Song of the Day: 'Because the Night' by 10,000 Maniacs

So here we are, the final selection for my series of Songs that Peaked at No. 11 -- and it's a memorable one. I've always thought if I had been born maybe five years later -- and I weren't such a big queen who loves glamour girls -- Natalie Merchant might have been my Debbie Harry. As it would happen, though, she was my Natalie Merchant, the college rock chick who dazzled me with her poetic lyrics and artsy ways. Although she would go on to have a solo career that saw her first four singles go Top 25 -- including one Top 10 -- and three bestselling albums, including one that's certified 5 x platinum -- 10,000 Maniacs managed to score just one hit, which came off "MTV Unplugged," their sixth and last album with Merchant. That it was a cover of a Patti Smith song that was nearly a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song is ironic given Merchant's songwriting skills. But it was simply unfair that such a brilliant rendition didn't even give the band a Top 10 hit as she saw herself to the exit. 10,000 Maniacs 2.0 ended up having a second Top 40 single -- their cover of Roxy Music's "More Than This" somehow reached No. 25 in 1997 -- but never charted again. These days Natalie barely releases new music -- just three albums in the past 20 years -- although she still hasn't completely vanished.

In an article in The Guardian earlier this year, she explains that she'd actually quit 10,000 Maniacs to slow down because she was tired of being a marketable commodity -- only to have her debut album outsell everything her band had ever done. ("Then came the treadmill again.”) The next time she "retired." she took it more seriously. These days she teaches arts and crafts to underprivileged children in her native New York state, which is about the most Natalie Merchant thing I've ever heard.

Note: I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I could go on -- Elvis had four No. 11s, Neil Diamond had three, and Simon & Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair (/Canticle)," the Crystals' "He's Sure the Boy I Love" and my beloved Petula Clark's "A Sign of the Times" were all No. 11s as well. But 20 songs of the day plus the Top 10 from old blog posts -- "Head Over Heels" by the Go-Go's; "Jesse" by Carly Simon; "Tired of Being Alone" by Al Green; "Her Town Too" by James Taylor and JD Souther; "You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive; "Promises, Promises" by Naked Eyes; "Baby Hold On" by Eddie Money; "Last Christmas" by Wham!; "Walking Down Your Street" by the Bangles; and "A Love Bizarre" by Sheila E -- seemed like a good place to stop. Stayed tuned, though. I have a few more themes in the works for the months ahead! 

Song of the Day: 'Doctor! Doctor!' by Thompson Twins

Today is the second-to-last day of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11 and I'm already feeling separation anxiety -- as a kid I entertained myself for hours on end by compiling lists ... but here goes it: Thompson Twins played an outsized role in my youth, a band I adored and saw in concert countless times, dating back to their show at Royal Oak Music Theatre in 1983 when I was 15.

Tom, Alannah and Joe were MTV superstars, although their flame didn't burn long. When all was said and done -- can you believe there were only two Twins by 1986?! -- they had just three U.S. Top 10 hits to their name. And shockingly, "Doctor! Doctor!" wasn't one of them. 

Song of the Day: 'Perfect Way' by Scritti Politti

 

Down to the final three days of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: The 1980s sure had no shortage of one-hit wonders. And while Scritti Politti deserved to be a lot more than that -- I know several people who swear "Cupid & Psyche 85" is one of the best albums of the era and I'm too afraid to disagree -- Americans were unsurprisingly not up for the task. All of this is to say that having the band's one real hit, "Perfect Way," not even go Top 10 makes the diss sting that much more.  

P.S. With the holidays right around the corner(!), be sure to check out Tracey Thorn's collaboration with Scritti singer Green Gartside, "Snow in Sun," that appeared on her album "Tinsel and Lights." It might just send you on deep dive into the Welshman works. THIS old interview in which he delights at the prospect of being misquoted might make you fall in love, too!

Song of the Day: 'That'll Be the Day' by Linda Ronstadt

Day 17 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: "That'll Be the Day" was the first single off Linda Ronstadt's 1976 album, "Hasten Down the Wind," which became her third straight platinum LP -- making her the first woman to have three million-sellers in a row. The album also won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1977, the second of her 13 Grammy Awards. 

Her superb gender-flip cover of the Buddy Holly classic wasn't as successful as some of her other 1970s singles -- "You're No Good," "When Will I Be Loved," "Heat Wave," "Blue Bayou" and "It's So Easy" were all Top 5 or better -- but became a staple in her live shows for reasons that are evident in the video below. Thirteen years later, Ronstadt scored her second No. 11 single, "All My Life" (featuring Aaron Neville), which also happened to be the last of her 21 Top 40 hits. 

The co-writer of the song, drummer Jerry Allison of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, died yesterday at age 82. RIP.

Song of the Day: 'Disco Inferno' by the Trammps

Kicking off the final week of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11 with "Disco Inferno" by the Trammps. This has never been one of my ALL-TIME DISCO FAVORITES -- I'm more of a Donna Summer, Carol Douglas, Candi Staton, Evelyn "Champagne" King kind of gal. But given what an anthem of the era it was -- and its inclusion on the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever," which sold over 40 million copies -- I'm a little shocked it didn't at least creep its way into the Top 10. (Even "Disco Duck" topped the charts back in the day!) 

However, "Disco Inferno" stalled at No. 53 the year before when it was released as a single off the band's album of the same name, so perhaps they were happy to have a hit at all. 

Song of the Day: 'Edge of Seventeen' by Stevie Nicks

Day 15 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: Something tells me this bothers me more than it does Stevie Nicks, but it seems pretty unseemly to me that the Fleetwood Mac chanteuse's debut solo LP shot to No. 1 on Billboard albums charts, but the first single that actually featured her, well, solo was the first to not reach the Top 10. "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" with Tom Petty peaked at No. 3, followed by "Leather and Lace" with Don Henley at No. 6. Then "Edge of Seventeen" came out and landed just outside the lines. (You may recall Stevie got screwed with her first Fleetwood Mac single, "Rhiannon," which also peaked at No. 11) 

According to Nicks, the title came from a conversation she had with Tom Petty's first wife, Jane, about the couple's first meeting. Jane said they met "at the age of seventeen", but Jane's strong Southern accent made it sound like "edge of seventeen" to Nicks. She liked the sound of the phrase so much that she told Jane she would write a song for it and give her credit for the inspiration.

When this song came out I thought it was exhilarating -- kind of a Wall of Sound effect courtesy of Stevie's powerful vocals -- and figured it would become her signature solo song. But it didn't take long for "Stand Back" to supplant it, a No. 5 hit in 1983 that she gave a 50% writing credit to Prince even though to this day I don't hear the "Little Red Corvette" connection. 

Fun footnote: The live version on the B-side reached No. 26 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

Song of the Day: 'Justified and Ancient (Stand by the JAMs)' by the KLF featuring Tammy Wynette

Day 14 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: I don't think the world will ever hear another song as fabulously bizarre as this pairing of the British electronic band KLF and American country legend Tammy Wynette back in 1991. But while the equally delightful career-resuscitating "What Have I Done to Deserve This?" (1987) by Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield and "Take Me Home Tonight" (1986) by Eddie Money with Ronnie Spector reached No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100, "Justified and Ancient" couldn't quite get over the hump, peaking at No. 11, around the same time Hillary Clinton  told the world "I'm not sitting here -- some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette" while campaigning for husband Bill.  

Still, it remains Tammy's biggest single on the pop charts. Even "Stand by Your Man," her biggest crossover hit, only reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Song of the Day: 'Heaven Must Have Sent You' by Bonnie Pointer

Day 13 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: Bonnie Pointer didn't need any help from her famous sisters to score this hit in 1979, which sounds as good today as it did when I was in sixth grade. (Another Holland-Dozier-Holland composition -- natch! -- originally recorded by the Elgins.) That it wound up being one of the biggest singles of the year -- the 43th biggest single overall -- despite never making it into the Top 10 speaks to its longevity, I suppose. Poor Bonnie died two years ago of alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis at just 69, with "Heaven" her eternal gift to us -- the chimes! the scatting! -- and the biggest hit of her life. 

Of note: The Pointers Sisters' first post-Bonnie album (called "Energy") proved to be their breakthrough. Driven by the success of their cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Fire," the LP went gold -- and set the stage for a string of popular singles ("He's So Shy," "Slow Hand," "I'm So Excited," "Automatic," "Jump (for My Love)") that kept the gals on the Billboard Hot 100 throughout the 1980s.

Also: The Pointer Sisters had not one but two No. 11 singles: "Dare Me" (post-Bonnie) and "Yes We Can Can" (with Bonnie). 

Song of the Day: 'Leave a Light On' by Belinda Carlisle

Day 12 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11. This one is interesting because like "Head Over Heels" by the Go-Go's, "Leave a Light On" kind of portended the beginning of the end for Belinda Carlisle's solo record sales, just as "Head Over Heels" did for the Go-Go's. After hitting the Top 10 with "Mad About You" (No. 3), "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (No. 1), "I Get Weak" (No. 2) and "Circle in the Sand" (No. 7) from her first two solo albums, the premiere single off "Runaway Horses" (1989) peaked at No. 11. 

But rather than being a hiccup, it would prove to be her last decent hit, with just one more song ever making the Top 40: "Summer Rain" off the same LP reached No. 30 in early 1990. (Likewise, after "Head Over Heels," the Go-Go's had one more Top 40 hit -- "Turn to You" at No. 32.) Then Belinda only had one more single on the Hot 100: "Do You Feel Like I Feel?" hit No. 73 in 1991 and that was all she (didn't) wrote. (Ditto for the Go-Go's, who had "Yes or No" place at No. 84 only to never chart again.) Like "Head Over Heels," "Leave a Light On" remains one of the Go-Go's singer's best songs to date, further proof that the American record-buying public generally has terrible taste. (It reached No. 4 in the U.K., where her solo hits continued through the '90s.) 

Song of the Day: 'The Power of Good-Bye' by Madonna

 

I'm kicking off Week 3 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11 with Madonna's one and only just-missed Top 10 single. "The Power of Good-Bye" was the third U.S. release from her Grammy-winning "Ray of Light" album -- and the third in a row to get short-shrift from the record-buying public. First came "Frozen," a haunting release that was freezed out at No. 2. Then the title track -- a kaleidoscopic masterpiece -- peaked at No. 5. (I'd have retired at that point if I recorded a song that good and it didn't top the charts.) And then came today's pick, The song attained success around the world, reaching the Top 10 in more than 10 countries, yet narrowly missed it in her (original) homeland. Worth noting that she's had three No. 10 singles -- "Borderline," "Hanky Panky," "Give Me All Your All Your Luvin'" -- and that the latter two were far inferior to today's Song of the Day. (Note to self: It could be worse. "Rain" peaked at No. 14 -- talk about utter bullshit!) 

Beautiful video directed by Matthew Rolston.

Song of the Day: 'Say You Love Me' by Fleetwood Mac

Well, today is Day 10 of my tribute to Songs That Peaked at No. 11. And because it began with Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon," I thought it only fitting to end Week 2 with the band's other classic that was robbed of its rightful place in chart history. Not only did Christine McVie's "Say You Love Me" peak at No. 11, it remained there for THREE WEEKS, only adding insult to injury. (I would kill to know what kept it out!) "Say You Love Me," of course, remains one of the band's most recognizable songs, off their first LP to feature Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Perhaps even more bizarre is that in the base group's native Britain, it was the fourth single from the "Fleetwood Mac" album, but THE FIRST to chart at all, only making it to No. 40 in September 1976. Christine McVie has gone on to have higher-placing Fleetwood Mac songs in "Don't Stop" (No. 3), "You Make Loving Fun" (No. 9) plus "Hold Me" and "Little Lies," which both hit No. 4. But "Say You Love Me" showed a sexier, more vulnerable side of Mrs. McVie that we rarely saw, one the record-buying public was apparently too dumb to fully appreciate at the time.

Song of the Day: 'Nothing but Heartaches' by the Supremes

Day 9 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: Today's pick is in honor of legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier, who died yesterday at 81. Along with Brian and Eddie Holland, Dozier wrote some of the most memorable songs in music history, including "Heat Wave" (Martha and the Vandellas), "How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)" (Marvin Gaye, James Taylor), "Baby I Need Your Loving" (Four Tops) and 10 of the Supremes' 12 No. 1 hits, including "You Can't Hurry Love," "Baby Love," "Come See About Me," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Back in My Arms Again" and "You Keep Me Hangin' On." (Can you say WOW?!!) 

Lamont Dozier, left, with Diana Ross, Brian Holland and Eddie Holland after the writing trio was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York on Jan. 17, 1990.

They also wrote "Nothing but Heartaches," which has always been a favorite "second tier" hit of the group's. And while I'm not saying it should have been another No. 1 -- in fact, it broke a string of five in a row -- the song was the sixth of seven consecutive million-sellers from the Fab Three, which is pretty remarkable for a song that only made it to No. 11. RIP, Lamont. And thank you for the music. 

Song of the Day: 'Wild World' by Cat Stevens

Day 8 of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: Today's pick is more out of shock than anything. The majority of my memories of my earliest life revolve around sitting in the back seats of my parents' his and hers Datsun B210 station wagons -- Dad's was green, Mom's was orange -- listening to the radio. And if I were to pick one song as the soundtrack of those days in the early 1970s, it would be "Wild World," which seemed to play on a loop on Detroit radio. (Apparently we listened to a station that played only songs on the Hot 90.) Learning that it was written about Cat's onetime girlfriend Patti D'Arbanville -- whose portrayal as Ryan O'Neal's chronically hacking girlfriend in "The Main Event" (1979) was worthy of an Oscar! -- was a fun surprise. ("Lady D'Arbanville," too.) "Peace Train" (which I didn't learn until 10,000 Maniacs covered and then disowned), "Morning Has Broken" (a reworked nursery rhyme), "Another Saturday Night" (a cover) and "Oh Very Young," are his four Top 10 singles. But I find it hard to believe that "Wild World" isn't what keeps Yusuf in beard oil and designer prayer mats. 

Song of the Day: 'So Close' by Hall and Oates

Day seven of my series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: Today's pick might seem a bit out of character given the fact that I'm a casual Hall and Oates fan who doesn't really know the ins and outs of their chart rankings. But I liked this song when it came out in 1990  -- I was pushing 24, so adult contemporary radio was already becoming my thing(!). So it's always stuck in my craw that the blue-eyed-soul duo who could once do no wrong in the eyes of the record-buying public -- you may recall that between 1981 and 1985 they had 13 Top 10 singles, and were so big that even a piece of shit like "Maneater" shot to No. 1 -- only managed to have one hit single in the 1990s, but it crapped out at No. 11. How quickly people lose that lovin' feelin'. 

The acoustic B-side was pretty sweet, too.

Song of the Day: 'I Won't Last a Day Without You' by the Carpenters

 

Day six of my excruciatingly painful series of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: This one's yet another miscarriage of musical justice, albeit a rather circuitous one. While a whole other post could be written about the Carpenters' string of No. 2 hits -- with "We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Superstar," "Hurting Each Other," "Yesterday Once More" all peaking at Numero Dos, perhaps only Madonna has been robbed more egregiously -- that this Roger Nichols/Paul Williams gem failed to reach the Top 10 after 10 of their singles did makes no sense. 

Perhaps its unusual road to being a single explains it somewhat, although 50 years later I still find it hard to take its chart placement as a compliment. As many of you are aware, albums and singles were really strange back then, with artists sometimes putting out two LPs in one year or including the same song on multiple albums. "I Won't Last a Day Without You" was released as a single in 1974 ... from the duo's album "A Song for You," which had come out close to two years earlier and had already included four hit singles ("Bless the Beasts and Children," "Hurting Each Other" and "It's Going to Take Some Time" and "Goodbye to Love"). The Carpenters then issued “Sing” and “Yesterday Once More” from their "Now & Then" (1973) -- before going back to their "A Song for You" album for their 13th charting single, “Top of the World,” which hit No. 1 for two weeks in December 1973. (According to Wikipedia, the Carpenters originally intended the song to be only an album cut but reconsidered after country singer Lynn Anderson's cover became a No. 2 Country hit.) They then released "I Won't Last a Day Without You" as their 1972's album's sixth single, which then peaked at No. 11. (Confused?) But all I can say is that if a years-after-the-fact "Top of the World" -- a far inferior song -- could still hit No. 1, it makes no sense that "I Won't Last a Day Without You" couldn't at least land in the Top 5. Over the years lyricist Paul Williams, Diana Ross, Al Wilson and Maureen McGovern all covered it. But none of them could hold a candle to Karen's harmonic vocals and innocent delivery. 

If I thought explaining Shields and Yarnell to my 10-years-young partner was tough, where do I begin with Paul Williams?!!!

Song of the Day: 'The Promise' by When in Rome

Day five of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: Today's pick comes as a recommendation from a reader who discovered my blog during the pandemic. He wrote me a lengthy and extremely kind email -- he's a tennis- and Blondie-loving gay of a certain age! -- which made my week. 

He says in part:

I've been meaning to write to you for the whole pandemic, because your blog is one of the things that got me through the pandemic, but more on that to follow. I was especially inspired today by the series of songs that topped out at #11 on the charts, a long-time obsession of mine as well. My personal favorite has always been "The Promise" by When In Rome, which hit #11 on the Billboard hot 100 in 1988 during my freshman year of college. I was a huge fan of the song, and actually the whole album is great synth pop. The video featured an unusually cool visual twist -- panning constantly to the right; the Wikipedia page doesn't even mention this, ye gads.. 

It's striking how this song didn't find an audience when released in 1987, yet has had such enduring appeal in the 35 years since. The video has been watched over 100 million times (!!) on YouTube since 2009. I still hear the song at least once a week on L.A. radio; it somehow became an outsider 80s anthem, to my ever-lasting delight, though not a hit in its original outing. Surely a candidate for your list!

Indeed! My only guess is that synth-new-wave was starting to go out of style by the time "The Promise" came out or surely it would have been at least a Top 5 hit. Does anyone really think "Safety Dance" is better? (Actually, don't answer that. I know way too many Men Without Hats absolutists!) 

Song of the Day: 'Running on Empty' by Jackson Browne

Day four of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: Today's pick is just straight-up bullshit. Jackson Browne is a legendary member of the singer/songwriter brigade that rose up out Laurel Canyon during the 1960s and '70s. He's sold nearly 20 million records and had 10 Top 40 singles, yet somehow only two of them reached the Top 10. You couldn't let this classic be his third?????

P.S.

For those who aren't familiar with childhood chart syndrome, the illness frequently lasts a lifetime! 

Song of the Day: 'Don't Look Back' by Fine Young Cannibals

 

Day three of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: Today's pick is more on principle than anything. For about 18 months back in the late 1980s, Fine Young Cannibals could do no wrong. The highly infectious "She Drives Me Crazy" was released as the first single from their sophomore LP, "The Raw & The Cooked," and shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was followed by "Good Thing" with its stylish black-and-white video, which also topped the U.S. charts. Then came the band's best song, the haunting and plaintive "Don't Look Back," which I used to play over and over again in my VW Rabbit, frequently making me late for work and school. (God, I loved that song!) Only instead of a No. 1 triple play -- a la Paula Abdul, Madonna, Whitney or Janet -- the song only reached No. 11. I'm going to assume this is why Fine Young Cannibals never recorded another album: If a shitty song like "Good Thing" can go to No. 1 but your finest moment doesn't even reach the Top 10, why even bother? 

Song of the Day: 'Deeper Than the Night' by Olivia Newton-John

 

Day two of Songs That Peaked at No. 11: I know I never shut up about Olivia Newton-John's "Totally Hot," her first post-"Grease" album. While it was a hit, it was by far her best album and should have been the mega smash "Physical" was a couple years later. The first single, "A Little More Love" reached No. 3 when it was clearly a No. 1 -- and a million times better than letting somebody's body talk. And equally depressing was that its follow-up, the romantically desperate "Deeper Than the Night," only hit No. 11, while the title track stalled at No. 52 as the third and final single. What is WRONG with people? An edit of "Please Don't Keep Me Waiting" could have been a great single, too. (I love the last two minutes of wailing that my friend calls Olivia's "Yoko Ono moment," but could have easily been trimmed for radio.) The ONJ-penned "Borrowed Time" is a masterpiece with a beautiful arrangement, and Eric Carmen's "Boats Against the Current" is another winner on a record full of them.

To add insult to injury, ONJ's next single -- "I Can't Help It" with Andy Gibb, which was written by brother Barry while he was on a roll with Barbra Streisand's "Guilty" -- only hit No. 12 the following year. (Suddenly 11 doesn't seem so bad!) Perhaps the record-buying public would have preferred a 45 of his version with Punky Brewster?

Song of the Day: 'Rhiannon' by Fleetwood Mac

If you're anything like me, the closest you ever came to Bible study as a child was Billboard magazine, where each week you would religiously look through the charts to see the placement of your favorite artists' singles and albums -- an experience that for reasons that are still not clear to me somehow felt deeply personal. (How could "French Kissin' in the USA" peak at just No. 57? I can recall asking myself at Tower Records as I tried to compose myself in the singles department.) 

A few years ago I took my friend Tim (pictured up top) to see Go-Go's bassist Kathy Valentine's side band, the Bluebonnets, in concert, and I'll never forget how afterward as we were leaving the venue, he told her that "Head Over Heels" -- which she wrote with Charlotte Caffey -- was his favorite Go-Go's song. She thanked him, and then he asked -- clearly expecting (as was I) her to agree with him -- if its stalling at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 had been as devastating for her as it had been to his 12-year-old self back in 1984. Without missing a beat -- and looking rather confused -- Kathy turned to him and said: "Not really," at which point I realized maybe superfans like us take these things to heart more than the artists do. So in honor of this catechism, today I am starting an ongoing series of Songs of the Day that peaked at No. 11 on the singles chart but clearly deserved better. The composers may get compensated either way. But the only reward fans get when a song stalls at No. 11 is a lifetime of pain and regret! 

Before we get going, here is a Top 10 list of No. 11s that have already been featured as Song of the Day.:

  1. "Head Over Heels" by the Go-Go's 

  2. "Jesse" by Carly Simon

  3. "Tired of Being Alone" by Al Green

  4. "Her Town Too" by James Taylor and JD Souther 

  5. "You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)" by Dead or Alive 

  6. "Promises, Promises" by Naked Eyes

  7. "Baby Hold On" by Eddie Money 

  8. "Last Christmas" by Wham!  

  9. "Walking Down Your Street" by the Bangles

10. "A Love Bizarre" by Sheila E 

Obviously the Go-Go’s and Carly cut the deepest, especially remembering the latter’s nonstop airplay the summer of 1980. Dead or Alive was also robbed given that “You Spin Me” created an entirely new production style, perhaps the most distinctive since Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound. (At least Stock Aitken Waterman were later rewarded with three U.S. No. 1s courtesy of Bananarama and Rick Astley.) 

My pick for today was a surprise to me. Imagine being Stevie Nicks, who was only accepted into this establish British band because her guitarist boyfriend they were trying to recruit said "If you want me, you also have to take her." You write arguably one of the best songs of all time -- Rolling Stone includes "Rhiannon" on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time -- but they opt to release "Warm Ways" as the first single in the U.K. and "Over My Head" in the U.S. Fine. Christine McVie is the band's remaining established vocalist. But then you finally get your shot and how does the record-buying public reward you? No. 46 in the U.K. and No. 11 in the U.S. (WTF?) Sure, this became the band's highest-ranked single in the U.S. to that point  -- "Over My Head" peaked at No. 20 and their only charting pre-Buckingham/Nicks U.S. single, Peter Green's "Oh Well Part 1 and 2," peaked at No. 55 --  but everyone knows a No. 1 hit when they hear it, and "Rhiannon" is it. 

Note to my inner Tim: A million bucks -- which she's probably made off the song -- says Stevie doesn't even remember how high "Rhiannon" got on the charts!

P.S. Best Coast's cover of "Rhiannon" was Song of the Day in 2014.