I Want To Break Free by Queen flopped in the US because, MTV out there felt that the video was "too camp" and they banned it, without even knowing that it was supposed to be the band doing a send-up of the British soap opera Coronation Street. The irony was lost on the US, and from then on, Queen's sales would remain very modest in America until after Freddie's death.
@@franohmsford7548 It's a shame - I remember us laughing uncontrollably when the video was shown on Top of the Pops and Freddie emerged with the hoover.
I lived in London in '82-'83, then again from the fall of '84 through '85. It's great to hear the songs I knew so well, then never heard again (on the radio, anyway) after I came back to the US.
I find that hard to believe, as I have been to the US many times on holiday from the UK and heard manys songs from that list and other flops that were released but flopped in US on radio!
Some of these songs were hit on other charts than the Hot 100, like the Dance charts and the Black Singles chart (which later became the R&B/Hip Hop Charts). “Just An Illusion” was huge in clubs and on Black radio stations. “Good Life” was also huge in clubs.
Yep, exactly. Before around 1998, American radio was still somewhat “segregated” in many ways, even among rock genres. Many artists were never really played much on mainstream radio stations and thus would never have made the Hot 100 even though they were actually massive hits on regional black/latin/gay/alt/college/progrock stations across the country. So this specific list is only 50% correct about American flops vs hits from what I remember listening to the different stations as a kid.
Uk charts were based on record sales as opposed to airplay so segregating them on skin colour of listeners would be difficult even if anyone wanted too It was possible to break down sales by which part of the country they were happening in so there was a “Scottish Chart” Apparently the Fun Loving Criminals didn’t do much business in their native USA, enjoyed only moderate success in England but here in Scotland absolutely loved them
@@TomPage51 Please, most UK acts wouldn't get a leg in as US radio wouldn't even play their songs to begin with, you had to be over there slogging from trash town to the next and only THEN would the shite DJs deign to play your latest one out and still nothing else. No fairness about it. It's all about MTV. Without it, slagdonna woulda been banished back to its vacuous pit in space, so eff MTV the b@stards, wnd wouldn't play anything worthwhile, unless video jumped out at them, and even then, for only one single.
THIS is exactly why I love watching reruns of Top of the Pops as an American. Not only do I get to see the hits from the '80s I love in general, but there are SOOOO many songs that were huge hits in the UK/across Europe that weren't in the U.S. I became a big fan of Kim Wilde's "Close" album (with "You Came"...and "Tell Me Where You Are" on the B-side...and "Another Step" with Junior) during the pandemic because of this. Just one huge example!
One thing I've noticed is that americans seem to know UK 'alternative' bands who did not have hits in the US whereas it's not the case the other way round. For instance, I would bet most americans who were young in the 80s know The Smiths ..but if you mention any band who never made the UK Top 40 to anyone here in the UK the chances are they've never even heard of them.
Yeah the likes of Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division etc seem to be huge in America when they were considered indie bands here not pop acts
Yes, I agree that a lot of this music was played on college radio in the U.S. Most university radio stations did not play American mainstream music during the 80's because we had all of these great albums to choose from.
I remember being a kid in the 80's staying up on Sunday night when one of the radio stations in the US would play the top #10 UK songs and saving them on my tape recorder!
I wish I had a station near me that did that. I used to tape the American Top 40 and playing it through the week while I was studying. I still have many of those tapes somewhere in the attic.
Yaz(oo), Bronski Beat, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Queen, Pet Shop Boys...their songs on this list were popular with my college friends and me. The albums Upstairs at Eric's and Age of Consent, in particular.
I lived in Brussels as a teen in 1984-1985, so I remember hearing some of these songs on Belgian radio. It was one of the happiest times in my life, so I appreciate the walk down memory lane.
I'm surprised to know that "Can You Feel It" by The Jacksons hasn't been Number 1 in the USA.😮😮 Great video. I'm from Chile and I knew almost all the songs that appear in your videos. 👌 The funny thing is that I always thought they had all been worldwide hits!! 😂👍
Did you notice that most of the songs in the video were released from 1980 to 1986? It's obvious that synthpop was less successful in the US than in the UK. We are also reminded that a-ha, Pet Shop Boys and Kim Wilde had shorter careers in the US than in the UK.
@@allisons3663 And being the limited losers they are with the tiniest palate and the tiniest grasp on the many differing genres of music across the world, it was all too much for them. Plus they only care about their own!
Many of these songs were hits here in Canada; I remember hearing many of them repeatedly as a teen in the 80's. Trans-X "Living on Video" 4:32 were from my hometown of Montreal.
Yazoo- Don't Go was in a constant rotation on KTU in the NYC tristate area also funny enough most of these songs I have been hearing in Walmart recently.
ALLISON MOYET..A VOICE FROM THE GODS KIM WILDE...GORGEOUS VOICE AND A VERY GORGEOUS WOMAN..A CLASS ACT WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE THE TRAMPS OF TODAY. BANANARAMA..GREAT LADIE'S BAND... UK DOES IT BETTER THAN THE US WITH BETTER TASTE....
I was a DJ on my college station in New York in 1985, and we played the fcuk out of almost all of these. The Riddle by Nik Kershaw? Pfft. Heavy rotation, and we went about five cuts deep on the LP. You can tell it was a college radio station.
One that you missed was Alexander O' Neal- Criticize. Reached number 4 in The UK, number 70 on the Billboard Top 100. One of my favourite tunes of that decade.
As far as 1980s music goes, I once again give full credit to my hometown radio station, WTCS AM 1490 in Fairmont, West Virginia. Many of the great tracks featured here were played on Rock Over London, which the station carried at that time. Following this channel brings back fond memories of great music and friends who were deejays spreading the songs.
Your vids are cool. I'd be interested to see something along the lines of "Artists who have had 5 number ones in the US, never hit the top 40 in the UK."
I’m an American and am astounded that songs like “Suburbia” and “You’re the Voice” were never bigger here, while the likes of Loverboy were still making the top 10. That said, in the 1980s the US charts were more fragmented, and songs that never got near the mainstream top 40 did very well on the dance, soul, and rock charts. Plus, the US has a lot more radio markets than the UK, and songs that might get airplay in one market (such as New York or Los Angeles) would never be heard in another (like Boise or Charleston).
@@frakteFellow American here. There have been plenty of songs I missed out on in my radio market, especially in the '80s. No 2 markets are the same music-wise, especially considering how huge the American radio market is compared to that of the UK.
Well, as someone who was living in Los Angeles at that time I know that most of these songs I heard on KROQ and they were really popular. So maybe mainstream America wasn’t really into it but people that were into alternative rock new wave, we knew about these songs.
Being from The U.S, I haven’t heard many of these songs, but I definitely plan on checking a lot of them out. Hard to believe U2’s “New Year’s Day” only went to #53 over here. I remember that being super popular
Whomever is compiling these lists are doing the bare minimum. Some of these songs were actually hits on the radio, dance, R&B charts, in clubs and on MTV. They are and would be easily recognizable to many Americans.
I'm looking at the main charts only, the sub-charts were always meaningless. An artist could have 5-6 number ones on the club chart and stay virtually unknown to the wide public.
@@ExplorHits So you are doing the bare minimum... OK, noted. I'm saying this because despite what you are saying charts of differing genres are not meaningless. Why have them then? Many artists spent weeks at #1 or in the top ten (Dance/R&B/Rock/Alt) before getting a cross over push to the pop charts by their record label.
@@sampa2nyc These charts are acting like a 'consolation' prize for the songs that can't break into the mainstream big radio stations and a way for many artists to save face when their single is failing to enter the Billboard Top 100. I don't understand what you mean by "doing the bare minimum", the main charts of the US & UK are the only charts that count. If the sub-charts had any kind of a real impact you'd be hearing about artists like Amber, Kristine W and many others that were huge on the club charts but totally ignored on the US mainstream media.
@@ExplorHits You are being ridiculous and extremely dismissive. A genre of music considered a consolation prize? What I mean by bare minimum? Exactly that, you are putting very little thought and energy in to compiling your lists. For example, you claim that "Give it Away" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was a flop in the US but it actually was possibly one of their biggest and most recognizable hits (the video was in heavy rotation on MTV) and a Grammy winner. It also did enter the billboard Top 100, as well as hitting #1 on the Modern Rock Chart as well as a Top 10 hit in the UK.
@@sampa2nyc I said the sub-chart is the consolation prize, not the genre of music (how a genre of music can be a prize?!) My lists are very straightforward, I don't see any reason to take the sub-charts and make them something they are not: a real measurment of success. IMO What's ridiculous is to compare the success of the Billboard Top-100 to a sub-chart like the modern rock chart. I don't think you need to take my pov so hard either, if you think they are important at the same level then I respect your view, I just don't agree with it.
They might not have been mainstream hits here in the states but everyone I knew in high school and college loved and played these songs on constant rotation.
She was much bigger in the US in the 80s and early 90s, several of her big hits in the US flopped in the UK (Words Get in the Way, Conga, Coming Out of the Dark), but later her fortunes reversed and she had hits in the UK that flopped in the US, such as Miami Hitmix, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me and Go Away.
It was kind of a hit on the club play chart here in the US- peaking at #17, but never crossed over to the pop charts. I still have my 12" single of that song!
Isolation level 5! That´s why when I think in some acts like Roxette, (Swedish) having 4 number 1 in the States 2 number 2 and many top 10 I know they did it exceptionally good.
👍 🇧🇴 Fans n1 Bolivia 🇧🇴 del techno eurodance 90 y la musica 🎶 del pasado 70-80-90 y parte del 00 00.01.02.03.04.05 👍 xsiempre waoo 💯 presente aquí waoo 💯 waoo maravillosos y legendarios grupos musicales amigos saludos cordiales desde sudamerica santa cruz Bolivia 🇧🇴 excelente que viva xsiempre la música 🎶 del pasado 70-80-90 y parte del 00 00.01.02.03.04.05 👍 xsiempre waoo las mejores épocas de la música 🎶 💃 🎶 y de la vida 👀 💃 💜 👍💃💙💛💃💚💃👀🎶📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀
Before my time but "New Year's Day," "Fade to Grey," "Can You Feel It," "Smalltown Boy" and "Living on Video" are all great. I don't know how it is in the UK but here in the U.S. the music industry has been destroyed by monopolies! Now most radio stations are controlled by the same folks and they won't play anything other than major label pop, hip hop and country. Diversity is dead in the mainstream!
So many classics! It's surprising to see so many flops in the USA, particularly when the artist is American. Inner City's ''good life'' is extraordinary and they were one of the first acts to do house music. I listen to their debut album ('Paradise' in the UK; 'Big Fun' in the US) to this day. It was also interesting to see A-Ha having a flop there. They'd had massive hits from their debut album. I guess anyone's as strong as their next record, which, in their case, I love (Cry Wolf).
I was surprised a few years ago that You're the Voice by John Farnham wasn't a significant hit in the US. It's always sounded to me like a song that could have been a massive hit there. I Won't Let You Down has one of the great choruses of the '80s and I love the part where the same refrain is played on a keyboard. I think that the rather goofy video might have harmed it in the US.
It really made no sense why 'You're The Voice' wasn't a number one hit in UK & US, and the #82 position in the US charts wasn't even in 1986/87, it was in 1990..!
Movie characters debuted in this decade 1980 Popeye ( Robin Williams) Olivie oyl ( Shelley Duvall) 1981 Adult Tod ( voiced by Mickey Rooney) Adult copper ( voiced by Kurt Russell) 1982 Indiana Jones ( Harrison Ford) 1983 Sodapop ( rob Lowe) Darryl ( Patrick Swayze) 1984 Jed from red dawn ( Patrick Swayze) 1985 Marty ( Michael j fox) Doc ( Christopher Lloyd) 1986 Whole characters from the great mouse detective 1987 Johnny castle ( Patrick Swayze) Baby ( Jennifer grey ) 1988 Whole characters from Oliver and company 1989 Dalton ( Patrick Swayze) Batman ( Michael Keaton) The joker ( Jack Nicholson) Whole characters from the little mermaid
Well, you gotta figure a lot of these songs weren't played on the radio here in the states. If you weren't a fan of a lot of these bands and stars you would have never have heard a lot of these.
I'm surprised Diana Ross' "Chain Reaction" wasn't included here - #1 in the UK and flopped twice in the US at #95 (original version) and #66 (remixed edited version).
In Australia about 90% of these Uk hits that were hits here too - we had a show Countdown that played top hits of US and UK - lot of top Aussie hits never made it as international hits and I guess that is how it is for most countries
Further to this I firmly believe that at the time for a hit to make it big, whether it be international or national act, they had to be on TV. Most free to air TV channels had music video shows which were popular playing the latest hits. I am a big Smith's fan but they never were big in Australia because they weren't on TV and their film clips were crap.
If a record only needs to sell 50 copies in the UK to get in the Top 10 but 500 to do the same in the US, it’s no surprise there’s a massive difference
The music videos for Big In Japan and Everything Counts were played often on MTV ABBBA's One of US was not a hit in the US but by the same token, their song When All Is Said And Done was a hit here but not in the UK. Same for Frieda's There's Something Going On
I know many of these songs because they were popular in the US, just not on the pop stations. As a matter of fact, Smalltown Boy is my notification sound on my phone right now. Another useless tidbit, New Year's Day was the first video I ever saw on MTV at my house when we finally got cable in 1983.
In our defense, “When All is Said and Done” was the first single here and hit #27, followed by “The Visitors” at #63. By the time “One of Us” was released as the third single, ABBA had kind of petered out.
The Queen song is used in many US TV commercials today which infuriates me. When I hear it on TV, I say now everyone loves it but not when it was released!
Americans "rediscovered" ABBA when Gold came out in 1992. Then the Mamma Mia stage show and movies were another wave of rediscovery. I've never heard "One of Us" on American radio. Ever. I've always heard it off a CD, vinyl or iPhone.
@@totallytivo Thank you for writing the truth! I am an Abba US fan back from when they were together. Am happy they finally caught on! I remember US DJs saying that most of their songs sounded "too European" for US Radio, which infuriated me and made me feel like I was the only US fan which was not the case. Foreign language titles like "Momma Mia" "Chiquitita" and "Vollez-Vous" didn't help either. "V-V" released during Disco's peak here should have been a hit but was a flop. Now everyone loves it.
Great video again. Mad how many of these wernt hits in the US. Interesting Jon Anderson with Vangelis charted so much better in UK whereas Yes’s owner of a lonely heart charted so much better in the US than UK.
@@ExplorHits no. They are mainly US artists . The more interesting nuance is uk acts who had songs that did NOT get to number one in uk that did in USA. Eg Right said Fred I’m too sexy etc this is more interesting
England has produced...Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Venom, Motorhead, Def Leppard, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Beatles, The Smiths, The Cure, The Damned, The Jam, The Police, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Jarvis Cocker, David Bowie, Queen, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Supertramp, The Chemical Brothers, and, The Prodigy. What a resume! (List, courtesy of Steve Hughes)
I know most of these songs well. I love that Kayleigh song and Alison Moyet has one of the best voices of the modern era. Edit... and omg, JLT was my neighbour back in the 80s...
Nice to see more than just the #1s. I hope you'll do other decades as well. Are you planning to cover the 70s at all? I think there will be a lot of differences between UK and US, especially in the first half of the decade, when the US largely ignored glam rock.
Interesting how many US acts had hits in the UK but not on home soil. Kylie Wouldn’t Change a Thing was missed and that was massive flop-o-rama in the US
![อาจารย์ยอด : เรื่องแปลกจากท้องนา [ผี]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8PxYzVOjmK8/mqdefault.jpg)
As an 80s child...Ill take any of these
I Want To Break Free by Queen flopped in the US because, MTV out there felt that the video was "too camp" and they banned it, without even knowing that it was supposed to be the band doing a send-up of the British soap opera Coronation Street. The irony was lost on the US, and from then on, Queen's sales would remain very modest in America until after Freddie's death.
That along with queens '82 album hot space and the band playing in africa when it used to be under apartheid rule
That's the problem with the US not being able to legally watch UK or Australian soap operas.
@@jwb52z9 Americans prefer soppy "commercial" trash
@jwb52z9 Not illegal, just not popular. Neighbors was on a cable channel for a while in the US but never took off.
In America they were considered just another successful band tied to their era, and after Hot Space their era was over.
Marillion is the reason why most Kayleigh's will be celebrating their 40th birthday this year.
If there was justice in the world, Alison Moyet would have been as popular in the 80’s as Adele was in the US in the last ten years.
True, Alison Moyet was criminally underrated.
Indeed!! ⭐⭐⭐
You echo my sentiments!
She’s way better than Adele
@@SW-kr9fl Adele writes her own songs though.
Don't Go, I Want to Break Free, and One of Us definitely should have been hits in the U.S.
Well we all know why I Want to Break Free didn't do well in the USA - The video got banned!
The whole list should have charted in the US top 10 at the very least!
I Want To Break Free gets used in commercials in America to this day.
Also, feels like heaven and fade to grey, great songs.
@@franohmsford7548 It's a shame - I remember us laughing uncontrollably when the video was shown on Top of the Pops and Freddie emerged with the hoover.
As an American I can honestly say this is proof the U.K. has far superior taste in music. With the exception of Bruce Willis.
😅😅😅👍👍👍
And better music band,
In Europe everything is better, even singing Bruce Willis 😄
Not really. LOL
and at least one of it is german...and some of it are scandinavian
I lived in London in '82-'83, then again from the fall of '84 through '85. It's great to hear the songs I knew so well, then never heard again (on the radio, anyway) after I came back to the US.
I find that hard to believe, as I have been to the US many times on holiday from the UK and heard manys songs from that list and other flops that were released but flopped in US on radio!
@@mikekaraoke You might have heard them because you were in a big city.
@@jwb52z9 Yea in big cities, but also a few towns!
Kim Wilde deserved to do better in the US than she did.
She did hit #1 here in the US with her cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (#2 UK) in 1987.
We already had hot white chicks singing music for chicks at the mall. There was no more room for her or Kylie. That market was oversaturated.
@@larrycj4382 Of course, but she had lots of other hit songs - both before and after that :)
Some of these songs were hit on other charts than the Hot 100, like the Dance charts and the Black Singles chart (which later became the R&B/Hip Hop Charts). “Just An Illusion” was huge in clubs and on Black radio stations. “Good Life” was also huge in clubs.
Yazoo’s Don’t Go was a number one on that chart.
So true. Both of those songs are staples of my youth and clubbing till the sun came up.
Yep, exactly.
Before around 1998, American radio was still somewhat “segregated” in many ways, even among rock genres. Many artists were never really played much on mainstream radio stations and thus would never have made the Hot 100 even though they were actually massive hits on regional black/latin/gay/alt/college/progrock stations across the country.
So this specific list is only 50% correct about American flops vs hits from what I remember listening to the different stations as a kid.
Uk charts were based on record sales as opposed to airplay so segregating them on skin colour of listeners would be difficult even if anyone wanted too
It was possible to break down sales by which part of the country they were happening in so there was a “Scottish Chart”
Apparently the Fun Loving Criminals didn’t do much business in their native USA, enjoyed only moderate success in England but here in Scotland absolutely loved them
@@TomPage51 Please, most UK acts wouldn't get a leg in as US radio wouldn't even play their songs to begin with, you had to be over there slogging from trash town to the next and only THEN would the shite DJs deign to play your latest one out and still nothing else. No fairness about it. It's all about MTV. Without it, slagdonna woulda been banished back to its vacuous pit in space, so eff MTV the b@stards, wnd wouldn't play anything worthwhile, unless video jumped out at them, and even then, for only one single.
THIS is exactly why I love watching reruns of Top of the Pops as an American. Not only do I get to see the hits from the '80s I love in general, but there are SOOOO many songs that were huge hits in the UK/across Europe that weren't in the U.S. I became a big fan of Kim Wilde's "Close" album (with "You Came"...and "Tell Me Where You Are" on the B-side...and "Another Step" with Junior) during the pandemic because of this. Just one huge example!
I didn't get to hear "You Came" until 2021. It instantly became my favorite Kim Wilde song. I need look for some TOTP reruns.
@@marcus813 Yes! It's SUCH a good song! And her performance was so good!
Lucky Guy off that album still breaks me every time
Same here
I look to TOTP to discover "new" songs too (am in the US)!
When it came out, Kim Wilde's "You Came" was a major hit (in my car). I had just started driving, and it was in constant rotation.
One thing I've noticed is that americans seem to know UK 'alternative' bands who did not have hits in the US whereas it's not the case the other way round. For instance, I would bet most americans who were young in the 80s know The Smiths ..but if you mention any band who never made the UK Top 40 to anyone here in the UK the chances are they've never even heard of them.
College radio was a big thing, and played a lot of UK and Aus hits even if they didn't make the mainstream charts.
Yeah the likes of Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division etc seem to be huge in America when they were considered indie bands here not pop acts
Yes, I agree that a lot of this music was played on college radio in the U.S. Most university radio stations did not play American mainstream music during the 80's because we had all of these great albums to choose from.
The difference between the 2 country is incredible
I remember being a kid in the 80's staying up on Sunday night when one of the radio stations in the US would play the top #10 UK songs and saving them on my tape recorder!
Best of times!
I wish I had a station near me that did that. I used to tape the American Top 40 and playing it through the week while I was studying. I still have many of those tapes somewhere in the attic.
Fade to Grey and Small Town boy are bangers to this day
can't believe they didn't go higher
Some right cracking tunes there 😏😏😏
Yaz(oo), Bronski Beat, Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Queen, Pet Shop Boys...their songs on this list were popular with my college friends and me. The albums Upstairs at Eric's and Age of Consent, in particular.
I lived in Brussels as a teen in 1984-1985, so I remember hearing some of these songs on Belgian radio. It was one of the happiest times in my life, so I appreciate the walk down memory lane.
This just further proves my theory. Brits love Bruce Willis.
Many of these songs were popular on MTV.
I'm surprised to know that "Can You Feel It" by The Jacksons hasn't been Number 1 in the USA.😮😮
Great video. I'm from Chile and I knew almost all the songs that appear in your videos. 👌 The funny thing is that I always thought they had all been worldwide hits!! 😂👍
Some great songs here!
Did you notice that most of the songs in the video were released from 1980 to 1986? It's obvious that synthpop was less successful in the US than in the UK.
We are also reminded that a-ha, Pet Shop Boys and Kim Wilde had shorter careers in the US than in the UK.
True, like punk rock synthpop did much better in the UK.
America was grasping "heartland rock" at the time by so-called working class heroes.
@@allisons3663 And being the limited losers they are with the tiniest palate and the tiniest grasp on the many differing genres of music across the world, it was all too much for them. Plus they only care about their own!
Many of these songs were hits here in Canada; I remember hearing many of them repeatedly as a teen in the 80's.
Trans-X "Living on Video" 4:32 were from my hometown of Montreal.
I’m American. Those songs are amazing ❤
I love that the Phantom is on there😅
A lot of those songs were and are frequently played on German radio.
Yes, it's great to see that one included! 🌟
Most to these songs were hits in Canada.
Similarly in Australia
It also works the other way. Some tracks and British artists were bigger in the US than in their own country. Depeche Mode are a good example
Depeche-Mode had loads of hits here,too.
What a diverse collection of tunes back then. Unlike the chart music of today.
Yaz, Blancmange, Alphaville, Ultravox and Depeche Mode were all popular on KROQ. We know what’s up in LA.
I adore the States……but the UK had better taste.
I totally agree! I am an America but British music is better!
Brits know how to make Music while US' know to make schmaltzy that bring Cash.
Yazoo- Don't Go was in a constant rotation on KTU in the NYC tristate area also funny enough most of these songs I have been hearing in Walmart recently.
'Don't Go' has such a special essence! 😊✨
ALLISON MOYET..A VOICE FROM THE GODS
KIM WILDE...GORGEOUS VOICE AND A VERY GORGEOUS WOMAN..A CLASS ACT WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE THE TRAMPS OF TODAY.
BANANARAMA..GREAT LADIE'S BAND...
UK DOES IT BETTER THAN THE US WITH BETTER TASTE....
I was a DJ on my college station in New York in 1985, and we played the fcuk out of almost all of these. The Riddle by Nik Kershaw? Pfft. Heavy rotation, and we went about five cuts deep on the LP. You can tell it was a college radio station.
One that you missed was Alexander O' Neal- Criticize. Reached number 4 in The UK, number 70 on the Billboard Top 100. One of my favourite tunes of that decade.
As far as 1980s music goes, I once again give full credit to my hometown radio station, WTCS AM 1490 in Fairmont, West Virginia. Many of the great tracks featured here were played on Rock Over London, which the station carried at that time. Following this channel brings back fond memories of great music and friends who were deejays spreading the songs.
I like the songs you picked, the chart position info and what you did with the editing. Good job
Thank you so much for your kind feedback :o)
Your vids are cool. I'd be interested to see something along the lines of "Artists who have had 5 number ones in the US, never hit the top 40 in the UK."
I’m also interested in something like that or vice versa. Artists that fairly successful here in the US but not the UK.
The most ironic example is Anastacia, she had multiple hits in UK, Europe and Australia. but even though she’s American she totally flopped in the US
@@elilevinegshe was also HUGE in Australia
I’m an American and am astounded that songs like “Suburbia” and “You’re the Voice” were never bigger here, while the likes of Loverboy were still making the top 10. That said, in the 1980s the US charts were more fragmented, and songs that never got near the mainstream top 40 did very well on the dance, soul, and rock charts. Plus, the US has a lot more radio markets than the UK, and songs that might get airplay in one market (such as New York or Los Angeles) would never be heard in another (like Boise or Charleston).
@@frakteFellow American here. There have been plenty of songs I missed out on in my radio market, especially in the '80s. No 2 markets are the same music-wise, especially considering how huge the American radio market is compared to that of the UK.
Well, as someone who was living in Los Angeles at that time I know that most of these songs I heard on KROQ and they were really popular. So maybe mainstream America wasn’t really into it but people that were into alternative rock new wave, we knew about these songs.
I love the videos! It's interesting to see that there is quite some distinction between US und Europe, with the UK as a bit of a middle-man.
Interesting my old piano was outside the top 100 and chain reaction was a huge hit pretty much worldwide but stalled at #66 in the US.
Being from The U.S, I haven’t heard many of these songs, but I definitely plan on checking a lot of them out.
Hard to believe U2’s “New Year’s Day” only went to #53 over here.
I remember that being super popular
New Year's Day is one of those songs that gets played on American radio to this day. I guess that counts as a long hit.
almost every song here is an 80s classic!
Whomever is compiling these lists are doing the bare minimum. Some of these songs were actually hits on the radio, dance, R&B charts, in clubs and on MTV. They are and would be easily recognizable to many Americans.
I'm looking at the main charts only, the sub-charts were always meaningless.
An artist could have 5-6 number ones on the club chart and stay virtually unknown to the wide public.
@@ExplorHits So you are doing the bare minimum... OK, noted. I'm saying this because despite what you are saying charts of differing genres are not meaningless. Why have them then? Many artists spent weeks at #1 or in the top ten (Dance/R&B/Rock/Alt) before getting a cross over push to the pop charts by their record label.
@@sampa2nyc These charts are acting like a 'consolation' prize for the songs that can't break into the mainstream big radio stations and a way for many artists to save face when their single is failing to enter the Billboard Top 100.
I don't understand what you mean by "doing the bare minimum", the main charts of the US & UK are the only charts that count.
If the sub-charts had any kind of a real impact you'd be hearing about artists like Amber, Kristine W and many others that were huge on the club charts but totally ignored on the US mainstream media.
@@ExplorHits You are being ridiculous and extremely dismissive. A genre of music considered a consolation prize? What I mean by bare minimum? Exactly that, you are putting very little thought and energy in to compiling your lists. For example, you claim that "Give it Away" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was a flop in the US but it actually was possibly one of their biggest and most recognizable hits (the video was in heavy rotation on MTV) and a Grammy winner. It also did enter the billboard Top 100, as well as hitting #1 on the Modern Rock Chart as well as a Top 10 hit in the UK.
@@sampa2nyc I said the sub-chart is the consolation prize, not the genre of music (how a genre of music can be a prize?!)
My lists are very straightforward, I don't see any reason to take the sub-charts and make them something they are not: a real measurment of success.
IMO What's ridiculous is to compare the success of the Billboard Top-100 to a sub-chart like the modern rock chart.
I don't think you need to take my pov so hard either, if you think they are important at the same level then I respect your view, I just don't agree with it.
Love Bananarama
No. Them, Spice Girls and Bow Wow Wow were some of the worst compared to the genius of 80s UK music.
Uk: I love Bruce Willis.
US: The actor?
UK: No mate, the singer.
They might not have been mainstream hits here in the states but everyone I knew in high school and college loved and played these songs on constant rotation.
1985
Feargal Sharkey - A Good Heart
USA #74
UK #1
You can find it on the UK No'1 Hits, A Flop in the US video
I can't believe Dr Beat by Miami Sound Machine wasn't a hit in the USA - I would have thought Gloria Estefan was far more famous over the pond! 😮
MSM didn't really have any hits until "Conga".
She is; she has other hits here just not that.
She was much bigger in the US in the 80s and early 90s, several of her big hits in the US flopped in the UK (Words Get in the Way, Conga, Coming Out of the Dark), but later her fortunes reversed and she had hits in the UK that flopped in the US, such as Miami Hitmix, Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me and Go Away.
I shouted out “WHAT?!” when that one came on 😄
It was kind of a hit on the club play chart here in the US- peaking at #17, but never crossed over to the pop charts. I still have my 12" single of that song!
Isolation level 5! That´s why when I think in some acts like Roxette, (Swedish) having 4 number 1 in the States 2 number 2 and many top 10 I know they did it exceptionally good.
👍 🇧🇴 Fans n1 Bolivia 🇧🇴 del techno eurodance 90 y la musica 🎶 del pasado 70-80-90 y parte del 00 00.01.02.03.04.05 👍 xsiempre waoo 💯 presente aquí waoo 💯 waoo maravillosos y legendarios grupos musicales amigos saludos cordiales desde sudamerica santa cruz Bolivia 🇧🇴 excelente que viva xsiempre la música 🎶 del pasado 70-80-90 y parte del 00 00.01.02.03.04.05 👍 xsiempre waoo las mejores épocas de la música 🎶 💃 🎶 y de la vida 👀 💃 💜 👍💃💙💛💃💚💃👀🎶📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀📀
4:19 this one is SO BEAUTIFUL!! really vibe with the EDM version.
Before my time but "New Year's Day," "Fade to Grey," "Can You Feel It," "Smalltown Boy" and "Living on Video" are all great. I don't know how it is in the UK but here in the U.S. the music industry has been destroyed by monopolies! Now most radio stations are controlled by the same folks and they won't play anything other than major label pop, hip hop and country. Diversity is dead in the mainstream!
So many classics! It's surprising to see so many flops in the USA, particularly when the artist is American.
Inner City's ''good life'' is extraordinary and they were one of the first acts to do house music. I listen to their debut album ('Paradise' in the UK; 'Big Fun' in the US) to this day.
It was also interesting to see A-Ha having a flop there. They'd had massive hits from their debut album. I guess anyone's as strong as their next record, which, in their case, I love (Cry Wolf).
The only A-ha song to be a hit in the US was Take On Me
I was surprised a few years ago that You're the Voice by John Farnham wasn't a significant hit in the US. It's always sounded to me like a song that could have been a massive hit there.
I Won't Let You Down has one of the great choruses of the '80s and I love the part where the same refrain is played on a keyboard. I think that the rather goofy video might have harmed it in the US.
FYI: Don't know if you are aware, but phD made two music video versions of that track.
It really made no sense why 'You're The Voice' wasn't a number one hit in UK & US, and the #82 position in the US charts wasn't even in 1986/87, it was in 1990..!
Brilliant! 👏👏
I grew up in the 80s in Canada but never heard those songs back then: except John Farnham's "You're the Voice" which was really big here.
I hear at least half of these on Sirius new wave station #33
I love-'Can you feel it.'
Surprised that some songs didn't hit in the US. Equally surprised that some songs have been successful in the UK.
Movie characters debuted in this decade
1980
Popeye ( Robin Williams)
Olivie oyl ( Shelley Duvall)
1981
Adult Tod ( voiced by Mickey Rooney)
Adult copper ( voiced by Kurt Russell)
1982
Indiana Jones ( Harrison Ford)
1983
Sodapop ( rob Lowe)
Darryl ( Patrick Swayze)
1984
Jed from red dawn ( Patrick Swayze)
1985
Marty ( Michael j fox)
Doc ( Christopher Lloyd)
1986
Whole characters from the great mouse detective
1987
Johnny castle ( Patrick Swayze)
Baby ( Jennifer grey )
1988
Whole characters from Oliver and company
1989
Dalton ( Patrick Swayze)
Batman ( Michael Keaton)
The joker ( Jack Nicholson)
Whole characters from the little mermaid
Well, you gotta figure a lot of these songs weren't played on the radio here in the states. If you weren't a fan of a lot of these bands and stars you would have never have heard a lot of these.
I'm surprised Diana Ross' "Chain Reaction" wasn't included here - #1 in the UK and flopped twice in the US at #95 (original version) and #66 (remixed edited version).
You can find it in a seperate video I've dedicated to No'1 hits:
th-cam.com/video/-CNpcHnqEZ0/w-d-xo.html
Great song by Diana!
In Australia about 90% of these Uk hits that were hits here too - we had a show Countdown that played top hits of US and UK - lot of top Aussie hits never made it as international hits and I guess that is how it is for most countries
Further to this I firmly believe that at the time for a hit to make it big, whether it be international or national act, they had to be on TV. Most free to air TV channels had music video shows which were popular playing the latest hits. I am a big Smith's fan but they never were big in Australia because they weren't on TV and their film clips were crap.
This comes off like a First Wave playlist for the most part.
MTV was a lifeline for us in the States - these songs might not have charted but thanks to MTV we were well aware of them and enjoyed them immensely
Lol. I remember most of those well
Why is a classic. The intro to I wont let you down is amazing.
She Blinded me with Science - Thomas Dolby
U.S. #5
U.K. #36
Most of all of these song were hits in Long Island because of WLIR radio
Love almost all of these. This is one heck of a playlist
This video is really fun to watch, I watched it 3 times in the past 2 hours
great job as always!
Thank you so much, I'm very happy you like it that much!
Some of those songs actually did okay here in Canada.
If a record only needs to sell 50 copies in the UK to get in the Top 10 but 500 to do the same in the US, it’s no surprise there’s a massive difference
The music videos for Big In Japan and Everything Counts were played often on MTV
ABBBA's One of US was not a hit in the US but by the same token, their song When All Is Said And Done was a hit here but not in the UK. Same for Frieda's There's Something Going On
Kevin Saunderson is a Detroit legend. The whole first album Paradise ruled the club scene in late 80's early 90's.
I know many of these songs because they were popular in the US, just not on the pop stations. As a matter of fact, Smalltown Boy is my notification sound on my phone right now. Another useless tidbit, New Year's Day was the first video I ever saw on MTV at my house when we finally got cable in 1983.
Zoom by Fat Larry’s Band ought to be here too. An absolutely beautiful song. ❤
Wow, ABBA and Queen??...🤷♂🤷♂
In our defense, “When All is Said and Done” was the first single here and hit #27, followed by “The Visitors” at #63. By the time “One of Us” was released as the third single, ABBA had kind of petered out.
The Queen song is used in many US TV commercials today which infuriates me. When I hear it on TV, I say now everyone loves it but not when it was released!
Americans "rediscovered" ABBA when Gold came out in 1992. Then the Mamma Mia stage show and movies were another wave of rediscovery. I've never heard "One of Us" on American radio. Ever. I've always heard it off a CD, vinyl or iPhone.
@@totallytivo Thank you for writing the truth! I am an Abba US fan back from when they were together. Am happy they finally caught on! I remember US DJs saying that most of their songs sounded "too European" for US Radio, which infuriated me and made me feel like I was the only US fan which was not the case. Foreign language titles like "Momma Mia" "Chiquitita" and "Vollez-Vous" didn't help either. "V-V" released during Disco's peak here should have been a hit but was a flop. Now everyone loves it.
U2 New Years Day was quite popular and I heard it on the radio frequently. The Phantom of the Opera?!
Im Canadian and i recognized only 2 songs.
Fade to Grey - Visage!
Great video again. Mad how many of these wernt hits in the US.
Interesting Jon Anderson with Vangelis charted so much better in UK whereas Yes’s owner of a lonely heart charted so much better in the US than UK.
Thanks for watching it :o)
Pretty sure many of those songs were moderate hits in Canada at the time.
Diana Ross and Jackson 5!
Knew most of these, living in the US had to rely on listening to Rock Over London on the radio to hear these UK hits. I just prefer British music ❤
In nyc in the 80s, Yazoo was on constant loop on the radio
Good video. Should do one of British acts who had songs that got to number one in USA but not uk 😊
Thanks! You can watch it here: No'1 US, a Flop in The UK | 80s Edition
th-cam.com/video/KRf-avBWNqk/w-d-xo.html
@@ExplorHits no. They are mainly US artists . The more interesting nuance is uk acts who had songs that did NOT get to number one in uk that did in USA. Eg Right said Fred I’m too sexy etc this is more interesting
@@Robc--jd6yh I can look it up but it's gonna be a very short video cause not many UK artists that broke into the US market failed in their homeland.
@@ExplorHits not artists but songs by that artist. Yep a short video. I think George Michael Careless whisper is another r
I just put it into ChatGPT
U2 New Year's Day may not have been a hit on the charts, but it got pretty heavy play on MTV. I remember the video perfectly.
Man top 10 UK hits hit different than the US ☺️
Do I admit I have every single one of those on 7 inch.
Awesome!
England has produced...Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Venom, Motorhead, Def Leppard, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Beatles, The Smiths, The Cure, The Damned, The Jam, The Police, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Jarvis Cocker, David Bowie, Queen, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Supertramp, The Chemical Brothers, and, The Prodigy.
What a resume!
(List, courtesy of Steve Hughes)
A lot were big hits on the billboard dance club charts 😊
I know most of these songs well. I love that Kayleigh song and Alison Moyet has one of the best voices of the modern era.
Edit... and omg, JLT was my neighbour back in the 80s...
Nice to see more than just the #1s. I hope you'll do other decades as well.
Are you planning to cover the 70s at all? I think there will be a lot of differences between UK and US, especially in the first half of the decade, when the US largely ignored glam rock.
Yes, I'm planning to cover other decades as well :o)
Thanks for watching it!
I weep over Suzi Quatro being largely ignored in the U.S. I want to hear "Can the Can" on Classic Rock radio!
And abba
Many Queen UK hits were a US flop. Great report you posted!
Wow, love this YT channel ❤️
Interesting how many US acts had hits in the UK but not on home soil. Kylie Wouldn’t Change a Thing was missed and that was massive flop-o-rama in the US
Kylie had a new SAW produced song out every week in the UK lol
I loved Kayleigh by Marrillion. I honestly thought it charted higher in the US because I heard it a lot on the radio.