5 Flop Songs From The '80s That Belong On Every Road Trip Playlist

Taking a road trip is one of the best ways to travel — you create your own itinerary, stop whenever you want, and enjoy the freedom to plan out your days and schedule. But spending hours in a car means one thing is essential — the right playlist. The 1980s were certainly a decade that produced some of the most iconic tracks to date: Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine," Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It?," and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," to name a few. Did you know, though, that some now-beloved '80s songs were commercial flops when they were first released? It may have been wrong for the time, poorly mixed or marketed, or produced with too limited a budget — but whatever the reason, some of these "failures" might surprise you.

A "flop," as defined in this piece, is a song that didn't experience commercial success upon first release, either in chart rankings or sales, particularly compared with the artist's other work. That doesn't mean these tracks were failures forever — they may have had a resurgence in popularity at a later time.

Below are our five top picks for '80s songs that originally flopped. This list was determined using a wide variety of sources, including Billboard.com charts and news publications, and more, which Islands thoroughly reviewed for this story. Whether you're experiencing a scenic journey through Utah's five national parks or heading on the most idyllic road trip through California wine country, you may need some musical inspiration. So, add these tracks to your road trip playlist for nostalgic vibes and high energy.

From its opening clang-heavy Jupiter-4 synthesizer riff, "I Travel," Simple Minds' intoxicating dance-rock single, takes listeners on a musical journey that's both cacophonic and lyrically poignant: "Europe has a language problem ... In central Europe, Men are marching" — a commentary on the Cold War that's somehow still resonant today.

If you're an '80s kid, Simple Minds has likely been forever etched into your brain through their unexpected hit, "Don't You (Forget About Me)," which reached No. 1 on U.S. charts and opened up a North American audience for the Scottish new wave band. The cultural anthem from 1985's "The Breakfast Club" had us all wanting to pump our fists in the air along with Judd Nelson. However, not every one of their releases achieved this level of success.

"Empires and Dance," the third album from the Glasgow-born band, was described by lead singer Jim Kerr as "a travelogue with spiky dance music." It was released by Arista Records in 1980 to almost no fanfare. Upon its initial release, the album only sold roughly 7,500 copies and spent just 3 weeks in the U.K.'s Top 100, never breaching the Top 40. The energetic, hard-hitting "I Travel" was chosen as the opening track and the album's first single, but it only managed to reach No. 80 on Billboard's Disco chart in the U.S. Inspired by the band's tour through Europe, the song brings in a post-punk sound reminiscent of Berlin's avant-garde nightclubs. So, it's only fitting that it be played on your next European getaway. Blast out this track as you wind through the storied castles and moody forests of the Fairy Tale Road, one of Germany's best road trips.

"How Soon Is Now?" by the Manchester-formed post-punk rock group The Smiths is a deeply personal ode to loneliness and alienation, heightened by its hypnotic tremolo rhythm and haunting opening wail. The band's lead singer and lyricist, Morrissey, shows surprising vulnerability in the raw opening lines ("I am the son, And the heir, Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar") all the way to the heart-wrenching close ("I am human and I need to be loved, Just like everybody else does"). Morrissey, who penned this soulful track in four days, once said that songwriting "was like launching your own diary to music."

Although many consider the song one of the band's greatest, it didn't make a huge impact upon its debut. It was originally relegated to B-side status on the single "William, It Was Really Nothing" in August 1984, as the band's label, Rough Trade Records, felt that it was too uncharacteristic of The Smiths' signature sound. It was later re-launched in January 1985 on the "Meat is Murder" album, but its previous release hurt its chart performance. While it did chart in the U.K., it never broke into the top 10. However, the song has since proven to have lasting cultural resonance — covers of it have circulated prominently, notably as the theme song for the hit TV series "Charmed" and on the soundtrack of the 1996 cult-classic film "The Craft."

Play "How Soon Is Now?" when you're on a trip for one and in your feelings — perhaps when you're visiting breathtaking Copenhagen for your first solo trip. Ironically, this anthem about isolation may help you feel less alone while on the road.

From its effervescent keyboards to the fire-and-brimstone-sermon-esque delivery of the lyrics by lead singer David Byrne, Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" is as avant-garde and chaotic as it is memorable and compelling. At its core, it's a song about an existential crisis, with the protagonist contemplating the meaning of a life that seems to have been running on autopilot: "And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile, And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife, And you may ask yourself, 'Well, how did I get here?'". It's a soul-searching, jangly, new wave jam that makes you want to get out of your car and onto your feet. Music editor Dan Condon describes the synthesizer-heavy track as "rhythmic Afrofunk dance party meets crazed street evangelist vibe."

The song came out on the New York-born band's fourth album, "Remain in Light," in October 1980, a release their drummer later claimed was their band's worst-selling album. "Once in a Lifetime" was the lead single, but the track didn't even chart on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Stylistically, it was a huge departure, both for the band itself and for post-punk music at that time, as it eschewed traditional song structure and rhythms in favor of layered instrumentation and lyrical innovation. Eventually, the song's fortunes shifted when it was later accompanied by the unforgettable and deeply weird music video that skyrocketed its popularity on MTV.

Listen to "Once in a Lifetime" when you're Big Apple-bound — or having an existential crisis — to be taken back to 1980s New York, one of the most creative musical eras and places in history: a time of experimentation, genre-bending, and cultural fusion like no other.

You might be shaking your head at the inclusion of the best-known single by a-ha, an Oslo-formed pop-synth trio, for an '80s flops playlist. "Take on Me" was certainly a chart-topper, having spent 27 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No. 1 in 12 different countries, including the U.S. — the first time in history for a Norwegian band to do so. It has also appeared in TV series like "Family Guy" and "The Last of Us," as well as in blockbuster films such as "Deadpool 2" and "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." With its infectious opening riff, perky melody, and lead singer Morten Harket's irresistible falsetto, it was destined to be a surefire hit — except that it wasn't.

When it first debuted, the song barely made a splash. It was produced on a limited budget, and the end result took the band's sound in a direction different from what they'd envisioned. While it reached No. 3 in Norway, it didn't even chart in any other country. It took two more releases — and much greater investment, a new producer, and signing with Warner Bros. Records — for the track to gain any traction. But the third time around, it was accompanied by an inventive, comic-book-style music video that exploded on MTV (and nabbed the band six wins at the Video Music Awards). Re-released on a-ha's debut album, "Hunting High and Low," as the lead single in 1985, "Take on Me" finally received the recognition and popularity it deserved.

Play this track — either the original 1984 version or the more polished, well-known 1985 one — anytime you're cruising and want to be put into an almost unbearably good mood. But listeners beware: side effects may include the irrepressible urge to pull over and dance. You've been warned.

"Blister in the Sun" was the first single from American alt-rock, folk-punk trio Violent Femmes, who hail from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's an insatiable earworm, with the catchy four-note opening riff, hard-hitting snare drums, and frontman Gordon Gano's uniquely conversational singing style. Nowadays, it's almost instantly recognizable, with appearances in TV shows like the angst-ridden "My So-Called Life" and films like "Grosse Pointe Blank," among others. Gano penned the track when he was a teenager — and indeed, "Blister in the Sun" is the soundtrack to the teen experience, from its frenetic guitars to its simplistic lyrics (Gano whines, "Let me go ooooon," almost tantrum-like). The song is often interpreted to be about the feelings and behaviors that come with drug use — "When I'm out walkin', I strut my stuff, Yeah, and I'm so strung out, I'm high as a kite..." At some point, the song devolves into complete lyrical inanity: "Let me go on, Big hands, I know you're the one" — but hey, isn't being young and carefree also about occasionally screaming nonsense into the wind?

The song was released in 1983 to virtually no fanfare — it didn't make the Hot 100 in the U.S., and the self-titled debut album on which it appeared only just made it onto the Billboard 200 list (peaking at No. 171 and only much later, in 1991). Despite the song's catchiness and eventual popularity, "Blister in the Sun" was too punk to grace the mainstream music charts – but that didn't prevent the band from receiving critical acclaim and amassing a loyal fan base.

Give this a listen the next time you're on the road and feeling young and wild. Sing and clap along, and yes, maybe scream some of the words out your window if the mood strikes.