The Best Sleeper Hits
Some songs sprint straight to the top. Others take the scenic route, detouring through cult status, ad syncs, movie moments, re-recordings, and random algorithmic blessings before they finally blow up. Here are 20 late-blooming tracks that prove timing is everything, and that a great song will eventually find its crowd.
“Pink Moon” — Nick Drake (1972 - 1999)
Released in 1972 to little fanfare, Drake’s hushed title track felt like a secret passed among vinyl obsessives. Then, in 1999, a Volkswagen Cabrio commercial used “Pink Moon,” sparking a massive rediscovery that pushed Drake into the mainstream decades after his death and sent sales soaring. The ad turned a whisper into a cultural chorus.
Keith Morris, Wikimedia Commons
“Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” — Kate Bush (1985 - 2022)
Bush’s art-pop anthem hit in 1985, but its second act was bigger: After Stranger Things featured it in 2022, the song roared to No. 1 in the UK for the first time and cracked the US Top 10—nearly four decades after release.
Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill - Live on Wogan 1985, KateBushMusic
“West End Girls” — Pet Shop Boys (1984 - 1986)
The duo released an early version in 1984 that barely made a dent. They re-recorded it with producer Stephen Hague in 1985, and that take went the distance: No. 1 in the UK in January 1986 and No. 1 in the US that May. Sometimes the right production is the difference between cult and classic.
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED] by Pet Shop Boys
“Cruel Summer” — Taylor Swift (2019 - 2023)
A fan favorite from Lover, it wasn’t even a single in 2019. Four years and one record-breaking tour later, “Cruel Summer” was finally worked to radio, boosted by a live version and a remix, and climbed all the way to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in October 2023. Slow burn, huge payoff.
Taylor Swift - Cruel Summer (Music Video), Pop World
“Dream On” — Aerosmith (1973 - 1976)
The power-ballad prototype peaked at No. 59 when first issued in 1973. Re-released amid the band’s growing profile, it surged to No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 1976 and became Aerosmith’s calling card. Sometimes radio just needs a second pass to catch up.
Aerosmith - Dream On (Official HD Video), HQVideoClassics
“Space Oddity” — David Bowie (1969 - 1975 In The UK; 1973 In The US)
Bowie’s astronaut drifted into the charts in 1969, but the song truly took off years later: a 1973 reissue finally put it in the US Top 15, and a 1975 UK reissue became his first British No. 1. Major Tom arrived fashionably late.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
“Here I Go Again” — Whitesnake (1982 - 1987)
Originally a 1982 album track that grazed the UK Top 40, the band re-recorded it in 1987 with a sleeker sound and an unforgettable video. The new version went to No. 1 on the Hot 100 that October, turning a sturdy rocker into a power-ballad juggernaut.
Whitesnake - Here I Go Again '87 (Official Music Video), RHINO
“Layla” — Derek And The Dominos (1971/72 - 1972; Encore In 1992)
A 1971 single stalled at No. 51, but a 1972 full-length reissue finally cracked the US Top 10 and hit No. 7 in the UK. Two decades later, Eric Clapton’s acoustic MTV Unplugged “Layla” gave the song an entirely new life and fresh chart action.
Atco Records, Wikimedia Commons
“Long, Long Time” — Linda Ronstadt (1970 - 2023)
Ronstadt’s aching ballad reached No. 25 in 1970 and lingered as a deep-cut favorite. In 2023, The Last of Us built a devastating episode around it, sending streams skyward and reintroducing the song to millions. A classic found its moment again.
Linda Ronstadt - Long Long Time (1970), NVNCBL
“Bloody Mary” — Lady Gaga (2011 - 2022/23)
Never a single during the Born This Way era, “Bloody Mary” went viral in late 2022 thanks to the Wednesday dance trend. In 2023, it became a bona fide hit, entering charts worldwide and getting an official single push—proof that the internet can resurrect anything.
LADY GAGA - BLOODY MARY (Tik Tok Remix | Speed Up) Wednesday Addams | Dance Scene, GANGSTER CITY
“What I Like About You” — The Romantics (1979 - Mid/Late 1980s)
The single peaked at No. 49 in the US in early 1980, yet it slowly turned into a pop-culture staple through relentless MTV spins, sports arenas, and high-profile ad campaigns. By the end of the decade, everyone knew that shout-along chorus.
“Boys Don’t Cry” — The Cure (1979 - 1986)
Released in 1979 to modest impact, the band reissued a “New Voice – New Mix” in 1986 with Robert Smith’s updated vocal and a sharp new video. That version finally cracked the UK Top 30 and set the song’s legacy in stone.
The Cure - Boys Don't Cry, The Cure
“The Tears Of A Clown” — Smokey Robinson & The Miracles (1967 - 1970)
Buried on a 1967 LP, the Motown UK. team plucked it for single release in 1970, where it went No. 1 in Britain and then No. 1 in the US later that year. Three years after release, the carnival finally came to town.
Smokey Robinson - Tears Of A Clown (BBC Electric Proms 2009), Smokey Robinson
“We Have All The Time In The World” — Louis Armstrong (1969 - 1994)
Originally tied to the Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, it didn’t chart at the time. A Guinness beer commercial in 1994 turned the tender ballad into a UK smash, peaking at No. 3 a quarter-century after its debut.
Harry Warnecke, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
“Streets Of London” — Ralph McTell (1969/72 - 1974)
McTell first recorded it in 1969 and issued a single in 1972. A 1974 re-recording, with crisper production, finally broke through and reached No. 2 in the UK, turning a busker’s lament into a national singalong.
Ralph McTell - Streets Of London (1975) HD 0815007, Quenna0815007
“Tiny Dancer” — Elton John (1971/72 - 2000s)
The 1972 US single topped out at No. 41, and the song was never even a UK single. After its indelible singalong scene in Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film Almost Famous, “Tiny Dancer” surged in cultural stature and streaming, becoming one of John’s most beloved staples.
“The Sound Of Silence” — Simon & Garfunkel (1964 - 1965/66)
An acoustic album cut in 1964, it flopped—until producer Tom Wilson secretly added electric overdubs and reissued it as a single in September 1965. The remixed version hit No. 1 on January 1, 1966, reuniting the duo and jump-starting their career.
“Lust For Life” — Iggy Pop (1977 - 1996)
It was a cult favorite for years. Then Trainspotting blasted it over that breathless opening chase in 1996, and the reissued single shot to No. 26 in the UK cementing the track’s status as a feral, feel-good anthem.
Iggy Pop - Lust For Life, Iggy Pop Official
“Hallelujah” — Leonard Cohen (1984 - 1990s/2000s)
Cohen’s muted 1984 release went largely unnoticed. Jeff Buckley’s 1994 cover transformed it into a modern hymn, and a run of high-profile uses (culminating in Alexandra Burke’s 2008 UK Christmas No. 1) made “Hallelujah” a standard sung at weddings, talent shows, and vigils.
Leonard Cohen - Hallelujah (Official Live in London 2008), Leonard Cohen
“Red Red Wine” — UB40 (1983 - 1988)
UB40 took Neil Diamond’s song to No. 1 in the UK in 1983, but it stalled in America. Five years later, a Phoenix radio push resurrected it, and the reissued single finally hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 in October 1988. Some tunes just need a second pour.
UB40 - Red Red Wine, Kolonel Briket
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The Longest-Running #1 Songs On The Billboard Hot 100
The 34 Albums That Had At Least 5 Billboard Top 10 Hit Songs
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