3 Songs From the 1980s That Took Forever To Get to No. 1

Sometimes it takes a second for certain songs to get their flowers. Here are three 1980s hit songs that took their time when it came to getting to the top of the charts.

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“Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield

“Jessie’s Girl” might have won Rick Springfield a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and became a certified 80s classic, but it actually took a few months for this one to reach the top of the charts.

The song, which Springfield famously wrote about his obsession with a girl in his stained glass class, was released in February of 1981. It wasn’t until August of that year that the song actually went to No. 1, several months after its release.

“Running Up That Hill(Make A Deal With God)” by Kate Bush

As far as songs that had a comeback moment, this one definitely takes the cake. Bush’s “Running Up That Hill(Make A Deal With God)” went No. 1 about 37 years after its 1985 release, thanks to the surge in popularity it received after being featured in Stranger Things.

On her website, Bush expressed gratitude for the song’s delayed success. “It’s been a crazy, roller coaster year for me,” she wrote. “I still reel from the success of [Running Up That Hill], being the No 1 track of this summer. What an honour!”

She continued, saying, “It was such a great feeling to see so many of the younger generation enjoying the song. It seems that quite a lot of them thought I was a new artist! I love that! Again, thank you so much to everyone who supported the track and made it a hit.”

“Should I Stay or Should I Go” by The Clash

This song only performed modestly after its 1982 release. However, thanks to its appearance in a 1990s Levi’s jeans commercial, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” eventually reached new heights. The commercial boosted the song’s popularity, leading it to top the UK Singles Chart around that time.

Mick Jones, who wrote the song, shared in 1991 that, despite rumors amongst fans, it wasn’t about him leaving The Clash. The song was just his “attempt at writing a classic.”

“[Should I Stay or Should I Go] wasn’t about anybody specific, and it wasn’t pre-empting my leaving The Clash,” he wrote in the liner notes of the Clash On Broadway box set. “It was just a good rockin’ song, our attempt at writing a classic… When we were just playing, that was the kind of thing we used to like to play.”

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