Reservoir hits

Some songs get under your skin the very first time you hear them. It can be a result of a catchy hook, or a lyric that

may just speak to you in a personal way. At times, a song is just so magnificent that it cannot be denied.

There are also songs that need time to grow on you because they may differ from the norm of the era or culture, but it really comes down to whether you ever hear it in the first place. So if a great song is not released as a single because some genius in a suit didn't "get it", or worse, it never makes the album, then it may as well be the proverbial "fallen tree" in the forest.

There are also instances when a song doesn't fit readily into a particular genre so radio stations don't know what to do with it. A country station might say it sounds too R&B, or a rock station might say it sounds too much like disco.

Oh, and sometimes a song just sucks.

The hardest part though, is for a good song just to make its way to your ears. There have been many cases where a song is released and fails, only to be discovered again at a later date.

Rather than speculate endlessly as to the reasons for this, I have compiled a list of 10 songs that became successful long after they were written off as commercial duds.

Please appreciate that I am chronicling some fascinating stories as succinctly as possible. You may prefer to print this out. I take no offense to being read in any room of the house.

Here are just some of those inspirational tales:

At This Moment - Billy Vera and the Beaters: Vera had written songs for artists from Fats Domino to Ricky Nelson to Dolly Parton, but he and pal, Chuck Fiore just wanted to jam. They were playing clubs in Cali when their slick horn section and billy's soulful vocals earned them a recording contract. In 1981, At This Moment was released but never cracked the top 40. In 1985, a producer from the TV show, Family Ties, heard them play it live at a club, and used it as the backdrop for the break-up of

Alex and Ellen (Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan who eventually married in real life). Viewers, including

myself (Yes, I am that old) liked the song, and when Rhino Records released the 1986 album, By Request: The Best of Billy Vera & the Beaters, it hit #1 right away. It lingered on the charts for another 15 weeks and is now considered by some to be a classic. There are 2 versions, but the live recording with the extended improvised riff on the last line, "If I could just hold you again", is the definitive one in my opinion. Check it out for yourself.

Baby Come To Me - Patti Austin: Every aging R&B fan knows this duet with James Ingram, but do they know she was Quincy Jones' goddaughter? Do they know it was written by Rod Temperton, with Michael McDonald (Doobie Bros.) singing background vocals? They do now. The song was on her 1981 album, Every Home Should Have One. It made the Hot 100, but just barely. Then in late '82, General Hospital, the hottest soap of the day, decided to make it

Luke's post-Laura song (Forgive me for not delving into the whole "Luke and Laura" reference. If you don't know, you probably don't care.) ABC's phones exploded, and their mailman had a heart-attack, so Warner Brothers re-released it and it went to #1. Interestingly, it was not hers,

but James Ingrams' career that took off. The song however, has been covered by singers the world over including; Dalida, Daryl Hall, Laura Fygi, Stephanie Winslow and more.

Bad Boys - Inner Circle: This song was recorded first on Inner Circle's 1987 album One Way. They re-recorded it in 1989 for their album Identified, but before it was released, FOX chose it as the theme for the reality TV show 'Cops'. By the time the album was released in '91, the song was already #1 in Sweden. The rest of "avant-garde" Europe followed, but the single wasn't released in America until 1993. Asd a result of it's success in the U.S., the band released another album in '94 with this as the title track and won a Grammy. It only seems fair considering that anytime you hear it, you spend the next few days singing, "Bad boys, bad boys, what you gonna do? What you gonna do when they come for you?"

Hanky Panky - Tommy James and The Shondells: You all know Tommy James, even if you think you don't. Mony Mony was not a Billy Idol tune first, just as Crimson and Clover was not originally Joan Jett. Some remember Tiffany's I Think We're Alone Now, and any

music lover knows Crystal Blue Persuasion. Well, it all started with Hanky Panky. Tommy James was still in high school in 1964 when the Shondells got together in Ohio. A local radio DJ trying to start a label recorded the song, which he would promote by playing it on his station. It caught on locally, but he didn't have the resources to push it past the range of the airwaves, so that's where it stayed. In 1965, a Pittsburgh dance promoter found it in a used record bin, and began playing it at parties. A local bootlegger copied it, and apparently sold 80,000 records in 10 days. It became a hit in Pittsburgh, and local radio DJ, "Mad Mike" Metro called Tommy who's band had all dispersed by then. He walked into a night club, and asked the house band if they wanted to be "The Shondells" for the purpose of touring and TV appearances. They agreed, and after a few appearances, James sold the original master to Roulette Records who re-released it. It hit #1 on the Billboard charts in July of '66, and kicked off an illustrious career for Tommy who ranks among the pioneers of the "Garage Rock" genre, which paved the way for the emergence of Punk and Alt-Rock. So remember his name.

Here I go Again - Whitesnake: The song was written in 1981 by David Coverdale in the aftermath of his previous little project known as Deep Purple (maybe you've heard of them). It was included on the 1982 album Saints 'N' Sinners, and became a moderate hit in the U.K., where it seems they have better musical taste (and were big fans of D.P.). In 1987, a remixed version with new backing vocals was added to the album cleverly entitled, Whitesnake. While

touring with Motley Crue, it became a hit in America, and the English bought it all over again, calling it the "U.S. Mix." It ultimately became an anthem for the "You can do it!" movement that led thousands of men to continue growing their hair and wearing leopard-print spandex long enough to discover they were 45 and still living in mom's basement.

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers: This track was released in 1988. In 1989, twin brothers Craig and Charlie Reid were touring with the Housemartins when the song hit #1 in Australia. Later in the U.S., they had a small following among the hipster set, one of whom was actress Mary Stuart Masterson, co-star of Johnny Depp in the 1993 movie Benny And Joon. Apparently, Masterson kept playing the song during time-outs on the set, and it got under everyone's skin, especially director Jeremiah Chechik. At some point, they just decided it should be in the film, and The Proclaimers were the last to know, but when it became a huge hit in America, they decided not to file a lawsuit. Go figure.

Never Been To Me - Charlene:

Admitting I like this song is tantamount to painting my toenails, but I am man enough to confess at least some of my guilty pleasures.

In 1977, Motown released this song, and it barely cracked the Hot 100. Sometimes when you don't succeed, you try again. Other times, you fail so badly, that you pack your stuff, sell your house, and try to get a spot on Dancing With The Stars. Alas, this was not an option in those days, so Charlene ended up wearing an apron behind the counter of a confectionery shop in England. Then in 1982, some radio DJ in Florida (whose toenails I suspect may have been a little jazzy) started playing the song, and ignited enough popular demand for the label to re-release it. Next thing you know, the apron's in the fireplace, and she's on the next episode of Solid Gold. Unfortunately, the extra 15 minutes of fame gave Motown Prez Berry Gordy the ridiculous notion that he could squeeze another hit out of her. On her next album, she recorded a duet with Stevie Wonder, and even that didn't work. Bless his soul though, Berry gave her one more album and tried to promote her with a sexy video in the movie, The Last Dragon. When that failed, he simply took her out behind the building and pummelled her to death with a coconut stuffed into an old tube sock.

Alright, I can't prove that, but no one has seen her since.

The Twist - Chubby Checker: The song was originally released in 1959 by Hank Ballard as a B-side to Teardrops on Your Letter, but the tune was catchy. Dick Clark heard it and tested it on the American Bandstand audience, who reacted favourably. Unfortunately, Ballard couldn't perform it on the show for several different reasons. Dick had so much clout that he was able to get the record company to agree to let Earnest Evans cover it. Earnest was a local boy who would mimic Fats Domino, Elvis, and other artists of the day. When asked to come up with a stage name, he chose "Chubby Checker" as a parody of the name "Fats Domino" (think about it). In 1960, Checker's version was recorded and started a craze. It made Billboard's #1 in September of 1960. Ballard was not bitter when he heard the "cloned" version of his song, saying "I thought I was listening to myself". Also, he earned enough royalty money from the cover to wash away any prideful sting. Then, while Checker capitalized on the craze by releasing Let's Twist Again and Slow Twistin', other artist like Joey Dee released Peppermint Twist, and others of the "Twist-y" sort. This made the original Twist resurface in January of 1962 and it went to #1 again, a feat that had never been achieved. Is that all? Heck no! The song eventually made it's way to the UK and hit #1 there in 1962 as well. Crazy! Oh, and in 1988, The Fat Boys recorded a rap version with Chubby Checker singing the chorus, and it became a hit again! It even reached #1 in Germany. I guess it takes a heavyweight.

Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce: Jim wrote this song for his unborn son Adrian (later to be known as singer A.J. Croce), and it was on his 1st major label album, You Don't Mess Around With Jim in 1972, but not released as a single. His 2nd LP, Life And Times yielded a #1 hit with Bad Bad Leroy Brown in early '73. Then in September, ABC aired a TV movie called 'She Lives', about a young woman with cancer (who apparently lives). The film features Dezi Arnaz Jr. holding Croce's record and listening to the tear-jerking tune. It caught fire the next day, reviving the album (because again, there was no single). This happened just as he had completed his 3rd project, I Got a Name. On September 21, 1973, 8 days after the show aired (stay with me), the very same day they pre-released the single of the title-track, I Got a Name, Croce was killed in a plane crash. That album was released on December 1st, and while it was climbing up the charts, Time in a Bottle came from behind and became the last #1 hit of the year on December 29th, 1973. That sums up Croce's prolific 2-year career and leaves us wondering what he could have given us in a longer lifetime.

Who Will Save Your Soul - Jewel: She wrote this song around 1990, when she was just 16.

Her producers made her re-record the song for the album which was released in 1995 while the original version played on the radio. It did okay, but wasn't selling big. However, 1996 became the breakout year for female singer/songwriters like Sheryl Crow, Sara McLachlan, Joan Osbourne, and Alanis, and guess who fit right in? Radio stations started playing it, and the demand made them burn more copies. The album was a hit, but more importantly the song she had written when the dream was still a dream had earned validation from the fans. Amateur guitar players will also be happy to know that the whole song is 4 simple chords: Am, C, G, D. Those same people will hate her when they try to figure out the cadence. Sorry.

Now I know you all just learned something new and interesting.

Don't mention it. It's my pleasure.

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