3 Rock Songs That Became Hits Years After They Were Released

Most of the time, when a song is truly great, it finds an appropriate audience. Usually, a fantastic track can find its fans right out of the gate. Everyone, from casual listeners to tastemakers, can hop on the bandwagon and give it some attention.

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But sometimes a song can fall through the cracks. Sometimes greatness isn’t always recognized in the moment. And that’s just what we wanted to highlight below. Indeed, these are three rock songs that became hits years after they were released.

“Master Of Puppets” by Metallica from ‘Master Of Puppets’ (1986)

Today, when you talk to metal fans about the song “Master Of Puppets”, most will tell you it’s one of the greatest heavy rock tracks ever recorded. But that wasn’t always thought to be the case. When the song was first released in 1986 on the album of the same name, it experienced a bit of a slow burn. While Metallica fans enjoyed it in the moment, it took decades for the world to really catch on. Indeed, in 2022, when the tune was included on the popular TV show Stranger Things, “Master Of Puppets” enjoyed a massive resurgence, cracking the Hot 100 for the first time, peaking at No. 35.

“Dream On” by Aerosmith from ‘Aerosmith’ (1973)

Released in 1973, this now-classic song from the Boston-born band Aerosmith also took some time to find its fan base. But despite the slow start—the song at first only hit No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100—Steven Tyler and company weren’t deterred. They believed in the work. The band re-released the track in 1976 and after that, it became a sensation, peaking at No. 6 on the Hot 100. Today, it is one of the signature songs from Aerosmith, a band that boasts hits from the 1970s into the 2000s.

“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen from ‘Various Positions’ (1984)

While “Hallelujah” was released on the 1984 album, Various Positions, songwriter Leonard Cohen had been working on it for years, penning verses into notebooks over and over. Then, when he released it, few noticed. Maybe it was the dense subject matter, maybe it was Cohen’s raspy, deep voice. Who knows. But when the song was later covered by artists like John Cale and Jeff Buckley, people started to pay attention. Now, many consider it to be one of the best songs ever written.

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