5 Flop Songs From The '80s That Have Earned Respect From Younger Generations

The '80s were filled with plenty of high-flying music, from rock 'n' roll and synthy pop to the emergence of hip-hop and R&B. But not everything can be a hit, and lots of quality tracks are left in the dust. Maybe they're overshadowed by greater hits, buried on forgettable albums, or simply not primed for the audience of the time. Some of the flops we cover gained light to moderate success for a time but still fell away from a larger audience, and some never charted much at all. But all of them found new life thanks to Gen Z.

Gen Z, because of the internet and streaming services making nearly all music ever released available at the click of a button or a shuffle of an algorithm, have uncovered some oldies that may have deserved more acclaim at the time. Now, these songs are performing better than they ever have. In this list we'll look at some of these old flops —some of which saw light peaks but never fully remained in the broader zeitgeist — that have found new legs online thanks to Gen Z. We cover remembered acts like The Smiths, as well as some artists you may not yet know.

The Smiths enjoyed a number of moderate to highly successful tracks over the group's tenure in the 1980s before calling it quits in 1987. But the group's discography seems to have aged tremendously well, with new and returning fans continuing to keep the band relevant. The Smiths' streaming success in particular seems to have no end, with all the act's top 10 songs on Spotify holding over 100 million streams and five over 500 million. Among these is "This Charming Man," which achieved only moderate success at its time of release, topping out at no. 25 on the U.K. charts in 1983.

This quick, upbeat track tells the story of a poor narrator falling for a presumably older, wealthy, "charming" man. But in classic Smiths fashion, the lyrics and the music are thematically opposite, with the dancey, fun rhythm making it easy to miss the complex story within: "I would go out tonight / But I haven't got a stitch to wear / This man said, 'It's gruesome / That someone so handsome should care.'" Gen Z has become enamored with The Smiths' music, and "This Charming Man" has since vaulted into one of the band's most successful tracks ever, now boasting over 700 million streams on Spotify.

Willie Colón's grandiose salsa music might be at its best on this track, which didn't receive widespread notice in broader audiences until Gen Z found it and blew it up on TikTok. "Oh Qué Será?" is filled with gorgeous piano licks and brass swells, which surround Colón's tender vocals and the track's backing strings. The lyrics, translated on Genius, wax poetic in a plea for a dream to be revealed: "Oh, what could it be? What could it be? / That lives within the ideas of those lovers? / About which the most fevered poets sing? / And by which the drunken prophets swear?"

"Oh Qué Será?" was first released as the opening track on the 1981 album "Fantasmas," which has since been renowned as one of the best salsa records of all time. Yet it wasn't an immediate hit, as the genre hadn't fully broken into mainstream American consumption. But since then, audio of the track has garnered over 80,000 posts and boosted the song into a wide net, where it's now gained over 150 million streams on Spotify. Even for those behind the language barrier, the magic of "Oh Qué Será?" is undeniable, and its serene melodies and harmonies are a treat for any listener.

Leonard Cohen was never one for high chart success, and though many of his albums were critically well-received, they have found new life among Gen Z and modern streaming fans. Among the most resurgent is "I'm Your Man." Released on Cohen's 1988 album of the same name, it never charted until his death in 2016. Though it still hasn't found chart-topping success, it, like much of his discography, has become a marker of classical taste among younger fans attempting to separate from modern music. 

Written over a smooth electric beat, "I'm Your Man" is a classically romantic, almost desperate plea: "If you want a lover / I'll do anything you ask me to / And if you want another kind of love / I'll wear a mask for you," which continues in further lovestruck dramatics. Into the late '80s, Cohen's poetic yet gravelly sound had only become more pronounced, and modern fans have connected with this unsung track, which has stacked nearly 60 million streams on Spotify and is among Cohen's top three tracks.

The Psychedelic Furs' 1982 new wave feel-good anthem is about as '80s as it gets — made for dancing, with bright pianos and synths backing simple and fun but self-othering lyrics: "There's emptiness behind their eyes / There's dust in all their hearts / They just want to steal us all and take us all apart, but not in / Love my way, it's a new road."

The band, which has a unique success story, released "Love My Way" on its 1982 album "Forever Now." The track enjoyed moderate success in the U.S. but never rose to a hit, maxing out at 43 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its renaissance was built up in movies from the '90s and 2000s, but it enjoyed a Gen Z resurgence after its inclusion in the 2017 film "Call Me by Your Name," leading to its biggest streaming week ever that year, and it hasn't looked back. Its electric and energizing sound has led it to become a Gen Z staple, as it now has tallied over 200 million streams on Spotify alone.

This 1983 release from The Isley Brothers — a legendary group whose music spans from '50s and '60s hits that will give boomers party flashbacks all the way into the 2000s — didn't burn the charts down when it dropped. But it did eventually find an overall respected status among fans from all generations. "Between the Sheets," the titular and fourth track of The Isley Brothers' acclaimed album, is a smooth, funky, and sensual love song that achieved moderate success upon its release. 

While other tracks have mainly found their staying power through the internet and, specifically, social media platforms, "Between the Sheets" has found its true longevity through sampling and the wide net of recognition it brings. Sampled by The Notorious B.I.G., Usher, and Jay-Z as well as newer stars Doja Cat and Megan thee Stallion, and many more, these classic Isley grooves have become memorable for those that may not even know the original. With that said, the song has still been streamed more than 94 million times on Spotify. Newer fans have gravitated toward classic funk and R&B sounds, as elements of both genres are prevalent in popular music today, and "Between the Sheets" is a foundational building block for how many consume the genres today.