3 Rock Songs That Turned Outsiders Into Icons

Every so often, the fringes of the music industry will find themselves pushed into the spotlight. Sometimes that transition is perceived as finally making it big; other times, it’s seen as selling out. Regardless of your interpretation, the three outsider rock icons below all managed to sneak into the mainstream. They took their off-center ideas and translated them for the masses with key, name-making songs.

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“Starman” — David Bowie

On paper, David Bowie was an outsider. He was certainly a little too “out there” for what one would think the mainstream could handle. Nevertheless, Bowie’s musicality earned him a spot with the masses, taking him from counterculture hero to full-on rock icon.

One rock song that helped him achieve this transition was “Starman.” This glam rock number remains his calling card today. It was pop-forward enough to make even an off-kilter song about an alien play well with audiences not accustomed to it—not that anyone truly was at the time.

“Basket Case” — Green Day

Green Day likely never saw themselves as the mainstream’s answer to punk rock, but it happened nonetheless. The band’s crossover appeal was immense fairly early on in their career, as indicated by the success of “Basket Case.”

This rock song follows them around today as one of their more listener-friendly offerings. It doesn’t matter what genre you usually listen to; there is something to love about “Basket Case.” This was their ticket into the mainstream, and they haven’t left since.

“Creep” — Radiohead

Of any counterculture band that didn’t want anything to do with the mainstream and ended up infiltrating it anyway, there is no one more aggrieved by their success than Radiohead. “Creep” is a song that spans genres, generations, and any other affiliation. It’s a universal kind of song, having helped push Radiohead into the mainstream.

You wouldn’t think of this song as having widespread appeal. It’s perfectly attuned to the outsider. “I don’t care if it hurts / I wanna have control / I want a perfect body / I want a perfect soul,” the lyrics read. Nevertheless, a whole lot of people are connected to it everywhere. The band spent quite a while running from the success this unlikely hit brought them, but they could never fully escape the limelight. This was their mainstream moment, and it continues to have residual effects today.

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