5 Flop Songs That Ended Up Making A Fortune

More often than not, songs flop when they come out; it's the law of averages. For every mega-selling single like the Beatles' "She Loves You" or Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On," there are countless that made little to no commercial or cultural impact. But initial sales aren't the only way that songs turn a profit, and for some bands and artists, absolute duds eventually became massive moneymakers. Years or even decades after flailing and fading away, a few '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s flop songs have escaped the bargain bin and found new life, unexpectedly hitting paydirt.

No one putting on "Lust For Life" in 1977 could've imagined that its title track would sell cruises and net treasures for pioneering proto-punk Iggy Pop in the early 2000s. Similarly, a spastic, early era cut by New Wavers Devo leapfrogged their big hits to become their most profitable song, thanks to a TV show. And then there's "Bad to the Bone," the iconic blues rock boogie that hardly made a mark when it came out but has since become a staple on classic rock radio, TV, ads, and film. While songs like these never burned bright in their day, they found ways to shine on: lumps of coal that time and pressure turned into diamonds.

These tunes raked in major cash thanks to unexpected second acts. It took a while, but they found their footing in our culture. As in children's fairy tales, they grew from ugly ducklings to golden egg-laying geese, feeding farmer and gander alike.

From the moment "Lust for Life" kicks off with its locomotive drumbeat, it takes the listener on a ride. Depicting the ravages of addiction while dressed as an anthem to excess, it features some of Iggy Pop's most cutting lyrics. Lines like "I'm worth a million in prizes / Yeah, I'm through with sleeping on the sidewalk" paint a picture of the seedy underbelly of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. Coming from a proto-punk icon that lived on that edge in the '70s — on stage and off — it was a curious choice for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' ad campaign in 2005. 

The title track off Pop's second solo album, co-produced by David Bowie, "Lust for Life" was released in 1977. The decade's best year for punk rock was when the influential singer's career was resurrected, as he rose from the ashes of the breakup of the Stooges into a solo career. That cemented his iconic status, but it didn't translate into sales at the time, with the album peaking at No. 120 on the Billboard 200. However, thanks to its inclusion in the film "Trainspotting," it made the U.K. charts in 1996, climbing to No. 26 and bringing in a new generation of fans. 

As a punk forefather, Pop copped some criticism for licensing of "Lust for Life" and growing rich off his anti-establishment cred. The Onion pulled no punches with a photo of Pop with the headline: "Song About Heroin Used to Advertise Bank." But, as Pop told Billboard in 2016, hearing his music in ads was always gratifying. "I felt like I was somebody," he said, "... It only took me 30 years to realize I never thought about getting paid for that."

No doubt, MTV helped arty new wavers break into the mainstream. The iconic music video for "Whip It," a regular in the station's early rotation, helped cement the legacy of their biggest single, which peaked at No. 14 in 1980 as part of a 25-week run on the Billboard Hot 100. But it's "Uncontrollable Urge," the never-charting opening track off their 1978 debut album "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!," that's the band's real moneymaker. 

"Uncontrollable Urge" is furious, frenetic, and edgy: more guitar-driven rather than synth-driven. It bristles with the anarchic energy of the band's early, artier sound. And yet, the opening guitar riff and repetitions of "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" give it that bit of pop sensibility that makes it infectious. That recipe was catchy enough to pull in millions in the 2010s, thanks again to MTV, who used a cover version as the theme song of the comedy show "Ridiculousness." 

"I've written so many other songs for films and television shows," Devo singer and guitarist Mark Mothersbaugh told Rolling Stone in 2025, "I would've been shocked [in 1978] if you told me this is the one that would become this prime source of income." That's because Rob Dyrek's "Ridiculousness" ranks among the network's most aired; in 2020, Variety reported that it was on 113 hours out of the network's 168-hour schedule. According to Mothersbaugh's wife and manager Anita Greenspan, the royalties from the tune net him about $1 million a year. "'Uncontrollable Urge' is easily the most-played song on MTV," Greenspan remarked in Rolling Stone, "so Devo wins."

With its sprawling swirls of heavily reverberated and echoey guitars and synthesizers and hopeful, empowering lyrics, "Heroes" is among songs from 1977 that sound even cooler today. The title track of the second of David Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy" albums (released the same year as "Low" and followed by 1979's "Lodger"), it showcases the creative synergy that David Bowie had developed with producers Brian Eno and Tony Visconti and his band at the time (including guitarist Robert Fripp of King Crimson). Recorded in Hansa Studios near the Berlin Wall. 

"Heroes" is a late '70s masterpiece, crowning an album driven by sonic textures, experimentation, and undeniable grooves. But that status came later; upon release, both the "Heroes" album and title track baffled Bowie's fans and critics. The single version didn't make the Billboard Hot 100 at all  and reached only No. 24 on the U.K. Singles charts. Compared to hits like "Golden Years" and "Space Oddity," it was undoubtedly a flop.

But with its iconic chorus — "We could be heroes / Just for one day" — "Heroes" has wide mass appeal. Over the years, brands have tapped into that energy; it helped sell Coca-Cola in Latin America in 2012, a Janelle Monaé cover was used for their rival Pepsi in 2014, and it featured in a Walmart ad in 2020. Following Bowie's death in 2016, the song's stock has only risen; at the time of this writing, it's his third most streamed song on Spotify, beating out chart-toppers like "Let's Dance" and "Fame." A cult gem became a diamond.

Though it wasn't released as a single initially, "Blister in the Sun" is among Violent Femmes' most enduring songs. With its catchy acoustic guitar licks, shuffling snare driven backbeat, and warm acoustic bass guitar, it showcases the angsty pop perfection the folk punk trio struck on their eponymous 1983 debut album. From the first few notes, it's one of the most recognizable songs to come out of the '80s, and in the '90s, mainstream media finally caught up.

The Femmes were ahead of their time, presaging the alternative and grunge rock that would come. They maintained a loyal following throughout the '80s, and it paid off as their first record finally climbed into the Billboard 200 charts in 1991, reaching No. 171. That helped "Blister in the Sun" pull in royalties later that decade. It was featured in the 1997 film "Grosse Pointe Blank," starring John Cusak and Minnie Driver, and before that it was in a 1995 episode of the TV series "My So-Called Life." 

But the success of "Blister in the Sun" almost ripped the band apart. In 2007, bassist Brian Ritchie sued Gano because it had been licensed to Wendy's without his knowledge. The legal squabbles went public, leading to a breakup. But after an out of court settlement in 2012, fences were mended, and the Violent Femmes reunited to play the Coachella Festival the following year. They'd graduated from college rock, cashed in a little, and lived to tell the tale.

"Bad to the Bone," the title track of George Thorogood and the Destroyers' fourth album, is so firmly embedded in classic rock and wider American pop culture that it's hard to believe it fell flat when it first came out in 1982. With its iconic blues guitar lick and hardscrabble imagery delivered with a growl, it's undoubtedly the band's signature song. "I broke a thousand hearts / Before I met you," goes the second verse, giving the game away, "I'll break a thousand more, baby / Before I am through." As Thorogood wrote in The Guardian, "'Bad to the Bone' is a male fantasy. Let's face it: every guy wants to be bad."

But while the song hits listeners right from the get-go, it was a commercial dud out of the gate. "I don't think it charted at all. [The record label] EMI was very disappointed," Thorogood told Louder, adding that, to the label's vice president at the time, "if it's not triple platinum and you're not on the cover of 'Rolling Stone,' it's a flop." Thorogood was right, it did not make the Billboard Hot 100. Nonetheless, "Bad to the Bone" found a foothold later in classic rock radio.

But the song truly became a goldmine through licensing. In 1984, it was featured in the national TV ad campaign for automaker Buick's Regal Grand National, with Thorogood providing alternate lyrics referencing the car. "Bad to the Bone" also featured in the 1991 blockbuster "Terminator 2." "Arnold Schwarzenegger is not somebody to be trifled with," Thorogood recalled. "We got a call from him saying in his 'Terminator' voice: 'Your song. Give it to me. Now.'" Who could say no?