Charting Songs That Haven't Been Released

[iceman]

Do any of you do that? I use to pretty strict when it came to charting songs that were only released to radio. I still am unless I feel really strong about a song. In many of the cases I have been right about a song being a future release.

Here are a few examples:

Avril Lavigne-Losing Grip -- I charted it a year ago last summer (2002) when "Complicated" was still hot. Of course it took almost a year for it to be finally released.

3 Doors Down-Away From the Sun -- I charted this one earlier this year and it is just now going for adds in January, yay!

Michelle Branch-Find Your Way Back -- I really like this song (hoping for next single) and am seriously considering charting it. Reading her message board it doesn't even look like this song is in consideration for a future release.

[FreakyFlyBry]

I normally don't chart songs that aren't official releases, but there are a few exceptions. Avril Lavigne's currently on my chart with "My World", for instance.

[Crushcrushchris]

I've only done two polls, but I do put songs on the charts that aren't officially released. An example is Chevelle's Family System. I like Closure, but for me Family System is a better song so I used that.

[halo19]

If I've heard it, and like it enough, then I do put it on my personal chart.

[mst3k]

Very rarely do I do it... only times it happens are if a local radio station is playing the song (as with Mariah Carey's "I've Been Thinking About You", which WFKS played a lot in '94), or if I hear it somewhere else (as with Norah Jones' "Feelin' The Same Way", which I heard on Music Choice around the time "Come Away With Me" was released as a single).

If a favorite song from an album isn't released as a single, and no more singles are being released, then I may consider charting it.

[Matt4319]

I hardly ever do it. It's often tempting, but it would give my chart a sense of discontinuity. It would be pretty messy, too, since there would probably be 3 or 4 album tracks in my top 10 at any one time, and in the case of songs I don't burn out on because I don't hear them a whole lot, they could stay in the top 10 for a loooong time. You might see a few of those songs that were never released on my year-end chart countdown show, though. :)

[Control]

I won't chart a song unless it's been released to radio and/or has a music video released. My chart is only a Top 20, so counting non-single tracks would interfere with the runs of actual singles. Plus it would be too hard for me to judge where they should go, since promotion and performances and things can have a lot to do with how much I like and listen to a song.

It has happened just once though, with Christina Aguilera's "Infatuation." It charted based on her performing it at the Winter Olympics long before her album was scheduled to come out. I was listening to the MP3 of the performance so much, much more than anything else at the time, that I felt I had to chart it, and it stayed at #1 for 6 weeks.

But it hasn't happened since then, and I doubt it will again.

[Joe1240]

I have only done it once but this is something I rarely ever do for my chart as I only chart current singles. It was for the song Dream F/Eve "Krazy" way back in April this year. I throught it was going to be the original first single for the album but as the song was leaked at the time and was rumored to be their first single. The song only peaked at #11 on my chart. The real first single for them featuring Loon never made the chart althrough.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

I rarely do it but sometimes I will for various reasons. Norah Jone's 'Feelin' The Same Way' is in my Top 50 now because I thought it was a single.
Martina Sorbara's 'Spinning Around The Sun' is on my chart now because it was from a soundtrack so I let it slide. Same with Avril's 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door'.
Usually if I let a song chart, it'll be a non-album track, unless like the case with Norah Jones.
Sometimes it'll be because I saw a song on someone else's chart (Placebo, 'Special Needs') so I chart it thinking it's a single... of course now it is a single!

[irice22]

I don't do it, because if I did my chart would be cluttered with songs most people don't know.

[allow that]

I don't do it unless the song is getting local airplay. For example, I charted "Dosed" by Red Hot Chili Peppers before I knew it would be a single because my Alternative station was already playing it a lot as an album track.

[billcs]

I do it all the time.

[jond7699]

It doesn't matter to me whether or not the song has been released. I use album tracks all the time. "Walk Away" just spent 6 weeks at #1. I am famous for charting Mariah's album tracks. I figure if a song is good enough I don't care if it is a release.

[WhySoSerious?]

I only chart songs getting airplay on radio or through video.

[joe]

I tend to only chart songs that have been released to radio (or have videos), but there have been four cases where I had album tracks make my countdown...

-Eminem's "Square Dance"
-Eminem's "Halie's Song"
-50 Cent and Eminem's "Patiently Waiting"
-50 Cent's "If I Can't"

I happened to hear those songs and just decided to give them a shot at my countdown at the time...Ironic thing is "Halie's Song", "Patiently Waiting", and "If I Can't" were all unofficial releases that I heard on the radio before adding them myself, so I guess you could not count them, in which case I've only ever charted one song that I never heard on the radio and was strictly an album track I really liked, "Square Dance"...

[crash46]

Well, I normally only chart songs that are singles or those that get radio airplay, but I've had a few album cuts. I usually only do it in the case when a band that has no radio momentum and I have to "pick my own singles" because the record company has given up (ie. Lostprophets and 30 Seconds To Mars). Or if I see a concert that I really liked (ie. 311's "Reconsider Everything"), or if I buy an album and some songs really stand out (ie. 8 of Evanescences tracks).

I keep 'em to a minimum though cause I don't listen to enough albums to have a fair policy, and I listen to the radio for a reason.

[af18c]

for me, 99.9% of the time no

[dragoneyez]

I usually don't chart songs that haven't been confirmed as singles, with a few exceptions.

Back when I started doing the chart I allowed some songs to chart without being singles. I remember charting Dido's "Isobel," Nelly's "Batter Up," and Destiny's Child's "Emotion" on the first few charts, way back in May '01. Two of them later became those artist's singles - but the weeks I charted them w/o being singles were taken out of their official chart run.

Also, I put Avril Lavigne's "Losing Grip" as a Bubbling Under before it became a single.

Most of the time, I only chart songs that are getting radio airplay or have a video.

[strong4PMB!]

I only chart songs that are currently on radio/TV, internationally-released songs included. Sometimes I chart songs that aren't officially released, but are still being used to promote the artist (All three Ashanti Christmas medley songs), or will likely be made a single in the future (Jennifer Lopez - "Loving You" >:().

[Libra]

I didn't until 8 Mile charted. WIOG & WRCL were playing it consistently, and I really liked it.

As for songs even radio isn't playing, I didn't until Avril's two album tracks charted earlier this year. During the summer, I frequently listened to Let Go and those two were standout unreleased tracks.

So I will chart such songs, but it won't be a commonplace occurance.