2nd singles saving an era from flop?

[Reject False Icons 4,826]

do you remember eras whose 1st single flopped and miraculously it’s 2nd single save the era from flopping 

I have a couple examples 

Pink - I’m not dead, Who knew the 1st single flopped and u+ur hand caught up the public’s attention and even 1 year later who knew was re-released and it miraculously charted

Shakira - Oral fixation 1st single Don’t bother flopped, she rushed to record hips don’t lie, re-released the album with it and made it a success 

also Gaga’s last 3 eras might be close to these situations 

Joanne had moderate success with perfect illusion, it wasn’t after she performed Million reasons at the superbowl that it made numbers

chromatica had stupid love start charting high but shortly after it went down, then Rain on me had so much success it basically eclipsed SL 

Mayhem too Disease was very moderate but Abra took over even though it didn’t chart high it had by far the biggest impact the

[Bronco 15,588]

3 minutes ago, Reject False Icons said:

Pink - I’m not dead, Who knew the 1st single flopped and u+ur hand caught up the public’s attention and even 1 year later who knew was re-released and it miraculously charted

 

Stupid Girls was the 1st single for I'm Not Dead and was her biggest hit in 4 years. 
Who Knew came 2nd and flopped in the US, but was successful in her main markets (the US took years to embrace her) and is her 2nd longest charting single in the UK and Aus (her main markets). 
U + Ur Hand was the 3rd single and the last US single (excluding the Who Knew reissue). 

[27monster27 14,623]

Rude Boy from Rated R was not the second, or technically even the third, but fourth single from the album and it was a major #1 hit.

Hollywood would've helped American Life if Madonna wasn't being blacklisted at the time.

EDIT: Another good example is The Sweet Escape from the album of the same name. Wind It Up wasn't a flop since it peaked at #6 and spent three weeks in the top ten, but it was a downgrade in success for her. The Sweet Escape was then released as the second single and it made the album more successful.

Edited November 17, 2025 by 27monster27

[Fish 6,248]

judas saved BTW 

[dynamite 62,382]

19 minutes ago, Reject False Icons said:

Who knew the 1st single flopped

What the ****? It's an amazing song

[NUTELLA 16,128]

15 minutes ago, Fish said:

judas is the most reductive song on BTW 

Fixed

[Rahrahbitchson 21,691]

23 minutes ago, Fish said:

judas saved BTW 

How could a song that peaked at number 10 save an album whose first single debuted at number 1 and had a huge cultural impact and was critically acclaimed? LOL if anything it just drag her 

[Anderson123 40,031]

48 minutes ago, Bronco said:

Stupid Girls was the 1st single for I'm Not Dead and was her biggest hit in 4 years. 
Who Knew came 2nd and flopped in the US, but was successful in her main markets (the US took years to embrace her) and is her 2nd longest charting single in the UK and Aus (her main markets). 
U + Ur Hand was the 3rd single and the last US single (excluding the Who Knew reissue). 

This. 

I'm also looking at wikipedia and apparently Stupid Girls peaked at #13 on Billboard while Who Knew and U + Ur Hand both peaked at #9 so I wouldn't say it had any flops, I remember all 3 songs being major on MTV and I assume radio too. Charts have always been so random.

But anyway, I was thinking Sia's Alive song from This Is Acting didn't really do any noise as the lead single, then she dropped Bird Set Free as promo single, nothing happened. Reaper and Cheap Thrills were later released as promo singles too and Cheap Thrills became a major hit as the official 2nd single. Years later you can now hear Unstoppable everywhere on Tik Tok and Instagram too.

[PartySick 164,816]

1 hour ago, Reject False Icons said:

Abra took over even though it didn’t chart high

Didn't it peak within the top 20? 13 or something?

Sounds like a hit to me  

[PartySick 164,816]

Without R. Smelly DWUW would have absolutely eclipsed Applause in the long run, I think.

It's also funny that she's switched up her second singles twice now. DWUW over Venus and Million Reasons over A-Yo.

[Lucas 28,712]

Rain On Me and Abracadabra tbh 

[RochesterJoannster 3,632]

40 minutes ago, Lucas said:

Rain On Me and Abracadabra tbh 

I came to say this and Million Reasons. Joanne went all the way back up to #2 on Billboard 200 after that performance. 

Judas in the long-term has eclipsed BTW in popularity it seems in 2025 (although this isn’t the same as saving it from a flop)

Also, in many areas, Avril’s “My Happy Ending” on her second album Under My Skin

Edited November 17, 2025 by RochestrMonstr

[27monster27 14,623]

1 hour ago, PartySick said:

Without R. Smelly DWUW would have absolutely eclipsed Applause in the long run, I think.

It's also funny that she's switched up her second singles twice now. DWUW over Venus and Million Reasons over A-Yo.

Do What U Want would've been SO big without R@pist Kelly and with better promo. What a waste.

[TheFrenchGuy 2,230]

The thing is, Gaga has never picked her lead singles for commercial impact. She chooses the songs that set the stage for the album, the ones that explain the mindset she was in. The more pop-leaning tracks usually come after, once the story is laid out and the momentum is building.

Perfect Illusion: my life and my relationship were an illusion, and you are about to see me stripped down to what really matters. Joanne was exactly that, a return to the essentials to rebuild from something real. Then came Million Reasons, a grounded ballad inviting listeners into her vulnerability.

Stupid Love: at the height of her depression, all she wanted was love and connection. Chromatica grew from that place, an album made to keep the idea of “Gaga” alive while Stefani was working through deep pain. Then Rain on Me, a warm collaboration about friendship, endurance and not wanting to feel alone.

Disease: I have the power to heal myself from my demons. Mayhem feels like her taking full ownership of every part of herself and enjoying the exploration of her darker corners. Then Abracadabra, a proper return to form that cements her freedom and confidence.

So I wouldn’t judge these singles only through their chart performance, because the priority was always the narrative. You can even bring Aura versus Applause into the conversation, although before Joanne she didn’t seem to have the same level of freedom in how her rollouts were handled.

[Alxjcgn 1,359]

6 hours ago, Bronco said:

Stupid Girls was the 1st single for I'm Not Dead and was her biggest hit in 4 years. 
Who Knew came 2nd and flopped in the US, but was successful in her main markets (the US took years to embrace her) and is her 2nd longest charting single in the UK and Aus (her main markets). 
U + Ur Hand was the 3rd single and the last US single (excluding the Who Knew reissue). 

P!nk has never been appreciated as much as she should in the US, and even now despite her selling out stadiums. Her acrobats and performance are what bring people in but I strongly believe few people here in the US actually appreciate her talent.

I was living in Australia during the time of Truth about Love, and that tour was phenomenal. She had to keep adding shows which kept selling out because everyone loves her there, for HER!