It came up in another thread that there are a lot of top 40 songs that are long forgotten (except for in when heard in countdown shows or "hey remember this one?" features).
Yet there are many classic songs (or at least still-pretty-well-known-today) that never made the top 40.
Here is a collection of them I started a while ago. Feel free to add to it! I bolded the ones that really surprised me.
#99
Cure "In Between Days"
Weird Al "Fat"
#98
Lightning Seeds "The Life Of Riley"
Metallica "Sad But True"
New Order "Bizarre Love Triangle"
#97
Bon Jovi "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"
#95
Greg Lake "I Believe In Father Christmas"
Young The Giant "Cough Syrup"
#93
Aimee Mann "That's Just What You Are"
Guns N Roses "Nightrain"
#92
Van Morrison "Moondance"
Tom Petty "Into the Great Wide Open"
#91
MGMT "Kids"
Talking Heads "Once In A Lifetime"
#90
Beth Hart "LA Song"
Metallica "King Nothing"
#89
Indigo Girls "Galileo"
Motley Crue "Home Sweet Home"
ZZ Top "Cheap Sunglasses"
#87
Depeche Mode "Master And Servant"
#86
REM "Pop Song '89"
#84
Sting "Englishman In New York"
Rodney Dangerfield "Rappin' Rodney"
U2 "All I Want Is You"
#82
Lindsey Buckingham "Holiday Road"
Metallica "Wherever I May Roam"
#81
Paul Simon "Graceland"
U2 "I Will Follow"
#80
Limp Bizkit "Nookie"
#78
Cake "Never There"
Modern English "I Melt With You"
Radiohead "High And Dry"
#77
Billy Joel "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)"
#76
Filter "Hey Man Nice Shot"
#74
Police "Message In A Bottle"
Who "My Generation"
#73
Boomtown Rats "I Don't Like Mondays"
Jack Johnson "Flake"
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Give It Away"
Sarah McLachlan "Possession"
#72
Peter Gabriel "Don't Give Up"
XTC "The Mayor Of Simpleton"
#71
Cure "Pictures Of You"
Herbie Hancock "Rockit"
#69
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Californication"
REM "It's The End Of The World As We Know It"
#68
Peter Gabriel "Solsbury Hill"
#67
James Taylor "Carolina On My Mind"
Porno For Pyros "Pets"
#66
10,000 Maniacs "These Are Days"
#65
Jimi Hendrix Experience "Purple Haze"
Tori Amos "Silent All These Years"
#64
David Bowie "Rebel Rebel"
Nirvana "Lithium"
#63
Band "The Weight"
Todd Rundgren "Bang The Drum All Day"
Traveling Wilburys "End Of The Line"
U2 "Sweetest Thing"
#62
Bow Wow Wow "I Want Candy"
Cheap Trick "Surrender"
Waitresses "I Know What Boys Like"
#61
Def Leppard "Bringin' On The Heartbreak"
James "Laid"
#59
Matt Nathanson "Come On Get Higher"
#58
Blink 182 "What's My Age Again"
Wall Of Voodoo "Mexican Radio"
#57
Billy Joel "The Downeaster Alexa"
David Gray "Babylon"
Mary Chapin Carpenter "Passionate Kisses"
#56
Beatles "I Am The Walrus"
Republica "Ready To Go"
Van Halen "Hot For Teacher"
#55
Garbage "Only Happy When It Rains"
Van Halen "Right Now"
#54
Huey Lewis & The News "But It's Alright"
Talking Heads "And She Was"
#53
Beatles "If I Fell"
U2 "New Year's Day"
Weird Al "Amish Paradise"
#52
Indigo Girls "Closer To Fine"
#51
Eminem "Stan"
Marcia Griffiths "Electric Boogie"
#50
Genesis "Taking It All Too Hard"
Queen "I Want It All"
#49
Beatles "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
Bonnie Raitt "Have A Heart"
James Taylor "Mexico"
La's "There She Goes"
Romantics "What I Like About You"
Squeeze "Tempted"
#48
Coldplay "Yellow"
Peter Gabriel "Games Without Frontiers"
#47
John Travolta "Greased Lightnin'"
#46
Billy Idol "Rebel Yell"
Weather Girls "It's Raining Men"
#45
Buster Poindexter "Hot Hot Hot"
Clash "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care"
#44
10,000 Maniacs "Trouble Me"
Barenaked Ladies "It's All Been Done"
John Fogerty "Centerfield"
Rush "Tom Sawyer"
#43
Bob Seger "Katmandu"
Live "Selling The Drama"
#42
Cranberries "Dreams"
Natalie Imbruglia "Torn"
Rolling Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
#41
Beatles "From Me To You"
Bob Seger "Rock And Roll Never Forgets"
Cars "Good Times Roll"
Cars "It's All I Can Do"
David Bowie "Changes"
Elton John "Tiny Dancer"
Huey Lewis & The News "Workin' For A Livin'"
Nine Inch Nails "Closer"
Psychedelic Furs "Pretty In Pink"
ZZ Top "La Grange"
Yet there are many classic songs (or at least still-pretty-well-known-today) that never made the top 40.
Here is a collection of them I started a while ago. Feel free to add to it! I bolded the ones that really surprised me.
#99
Cure "In Between Days"
Weird Al "Fat"
#98
Lightning Seeds "The Life Of Riley"
Metallica "Sad But True"
New Order "Bizarre Love Triangle"
#97
Bon Jovi "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead"
#95
Greg Lake "I Believe In Father Christmas"
Young The Giant "Cough Syrup"
#93
Aimee Mann "That's Just What You Are"
Guns N Roses "Nightrain"
#92
Van Morrison "Moondance"
Tom Petty "Into the Great Wide Open"
#91
MGMT "Kids"
Talking Heads "Once In A Lifetime"
#90
Beth Hart "LA Song"
Metallica "King Nothing"
#89
Indigo Girls "Galileo"
Motley Crue "Home Sweet Home"
ZZ Top "Cheap Sunglasses"
#87
Depeche Mode "Master And Servant"
#86
REM "Pop Song '89"
#84
Sting "Englishman In New York"
Rodney Dangerfield "Rappin' Rodney"
U2 "All I Want Is You"
#82
Lindsey Buckingham "Holiday Road"
Metallica "Wherever I May Roam"
#81
Paul Simon "Graceland"
U2 "I Will Follow"
#80
Limp Bizkit "Nookie"
#78
Cake "Never There"
Modern English "I Melt With You"
Radiohead "High And Dry"
#77
Billy Joel "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)"
#76
Filter "Hey Man Nice Shot"
#74
Police "Message In A Bottle"
Who "My Generation"
#73
Boomtown Rats "I Don't Like Mondays"
Jack Johnson "Flake"
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Give It Away"
Sarah McLachlan "Possession"
#72
Peter Gabriel "Don't Give Up"
XTC "The Mayor Of Simpleton"
#71
Cure "Pictures Of You"
Herbie Hancock "Rockit"
#69
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Californication"
REM "It's The End Of The World As We Know It"
#68
Peter Gabriel "Solsbury Hill"
#67
James Taylor "Carolina On My Mind"
Porno For Pyros "Pets"
#66
10,000 Maniacs "These Are Days"
#65
Jimi Hendrix Experience "Purple Haze"
Tori Amos "Silent All These Years"
#64
David Bowie "Rebel Rebel"
Nirvana "Lithium"
#63
Band "The Weight"
Todd Rundgren "Bang The Drum All Day"
Traveling Wilburys "End Of The Line"
U2 "Sweetest Thing"
#62
Bow Wow Wow "I Want Candy"
Cheap Trick "Surrender"
Waitresses "I Know What Boys Like"
#61
Def Leppard "Bringin' On The Heartbreak"
James "Laid"
#59
Matt Nathanson "Come On Get Higher"
#58
Blink 182 "What's My Age Again"
Wall Of Voodoo "Mexican Radio"
#57
Billy Joel "The Downeaster Alexa"
David Gray "Babylon"
Mary Chapin Carpenter "Passionate Kisses"
#56
Beatles "I Am The Walrus"
Republica "Ready To Go"
Van Halen "Hot For Teacher"
#55
Garbage "Only Happy When It Rains"
Van Halen "Right Now"
#54
Huey Lewis & The News "But It's Alright"
Talking Heads "And She Was"
#53
Beatles "If I Fell"
U2 "New Year's Day"
Weird Al "Amish Paradise"
#52
Indigo Girls "Closer To Fine"
#51
Eminem "Stan"
Marcia Griffiths "Electric Boogie"
#50
Genesis "Taking It All Too Hard"
Queen "I Want It All"
#49
Beatles "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
Bonnie Raitt "Have A Heart"
James Taylor "Mexico"
La's "There She Goes"
Romantics "What I Like About You"
Squeeze "Tempted"
#48
Coldplay "Yellow"
Peter Gabriel "Games Without Frontiers"
#47
John Travolta "Greased Lightnin'"
#46
Billy Idol "Rebel Yell"
Weather Girls "It's Raining Men"
#45
Buster Poindexter "Hot Hot Hot"
Clash "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care"
#44
10,000 Maniacs "Trouble Me"
Barenaked Ladies "It's All Been Done"
John Fogerty "Centerfield"
Rush "Tom Sawyer"
#43
Bob Seger "Katmandu"
Live "Selling The Drama"
#42
Cranberries "Dreams"
Natalie Imbruglia "Torn"
Rolling Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
#41
Beatles "From Me To You"
Bob Seger "Rock And Roll Never Forgets"
Cars "Good Times Roll"
Cars "It's All I Can Do"
David Bowie "Changes"
Elton John "Tiny Dancer"
Huey Lewis & The News "Workin' For A Livin'"
Nine Inch Nails "Closer"
Psychedelic Furs "Pretty In Pink"
ZZ Top "La Grange"