Top 30 Songs That Didn’t Chart

Neil’s Top 30 Songs That Didn’t Make The Australian Top 40

The national charts are an interesting creature. While, these days, the charts are much more the domain of marketing companies than record shops, back in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s, the charts were managed on a state-by-state basis which meant that some songs made it to each of the state charts but not the national charts. Others were great songs, now that we turn back time, but weren’t as commercially successful as you might imagine.

In this countdown, Neil selects his favourite songs that, according to our reference book, didn’t make the Australian Top 40. How many of these would you include in your list?

  1. Khe Sanh – Cold Chisel
  2. Hotel California – Eagles
  3. Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
  4. California Dreaming – The Mamas and The Papas
  5. Leaps And Bounds – Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls
  6. California Girls – Beach Boys
  7. Be My Baby – The Ronettes
  8. True Love Ways – Buddy Holly
  9. Living In The 70s – Skyhooks
  10. Capricorn Dancer – Richard Clapton
  11. Pretty Vacant – Sex Pistols
  12. My Way – Frank Sinatra / Elvis Presley
  13. Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen
  14. (Until) Your Love Broke Through – Marcia Hines
  15. Romeo And Juliet – Dire Straits
  16. Dancing In The Street – Martha and The Vandellas
  17. Turn, Turn, Turn – The Byrds
  18. Stop In The Name Of Love – The Supremes
  19. You Are So Beautiful – Joe Cocker
  20. We’re All Alone – Boz Scaggs
  21. My Girl – The Temptations
  22. The Days Of Pearly Spencer – David McWilliams
  23. 12lb Toothbrush – Madder Lake
  24. Red Rubber Ball – The Cyrkle
  25. Living In The Past – Jethro Tull
  26. Go All The Way – The Raspberries
  27. She’s Gone – Daryl Hall and John Oates
  28. Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl) – Looking Glass
  29. My Cherie Amour – Stevie Wonder
  30. Born To Be Wild – Steppenwolf

The next 10 cabs off the rank if we had taken it to number 40 – in chronological order:

  • Do You Believe In Magic – The Lovin’ Spoonful – 1965
  • Solitary Man – Neil Diamond – 1966 / 1970
  • Windy – The Association – 1967
  • Smoke On The Water – Deep Purple – 1973
  • Letting Go – Paul McCartney & Wings – 1975
  • The Killing Of Georgie – Rod Stewart – 1976
  • More Than A Feeling – Boston – 1977
  • You Make Loving Fun – Fleetwood Mac
  • Night Moves – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – 1977
  • Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel – 1977

As well, there are some songs that didn’t reach the charts when first released but did so on a subsequent release. For this reason, they are not included in the countdown – that said, they probably would have been included if they hadn’t been re-released:

  • Please Please Me – The Beatles – number 54 in 1963 (reached number 32 in 1964)
  • Hold On, I’m Coming – Sam and Dave – number 87 in 1966 (reached number 12 in 1968)
  • Space Oddity – David Bowie – number 94 in 1969 (reached number 6 in 1974)
  • Because I Love You – Masters Apprentices – number 42 in 1971 (reached number 25 in 1988)
  • Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again – The Angels – number 42 in 1976 (reached number 23 in 1988)

Finally, one other song that won’t appear in the top 30 but probably would have under other circumstances is Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin. It didn’t chart because it was never released as a single!