3 Iconic Hits that Weren’t Released as Singles

In the album-oriented days, some songs existed as fillers—an excuse to sell a full-length album from a hit single’s or singles’ popularity.

But some “album” tracks define history’s biggest bands. What makes a song a single isn’t always obvious. Some are too long. Or the record company thinks radio programmers will object to the lyrics. Maybe the band is too big to chase the radio playlists or generally opposes separating one song from a larger work.

Many songs are destined to become hits regardless of whether they were meant to be focus tracks or not. Here’s a list of three iconic hits that weren’t released as singles.

“Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles from Abbey Road (1969)

George Harrison’s song reflects a new morning while the sun was setting on his band. Abbey Road contains two of Harrison’s greatest songs: “Here Comes the Sun” and “Something”—the latter released as a double single with “Come Together.” Harrison lamented the business The Beatles had become. So he skipped a meeting at Apple Corps and headed to Eric Clapton’s place. “The relief of not having to go and see all those dopey accountants was wonderful, and I walked around the garden with one of Eric’s acoustic guitars and wrote ‘Here Comes the Sun,’” he said. It wasn’t a single and also didn’t feature John Lennon, who skipped the session while recovering from a car accident.

“Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones from Let It Bleed (1969)

Mick Jagger described “Gimme Shelter” as an “apocalypse.” He said the whole of Let It Bleed can’t be separated from the violence of the Vietnam War. A world on the edge formed “Gimme Shelter,” and Merry Clayton’s voice-cracking screams highlight the song’s desperation. Meanwhile, Keith Richards was playing an acoustic guitar in a friend’s apartment, staring out the window at the London street. The sky went dark, and Londoners ran for shelter from the pounding rainstorm. Regardless of how the song arrived, the ominous sky metaphor fits the time’s war anxiety. Though it wasn’t a single, “Gimme Shelter” distills late-’60s unease into a rock classic. It sounds like a world on fire. It’s just a shot away.

“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin from Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

Perhaps the world’s most pervasive album cut, the eight-minute multipart suite of “Stairway to Heaven” remains a rock radio staple. It’s Led Zeppelin’s defining song and something Robert Plant came to despise performing. He’s not a fan of “Stairway” covers, either—until Heart made him cry with a moving rendition at the Kennedy Center Honors. Singer Ann Wilson delivered a belting vocal, bringing Plant’s famous outro wail to something transcending the lyrics’ abstract folklore. You might snicker at Jimmy Page’s delicate fingerpicking as it emerges from the open window of a dude’s car in traffic. But most people won’t change the channel. When Plant howls, And as we wind on down the road, you’re behind the wheel going for it, too.

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