Katy B - Katy On A Mission

Ellie Goulding - your song

'Your Song' is meant to be big I think. The previous John Lewis tracks (Taken By Trees 'Sweet Child O Mine', Fyfe Dangerfield 'She's Always A Woman') are probably the less obvious ones to be hits.

 

Speaking of covers being biggies. Florence's 'You've Got The Love' is probably not planned to be big.

Edited February 18, 201114 yr by FM11

Clearly if a record company has officially released a song as a single, they are expecting it to be a hit, non? Isn't the thread asking for songs that were made hits completely independently of their record company's plans ie. Adele - Someone Like You? I hope so because it's getting a bit dull having people popping in and naming songs which did well for no other reason than they did well...

Whilst they may not have expected a number 1, I wouldn't say that Someone Like You becoming a chart hit was totally unplanned by the record label. It's had 3 high profile performances, I'm sure they expected it to be cherry picked. It just gives her extra exposure, it doesn't need to be an official single. It wouldn't suprise me if they go ahead with a different song as the 2nd single as Someone Like You has done its job.

Whilst they may not have expected a number 1, I wouldn't say that Someone Like You becoming a chart hit was totally unplanned by the record label. It's had 3 high profile performances, I'm sure they expected it to be cherry picked. It just gives her extra exposure, it doesn't need to be an official single. It wouldn't suprise me if they go ahead with a different song as the 2nd single as Someone Like You has done its job.

I'm not sure she was always going to perform SLY at the Brits though. The choice of song may have been influenced by the buzz already building around it.

Yeah, is there much point in releasing Someone Like You as a single now? Perhaps they can try and use her BRITs performance as a video. The song will get airplay anyway, stations like Capital will never not play a #1, even Heart have reportedly played it, for goodness sake!! Adele will probably perform it a few more times live.

 

She has a lot of good songs on the album, so perhaps she should release a different one, and let Someone Like You promote itself. They won't need to ask radio stations to play Someone Like You, so it would be a waste to ask them, if you get what I mean, but they will need to ask them to play any of the other songs.

Clearly if a record company has officially released a song as a single, they are expecting it to be a hit, non? Isn't the thread asking for songs that were made hits completely independently of their record company's plans ie. Adele - Someone Like You?

 

Yes, that was my intention.

But that means we're talking about the download era only, right? Because before that all charting songs were released as singles.

Yeah, is there much point in releasing Someone Like You as a single now? Perhaps they can try and use her BRITs performance as a video. The song will get airplay anyway, stations like Capital will never not play a #1, even Heart have reportedly played it, for goodness sake!! Adele will probably perform it a few more times live.

 

She has a lot of good songs on the album, so perhaps she should release a different one, and let Someone Like You promote itself. They won't need to ask radio stations to play Someone Like You, so it would be a waste to ask them, if you get what I mean, but they will need to ask them to play any of the other songs.

 

Radio 2 is playing tracks from 21 now and again. Set Fire To The Rain was played this morning.

But that means we're talking about the download era only, right? Because before that all charting songs were released as singles.

Which I think is the whole point of the thread. It's about cases where the public chose to buy a track regardless of whether the record company thought it should be a single.

Smells Like Teen Spirit is a historic example of this. It was only supposed to be released as a radio 'buzz single' to increase awareness of the band, with Come As You Are being the first major single proper, but then it took on a life of its own to become Nirvana's signature song and the signature song of the grunge era.

I swear "Run" was always planned to be a single because when they released a press release saying it was going to be released, like a week before, promo pictures for the video leaked?

Yeah. 'Run' was meant to be a single after the X Factor performance - but Syco cleverly made it album only for the first 2 or 3 weeks of the re-released album, so the only way you could get hold of it was to buy the album (some, again - like myself but I truly didn't mind). But the thing that made it be as big as it was, was that it shot to number 1 weeks after her (I want to say only? :unsure:) high profiled performance of the song. But originally it was meant to just be her Live Lounge cover!

 

I think the only one I can truly think of is Alicia Keys 'Empire State of Mind (Part II)'... I don't think her label were wanting to push that as a single. 'eck it didn't even get a video!

I think with Alicia Keys, it was just that she seemed to have different schedules for her single releases in each country. She was releasing songs like Unthinkable and her duet with Beyonce in other countries, and I think in most other countries she released Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart as her 2nd single. At the end of everything, I think Empire State of Mind was probably only released in a few countries, and they probably thought making a proper music video for it wasn't a worthy investment? The song did relatively well in other countries due to cherry-picking though, although that's expected, since it's a Part II of a massive song.

I think with Alicia Keys, it was just that she seemed to have different schedules for her single releases in each country. She was releasing songs like Unthinkable and her duet with Beyonce in other countries, and I think in most other countries she released Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart as her 2nd single. At the end of everything, I think Empire State of Mind was probably only released in a few countries, and they probably thought making a proper music video for it wasn't a worthy investment? The song did relatively well in other countries due to cherry-picking though, although that's expected, since it's a Part II of a massive song.

But it was never intended to be released was it? They just gave it an official release (even then it was download only) date, due to it being such a popular cherry picked track. And it gave those stations who don't play rap, an alternative choice to play one of the biggest hits of 2009/that year whilst being current and relevant (i.e. 'Smooth Radio' & 'Radio 2' etc...) It's the sole reason why I wanted 'Love The Way You Lie (Part II)' to be released :( It deserved to be another 'Empire State of Mind (Part II)' situation... It would have been HUGE!

Are we only talking about the UK only? cuz in terms of the US, I wonder if Keep Holding On by Avril was intended to be as big a hit as it was? it got to #17 and went platinum and it never even had a music video to help promote it as it was only for a movie soundtrack.

 

Also Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway, it was used in the the princess diaries 2 movie and ended up getting to #6 and also went platinum, but again i dont think it was expected it to become a major hit.

 

As far as the UK it was pleasantly surprising to see Robyn's song Be Mine end up going top 10 especially after Handle Me only made it to #17. But i wonder if the record company knew this would be be a top 10.

 

 

 

 

But that means we're talking about the download era only, right? Because before that all charting songs were released as singles.

 

Basically, yes.

 

Are we only talking about the UK only? cuz in terms of the US, I wonder if Keep Holding On by Avril was intended to be as big a hit as it was? it got to #17 and went platinum and it never even had a music video to help promote it as it was only for a movie soundtrack.

 

Yes, I was thinking of UK only - partly because I don't follow the US charts, and also because their airplay element dilutes the effect of instant boosts that XF, Brits, etc. can give to singles here.

But it was never intended to be released was it? They just gave it an official release (even then it was download only) date, due to it being such a popular cherry picked track. And it gave those stations who don't play rap, an alternative choice to play one of the biggest hits of 2009/that year whilst being current and relevant (i.e. 'Smooth Radio' & 'Radio 2' etc...) It's the sole reason why I wanted 'Love The Way You Lie (Part II)' to be released :( It deserved to be another 'Empire State of Mind (Part II)' situation... It would have been HUGE!

 

I think Love the Way You Lie, Part II would've gone straight to #1 on iTunes if it wasn't album only when Loud was released. I was so gutted it was album only. :( Same with Airplanes, Part II. :(

 

I can't remember the history behind ESOM II's release, although I do know it was only released in a few countries. Perhaps, like you said, some radio stations in the UK playlisted the song for the reasons you gave, and then it started selling very well, so they released it as single #2 instead. The song was a popular cherry-picked track in most countries, so it would've had to be more extreme in the UK.

Was it actually planned that Man in the Mirror would be THE song for people to download after Michael Jackson passed away? I know it was played a lot then but did record company have anything to do with it?

Radiohead - Street Spirit

 

Went Top 5 even though everyone said it should have stayed as an album track. It prompted sale of The Bends too.