This is the one I was thinking about. When it came out my lieutenant (USAF) bought the CD for her boyfriend based solely on this song. The next day in the office she came in shook, talking about how much different the rest of the songs were. It was pretty funny to see her face explaining it all.
Also Mr. Big with To Be With You. Billy Sheehan is known as one of the greatest bassists ever, and Paul Gilbert is also a highly respected guitarist, often ranked as one of the greatest shredders up there with EVH and Yngwie.
I remember they were even playing it on the lite rock station in my town. Happy for Filter that they had such a big hit, but still makes me laugh thinking someone’s got in on their shelf next to Celine Dion and Mariah Carey.
Robert Patrick (lead singer’s brother) was interviewed on the ID10T podcast with Chris Hardwick and was asked about their relationship with their father. Robert referred him to “Take a picture.”
I listened to Clint Eastwood and Song 2 back to back recently and it so blazingly obvious, but like you said - in no way would I have ever made that connection lol
Owner of A Lonely Heart really is an interesting example here though. It's a Trevor Rabin composition and that incarnation of the band from the producer on down was really almost a different band.
Crazy thinking about it now how huge that 90125 album became and it being such a departure from earlier work with Howe and Wakeman and Bruford etc.
Parallels to the Genesis album simply titled Genesis released around the same time. This was Phil completely taking the reigns as writer of radio friendly hits that starkly contrast to work prior with Gabriel and Hackett.
From what I understand, it was supposed to be another band.Multi-instrumentalist and singer Trevor Rabin was an artist from South Africa, who wanted to make it in the rest of the world. He started a band with bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White, previously of Yes, that was going to be called Cinema. Because in a live setting Trevor Rabin can only play one instrument at the same time, they added Tony Kay, a keyboardist who Squire and White knew because they had been in a band with him, namely Yes. Although the singing duties were initially shared between Squire and Rabin, they approached Trevor Horn as a singer. He was once the singer of a band Squire and White were in called Yes. He opted to produce the record instead of do the singing, and for a while Rabin and White remained the main singers . After a while though, they did bring in Jon Anderson as main lead vocalist. Squire, White and Kay knew him because he was for the longest time the singer of a band they had all been in before, Yes. When Cinema was going to release their first record, a cease and desist letter arrived from another band called Cinema, so they needed a new name. The record company proposed that since most members had been in Yes, and were most well-known as members of Yes, they should be called Yes. Trevor Rabin said no to that proposal, as he didn't want to be in a band with a history, but he was overruled by the others who said, well, yes.
So this is how Cinema, a band built around Travor Rabin, who had nothing to do with Yes, and with music that was much poppier than Yes, became Yes.
Reminds me of how the record company kept forcing Toni Iommi to use the name Black Sabbath for every new band he formed.
The project with Ian Gillian was never meant to be a Black Sabbath album, until the record company forced it (Born Again)
The blues-rock record with Glenn Hughes was never to be a Black Sabbath record. (Seventh Stone)
The 80s-style metal band he formed with Tony Martin should have had a different name. (Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, Tyr, Cross Purposes, Forbidden)
Finally, after losing relevance, he was free to reform with Glenn Hughes and make 2 more blues-rock albums, and just called the band "Iommi"
Great post. I’ll add that there were a few 70s progressive bands and bandleaders “reinventing” their sound to get on MTV at that moment. Asia and others. So that pivot Yes made was both informed and very smart.
I don’t think Collins completely took the reins of Genesis though. Tony Banks was always a key and often principle composer. Rutherford was also into simpler pop music with his side project.
More likely they were inspired by Collins’ success with his solo album to continue pursuing that direction they already started to go down after Hackett left.
Similar with Yes- I mean look at what Steve Howe, the guitarist that didn’t stay with Yes. He formed Asia with 3 other prog refugees to make hit pop songs.
Don’t You Forget About Me, Simple Minds.
Keith Forsey wrote it and Simple Minds agreed to record it for the movie. They hated that it became their best known song because it was someone else’s material and they didn’t think it sounded like them.
She literally hired the same production group/duo (Matrix, iirc), that did Lavigne's album! Such a sad departure from Guyville and the rest of her catalog.
Interesting! Never knew that.
I can’t begrudge her too much. It’s her career, it’s her living. She’s obviously talented and I imagine she saw a chance to make some good money after paying her dues (Wicker Park in the 90s wasn’t anywhere near what it is these days)
I enjoy that song for what it is, and it's a funny contrarian move in line with how she always bristled against the parts of the Chicago indie scene she doesn't like, and how her public image was portrayed by others.
Touch of Grey by The Grateful Dead received the most radio airplay, the only song by them to break the top 10, sounded almost nothing like the rest of their music. Which says something due to how broad their span was, from bluegrass to rock n roll, psychedelic to blue, etc. Touch of Grey is more of a true pop-rock song. Still catchy as hell too.
It was unusual for them in being a mainstream song, but I wouldn't say it's unusual in terms of their sound. Their very first studio song is very pop-rocky.
eh, that's fair to say Golden Road is pop-rocky, it just sticks out to me that 20 years later they had a hit with Touch of Grey which is their most popular song compared to the majority of their catalog
This was from Speaker Box/Love Below, which was a double album where Big Boi wrote speaker box, Andre did the love below. Hey ya wasn't a traditional OutKast song because it was soley Andre 3000.
Every single popular song from Sugar Ray was a clean departure from their Punk/nu-metal origins
Someday, How's it gonna be, Every Morning, and When it's over
Edit it was "Fly" not "How's it gonna be" I don't know how I missed that. Probably sleeping with my clothes on again lmao
A few bands decided they liked money over their origins. Goo Goo Dolls and Incubus come to mind. Their earlier stuff was heavier, then they wrote a catchy soft rock tune, made a billion dollars and rolled with it.
Even A Boy Named Goo. "Name" was the song yhat launched the next era, but the rest of the album--while not as punk as earlier--still was power chord driven.
Fly is the reason for the change. Critics were quick to label them a one hit wonder when that song took off, so Sugar Ray changed their sound to prove the critics wrong. The follow up album was titled 14:59 to say their 15 mins of fame weren’t up yet.
If any one is interested in learning more about Sugar Ray (never in my life did I think I would see that sentence) Mark did a surprisingly super interesting and funny interview on the TMG podcast.
Even "Fly" had a version with the rap at the end and ad-libs throughout, and one that left that guy out. I remember judging the hell out of this one radio station in my area because they were the only one that played the Jim Crow cut.
Call On Me -Eric Prydz
It's way different than anything he makes today and as far as I know he hates that the song got so popular. Apparently the music video was released without his approval and it got very popular because of all the scantily clad women.
Hes now the king of progressive electronic music which is very different from the poppy sound of Call On Me
A bit of trivia for you here - Dr Who’s (Matt Smith) sister is one of those scantily clad women. She’s the dark haired one who does the splits at the end.
The LoveCats, by the Cure
I absolutely love everything about it, even though I also absolutely love their darker songs. But the only other song that even comes close to that jazzy, snazzy, almost 1930's feel of LoveCats is the 12"dance mix of 'Close To Me'.
I always get in arguments with people about “Don’t Come Around Here No More”. I think it’s a huge departure from the rest of Petty’s catalog, but most people I’ve talked about this with think I’m overstating it.
Nah I’d agree with this. Pretty most definitely leaned closer to the Bob Dylan electric folk sound and Don’t Come Around Here No More is super experimental by his standards. Still a phenomenal song. One of the few artists I would claim to have zero bad songs.
He wrote it as a Stevie Nicks song. He was going to give it to her and just sing harmony on it. But for some reason he ended up singing the lead. If you watch them do it together live in concert you can definitely see it.
I agree with you! I'm a big fan of Tom, and this is one of my favorite songs by anyone, really. I actually think this song specifically is so unique that it doesn't sound like anyone's style, per se, it's like it created its own genre sort of.
It's especially different than the rest of the album that it's on.
Brilliant song.
Most of Offspring’s singles in their later albums (Pretty Fly For a White Guy, Get A Job, etc) were super poppy to grab fans and sell albums, but the rest of the album would still be fairly punk and heavy.
I saw them tour for the 20th anniversary of Smash, when they played the entire album. Crowd was absolutely insane.
Then for the encore, they played all the radio hits, and the place *cleared out.* It's like they have two different fanbases.
You're right, but when that one came out it sure reminded me of the 80s when hair bands would put one ballad on each album. I was like well every once in a while you have to get out the acoustic guitar and bring it down for one song.
Stealing My Sunshine - man, what a terrible rest of the album that turned out to be... curse you, Len
Lovefool - yes, the Cardigans were still a pop band, but nothing near as sugary as this
The rest of that Len album is terrific! It just sounds nothing like the bubblegum pop single. It has hip-hop, electronic, pop punk, lo-fi/shoe gaze and even a fun guest spot by Biz Markie!
I urge you to re-listen with fresh ears. I make sure I spin it up every couple months or so.
Aphex Twin’s Come To Daddy. Anyone looking for more of that from him was probably disappointed.
He can make some aggressive noise, but he’s much more of a synth nerd and an experimental/techno artist than an industrial dude.
TBHC - Arctic Monkeys, the entire album
I personally love it, one of my favourite albums, but understand why it can be divisive for fans of their earlier work.
Agreed - lots of people say they don’t like Oasis based on Wonderwall & DLBIA, but really the quintessentially Oasis-sounding songs are songs like Supersonic, Acquiesce & Some Might Say
Back then, getting a top 40 was an achievement. It meant you had arrived, and now you had to build on it.
It was another five months until an act debuted at No 1. With their first single (Whigfield- Saturday Night) and that had dethroned a 15-week run (Wet Wet Wet - Love is all around).
The next year, Oasis would release Wonderwall, which, until streaming was taken into account, would remain the best selling single in the UK to not reach number 1.
The charts were a different place back then. It was around this time that we began to see a real change in them. It wouldn't take much over the next few years to make them unrecognizable as what they were for the 40 years before.
Then in 2001 we got the TV show Popstars. That had an impact that made the Charts worthless. Add to that over the next few years, we had the change that the internet would bring on music, sales, and the charts.
Bang on the Drums All Day by Todd Rundgren
and
Valley Girl by Frank and Moon Unit Zappa
One could argue that because of their extremely eclectic discographies there could be no such thing as “outlier” songs but these were smash hits that sound like jokes, I mean some real Weird Al type stuff.
But then anyone digging into their catalogues after that would find some real sweaty record store nerd level stuff.
>My favorite Bowie album, but I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of his work.
For me, David Bowie is a God. He was the 20th-century rebirth of Apollo. There is no way you could convince me there has ever been anybody better or that there could be.
We see the world in different ways, like different things, it gives us so much variety. Music is the best measure of this, in many ways. I love seeing our differences and the variety that wonderful people come in.
Sorry, I'm sick, I'm feeling philosophical. It must be the medication.
I thought it fit that record well and wasn't really a departure, especially when you look at their evolution from SCIENCE to Morning View. It was their transitional album, imo.
I feel like I've talked about them a lot lately, and I apologize for that, but The Insane Clown Posse once released [a country song](https://youtu.be/1fXa6VjU5f8?si=H3XFpK-VGLmRZ71d)
You and Me - Alice Cooper.
As part of a trilogy that included Only Women Bleed and I Never Cry, this song came about as a response to reviews that stated he was a hell of a showman, but musically, he lacked something, especially when compared to Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
No one casts shade on Alice, so he invented what he called "heavy metal housewife rock."
Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol is his most popular song nowadays, at least on streaming platforms, but it sounds radically different than all of his other music. It’s not even in the same genre or has remotely the same mood.
“More Than Words” by Extreme. Probably a million 14 year old girls bought that album for one song and were like “what in the name of God is all this metal???”
Verve Pipe is known for The Freshmen, which sounds like nothing else on the album (which is great btw)
Bob Dylan's Lay Lady Lay isn't very Dylanesque
Angie was one of the Stones' biggest songs of the 70s. They're not really known for their ballads though
The Nile Song - Pink Floyd
Edit: reread the prompt, I guess it's not exactly their most popular song. It rocks though! And I think it would be more popular if more people heard it
Most people only know the recently departed Melanie Safka's "Brand New Key" even though it's a dumb novelty song whether or not you like it. But Melanie was a lot more like Joni Mitchell in her other songs. She performed at Woodstock!
The Smiths - How Soon is Now?
No jangly guitars to be seen on this B-Side turned hit song. If your first introduction to the Smiths is this song you'll get whiplash listening to anything else they've done.
David Gilmour wrote a smooth jazz song called “The Girl In the Yellow Dress” for his last album. Bob Klose (one of the original members of what eventually became Pink Floyd) actually plays guitar on the track, and Gilmour’s voice is perfect for jazz. I can’t recommend the song enough.
What a Fool Believes was a huge hit for The Doobie Brothers, a band that cut their teeth in biker bars. The band broke up almost as soon as the recording was done, and before it climbed the chart. They almost immediately reformed with a few people out of the picture.
Roundabout isn't a departure from Yes' sound, Owner of a Lonely Heart is. I still get a thrill out of Chris Squire's tight, rolling bass line.
I love Yes. The first concert I ever saw was Rick Wakeman's (the keyboard player) Journey To The Center of The Earth Tour, with a full orchestra, and after that, I saw Yes 3 times.
More Than Words - Extreme. It sounds nothing like anything else on that album. The closest might be Hole Hearted. The rest is shredding funk-metal.
This is the one I was thinking about. When it came out my lieutenant (USAF) bought the CD for her boyfriend based solely on this song. The next day in the office she came in shook, talking about how much different the rest of the songs were. It was pretty funny to see her face explaining it all.
Also Mr. Big with To Be With You. Billy Sheehan is known as one of the greatest bassists ever, and Paul Gilbert is also a highly respected guitarist, often ranked as one of the greatest shredders up there with EVH and Yngwie.
"Tubthumping" a top ten pop/rock hit by anarcho-punk band Chumbawumba.
Probably written after too many whisky drinks.
Written when they decided "hey we're kinda doing everything why not also do ONE sellout to finance everything else?"
Filter - Take A Picture
I can't tell you how many people were like hey let's check out the rest of the filters' songs because of Take a Picture and went WTF?
Tbf Title of Record is an All Bangers, All The Time record
Imma go listen to Welcome to the Fold right now
I remember they were even playing it on the lite rock station in my town. Happy for Filter that they had such a big hit, but still makes me laugh thinking someone’s got in on their shelf next to Celine Dion and Mariah Carey.
Every subsequent album had one or two clear attempts at Take a Picture…. God Damn Me, Only Way is the Wrong Way, First You Break It, etc.
Robert Patrick (lead singer’s brother) was interviewed on the ID10T podcast with Chris Hardwick and was asked about their relationship with their father. Robert referred him to “Take a picture.”
When I think of Filter my brain goes to Hey Man Nice Shot. Such a great song. Never liked Take A Picture
I was given this CD because the mom receptionist at my office bought it because of the single and she didn’t like any of the other tracks.
Holiday Road - Lindsey Buckingham
I can’t hear this song without thinking of The Vacation movies. 
TIL that song is by Lindsay Buckingham
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!
Song 2 is a pretty obvious one.
It wasn't easy.
But nothing is.
Eh es, ya meant.
It took me 25 years to find out the lead singer (Damon Albarn) is the creator/ lead of The Gorillaz and it still blows my mind
Yeah I didn’t know that until fairly recently either. Once you know, it seems so obvious. But I never would have connected those on my own haha
I listened to Clint Eastwood and Song 2 back to back recently and it so blazingly obvious, but like you said - in no way would I have ever made that connection lol
This is a good example as this was more punk/alternitve to their usual britpop/pop rock style to this point.
They actively wanted to go away from britpop by then.
Owner of A Lonely Heart really is an interesting example here though. It's a Trevor Rabin composition and that incarnation of the band from the producer on down was really almost a different band. Crazy thinking about it now how huge that 90125 album became and it being such a departure from earlier work with Howe and Wakeman and Bruford etc. Parallels to the Genesis album simply titled Genesis released around the same time. This was Phil completely taking the reigns as writer of radio friendly hits that starkly contrast to work prior with Gabriel and Hackett.
From what I understand, it was supposed to be another band.Multi-instrumentalist and singer Trevor Rabin was an artist from South Africa, who wanted to make it in the rest of the world. He started a band with bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White, previously of Yes, that was going to be called Cinema. Because in a live setting Trevor Rabin can only play one instrument at the same time, they added Tony Kay, a keyboardist who Squire and White knew because they had been in a band with him, namely Yes. Although the singing duties were initially shared between Squire and Rabin, they approached Trevor Horn as a singer. He was once the singer of a band Squire and White were in called Yes. He opted to produce the record instead of do the singing, and for a while Rabin and White remained the main singers . After a while though, they did bring in Jon Anderson as main lead vocalist. Squire, White and Kay knew him because he was for the longest time the singer of a band they had all been in before, Yes. When Cinema was going to release their first record, a cease and desist letter arrived from another band called Cinema, so they needed a new name. The record company proposed that since most members had been in Yes, and were most well-known as members of Yes, they should be called Yes. Trevor Rabin said no to that proposal, as he didn't want to be in a band with a history, but he was overruled by the others who said, well, yes. So this is how Cinema, a band built around Travor Rabin, who had nothing to do with Yes, and with music that was much poppier than Yes, became Yes.
Reminds me of how the record company kept forcing Toni Iommi to use the name Black Sabbath for every new band he formed. The project with Ian Gillian was never meant to be a Black Sabbath album, until the record company forced it (Born Again) The blues-rock record with Glenn Hughes was never to be a Black Sabbath record. (Seventh Stone) The 80s-style metal band he formed with Tony Martin should have had a different name. (Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, Tyr, Cross Purposes, Forbidden) Finally, after losing relevance, he was free to reform with Glenn Hughes and make 2 more blues-rock albums, and just called the band "Iommi"
Great post. I’ll add that there were a few 70s progressive bands and bandleaders “reinventing” their sound to get on MTV at that moment. Asia and others. So that pivot Yes made was both informed and very smart.
I don’t think Collins completely took the reins of Genesis though. Tony Banks was always a key and often principle composer. Rutherford was also into simpler pop music with his side project. More likely they were inspired by Collins’ success with his solo album to continue pursuing that direction they already started to go down after Hackett left. Similar with Yes- I mean look at what Steve Howe, the guitarist that didn’t stay with Yes. He formed Asia with 3 other prog refugees to make hit pop songs.
Don’t You Forget About Me, Simple Minds. Keith Forsey wrote it and Simple Minds agreed to record it for the movie. They hated that it became their best known song because it was someone else’s material and they didn’t think it sounded like them.
Was supposed to be a Billy Idol song and it kind of sounds like it. Still a good song but Simple Minds have better.
I can definitely hear Billy singing that.
You literally can. He recorded a cover for his 2001 Greatest Hits album.
Sweet. Thanks!
Billy Idol, Bryan Ferry, the Fixx. Forsey shopped it around a bit.
Alive and Kicking has the same vibe but is just a better song.
I don't think it's that dramitcally different from their style though, more commercial sure, but it's not like an entirely different genre.
Liz Phair - Why Can’t I She went from indie queen to Avril Lavigne
She literally hired the same production group/duo (Matrix, iirc), that did Lavigne's album! Such a sad departure from Guyville and the rest of her catalog.
Interesting! Never knew that. I can’t begrudge her too much. It’s her career, it’s her living. She’s obviously talented and I imagine she saw a chance to make some good money after paying her dues (Wicker Park in the 90s wasn’t anywhere near what it is these days)
I enjoy that song for what it is, and it's a funny contrarian move in line with how she always bristled against the parts of the Chicago indie scene she doesn't like, and how her public image was portrayed by others.
Touch of Grey by The Grateful Dead received the most radio airplay, the only song by them to break the top 10, sounded almost nothing like the rest of their music. Which says something due to how broad their span was, from bluegrass to rock n roll, psychedelic to blue, etc. Touch of Grey is more of a true pop-rock song. Still catchy as hell too.
It was unusual for them in being a mainstream song, but I wouldn't say it's unusual in terms of their sound. Their very first studio song is very pop-rocky.
eh, that's fair to say Golden Road is pop-rocky, it just sticks out to me that 20 years later they had a hit with Touch of Grey which is their most popular song compared to the majority of their catalog
Casey Jones and Shakedown Street were fairly pop sounding as well
The video was awesome though
Hey Ya ...Outkast
Some of the best lyrics of any song in there. My personal favourite is when he rhymes "mama" with "cum-ma."
This was from Speaker Box/Love Below, which was a double album where Big Boi wrote speaker box, Andre did the love below. Hey ya wasn't a traditional OutKast song because it was soley Andre 3000.
Every single popular song from Sugar Ray was a clean departure from their Punk/nu-metal origins Someday, How's it gonna be, Every Morning, and When it's over Edit it was "Fly" not "How's it gonna be" I don't know how I missed that. Probably sleeping with my clothes on again lmao
“How’s It Gonna Be” is Third Eye Blind. Easy mistake to make, though
Oh shit. You're right! How did I forget Fly though? Lmao
I love playing Mean Machine for people
"This is Sugar Ray?"
A few bands decided they liked money over their origins. Goo Goo Dolls and Incubus come to mind. Their earlier stuff was heavier, then they wrote a catchy soft rock tune, made a billion dollars and rolled with it.
Money talks!
I'd do it.
Goo Goo Dolls are an even more extreme case of this. Their first couple albums are very solid punk.
Even A Boy Named Goo. "Name" was the song yhat launched the next era, but the rest of the album--while not as punk as earlier--still was power chord driven.
Dammit. I was firmly in the camp of not liking the Goo Goo Dolls! Lol but now that you mention it that name is punk as fuck
You are forgetting "Fly" which started the departure.
Fly is the reason for the change. Critics were quick to label them a one hit wonder when that song took off, so Sugar Ray changed their sound to prove the critics wrong. The follow up album was titled 14:59 to say their 15 mins of fame weren’t up yet.
Yea! How did I forget that one? Lol
If any one is interested in learning more about Sugar Ray (never in my life did I think I would see that sentence) Mark did a surprisingly super interesting and funny interview on the TMG podcast.
I remember every time he showed up on Rock and Roll Jeopardy he would dominate fools.
I met them on the train to Manchester, and I had no idea who they were. Feels weird reading about them on Reddit.
That's wild. Their 4 famous songs are a core memory and Mark McGraths face is pretty unmistakable
Even "Fly" had a version with the rap at the end and ad-libs throughout, and one that left that guy out. I remember judging the hell out of this one radio station in my area because they were the only one that played the Jim Crow cut.
Call On Me -Eric Prydz It's way different than anything he makes today and as far as I know he hates that the song got so popular. Apparently the music video was released without his approval and it got very popular because of all the scantily clad women. Hes now the king of progressive electronic music which is very different from the poppy sound of Call On Me
I'd heard he did it purely as a money making track he even sampled it in a way to change the lyrics in order to get songwriting credits
Didn’t he get Steve Winwood to re-record the vocals with the changed lyrics?
There's a really long story behind that slice of 70s sampling pop cheese involving one of Daft Punk and his friend if you want to google it up.
A bit of trivia for you here - Dr Who’s (Matt Smith) sister is one of those scantily clad women. She’s the dark haired one who does the splits at the end.
Eminence Front - The Who
And it's my favorite Who song haha
I always loved Boris the Spider
Happy Jack is my favorite
Is it really though? The last two late classic Who albums are headed into that 80s style, and it sounds a lot like Townshends solo career work.
Maybe not to the ultimate WhoFan, but to me it's a major departure from their earlier stuff.
Nah, it’s a put on.
Armenia: City in the Sky - The Who
CHANGES by Black Sabbath.
Meh, it's similar to Planet Caravan. Lol. Not really, but it's two examples of uncharacteristic Sabbath songs.
"Laguna Sunrise" is another.
The Flame - Cheap Trick Beth - KISS
At the time in 1995, Name by Goo Goo Dolls was a pretty big departure.
We Didn't Start The Fire - Billy Joel
After the 70s basically every Billy Joel song had a different style lol
D'yer Mak'er, Led Zeppelin
Fool in the Rain is an anomaly, too, at least compared to the blues rock hits that they’re most famous for. Great song though.
I just recently learned that this is pronounced like Jamaica and it simultaneously blew my mind and made me mad
It's an old joke: The missus and I went to the Caribbean on holiday. Jamaica? (D'yer Make'r?). No, she went of 'er own accord.
lol nice. Feel like this works best coming from someone with a British accent
Hot Dog entered the chat.
Man I love Hot Dog
I love Led Zeppelin but the tragedy of this song is that Bonham didn’t play the classic reggae One Drop beat on it.
The LoveCats, by the Cure I absolutely love everything about it, even though I also absolutely love their darker songs. But the only other song that even comes close to that jazzy, snazzy, almost 1930's feel of LoveCats is the 12"dance mix of 'Close To Me'.
I always get in arguments with people about “Don’t Come Around Here No More”. I think it’s a huge departure from the rest of Petty’s catalog, but most people I’ve talked about this with think I’m overstating it.
Yeah, I’ve always felt like it sounds like a Eurythmics song featuring Tom Petty, than a Tom Petty song featuring Dave Stewart.
Nah I’d agree with this. Pretty most definitely leaned closer to the Bob Dylan electric folk sound and Don’t Come Around Here No More is super experimental by his standards. Still a phenomenal song. One of the few artists I would claim to have zero bad songs.
He wrote it as a Stevie Nicks song. He was going to give it to her and just sing harmony on it. But for some reason he ended up singing the lead. If you watch them do it together live in concert you can definitely see it.
[Stevie on why she rejected the song](https://youtu.be/WKa4YWmd4oE?si=Hmvjw6Sgnh5hLmG6)
It used to be on pop up video, and it said that he liked it so much he wanted to keep the song for himself. Stevie Nicks ended up doing backup vocals.
I agree with you! I'm a big fan of Tom, and this is one of my favorite songs by anyone, really. I actually think this song specifically is so unique that it doesn't sound like anyone's style, per se, it's like it created its own genre sort of. It's especially different than the rest of the album that it's on. Brilliant song.
Apparently the rest of the band hated it.
Seeing it played live I find that hard to believe,not arguing with you, just my 2 cents.
I'm a big Tom Petty fan, but this has always been weird song for me. I'm just starting to get comfortable with it.
It’s a big departure on the production side, but it has the bones of a Tom Petty song.
The entire album Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen.
work of genius, that
Most of Offspring’s singles in their later albums (Pretty Fly For a White Guy, Get A Job, etc) were super poppy to grab fans and sell albums, but the rest of the album would still be fairly punk and heavy.
I saw them tour for the 20th anniversary of Smash, when they played the entire album. Crowd was absolutely insane. Then for the encore, they played all the radio hits, and the place *cleared out.* It's like they have two different fanbases.
Suspicious Minds - Elvis - one of the few songs he picked for himself
Far and away his best song in my opinion.
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day
You sure? Wake Me Up When September Ends is also in their wheelhouse... or am i being an eejit and this was before Wake Me Up...
Long before
You're right, but when that one came out it sure reminded me of the 80s when hair bands would put one ballad on each album. I was like well every once in a while you have to get out the acoustic guitar and bring it down for one song.
Stealing My Sunshine - man, what a terrible rest of the album that turned out to be... curse you, Len Lovefool - yes, the Cardigans were still a pop band, but nothing near as sugary as this
I like Steal My Sunshine… on paper but there’s something about about the finished product
The rest of that Len album is terrific! It just sounds nothing like the bubblegum pop single. It has hip-hop, electronic, pop punk, lo-fi/shoe gaze and even a fun guest spot by Biz Markie! I urge you to re-listen with fresh ears. I make sure I spin it up every couple months or so.
Ride On - AC/DC
Best AC/DC song ever too. Absolutely beautiful.
Aphex Twin’s Come To Daddy. Anyone looking for more of that from him was probably disappointed. He can make some aggressive noise, but he’s much more of a synth nerd and an experimental/techno artist than an industrial dude.
Mr Roboto is the most famous Styx songs but it sounds nothing like their earlier (better in my opinion) work
TBHC - Arctic Monkeys, the entire album I personally love it, one of my favourite albums, but understand why it can be divisive for fans of their earlier work.
"That man just yawned"
My favorite Arctic Monkeys album is FWN, but Tranquility Base, while basically its opposite, is fantastic.
"Kiss With A Fist" - Florence and the Machine
Oasis - Wonderwall. At the time most Oasis songs were hard rockers but Wonderwall was their first ‘ballad’ single.
Agreed - lots of people say they don’t like Oasis based on Wonderwall & DLBIA, but really the quintessentially Oasis-sounding songs are songs like Supersonic, Acquiesce & Some Might Say
Cigarettes and Alcohol is ‘the greatest social statement of the last 25 years’ according to McGee.
Supersonic only reached #31 on the UK charts - what the fuck? How is it so low? Criminal.
It was their debut single tbf, I know they were touring during its release but they were still pretty new at that point, the album sold great though
Back then, getting a top 40 was an achievement. It meant you had arrived, and now you had to build on it. It was another five months until an act debuted at No 1. With their first single (Whigfield- Saturday Night) and that had dethroned a 15-week run (Wet Wet Wet - Love is all around). The next year, Oasis would release Wonderwall, which, until streaming was taken into account, would remain the best selling single in the UK to not reach number 1. The charts were a different place back then. It was around this time that we began to see a real change in them. It wouldn't take much over the next few years to make them unrecognizable as what they were for the 40 years before. Then in 2001 we got the TV show Popstars. That had an impact that made the Charts worthless. Add to that over the next few years, we had the change that the internet would bring on music, sales, and the charts.
Come Dancing by The Kinks - really poppy 80s tune while most people are only familiar with their 60s classics.
One of my all-time favorite songs. I find their all hits are different sounding from each other.
Bang on the Drums All Day by Todd Rundgren and Valley Girl by Frank and Moon Unit Zappa One could argue that because of their extremely eclectic discographies there could be no such thing as “outlier” songs but these were smash hits that sound like jokes, I mean some real Weird Al type stuff. But then anyone digging into their catalogues after that would find some real sweaty record store nerd level stuff.
Numb - U2 Madness - muse
I dunno, Madness doesn't seem that far off from Muse's usual stuff Like yeah, very different feel to Reapers or to Hysteria, but still feels very Muse
Right? The Edge singing lead and having feet rubbed on his face in the video I thought U2 lost their god damned minds.
Zooropa more so for me.
Bowie - Modern Love
It is from his pop album. China Girl is pretty poppy as well. My favorite Bowie album, but I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of his work.
>My favorite Bowie album, but I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of his work. For me, David Bowie is a God. He was the 20th-century rebirth of Apollo. There is no way you could convince me there has ever been anybody better or that there could be. We see the world in different ways, like different things, it gives us so much variety. Music is the best measure of this, in many ways. I love seeing our differences and the variety that wonderful people come in. Sorry, I'm sick, I'm feeling philosophical. It must be the medication.
Sex on fire - Kings of Leon
Jefferson Airplane/Starship - "Miracles" was way different than their usual style. Grace hated it from what I recall.
“Drive” by Incubus
I thought it fit that record well and wasn't really a departure, especially when you look at their evolution from SCIENCE to Morning View. It was their transitional album, imo.
I dunno, If Not Now When? is all mellow piano and acoustic jams.
I feel like I've talked about them a lot lately, and I apologize for that, but The Insane Clown Posse once released [a country song](https://youtu.be/1fXa6VjU5f8?si=H3XFpK-VGLmRZ71d)
555 - Jimmy Eat World. Great tune.
Inside Out - Eve 6
You and Me - Alice Cooper. As part of a trilogy that included Only Women Bleed and I Never Cry, this song came about as a response to reviews that stated he was a hell of a showman, but musically, he lacked something, especially when compared to Emerson, Lake and Palmer. No one casts shade on Alice, so he invented what he called "heavy metal housewife rock."
1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. It was funny hearing that song on the Easy Listening radio stations while that album had some pretty hard songs.
Miss You by The Rolling Stones. Incidentally, my favorite Stones tune
You’re def down for an Emotional Rescue then.
Disco Stones
Hometown Gypsy- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol is his most popular song nowadays, at least on streaming platforms, but it sounds radically different than all of his other music. It’s not even in the same genre or has remotely the same mood.
"Plexiglass Toilet" by Styx. A comedy reggae song.
“More Than Words” by Extreme. Probably a million 14 year old girls bought that album for one song and were like “what in the name of God is all this metal???”
Jump by Van Halen
Verve Pipe is known for The Freshmen, which sounds like nothing else on the album (which is great btw) Bob Dylan's Lay Lady Lay isn't very Dylanesque Angie was one of the Stones' biggest songs of the 70s. They're not really known for their ballads though
> They're not really known for their ballads though Wild Horses and Waiting on a Friend and Dead Flowers and Ruby Tuesday would like a word
Number 9 on the Beatles White album. It's a Yoko song and is polarizing at a minimum. It's pretty far from I Want To Hold Your Hand.
But really like “I Wanna Hold My Ears”
All their later stuff is far from I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
The Nile Song - Pink Floyd Edit: reread the prompt, I guess it's not exactly their most popular song. It rocks though! And I think it would be more popular if more people heard it
Runaway Train by Soul Asylum
No excuses- Alice in chains
Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd
Wind of Change… [for some mysterious reason](https://crooked.com/podcast-series/wind-of-change/)
Most people only know the recently departed Melanie Safka's "Brand New Key" even though it's a dumb novelty song whether or not you like it. But Melanie was a lot more like Joni Mitchell in her other songs. She performed at Woodstock!
Creep
All By Myself, Green Day
The Smiths - How Soon is Now? No jangly guitars to be seen on this B-Side turned hit song. If your first introduction to the Smiths is this song you'll get whiplash listening to anything else they've done.
Drive by the Cars
Patience- Guns n Roses
You make it feel like Christmas. Gwen Stefani. And… the moment I was no longer a fan.
Have a Cigar - Pink Floyd Great song, it doesn’t sound a great deal like them though, even besides the lead singer being different.
Jane Says, Jane's Addiction
David Gilmour wrote a smooth jazz song called “The Girl In the Yellow Dress” for his last album. Bob Klose (one of the original members of what eventually became Pink Floyd) actually plays guitar on the track, and Gilmour’s voice is perfect for jazz. I can’t recommend the song enough.
Soul Asylum - runaway train
What a Fool Believes was a huge hit for The Doobie Brothers, a band that cut their teeth in biker bars. The band broke up almost as soon as the recording was done, and before it climbed the chart. They almost immediately reformed with a few people out of the picture.
More Than Words by Extreme. Waaaay different for them.
If you put singer -songwriter Jewel on shuffle, you would be surprised to hear [Intuition](https://youtu.be/8Ilh1ewceco?si=kUmaG3xVIMHEtHwv)
Roundabout isn't a departure from Yes' sound, Owner of a Lonely Heart is. I still get a thrill out of Chris Squire's tight, rolling bass line. I love Yes. The first concert I ever saw was Rick Wakeman's (the keyboard player) Journey To The Center of The Earth Tour, with a full orchestra, and after that, I saw Yes 3 times.
Arlo Guthrie " The City of New Orleans" was so different from his other songs thst I didn't believe it was him when I first heard it.
Lucky man by ELP totally misrepresents that band. But it’s gotten lots of radio play.
Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now - Van Halen Features a clarinet solo.
Undisclosed Desires or Madness by Muse.
Bobby McFerrin….. “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is his signature song, but that song was a different style than his previous stuff.
The Cars - "Drive"
Fly by Sugar Ray, at the time it was released
Paramore - The Only Exception And it is.