Believe it or not, the following hit pop songs never actually hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. They’re amazing and quite legendary tunes, but they never made it to the very top. I can’t imagine why, either. Let’s revisit some of pop music’s historical best, shall we?
“Yellow Submarine” by The Beatles
It’s wild that The Beatles would make it to this list. However, the Fab Four failed to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the release of the 1966 song “Yellow Submarine”. Some have blamed it on the fact that the song sounds more like a child’s tune than anything else, as well as the fact that it’s a rare instance of Ringo Starr singing lead. Either way, “Yellow Submarine” only peaked at No. 2, despite becoming one of the Fab Four’s most famous tunes.
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“Quit Playing Games With My Heart” by The Backstreet Boys
Like any child of the 1990s, I adored this song. So did the rest of the world. It was all over the radio and playing on grocery store intercoms across the globe. “Quit Playing Games With My Heart” by The Backstreet Boys, shockingly, didn’t hit the top of the Hot 100 in 1996. It peaked at No. 2 in the US, but did make it to No. 1 on the European Hot 100 chart.
“Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson
This one still confuses me. “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson was her biggest hit of the 2000s in my mind. Clarkson has enjoyed several No. 1 hits through the years, and I thought this earworm of a tune was one of them. However, “Since U Been Gone” only made it to No. 2. She was robbed, I say!
“Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons
If you were conscious in 2012, you know this song all too well. “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons was absolutely everywhere that year, and throughout the rest of the 2010s, honestly. However, this electro-rock tune barely missed the top spot on the Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 3.
“Gangnam Style” by Psy
“Gangnam Style” by Psy was one of the biggest hit songs of the 2010s. Psy was an international sensation outside of his native South Korea. Some have credited this particular song as the one that pioneered the global K-pop music movement that is still going strong today. Sadly, “Gangnam Style” only made it to No. 2 on the Hot 100.
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