1 of 1- aflem
- Member
Offline 
- Registered: August 11, 2019
- Posts: 1,427
Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
The story about the second version of “Wipeout” got me to thinking (always a dangerous thing!) about hit records that got two shots on the charts. It doesn’t happen often that a song makes the Hot 100, disappears, then suddenly comes back, often years after it first became a hit.
Sometimes it’s the result of it being used in a movie or a TV show. Other times, it’s more organic. Chubby Checker’s version of “The Twist,” of course, is the only song in chart history to ever hit #1 in two different years (1960 & 1961.) That’s just incredible.
“Monster Mash” is a Halloween perennial that hit twice, once in 1962 and again in 1973.
Neil Diamond’s “Solitary Man” got two bites at the musical apple, the first time in the lower reaches of the charts in 1966 and again into the top 20 by 1970. The only difference? One lyric. In the first version, Diamond sings “Then Sue came along, loved me strong, that’s what I thought.” The second case, the lyric was changed for some reason to “Then you came along, loved me strong…” Never sure why they did that.
I recall hearing Aerosmith’s “Dream On” being added to a Buffalo FM station’s play list in 1973. It wasn’t a huge hit until it came back again in 1976.
Another tune, Ben E. King’s classic “Stand By Me,” was a smash in 1961 and reignited into the Top 10 in 1986, after the movie of the same name was introduced to a new generation.
More movie music that came back was the great “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers that hit the Top 10 in 1966 and came close again in 1990, after “Ghost” became a huge box office film.
And similar to the Safaris, who remade “Wipeout,” it seems to me The Ventures did several different versions of the instrumental “Walk Don’t Run” in the 60s. And it made the Top 10 both times.
Despite the fact it’s a rarity, I’m sure there were others that I missed.
Last edited by aflem (January 2, 2020 9:44 pm)
- aflem
- Member
Offline
- Registered: August 11, 2019
- Posts: 1,427
Re: Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
Almost forgot one of the rarest of this species but it deserves mention - "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do," the first in 1962 and a slowed down version that included the original intro in 1976. Both were by Neil Sedaka.
- •
Thread Starter- aflem
- Member
Offline
- Registered: August 11, 2019
- Posts: 1,427
Re: Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
Here's another weird anomaly that came out of a joke post in a separate thread.
"What A Wonderful World," is, of course, a Louis Armstrong classic. What kills me about that song is that, while it was a #1 tune in Britain, it never became a hit in the U.S. Even when it was released as part of the "Good Morning Vietnam" soundtrack two decades later and finally entered the Billboard charts, it only made it to #32 - hardly a huge hit.
What happened after that, though, is fascinating. It wound up as a staple on oldies stations as if it had been a hit the first time around. In other words, it became a de facto oldie without ever actually being an oldie in the first place! It's the only song I can ever remember that did that.
- •
Thread Starter- Jim Southern
- Member
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 230
Re: Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
We should mention that "Monster Mash" also made a 3 week run, peaking at #91, in 1970. That was the run that got me in touch with Casey Kasem on AT40 in 1973.
- Lorne
- Administrator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Ontario
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 1,307
Re: Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
Jim Southern wrote:
We should mention that "Monster Mash" also made a 3 week run, peaking at #91, in 1970. That was the run that got me in touch with Casey Kasem on AT40 in 1973.
Yes, I thought of that when I saw aflem's post and definitely thought it should be mentioned, but figured that you were the best person to do that. 
But I will add I'll Never Fall In Love Again by Tom Jones. It was a big hit in the UK and elsewhere (including on CHUM Toronto) when it was originally issued in 1967, but it only got to #49 on Billboard. However, in 1969 it was reissued and this time it became one of his biggest US hits, reaching #6 on Billboard.
- chrdude
- Member
Offline
- Registered: January 1, 2019
- Posts: 14
Re: Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
In 1960 the Rebels had a hit (really big in Canada) "Wild Weekend". It was re-released in 1963 and became a hit again, this time under the group name of The Rockin' Rebels. Originally it was used by Tom Shannon as his theme song for his show on WKBW Buffalo. I don't have this songs Billboard history.
In 1959 "Rockin Crickets" was a hit by the Hot Toddys which made the Hot 100 peaking at #59. The exact identical song was re-released in 1963 this time by the Rockin' Rebels (same group-different name). It peaked at #87 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was the follow-up to the 1963 Wild Weekend.
In 1959 "Linda Lu" by Ray Sharpe made #46 on the Hot 100. It was re-released in 1963 and received airplay in Southern Ontario. Don't know if it made the Hot 100 the second time.
We all know "Donna" by Ritchie Valens from 1958. It was re-released in 1965, maybe only in Canada-I don't see it in the Hot 100, but it was a Top 10 hit here during the summer of 1965
- Lorne
- Administrator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Ontario
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 1,307
Re: Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
Interesting examples ... I'll just add a bit more info for each. Wild Weekend wasn't a Billboard hit the first time around, but reached #8 the second time. Conversely, Linda Lu and Donna didn't make Billboard the second time. However, according to the following info the 1965 Donna single was indeed a Canada-only release.
I've wondered what the story was on that because it was just as big a hit here as it was elsewhere originally, spending four weeks at #1 on CHUM and remaining on their chart for 15 weeks. But as you say it was a big hit the second time as well, reaching #4 and staying on the CHUM Chart for 13 weeks in 1965.
- chrdude
- Member
Offline
- Registered: January 1, 2019
- Posts: 14
Re: Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
Another song that was a hit twice and made the Hot 100 both times was the Beatles "Twist And Shout".
Hot 100 # 2 in 1964 and #23 in 1986
- memphis boy
- Administrator
Offline
- Registered: December 30, 2018
- Posts: 268
Re: Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
That was '86 when Ferris Bueller's Day Off revitalized Twist & Shout!
- chrdude
- Member
Offline
- Registered: January 1, 2019
- Posts: 14
Re: Hit Records That Made The Charts More Than Once
Another rocker that was a hit twice was "Do You Love Me" by The Contours. It hit the Hot 100 Top 10, peaking at #3 in October 1962. It reappeared in 1988 when it peaked at #11 on the Hot 100 in August.