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Your favorite complete "bomb" (aka Non-hit)

Kind of like when you can't help falling in love with a puppy because it's so ugly, I am still fascinated with Double Date, by the late Ron(nie) Burns.

Date premiered on an episode of The George Burns TV Show, the sequel to the just-cancelled Burns & Allen Show. Don't even ask me how it charted, but it was a painfully dreadful attempt at competing against rock-crooner Rick(y) Nelson's growing popularity on Ozzie & Harriet. Showcasing Nelson and Burns boosted ratings for both shows, but unlike his celebrity peer, Burns was no singer. Burns was the adopted son of George Burns and Gracie Allen.
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A similar effort was made on behalf of Groucho Marx's daughter Melinda...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-GE0U4ziNw
 
CORKY, thanks for sending that Melinda Marx YouTube link. I'd never seen it before. East Side of Town struck me as a rather oddly coreographed number. Had a Petula Clark quality about it, don't you think? I wonder how it fared on the charts, although I doubt Miss Petula ever lost a wink of sleep worrying about Melinda Marx chasing her off the Top 10 list.
 
jfrancispastirchak said:
CORKY, thanks for sending that Melinda Marx YouTube link. I'd never seen it before. East Side of Town struck me as a rather oddly coreographed number. Had a Petula Clark quality about it, don't you think? I wonder how it fared on the charts, although I doubt Miss Petula ever lost a wink of sleep worrying about Melinda Marx chasing her off the Top 10 list.
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I agree, its just too formula to be distinctive. And being on the floundering Vee-Jay label didn't help. VJ went bankrupt by 1966 after losing the 4 Seasons and the rights to the Beatles first album.

The performance and choreographed dancers remind me of another non-hit 45: Joanie Sommers "Don't Pity Me". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH5tYPaO4Go
 
billyg said:
jfrancispastirchak said:
CORKY, thanks for sending that Melinda Marx YouTube link. I'd never seen it before. East Side of Town struck me as a rather oddly coreographed number. Had a Petula Clark quality about it, don't you think? I wonder how it fared on the charts, although I doubt Miss Petula ever lost a wink of sleep worrying about Melinda Marx chasing her off the Top 10 list.
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I agree, its just too formula to be distinctive. And being on the floundering Vee-Jay label didn't help. VJ went bankrupt by 1966 after losing the 4 Seasons and the rights to the Beatles first album.
The performance and choreographed dancers remind me of another non-hit 45: Joanie Sommers "Don't Pity Me". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH5tYPaO4Go
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Yes, I too see the similarities. Just try whistling along to either one. Thought Pity offered some Edye Gorme-style vibrato.
 
-"Sealed With A Kiss" - The Toys version
-"You're Gonna Love My Baby" - Barbara McNair
-"Rubberneckin'" - Elvis Presley
 
"Rubberneckin" was the B-side to "Don't Cry Daddy". For a B-side I think we'd have to consider it a hit as it did get some noteriety. Most B-sides are left unplayed.
 
My vote would be for "Morning of our Lives" by Arkade, from 1971. I had the promo 45 for years and lost it somewhere. I believe Austin Roberts ("Something's Wrong With Me", "Rocky") was in this group, and may have been lead singer. The song peaked at BB #61 but I used to hear it back when it was new, played on WLCY1380/Tampa. Only heard it a few times, and then disappeared. Never saw the 45 in the store. Someone posted the song on youtube, but no video. Nice slow song, very mellow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqJQm7dm47M
 
"Wham Rap" by Wham! It never made the Top 40 charts, but that song was HUGE here locally in the DFW market.
 
cd637299 said:
Not a bomb at all, in the sense that it made top 40 in 1982....but coming from the band that made it, and seeing the mostly-disapproving comments, today maybe the band looks back on this and wonders "what were we thinking?" (never mind that I kinda dig it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZtEYo0556c&feature=related

cd
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They were thinking "we gotta fire the director." Trouble is, they didn't. There are some great ways you could do a video for that song. This is not one of them. Image destroyer.
 
michael hagerty said:
cd637299 said:
Not a bomb at all, in the sense that it made top 40 in 1982....but coming from the band that made it, and seeing the mostly-disapproving comments, today maybe the band looks back on this and wonders "what were we thinking?" (never mind that I kinda dig it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZtEYo0556c&feature=related

cd
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They were thinking "we gotta fire the director." Trouble is, they didn't. There are some great ways you could do a video for that song. This is not one of them. Image destroyer.
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Someone made a point in the comments there, that I never thought of. The tune sounds very much like "Don't Mess with Bill" by the Marvelettes. Its possible that they were trying to emulate the girl groups of the 60s here. That's all I can think of

cd.
 
cd637299 said:
michael hagerty said:
cd637299 said:
Not a bomb at all, in the sense that it made top 40 in 1982....but coming from the band that made it, and seeing the mostly-disapproving comments, today maybe the band looks back on this and wonders "what were we thinking?" (never mind that I kinda dig it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZtEYo0556c&feature=related

cd
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They were thinking "we gotta fire the director." Trouble is, they didn't. There are some great ways you could do a video for that song. This is not one of them. Image destroyer.
Click to expand...

Someone made a point in the comments there, that I never thought of. The tune sounds very much like "Don't Mess with Bill" by the Marvelettes. Its possible that they were trying to emulate the girl groups of the 60s here. That's all I can think of

cd.
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Maybe. In the early going of video, a lot of artists gave the directors free rein figuring that they understood the visuals. I lived in an apartment complex that had its own in-house "cable" during the launch and first few years of MTV, and so didn't see much of it. But what amazed me...and it holds to this day...is how many people's memories of songs from that era have to do with how good or how cheesy the video was...to the point that it can relegate a decent song to junk status.
 
OldNumber7 said:
Rob Hegel - Tommy, Judy and Me (1980) this had a hook that could catch a whale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv8hKApdVyY
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Part of that sounds like it should have been a David Naughton song, part sounds like it should have been on the Xanadu soundtrack, part sounds like Jim Steinman should have written it for Meatloaf...

Interesting material, but some strange production choices, and not enough differentiation and contrast between the voices.
 
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