Contrary to what their names imply, “greatest hits” albums often include one or two new tracks that have never previously been in a band or artist’s discography. In some cases, a band might use the compilation to boost a new song or two before they have enough tracks for a whole LP. In other cases, bands include these new tracks to beef up a tracklist that doesn’t quite meet a label’s length requirement.
Either way, these new additions to “greatest hits” compilations have resulted in some of the most iconic, enduring tracks of all time in the pop, rock, and R&B worlds. If they weren’t a greatest hit before the band put out the record, they certainly were afterward.
1. “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty
In the late 1980s, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers were looking to get out of their long-held recording contract with MCA Records. But before the band could move on to new distribution companies, they had to fulfill one more contractual obligation to MCA—a final album they decided to make a “greatest hits” compilation featuring two new tracks.
One of those tracks was “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” a song that had been brewing amongst the band for years before finally reaching its final form in 1993. The band almost left the song, originally called “Indiana Girl,” on the drawing room floor before making a few tweaks that would turn it into the iconic track we know and love today.
2. “September” by Earth, Wind, and Fire
Although it’s hard to imagine this disco track not existing before Earth, Wind, and Fire released their 1978 hits compilation, this LP was actually the debut for one of the group’s most popular tracks, “September.” The song ended up being one of Earth, Wind, and Fire’s most commercially successful songs of all time, despite a few writing hiccups along the way.
Songwriter Allee Willis later recalled hearing vocalist Maurice White singing the earworm hook, Ba-dee-ya, say that you’ll remember. Willie asked White, “What the f*** does ba-dee-ya mean? And [White] essentially said, ‘Who the f*** cares?’ I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him, which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove” (via NPR).
3. “Fernando” by ABBA
While we often associate “Fernando” with Swedish disco pop group ABBA, the song was originally a solo hit for one of the quartet members, Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Lyngstad included the melancholy ballad-turned-bop on her 1975 album ‘Frida ensam,’ and one year later, ABBA decided to record their own version for their 1976 ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation.
Lyngstad achieved relative success, particularly in her native Sweden, but sales of ‘Frida ensam’ paled in comparison to the ABBA LP. ABBA’s version of “Fernando” became one of their best-selling singles, selling over 10 million copies worldwide. It held the record of Australia’s longest-running No. 1 single for four decades, spending a whopping 14 months at the top.
4. “It’s My Life” by No Doubt
When the time came for No Doubt to release their compilation album ‘The Singles 1992-2003,’ frontwoman Gwen Stefani had been busy writing and recording her solo debut ‘Love. Angel. Music. Baby.’ To save time, the band opted to include a single on their upcoming greatest hits record, settling on the 1984 new wave track “It’s My Life” by Talk Talk.
The cover ended up being one of No Doubt’s most memorable tracks, reaching No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004 and staying there for seven months. Billboard lists “It’s My Life” as the fourth-most commercially successful No Doubt track behind “Hey Baby,” “Underneath It All,” and their smash 1996 hit “Don’t Speak.”
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