5 Iconic Rock Songs That Stalled at No. 2 (And the Songs That Kept Them From the Top)

In an industry as oversaturated as the music business, managing to score a Top 10 hit is a major accomplishment in its own right, even for the one-hit wonders who only reach this pinnacle once. Nevertheless, we would imagine it must be difficult to watch a song get excruciatingly close to topping the charts, only to stall out at No. 2. Second best.

These five rock songs are so ubiquitous even decades after their release that it’s hard to imagine them ever being considered “runner-up” to the top. But runners-up they were, peaking at the second spot, never quite able to beat out the No. 1 track at the time.

“Proud Mary” by Credence Clearwater Revival

Kicking off this list of iconic No. 2 rock songs is a track by Creedence Clearwater Revival, which boasts the somewhat frustrating record of having the most tracks peak at the second spot on the Billboard Hot 100. “Proud Mary” is an instantly recognizable track, even today. But in 1969, Credence Clearwater Revival just wasn’t able to dethrone Sly and the Family Stone’s track, “Everyday People”.

“My Generation” by The Who

The Who’s youthful anthem “My Generation” is one of the band’s best-known songs. Still, it stalled out at the No. 2 spot on the United Kingdom mainstream chart. The top spot at the time went to The Seekers’ “The Carnival Is Over”. But considering “My Generation” was one of The Who’s highest-charting singles in their home country, we’d say their No. 2 spot wasn’t all that bad.

“Hurts So Good” by John Cougar

As much as he might dislike the term “heartland rock,” John Cougar helped define this subgenre of rock ‘n’ roll with his 1982 track “Hurts So Good”. Objectively, the song was a great success. But Survivor’s “Eye Of The Tiger” dominated the charts, besting “Hurts So Good” for the top spot. And in a way, wouldn’t you expect a song like “Eye Of The Tiger” to do that?

“Start Me Up” by The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones released “Start Me Up” on their sixteenth studio album, Tattoo You, in 1981. The track remains a crowd-pleaser at Stones concerts and other large gatherings, like sporting events, even decades later. However, the general public seemed to favor Hall & Oates’ “Private Eye” and Christopher Cross’ “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”, with both songs keeping “Start Me Up” at No. 2.

“Waiting For A Girl Like You” by Foreigner

Yet another rock song bested by Hall & Oates, Foreigner’s 1981 power ballad, “Waiting For A Girl Like You”, set the record for most weeks spent at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The songs that kept the single from moving up one rung? Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” and Daryl Hall and John Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)”.

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