First singles that were relative duds

[Sleek]

Winger - Madalaine

I remember it doing well enough. Same with Women by Def Leppard. I don’t remember Poison’s Cry Tough at all. I never knew it was the first single, Same with It’s So Easy. I remember WTTJ debuting on MTV in the fall of 1987.

Cry Tough was definitely a flop. Ended up doing liiiiiiiiiiiiike 6 months in the clubs because of it. Took that danged album almost a year to get traction.

It's so Easy was a definite flop as well...their second single Welcome to the Jungle flopped, too. Appetite was another record that was dead in the water for a year.

[Bob Sacamano]

Faith No More - From Out of Nowhere.

[Tommy2Tone84]

Winger - Madalaine

I remember it doing well enough. Same with Women by Def Leppard. I don’t remember Poison’s Cry Tough at all. I never knew it was the first single, Same with It’s So Easy. I remember WTTJ debuting on MTV in the fall of 1987.

Cry Tough was definitely a flop. Ended up doing liiiiiiiiiiiiike 6 months in the clubs because of it. Took that danged album almost a year to get traction.

It's so Easy was a definite flop as well...their second single Welcome to the Jungle flopped, too. Appetite was another record that was dead in the water for a year.

I can understand why the suits chose conservatively and went with Cry Tough first. It’s a catchy song. Has a bit of a throw back vibe to it. It always reminded me of a Ronnie Specter tune. I’m surprised it wasn’t a hit. The video is well done too.

It’s So Easy was a terrible choice. If the suits at Geffen were going to go with lewd and crude, they should’ve went with Rocket Queen. A definite fan favorite and probably my favorite AFD track.

I didn’t know much about either band. I first saw Poison in Hit Parader and immediately wrote them off cause I thought they were trannys. I hadn’t even heard them. Talk Dirty didn’t win me over immediately. But CC’s Chuck Berry meets Ace Frehley meets Rick Nielsen trip helped a lot. They were cheesy AF but they were fun and it was infectious. It certainly helped that all the girls at my jr high wanted to sleep with them.

GNR I had seen a small b&w photo of in 1985. Never heard or saw shit about them again until Sept or Oct 1987 when Jungle premiered on MTV. My circle of buddies and our high school was a buzz with GNR after that. The Ritz performance only added fuel to the fire. SCOM cinched it for the girls and less hip, jock and prep types. From my recollection GNR became the next big thing with the Jungle video that fall. There was no looking or going back after that. I got tired of them after a while but Rocket Queen and Paradise City would inevitably reel me back in.

[greengoblinrulz]

Dokkens The Hunter was first to come to mind

[Velvis]

I feel like we've had similar threads to this, but I was thinking about how "It's So Easy/Mr Brownstone" were co first singles on AFD.

What other albums had first (or more?) single(s) that were total flops compared to the hits released later?

The only other one off the top of my head is Never Before being the first single on Deep Purple's Machine Head.

I didn't know that, but both of those songs are the ones I like the most. And it's not burn out. I just never loved Jungle or Paradise City from the start. I don't hate them but there's something about them that I don't love.

[Sleek]

I can understand why the suits chose conservatively and went with Cry Tough first. It’s a catchy song. Has a bit of a throw back vibe to it. It always reminded me of a Ronnie Specter tune. I’m surprised it wasn’t a hit. The video is well done too.

The suits?

They were on Enigma records, an indie that was home to 45 Grave, Tex and the Horseheads and Fear. I don't remember Bill or Wes Hein wearing a suit...

GNR on the other hand were Geffen, which was corporate.

[Mato]

Tuff’s ‘ I Hate Kissing You Goodbye” comes to mind. In fact it was their one and only nothing. #donthatetheplayer #hatethegame

[SW]

It’s So Easy was a terrible choice. If the suits at Geffen were going to go with lewd and crude, they should’ve went with Rocket Queen. A definite fan favorite and probably my favorite AFD track.

Yeah, over 6 minute song as a first single sounds like a great idea especially from an unknown band at that point. Fan favorite at the time when pretty much no one have heard the record?

And it's my favorite on Appetite too but that's not the point.

[Bono Nettencourt]

It’s So Easy was a terrible choice. If the suits at Geffen were going to go with lewd and crude, they should’ve went with Rocket Queen. A definite fan favorite and probably my favorite AFD track.

Yeah, over 6 minute song as a first single sounds like a great idea especially from an unknown band at that point. Fan favorite at the time when pretty much no one have heard the record?

And it's my favorite on Appetite too but that's not the point.

Program directors would be lining up to play a song where you can hear a girl getting railed during the bridge...

[jhenders]

The first single off of Bad English's album, "Forget Me Not", was a relative dud as it stalled at #45. The second single, "When I See You Smile" shot all the way to #1.

[Chip Z'Hoy]

I was thinking about this the other day:

Smashing Pumpkins' first single off Machina was going to be "Stand Inside Your Love" but at the last minute, the record company changed it to "The Everlasting Gaze," which basically came and went. Their 15th minute ran out.

I think if they released "Stand Inside Your Love" (minus the butt ugly video with the gross fat guy from Borat and his painted nips), they might've had a shot. It's legitimately a classic Pumpkins song that I think would've won back some fans.

[Ozzy Stradlin]

The leadoff single from Cinderella's "Night Songs" album was "Shake Me" and it failed to chart.

The 2nd and 3rd singles fared much better: "Nobody's Fool" cracked the Billboard Top 20 going to #13. "Somebody Save Me" reached #66.

Yeah, but “Shake Me” was all over MTV.

[War_in_D]

I think the first singles were usually "duds" because they weren't the poppy songs or ballads. The rock songs usually didn't do a ton of business. More like the record company playing up to bands' "we're not pussies" images and waited to hit it big ($$$) with the next singles.

[ParaDime77]

Unholy - KISS

[Love_Industry]

Unholy - KISS

Sure but didn't all four singles from that album bomb?

Judas Priest- Painkiller. Didn't chart in the US, Touch of Evil made it (just barely) to the top 30.

[BernieTaupson]

Unholy - KISS

Sure but didn't all four singles from that album bomb?

Judas Priest- Painkiller. Didn't chart in the US, Touch of Evil made it (just barely) to the top 30.

Isn’t the point of this thread first singles that bombed and then the other singles and/or the album was a big hit? Neither Revenge or Painkiller had any hit singles or was a hit album.

[BernieTaupson]

Weezer’s first single was Undone, didn’t do anything. Then Buddy then Say It Ain’t So, which both did okay. Album has sold fifteen million reportedly.

[Gibsonite]

The lead single "Danger" from AC/DC's Fly on the Wall album absolutely stiffed, but "Sink the Pink" did much better. One of their better '80s tunes I think

[Bono Nettencourt]

Weezer’s first single was Undone, didn’t do anything.

It did alright. Didn't chart as high as Buddy, but got similar radio and MTV play.