3 Iconic 20th-Century Jams That Audiences Eventually Learned To Love

In the mood for some killer 20th-century jams? These three songs come from various years and genres, but they all have one thing in common: audiences slept on them for a while before they realized how brilliant they are. Maybe you were one of them and have come to love these songs today. Let’s take a look!

“Don’t Worry Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin from ‘Simple Pleasures’ (1988)

How anyone couldn’t instantly love this ultra-positive classic, I’ll never understand. But in a way, I get it. This playful and uplifting tune from Bobby McFerrin was a bit odd for its time, when hard rock and ultra-produced pop were all over the radio. But that melody was just too catchy for audiences to ignore for long. It’s probably already stuck in your head as we speak.

An a cappella song like this one rarely ever made it to the top of the charts. And yet, Bobby McFerrin’s biggest hit did exactly that and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Don’t Worry Be Happy” got some flak in the years that followed for being so deliriously positive, but it has since been recognized for being one of the finest songs of the era. A diamond shining during an era of Cold War gloom, I’d say.

“‘Heroes’” by David Bowie from ‘“Heroes”’ (1977)

There’s no doubt in any David Bowie fan’s mind that this 1977 classic remains one of the art rock icon’s most famous songs. It just seems to get better with age, too. But when “‘Heroes’” first dropped in 1977, it actually wasn’t really that much of a hit, despite being the album of the same name’s lead single. The initial reviews were positive, and it was heavily promoted, but the song stalled at No. 24 on the UK Singles chart. “‘Heroes’” didn’t make it to the Hot 100 at all. It’s hard to place what happened there, but it’s clear that listeners globally eventually learned to love this late-70s classic. After Bowie passed on in 2016, “‘Heroes’” climbed the charts to No. 12 in the UK.

“Like A Prayer” by Madonna from ‘Like A Prayer’ (1989)

Madonna was at the top of her game in the 1980s. It’s no surprise that “Like A Prayer” was such a hit in that regard, peaking at No. 1 just about everywhere. But this entry on our list of 20th-century jams was met with a lot of pushback from audiences and clergy alike. The music video for the song, which was a smash hit on MTV, was considered blasphemous for its sexual, racial, and religious imagery. Attempts to ban the song altogether were almost successful, and a lot of more conservative listeners scoffed at it. And yet, it remains one of Madonna’s greatest songs of her career in retrospect. Listen to any pop music from the 1990s, and you’ll hear a touch of influence from “Like A Prayer”.

(Photo by Raymond Bonar/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)