great songs that should have been hits!

[firepoint525]

"How Much Love" Leo Sayer (1977)
"Pilot Of The Airwaves" Charlie Dore (1979)
"Is She Really Going Out With Him?" Joe Jackson (1979)
"Steal Away" Robbie Dupree (1980) Once heard all over the radio, now totally vanished.
"Alibis" Sergio Mendes (1984)
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All of those were fairly sizeable hits, especially Pilot, Joe Jackson, and Steal Away, and received major airplay.
They don't get much airplay today, unfortunately.

"Mary's Prayer" Danny Wilson (1987)
"Personally" Karla Bonoff (1982)
"Goin' Down" Greg Guidry (1982)

These were great ones as well. Should have been bigger hits.

"Pilot of the Airwaves" got to #13.
"Steal Away" was #6.
Joe Jackson got to #21 with his first hit.
"Alibis" only reached #29, but I think it was more of an AC hit.
"Mary's Prayer" only reached #23, but I remember at the time thinking it should have been a bigger hit.  I still have the 45 of it. 
"Personally" only got to #19.  I thought it charted higher than that!
Greg Guidry got to #17, but I really had my fill of that one by the time it dropped off the charts.

Maybe this thread should have been titled something along the lines of "hits that don't get played anymore."  But that's been done on here before.

[Zeke_Terry]

Here's a few off the top of my head that I can think of that were good songs ... but really hits.

Martika --- Love, Thy Will Be Done (her follow up ballad to Toy Soldiers)
Webb Wilder --- Tough It Out  (was this just a regional band - they rocked)
David Bowie & Pat Metheny Group --- This Is Not America (barely cracked into the top 40)
Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush --- Don't Give Up (beautiful song - how this got overlooked is beyond me)
Kate Bush --- This Woman's Work (used on TONS of promos - never a hit though)

heck just about ANYTHING from Kate would qualify in my opinion

[MusicMan11]

sunday in salem - gene cotton, 1978 i think
third time lucky - foghat - 1978
The Way of the World - cheap trick 1978
Bad man - randy meisner 1978
Hearts on Fire - randy meisner 1982

[Don62]

God Only Knows - the Brian Wilson masterpiece from Pet Sounds, long reknowned as the greatest LP of all time (either No. 1 or No. 2 compared to Sgt. Peppers), hit only No. 39. It really should have been a bigger hit, like No. 10...

I saw on some radio list that it hit No. 4 in Pittsburgh.

Paul McCartney called it the prettiest song of all time.

[71dude]

Submarine Song - Candy Skins

[lovejamminoldies]

I-Nine- Seven Days of Lonely (2008)

[klutch00]

Scandal - "Goodbye To You"; "Love's Got A Line On You" and "Beat Of A Heart"
Robert Palmer - "Johnny and Mary" and "Hyperactive" (yeah, I know the latter broke the top 40, but it could've been a bigger hit.)
Sade - Hand On To Your Love
Huey Lewis and the News - Back In Time
Spirit - Mr. Skin
It's A Beautiful Day - White Bird (the only thing is I don't know how many top-40 stations would've taken a chance on a 6 minute song back in '69)
Olivia Newton-John - Totally Hot
Karla Bonoff - Somebody's Eyes
Carly Simon - "Better Not Tell Her" ; "Two Hot Girls (On A Hot Summer Night)"
ELO - Stranger
Ugly Ducklings - Gaslight (it may have been a hit in Canada, but it's too bad the 'States didn't take notice)
Joan Baez - There But For Fortune
Blondie - "Accident Never Happen" ; "Shayla" and "Union City Blue"
Fabulous Thunderbirds - Wrap It Up
Hooters - "Nervous Night" and "Satellite"
Zebra - Who's Behind The Door
Warren Zevon - Lawyers, Guns and Money
Fleetwood Mac - "Hypnotized";"Silver Springs";"As Long As You Follow";"No Questions Asked";"Landslide"; "Peacekeeper"

just for starters