Songs that would be big hits in a perfect world.

[lazer]

What songs would be big in a perfect world where they got the fair treatment they deserve.

Kiss It Better - Rihanna
False Alarm - The Weeknd
Run Away With Me - Carly Rae Jepsen

[Lost In Musical Reverie]

Focusing on songs that were pushed as singles to some extent, otherwise we'd be here forever (looking at you, "Greedy" and "Cruel Summer")

-> "I Want You" - Janet Jackson (would have been a guaranteed smash had the radio blacklisting not happened)
-> "Happy Ending" - MIKA (it technically was a hit in the UK + Europe, but it deserved further crossover success)
-> "Warwick Avenue" - Duffy (same as above)
-> "I'll Be Lovin U Long Time" - Mariah Carey
-> "Thinking Of You" - Katy Perry
-> "The Story Of Us" - Taylor Swift
-> "Young Girls" - Bruno Mars
-> "Neon Lights" - Demi Lovato (I don't know what happened here... the music video was great, and it was a strong EDM tune. Should have been the lead single over "Heart Attack")
-> "New Romantics" - Taylor Swift (deserved to become one of her signature songs)
-> "No Sleeep" - Janet Jackson (it was huge on R&B radio, but I would have loved to see it as a full comeback to Janet, though the sound wasn't necessarily trendy at the time)
-> "Die For You" - The Weeknd (it's listed as a single on Wikipedia - ok, I'm cheating a bit here)
-> "Versace On The Floor" - Bruno Mars
-> "Hard Times" - Paramore
-> "Torn" - Ava Max
-> "Antisocial" - Ed Sheeran ft. Travis Scott (should have been the lead over "I Don't Care")
-> "Take What You Want" - Post Malone ft. Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott
-> "You Got It" - VEDO
-> "Pick Up Your Feelings" - Jazmine Sullivan

In addition, greater crossover success to girl groups like Little Mix and Girls Aloud, as well as Paloma Faith, Lily Allen, and Amy Winehouse. Just a few personal frustrations of mine. Looking forward to see what others think.

[irice22]

"Never Really Over," Katy Perry
"Damaged," TLC
"Daydream," Avril Lavigne
"Cruel Summer," Taylor Swift
anything by Bleachers and HAIM lol

[🅳🅸🆂🅲🅾]

Adam Lambert - Another Lonely Night
Jennifer Lopez - Dance Again
Madonna - Ghost Town
Rita Ora - Anywhere
Whitney Houston - Million Dollar Bill

[Deleted]

songs by three men

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

[suzcruz7]

"The Sound" by the 1975 just feels like it should have been a crossover hit, but the highest it got was 3 on Bubbling Under here in the U.S.

"Hard Times" by Paramore
"Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" by Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus
"Nice to Meet Ya" by Niall Horan
"Perfect Places" by Lorde
"Juice" by Lizzo (this one kills me)

All catchy, poppy songs with at least some star power

I may edit this post later if more come to mind.

[boscy]

Jun 6, 2021 12:00:08 GMT -5 lazer said:

What songs would be big in a perfect world where they got the fair treatment they deserve.

New songs by veteran "heritage" acts, indie and alternative bands, and international foreign language hits would be big.

[ClevelandRox]

Mine will always be Britney Spears - Inside Out. :( It was featured on the album sticker and everything, but once we didn't even get it on The Femme Fatale tour, I knew it was over. 😭 Would've followed TTWE as another huge hit perfectly.

[𝓲𝓽'𝓼.𝓰𝓿]

Songs that comes to mind would be:

"Antisocial" - Ed Sheeran/Travis Scott
"False Alarm" - The Weeknd
"Young Girls" - Bruno Mars
"Take What You Want" - Post Malone/Ozzy Osbourne/Travis Scott
"Hard Times" - Paramore
"Stay Stay Stay" - Taylor Swift

[Lost In Musical Reverie]

Jun 6, 2021 22:53:24 GMT -5 suzcruz7 said:

"The Sound" by the 1975 just feels like it should have been a crossover hit, but the highest it got was 3 on Bubbling Under here in the U.S.

"Hard Times" by Paramore
"Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" by Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus
"Nice to Meet Ya" by Niall Horan
"Perfect Places" by Lorde
"Juice" by Lizzo (this one kills me)

All catchy, poppy songs with at least some star power

I may edit this post later if more come to mind.

YES! I had totally forgotten about "Hard Times" in my list. Paramore + Hayley Williams in general deserved much more mainstream success.

"Nothing Breaks Like A Heart"  was another case of a song that somehow didn't catch on in the US despite being a hit elsewhere - even more bizarre since Miley is American. Speaking of whom, let's add "Midnight Sky", "Prisoner", and "Angels Like You" (literally the spiritual rockier successor to "Wrecking Ball").

But yeah, amazing suggestions from your part, especially "Juice" and "Nice To Meet Ya" ❤

[born]

[Enigma.]

What's that thing with Antisocial, we never need that one become a hit.

US radio refusing to play Miley is an old but unfortunate story. :( Well, she'll always have Party in the USA.

Kacey Musgraves - High Horse (the album went platinum and won a Grammy while doing it but still this hardly scraped the genre charts in the US)

[gikem]

Bills by Lunchmoney Lewis should have been inescapable in 2015 and I have no idea why it wasn’t, because it slaps.

Also, surprised no one mentioned Green Light by Lorde yet, that one should gave peaked higher and stuck around much longer than it did.

[Kris]

Every song that couldn't reach #1 because of how singles worked, ie. I Want it That Way, Iris, etc.

[Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ]

Jun 7, 2021 8:48:09 GMT -5 Kris said:

Every song that couldn't reach #1 because of how singles worked, ie. I Want it That Way, Iris, etc.

but those songs were top 10 hits, and they defined the end of the 90s. #1 is irrelevant

[Kris]

Jun 7, 2021 9:01:43 GMT -5 Ｓｏｕｎｄｃｌ🕤ｃｋ said:

Jun 7, 2021 8:48:09 GMT -5 Kris said:

Every song that couldn't reach #1 because of how singles worked, ie. I Want it That Way, Iris, etc.

but those songs were top 10 hits, and they defined the end of the 90s. #1 is irrelevant

Oh for some reason I thought the title said songs that would be #1 in a perfect world.

#mondays

[M1tchD]

It will always blow my mind that “Galway Girl” by Ed Sheeran was never pushed in the US. That song would have smashed hard.

[Groovy]

Melodrama in general, sure the album was successful but the singles underperformed, speaking of Lorde, Tennis Court and Ribs deserved to be hits too.

The singles from Plastic Hearts other than Midnight Sky, Prisoner and Angels Like You deserved as well as Nothing Breaks Like a Heart as well as Find U Again should have been another Mark Ronson hit.

Physical which is the best song off of Future Nostalgia did terrible in the US since it wasn't pushed, No Lie and Hotter Than Hell should have hits too.

Candy Paint had terrible luck being pushed around rockstar and I Fall Apart even though it's better than both of those songs.

Head & Heart was a big international hit but that success didn't translate to the US.

Little Mix in general but specifically Shout Out to My Ex, Sweet Melody, Touch, Reggaeton Lento and Bounce Back.

Edit: Forgot about anything Kacey Musgraves. 

[Lost In Musical Reverie]

^^^ Yes to "Head & Heart" + "Candy Paint" + Kacey Musgraves in general

Speaking of Miley, I also want to add "Mother's Daughter" and especially "Slide Away". As for Dua, "Lost In Your Light" is within my top favorite songs from her, and it's a shame it was pushed right before the behemoth of "New Rules".

[Ryan]

Everything JoJo has been putting out.

[Deleted]

Green Light by Lorde

[Au$tin]

Everything from Lorde not titled Royals or Team.

Everything from JoJo not titled Leave (Get Out) or Too Little Too Late.

[Envoirment]

[leonagwen]

youtu.be/9FrO9oL-w2Y This is one of Leona Lewis best in my opinion.

[PREDS PRIDE]

um...YOU'D BE PARANOID TOO