I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned Annie in this thread...

 

 

'Chewing Gum', #24 in September 2004 and still a certified classic of that era of spiky sounding electropop from 10 years ago. 'Heartbeat' it's follow up only made it as far as #50 and then of course, when she was signed to Island in 2008 and working with Xenomania and Alex Kapranos on her second album, 'I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me' peaked at #54.

 

I still say had they come out with 'My Love is Better' first (her famed 'collaboration' with Girls Aloud that Fascination then made them winch the girls' vocals off lest it be mistaken for one of their own and thus destroy their run of consecutive top 10 hits at that point) it'd have been as big for Annie as 'American Boy' was for Estelle that year.

 

As far as I'm aware, the record for longest charting hit without ever making the top 40 is still the theme tune from 'Postman Pat' by Ken Barrie. Which when you consider it's immense popularity in the 80's - as say, with Bob the Builder in the 00's - it's still a puzzler as to why that didn't become a top 10 at least.

 

I LOVE ANNIE!!! That song is strange, but oh so catchy. Didn't Woolworths (RIP) cock up with the order hence the low place? She should have been #1 with that track, in fact all of her songs!

This one is one that most of you will know, and I suspect a lot of you will be surprised that it only got to 21, that she never had any other charting singles, and that she hasn't even been back in the charts as a result of downloads in recent years (which I could have sworn she had, but no). It's Maria Muldaur and her classic Midnight At The Oasis, which peaked at 21 w/e 27/07/1974.

 

 

Next up is Chequers, who peaked at 21 on w/e 1st November 1975, with RocK On Brother. They did have one more charting single, Hey Miss Payne, in 1976, but that only got to 32.

 

 

Crispy And Company had reached 26 in 1975 with Brazil. Their only other charting single, Get It Together, peaked at 21 in weeks ending 17th and 24th January 1976.

 

 

As far as I'm aware, the record for longest charting hit without ever making the top 40 is still the theme tune from 'Postman Pat' by Ken Barrie. Which when you consider it's immense popularity in the 80's - as say, with Bob the Builder in the 00's - it's still a puzzler as to why that didn't become a top 10 at least.

 

If we're talking most weeks Top 75 without making the Top 40, Ken's record was broken last year (and has also been surpassed once again since)

 

20 - Demi Lovato - "Let It Go"

16 - Ariana Grande - "Love Me Harder"

15 - Ken Barrie - "Postman Pat"

...

 

"Let It Go" would be way ahead on Top 100 weeks too.

 

 

 

Six acts have more weeks Top 75 without breaching the Top 40 than our Postman Pat singing friend

 

30 - Rick James

24 - That Petrol Emotion

23 - Devo

23 - Love And Money

17 - Farmers Boys

16 - Baby Ford.

 

 

 

Weirdly our next artist manages to be a repeat offender on this list. We previously saw him as part of The Nice in 1969, and he would go on to also have one charting single as part of the supergroup Emerson Lake And Palmer, Fanfare For The Common Man, which peaked at 2 in July 1977, prevented from chartopping by the recently departed Errol Brown's Hot Chocolate and So You Win Again. However as a soloist Keith Emerson only had one charting single, Honky Tonk Train Blues, which peaked at 21 in w/e 01/05/1976.

 

 

Next up are the J.A.L.N. Band whose first charting single, Disco Music (I Like It), peaked at 21 on w/e 16/10/1976. Two more of their singles made the charts, I Got To Sing reached 40 in 1977 and Get Up reached 53 in 1978.

 

W/e 04/12/1976 sees Hank C Burnette's only charting single, Spinning Rock Boogie peak at 21.

 

I LOVE ANNIE!!! That song is strange, but oh so catchy. Didn't Woolworths (RIP) cock up with the order hence the low place? She should have been #1 with that track, in fact all of her songs!

 

Loved Annie too - Just checked my iTunes and I have most of her songs on there, Totally forgot I had them all. She really is one of those acts that everyone at the time seemed to love and talk about and is still remembered now but never crossed over into sales. Her songs still great now - Anyone know if she's still recording/releasing?

I'm surprised no one has yet mentioned Annie in this thread...

 

omg what a classic!!!

 

should've done a lot better than 25

1977 now, and Tony Etoria's only charting single, I Can Prove It, peaked at 21 on w/e 09/07/77

 

 

A bit of cheese next, with The Floral Dance, but not the Brighouse And Rastrick Brass Band instrumental, which had already peaked at 2 for six whole weeks in Dec 77 and Jan 78, held off the top only by the million-selling Mull Of Kintyre. This is the version recorded by Terry Wogan (he of the Radio 2 breakfast show, TV chat shows, Children In Need and Eurovision) which peaked at 21 on w/e 28/01/1978. Terry subsequently lent his vocal 'talents' to a charity single, Peace On Earth-Little Drummer Boy, which got to 3 in the xmas chart of 2008, but that was under the act name Bandaged, and not in his own name, and thus I discounted that in including him here. He did however chart again under his own name, in a duet with Aled Jones, the following year, with Silver Bells/Me And My Teddy Bear, which got to 27. There was also a jungle remix of his Floral Dance in 1995, but that appears to have stayed clear of the charts entirely.

 

The final artist to join our list in the seventies is Gordon Giltrap, whose single Heartsong peaked at 21 on w/e 11th February 1978. If it reminds of you of topless sunbathing in warmer climes it's because it was the theme to the BBC's holiday programme from 1978 to 1985, and the opening sequence usually featured such images at the time despite being on in the early evenings. Gordon reached the charts once more, in 1979. with Fear Of The Dark, which only got to 58.

 

OK Go

 

Get Over It #21

A Million Ways #43

Here It Goes Again #36

 

Arguably more recognised for their awesome music videos than chart success. The latter being one of the most viewed on youtube.

 

 

Here's another more recent one, which failed to chart anywhere outside the US, where it got to #71.

 

 

 

Edited May 18, 201510 yr by rhythmb1

There was also a jungle remix of his Floral Dance in 1995, but that appears to have stayed clear of the charts entirely.

 

'Dance Floral' by Terry in the Jungle (or 'Terry in the Jungle' by Dance Floral, I've never quite been sure) which peaked at #78. I actually remember the video getting some airplay when I was seven and wondering what the hell was going on and why that bloke from Auntie's Bloomers was singing some weird song.

 

Amazingly, the remix is on youtube under the unassuming title of 'Terry Wogan':