Al Melchior

Because “Abracadabra” was so different from the band's earlier hits, and possibly because its lyrics were silly, it could have been viewed as a novelty song that wouldn't stand the test of time. Those who would be inclined to look at “Abracadabra” that way could point to it being merely the Steve Miller Band's fifth-most popular song on Spotify. (We should note that the all-time silly lyric the pompatus of love has not prevented “The Joker” from being the band's most popular song on the streaming service.) Yet, “Abracadabra” has had enough staying power to get streamed more than 141 million times on the platform. It also has enough appeal that it has been covered dozens of times.

The Fixx's moody, atmospheric “Saved by Zero” might have seemed like a strange choice as a lead single for their second album Reach the Beach . Not

As new wave artists like The Cars, Blondie, and The Police were capturing the airwaves, the four bands featured here were looking to keep their sound fresh after years of recording and touring. They borrowed several elements from new wave, from the beats to instrumentation to tempos. For the most part, these experimentations helped to keep these bands in the commercial mainstream or even make them more popular than ever. In one case, it was the band's last hurrah.

The following three rock artists are among those who had enormous success right out of the gate, and then were good enough and lucky enough to maintain that level of success through several successive albums. They not only avoided a sophomore slump, but actually succeeded in consistently engaging fans record after record.

Brad Wood produced or co-produced four albums for Liz Phair. He has produced numerous other artists, too, including several based in Chicago like Tortoise, Red Red Meat, Tar, Seam, The Lilacs, and his own band, Shrimp Boat. Wood wasn’t limited to producing bands in that scene, and some of the other albums he produced or co-produced achieved greater commercial success than Exile in Guyville. Here are three of the other artists that Wood has produced besides Phair, and they are among the most notable ones he has worked with.

Though it would have been difficult to imagine at the time of its release, “When You See a Chance” provided an enormous boost to a solo career that, at least commercially, overshadowed Winwood's stints with his previous bands. His 1980 album Arc of a Diver went far deeper than just “When You See a Chance,” portending the string of hit singles that would follow over the years to come. Here's the story behind an ‘80s success story that was hard to see coming.

As influential and lauded as the band's first album Stands for Decibels has been, it was not initially available in the U.S. as a domestic release. UK label Albion Records released the album in January 1981, and its first U.S. release was as a CD issued by I.R.S. Records in 1989. In light of Stands for Decibels being released on vinyl for the first time by a U.S. label (Propeller Sound Recordings), Holsapple and Rigby shared with American Songwriter some of their observations about the dB's' debut, 43 years after its initial release.

When INXS released “Original Sin” as the leadoff single from their 1984 album The Swing, the song did not make an immediate commercial impact in the U.S. While it failed to crack the Top 40 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock charts, it signaled a critical change in INXS’ trajectory. In working with Nile Rodgers as the producer for the single, the band shifted towards a funkier, more danceable sound—one that would give them several Top 10 hits over the next several years.

The alternative rock band Cracker did not envision the opener to their 1993 album Kerosene Hat having hit potential. Defying their expectations, “Low” became the group's first and only song to reach the Billboard Hot 100. Its popularity likely has to do with the song's catchy yet fierce riff and its hummable melody. While the patient pacing of David Lowery's vocal delivery makes it easy to sing along, the lyrics themselves leave some room for interpretation.

Not many music fans knew about Tori Amos when she released Little Earthquakes and its U.S. lead single “Silent All These Years” in 1992.