The Forgotten Ones

When it comes to the biggest, best-selling albums ever made, a few songs always hog the spotlight. You know the ones—the chart-toppers, the radio staples, the tracks everyone can sing without thinking. But just because an album is iconic doesn’t mean every song on it got its fair share of attention.

So instead of going back over the same well-worn hits, we’re flipping the record over—figuratively speaking—and giving some love to the standout tracks that fans recognize, but rarely get their moment in the conversation.

Zanger Bobby mc. Ferrin, Wikimedia Commons

"Fixing A Hole" (The Beatles)

Album: Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Everyone Knows: "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "A Day in the Life"

For such an iconic album there are more songs then you might realize that don't get talked about much. Like the fun McCartney-penned track: "Fixing a Hole".

United Press International, Wikimedia Commons

"Victim Of Love" (Eagles)

Album: Hotel California

Everyone Knows: "Hotel California", "New Kid in Town", "Life in the Fast Lane"

If you remember "Life in the Fast Lane" as the only harder rockin' track on this album, then you must've forgotten about "Victim of Love".

jeaneeem, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

"Downbound Train" (Bruce Springsteen)

Album: Born in the USA

Everyone Knows: "Dancing in the Dark", "Cover Me", "Born in the USA", "I'm on Fire", "Glory Days", "I'm Goin' Down", "My Hometown"

Springsteen put out seven singles from the Born in the USA album and they all hit the Top 10. But one of the five other songs on the record was "Downbound Train".

Laura bland, Wikimedia Commons

"The Needle And The Damage Done" (Neil Young)

Album: Harvest

Everyone Knows: "Old Man", "Heart of Gold"

This beautiful two-minute and three-second song about the pain and loss of addiction hits home emotionally and musically.

Warner/Reprise, Wikimedia Commons

"Mother" (The Police)

Album: Synchronicity

Everyone Knows: "Synchronicity I", "Walking in Your Footsteps", "Every Breath You Take", "King of Pain", "Wrapped Around Your Finger"

Sure, this Andy Summers-penned track might not be everyone's cup of tea. But mommy issues aside, we dig it.

A&M Records, Wikimedia Commons

"Tenerife Sea" (Ed Sheeran)

Album: X

Everyone Knows: "Sing", "Don't", "Thinking Out Loud", "Photograph"

Sheeran's second album was a massive hit and catapulted him to new heights. And while he saw multiple songs from the album rise high up the charts—the beautiful "Tenerife Sea" stalled quietly at 62 and doesn't always get the attention it deserves.

Miguel Angel Lopez Rojas, Shutterstock

"When The Levee Breaks" (Led Zeppelin)

Album: Led Zeppelin IV

Everyone Knows: "Stairway to Heaven", "Rock and Roll", "Black Dog"

Zeppelin fans know this sprawling, seven-minute closer well—it’s the final note on the legendary Led Zeppelin IV, after all. But when an album also happens to include “Stairway to Heaven”, even something this good is bound to get overshadowed by the song that never seems to leave the room.

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"Dead Flowers" (The Rolling Stones)

Album: Sticky Fingers

Everyone Knows: "Brown Sugar", "Wild Horses"—and, of course, that album cover with the real zipper on the pants.

One of the songs that came out of the Stones' "country music" period, Jagger's slightly exaggerated twang is great here.

Jim Pietryga, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

"She's Electric" (Oasis)

Album: (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

Everyone Knows: "Wonderwall", "Champagne Supernova", "Don't Look Back in Anger", "Roll with It"

Initially written for their first album, they dropped it for another song—but revived it for their second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?. NME ranked it the 51st best Oasis song—so, some people do remember this one.

Will Fresch, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

"Songbird" (Fleetwood Mac)

Album: Rumors

Everyone Knows: "Second Hand News", "Dreams", "Don't Stop", "Go Your Own Way"

Written by Christine McVie, it is one of the most emotional, moving, get-into-your soul songs ever. Her ex-husband John has said that, "When Christine played 'Songbird', grown men would weep".

Warner Bros. Records, Wikimedia Commons

"Sweetest Devotion" (Adele)

Album: 25

Everyone Knows: "Hello", "Send My Love (To Your New Lover)", "When We Were Young"

Maybe people were so obsessed with "Hello" and a few other tracks that they never got to the last song on the album. But those who do are rewarded with the beautiful "Sweetest Devotion".

Kristopher Harris, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

"Oh! Darling" (The Beatles)

Album: Abbey Road

Everyone Knows: "Come Together", "Something", "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", "Here Comes the Sun"

John Lennon thought that this Paul McCartney track was more his style and felt that he should've sung it. He would've been great of course, but we love McCartney's ragged voice on this one–a sound that took a week to achieve.

Said McCartney: "When we were recording 'Oh! Darling', I came into the studios early every day for a week to sing it by myself because at first my voice was too clear. I wanted it to sound as though I'd been performing it on stage all week".

But not to forget Lennon—there's one of his songs on this classic album that also deserves more recognition...

ingen uppgift, Wikimedia Commons

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" (The Beatles)

Album: Abbey Road

Everyone Knows: "Come Together", "Something", "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", "Here Comes the Sun"

It's minimalist on the lyrics, but this song Lennon wrote about his love for Yoko Ono closes out side 1 of the album with some force.

United Press International, Wikimedia Commons

"Ballad Of A Thin Man" (Bob Dylan)

Album: Highway 61 Revisited

Everyone Knows: "Like a Rolling Stone", "Highway 61 Revisited", "Desolation Row"

A landmark album from one of the all-time great songwriters, this record isn’t exactly short on iconic moments. Naturally, “Like a Rolling Stone” looms large—it’s the kind of track that tends to dominate every conversation it enters. But the longer you sit with the album, the more “Ballad of a Thin Man” starts pulling focus, with Mr. Jones waiting patiently in the shadows.

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"Time" (Pink Floyd)

Album: The Dark Side of the Moon

Everyone Knows: "Money", "Us and Them"

The only song on the album credited to all four principal members, whenever we hear those clocks chiming and alarms ringing, we know what we're in for (and we love it). Although, this one may not be as under-appreciated as we think given how many have heard this one during their Dark Side/Wizard of Oz viewing sessions.

TimDuncan, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

"Every Ghetto, Every City" (Lauryn Hill)

Album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill 

Everyone Knows: "Lost Ones", "Ex-Factor", "To Zion", "Doo Wop (That Thing)", "Everything is Everything"

Hill's seminal album is her only solo effort and one of the most iconic and important rap albums of all time. But one of the album's tracks that doesn't get as much love, is the funky autobiographical "Every Ghetto, Every City".

A.PAES, Shutterstock

"I've Seen That Movie Too" (Elton John)

Album: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Everyone Knows: "Candle in the Wind", "Bennie and the Jets", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"

This Double-LP 17-track collection is often ranked among John's best albums—and there are a bunch of songs from the album that have become standards in our lives. But not "I've Seen That Movie Too"—a gem of a song from the end of side 2.

Jørund Føreland Pedersen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

"Get It Right The First Time" (Billy Joel)

Album: The Stranger

Everyone Knows: "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)", "The Stranger", "Just the Way You Are", "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", "Only the Good Die Young", "She's Always a Woman"

While the album was a big hit at the time of its release—it's only gotten bigger over time as almost every song on the record has become a known quantity. But not "Get It Right the First Time". This fun and funky track with a disco beat is easily the least known song from the album.

To quote Joel himself: "It was written as a relief to the strength of other things. We thought we needed to just have a little breath, which is really just all it is, it's just breathing".

slgckgc, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

"I'm So Tired" (The Beatles)

Album: The Beatles (The White Album)

Everyone Knows: "Back in the USSR", "Dear Prudence", "Ob-La-Di", "Ob-La-Da:, "Rocky Raccoon", "Blackbird", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps..."

With over 30 songs, there are going to no doubt be mixed opinions as to which ones are the ones that aren't talked about. There are a number of hidden gems on this one. But we went with "I'm So Tired"—the John Lennon-penned track that he wrote in India while suffering from insomnia.

EMI, Wikimedia Commons

"More Than A Woman" (Bee Gees)

Album: Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack)

Everyone Knows: "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever", "If I Can't Have You"

Yes, it's pretty well known and was a staple of the band's live shows for decades. But when most people think about the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, "More Than A Woman" often gets lost amongst the group's mega hits like "How Deep Is Your Love", "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever".

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"Caravan" (Van Morrison)

Album: Moondance

Everyone Knows: "Moondance", "Crazy Love", "Into The Mystic"

Eric Clapton once said Morrison’s performance of “Caravan” during The Last Waltz was some of the greatest live music you’ll ever see—and watching it, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

Jarvin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

"PYT (Pretty Young Thing)" (Michael Jackson)

Album: Thriller

Everyone Knows: "Thriller", "Beat It", "Billie Jean", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"

"Thriller", "Beat It" and "Billie Jean"! Three of the most iconic pop songs of all time, all on one album. It's only natural for "PYT (Pretty Young Thing)" to have gotten lost in the shuffle over the last four decades.

Matthew Rolston, Wikimedia Commons 

"Peace Of Mind" (Boston)

Album: Boston

Everyone Knows: "More Than A Feeling"

While "Peace of Mind" got substantial airplay when the album came out, over time the juggernaut that is "More Than A Feeling" has far outweighed anything else on the album. Well, we didn't forget about it.

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"Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye" (The Black Crowes)

Album: The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion

Everyone Knows: "Sting Me", "Remedy"

The Crowes' second album didn't sell as well as their blockbuster debut, Shake Your Money Maker—but is regarded by many as the band's greatest achievement. And "Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye" is six-and-a-half minutes of slow, Southern rock awesomeness.

Ben Houdijk, Shutterstock

"Time Will Tell" (The Black Crowes)

Album: The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion

Everyone Knows: "Sting Me", "Remedy"

While we're on The Black Crowes and their amazing sophomore album, we just wanted to throw a little mention at the song that closes the album—a great Crowe-tastic version of Bob Marley's "Time Will Tell".

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"As" (Stevie Wonder)

Album: Songs in the Key of Life

Everyone Knows: "Isn't She Lovely", "I Wish", "Sir Duke", "Pastime Paradise"

Stevie Wonder's brilliant double album is replete with hits. And while "As" isn't forgotten or unknown—considering this is one of the greatest songs ever written, it should always be part of the conversation. Also, if you don't know this one...go listen to it right now.

Pete Souza, Wikimedia Commons

"Maybe Your Baby" (Stevie Wonder)

Album: Talking Book

Everyone Knows: "Superstition", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life"

We couldn't leave Stevie Wonder without also mentioning another one of his masterful albums, Talking Book. And while "Superstition" and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" are the most well-known by the general public, we can't get enough of the funky awesomeness that is "Maybe Your Baby".

Adam McCullough, Shutterstock

"Honey Bee" (Tom Petty)

Album: Wildflowers

Everyone Knows: "Wildflowers", "You Don't Know How It Feels", "It's Good to Be King"

Tom Petty's second solo album has been called the 214th greatest album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. So many good songs on this one, including the hard-rockin' "Honey Bee".

"I'm a man in a trance/I'm a boy in short pants/When I see my honey bee".

Takahiro Kyono, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

"All I Want" (Bobby McFerrin)

Album: Simple Pleasures

Everyone Knows: "Don't Worry Be Happy"

Simple Pleasures hung around the Billboard 200 for over a year, climbing all the way to number five in 1988—and yes, that staying power had everything to do with “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. But while that’s the one everyone remembers, the album has plenty more to offer, especially if you want a better sense of McFerrin’s one-of-a-kind vocal style. “All I Want” is a perfect example of that deeper magic at work.

Erinc Salor, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons