went to No. 1. But “Woman”, the follow-up single, stalled at No. 2. That in no way diminishes what Lennon achieved with this track. A tribute not just to Ono but to women everywhere, the song showed that Lennon was in an artistic sweet spot right before his death.
“All Those Years Ago” by George Harrison
Unsurprisingly, John Lennon’s death spurred artists of all stripes to offer tribute songs to his genius and impact. George Harrison, Lennon’s Beatle buddy, was one of the first out of the gate with just such a song. The quickness came in part from the fact that “All Those Years Ago” was already in progress when Lennon passed. Harrison had written the song at first for Ringo Starr to record. Starr passed on it. When Lennon died, Harrison changed some of the lyrics around to suit the occasion. He also enlisted Starr to play drums and Paul McCartney to sing backing vocals (along with wife Linda), making the song a quasi-reunion. In the touching lyrics, Harrison balances out sweet nostalgia with honest assessments of Lennon’s impact on the world.
“Waiting For A Girl Like You” by Foreigner
At some point, every rock band has to take a swing at a ballad if they really want to go for big-tent impact. Foreigner had done just fine in the late 70s with a bruising, bluesy, but pop-savvy approach to their singles. For their 1981 album 4, they made several changes to their lineup and chose Mutt Lange as producer. It made sense that this would be the point they’d swing for the fences with a slow one. The synth portions of the song were devised in large part by Thomas Dolby a few years before he’d break out as a solo act. Mick Jones claims that the song came to him almost all at once. Singer Lou Gramm contributed to the writing and also delivered a standout vocal to help “Waiting For A Girl Like You” reach its ultimate potential.
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