"These Are Days" by 10,000 Maniacs

It must be bittersweet to finally obtain a big hit that wasn't written by you or your group. Such is the case for 10,000 Maniacs. They were darlings of college radio through the late 80s, coming close to breaking into the mainstream with songs such as "Like The Weather" (#68), "Trouble Me" (#44), and "What's The Matter Here?" (#80).

But it took a cover of the Bruce Springsteen song "Because The Night" to put 10,000 Maniacs on the map: their rendition reached #11 in 1994. It was followed up by yet another cover song years later, Bryan Ferry's "More Than This," which reached #25 in 1997, and becoming the group's final chart appearance.

If there were ever a song that should have broken the band, it was "These Are Days." This wonderful, feel-good tune stalled at #66 in 1992. Lead singer and songwriter Natalie Merchant had greater chart success when she stepped aside for solo efforts, landing four songs in the Top 40 between 1995 and 1998, including the Top 10 hit, "Carnival."

"Growin' Up" by Bruce Springsteen

One of the most successful rock and roll artists of all time, Bruce aka "The Boss" Springsteen needs no introduction. We mentioned some eerie parallels with Rick Springfield regarding his career on the charts already, so no need to cover that ground again.

Springsteen has appeared on the charts across four decades since the 70s (despite releasing some excellent music, he didn't secure a chart appearance in the 2010's), landed numerous Grammy Awards, an Oscar (for "Streets Of Philadelphia" from the movie Philadelphia; his song hit #9 in 1994 and is his last Top 10 single to date), is in the R&R Hall of Fame, and received Kennedy Center Honors in 2009.

"Growin' Up" goes way back to the beginning of his budding career. This song from 1973's "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J." showcased Springsteen's poetic lyrics and jubilant songwriting style. What a thrill to have watched this artist grow over the decades.

"Down" by Rick Springfield

There's a strange connection between these two hitmakers with similar last names: Rick Springfield and Bruce Springsteen. Both rose to prominence in the 80s, but Springfield (#22) outranks Springsteen (#26) in chart performance for that decade. Springsteen won in the end as far as the all-time rankings go (he at #120 and Springfield at #170), and he was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1999...we're still waiting for them to let in Springfield.

They both had their initial chart hit land in the 70s. Springfield's first was "Speak To The Sky," which topped out at #14 in 1972. Springsteen first graced the charts in 1975 when "Born To Run" hit #23. The difference is that Springsteen's debut has become a classic.

Springsteen has won multiple Grammy Awards, and Springfield secured one with "Jessie's Girl." Incidentally, "Jessie's Girl" was a #1 hit for Springfield in 1981, a feat that Springsteen has never been able to achieve. Both artists also reached the #2 spot once, and both were there for four weeks! Springfield in 1982 with "Don't Talk To Strangers" and Springsteen in 1984 with "Dancing In The Dark."

Both artists had a chart hit with different songs called "Human Touch." Springfield took his to #18 in 1983 and Springsteen took his to #16 in 1992.

Springfield even had a minor hit with a song called "Bruce" that was recorded in 1978 and reached #27 in 1985. The song was written after Springfield was mistaken as Springsteen.

To date, Springfield's last appearance on the charts was in 1988 when "Rock Of Life" reached #22. Springsteen's last chart appearance was in 2009 when "Working On A Dream" broke on to hit #95 (the song also won a Grammy for Rock Solo Vocal). While dethroned from the charts, both continue to release great music. Here is one from Springfield's 2016 album "Rocket Science" called "Down."

"Lay It On The Line" by Pointer Sisters

Most people know the Pointer Sisters from their string of hits in the 80s - they were in fact the 16th most successful artist of the decade. The sisters who initially started recording in 1969 were June and Bonnie, joined later by Anita and Ruth. Their music was all over the map, starting with jazz and R&B, even venturing into country territory. 

With some modest hits under their belt by 1978, Bonnie decided to leave the group for a solo career. She scored two top 40 hits on her own, but probably wishes she stuck with her sisters, who went on to reformulate their sound towards rock and pop, achieving monumental success.

The first album that solidified their sound was 1978's "Energy." The Pointer Sisters brought in some heavy hitting songwriters, including Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), Bob Welch, Loggins & Messina, and Bruce Springsteen. With Springsteen's song "Fire," the Pointer Sisters obtained their first monster hit, taking it to #2 for two weeks in 1979.

The group was a mainstay in the top 10 for years to come, with hits like "He's So Shy" (#3), "Slow Hand" (#2), "Automatic" (#5), "Jump (For My Love)" (#3), "I'm So Excited" (#9), "The Neutron Dance" (#6), and "Dare Me" (#11). Despite this impressive list of hits, the Pointer Sisters never hit #1 on the Top 100.

"Lay It On The Line" was the lead off track for the successful 1978 album, "Energy." A great rocker that set the stage for the new direction that took the ladies to global fame.

"Life Fades Away" by Roy Orbison

Texas born singer and songwriter Roy Orbison had a one of a kind voice that allowed him to dominate the charts in the 60s with classics such as "Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel)" (#2), "Running Scared" (#1), "Crying" (#2), "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" (#4), and "Oh, Pretty Woman" (#1). Some of these tunes are in the Grammy and/or R&R Hall of Fame, and his accomplishments made Orbison the 14th most successful chart artist of the 60s and 94th all-time.

Orbison was then plagued with a number of tragedies. His wife was killed in an accident in 1966 and he lost his two sons to a fire in 1968. These personal tragedies also took their toll on his musical career as Orbison didn't land a single chart appearance throughout the 70s.

In the 80s, Orbison and his mighty voice experienced a strong resurgence. He performed a duet with Emmylou Harris in 1980 called "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again," which was used in the Meat Loaf movie Roadie, that went to #55 and earned a Grammy for Country Vocal Duo. "Oh, Pretty Woman" was back on the charts in 1982 thanks to a popular cover by Van Halen. Orbison made a guest appearance to sing the tune on The Dukes Of Hazzard, next to Catherine Bach no less. In 1987, he performed a stunning duet of his classic hit, "Crying" with k.d. lang that won another Grammy. He was inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame in 1987 by Bruce Springsteen. As he teamed up to record his comeback album with Jeff Lynne of ELO (which would become "Mystery Girl"), happy accidents led to the formation of supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, which featured Orbison as "Lefty Wilbury."

But tragedy once again caught up with Orbison. In the midst of his comeback, he died of a heart attack late in 1988 at age 52. He did not live to see that he would crack the top 10 one final time as a solo artist in 1989, the first time since 1964, when "You Got It," co-written with his Wilbury Mates Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty, hit #8.

"Life Fades Away" never charted, but helped initiate Orbison's late 80s comeback. The song, co-written with metal star Danzig, was on the soundtrack to the 1987 film Less Than Zero. As usual, Orbison ends the haunting song with a jaw-dropping vocal climax.

"You Angel You" by Manfred Mann

Manfred Lubowitz was born in South Africa and embarked on his musical career in England after taking the stage name Manfred Mann in the 60s. They scored an early #1 hit right out of the gate in 1964 with the classic, "Do Wah Diddy Diddy." The band would see the top spot of the chart one more time as Manfred Mann's Earth Band in 1976 with song "Blinded By The Light," which was written by Bruce Springsteen.

Another artist Mann liked to cover was Bob Dylan. They took his song "Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo)" to #10 in 1968. "You Angel You" was also written by Dylan, but stalled at #58 in 1979. I thought it deserved better. The band's last chart hit was in 1984 when "Runner" reached #22.

"Jole Blon" by Gary US Bonds

Gary US Bonds hit the big time in the early 60s with his malt shop staples like "Quarter To Three" (which went to #1) and "Dear Lady Twist" (which went to #9). Then, after twenty years of radio silence, a chance encounter with Bruce Springsteen led to one of the greatest comeback hits in pop music history.

Springsteen had always been a fan of Gary US Bonds and was known to perform a cover of "Quarter To Three" in his live shows. One night when Bonds was playing a gig at a New Jersey bar called The Red Baron, he invited Springsteen on stage. It was the beginning of a fruitful collaboration that restored Bonds to the charts with "This Little Girl", a fantastic tune that soared to #11 in 1981.

In addition to "This Little Girl", Springsteen helped with two other songs that appeared on Gary's comeback record:  "Your Love" and the title track, "Dedication". "Jole Blon", an energetic cover of an old song from the 1940s by Moon Mullican, kicks off the record and also features vocals from Springsteen.

“You’re Missing” by Bruce Springsteen

A special post today, reflecting on the tragic events of 9/11.  Bruce Springsteen’s critically acclaimed album, “The Rising”, was largely inspired and written about that horrible day. “You’re Missing” is a heartbreaking song about a missing family member.