5 flop soft rock songs that command respect from the younger generation – Grunge

For decades, the genre known as soft rock has been considered the opposite of cool, but in recent years, soft rock has found a new, often broader audience among younger listeners drawn to its dreamy, easygoing, or otherworldly sound. Such discoveries often occur because tracks are incorporated into more contemporary styles of music through samples, cover versions by later generations of bands, or simply by being rediscovered on streaming platforms.

During its most popular period in the 1970s and 1980s, soft rock employed improved recording techniques and a wide range of instrumentation to create songs that were smooth, elegant, and easy to listen to. Many touched on the creator’s interest in broader styles of music such as folk and jazz. At that time, they often produced songs that were so easy to listen to that they were dismissed as elevator music or muzak, and were flatly rejected by fans of the hard rock, punk, and metal music that was gaining popularity around the same time. But today, younger generations have less disdain than Gen-Xers.

Here are five great soft rock songs that were commercially unpopular at the time of their release, but are much more well-received today. Some songs are by bands you’ve never heard of, while others are by major artists, but they never reached the commercial heights of best-selling works and remained relatively obscure in discography until they were reappraised by later listeners.

Pop-rock band Mr. Mister topped the album charts in the mid-1980s, but for several years before that, founding members Richard Page and Steve George had struggled to find fame with the soft-rock band The Pages, which existed from 1978 to 1981 and released three albums. Although the band’s short discography lacked any major hits, with none of their albums charting and only 1979’s “I Do Believe in You” charting on the Billboard Hot 100, many of the band’s songs, including their debut single “If I Saw You Again,” have since amassed nearly 9 million streams on Spotify.

“If I Saw You Again” sounds like an all-time hit. It opens with a very cool synth line and a funky, understated bass slam sprinkled with the occasional slap accent, before Page’s exquisite vocal line rolls in, followed by some classy guitar work that remains very smooth despite some exploratory passages. The track is now a chillout favorite, and was re-popularized in 2011 when it was looped and sampled on the title track of Macintosh Plus’ album Floral Shoppe, which became the basis for the viral vaporwave subgenre of electronic music.

Another viral hit of the 2010s was “L’Amour,” an album by a mysterious artist known only as Lewis. Although his chiseled face appears on album covers, little is known about the artist, who recorded albums in obscurity in the 1980s and disappeared from the music industry with virtually no impact. According to Vice, the album was accidentally rediscovered by an enthusiast and re-released by independent label Light in the Attic, leading to rave reviews from music outlets and rumors online that the whole thing was actually a stunt or a hoax.

But the story behind Lewis is real, and songs like L’Amour’s signature song, “Let’s Fall In Love Tonight,” were actually recorded by a shadowy figure in an L.A. studio in the 1980s. The song is something of an outsider gem, with a strange and haunting quality that contrasts with the polished production and imagery that comes with the album.

Featuring fragile keys and Lewis’ gentle, half-whispered vocals, the song sits somewhere between the works of tragic folk singer Nick Drake and Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry, but it has an earthy quality that explains why it failed to find an audience when it was first released. But by the 2010s, lo-fi bedroom pop had become easily recognizable to many listeners, and it’s easy to see why it caused so much excitement when it was finally reissued.

Wings’ “Arrow Through Me” just hit the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979, which would have been considered a major accomplishment for most other artists. But this is the Paul McCartney we’re talking about, the man who had repeated No. 1 hits after the Beatles with a new band he formed with his wife Linda and Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine. And compared to his other releases during the decade, ‘Arrow Through Me’ was certainly a flop, marking the end of the band’s imperial days.

But over the years, this funk-infused soft rock track has emerged as one of McCartney’s classic tracks of the era, and is certainly the standout song from its parent album, Back to the Egg. Featuring an infectious opening synth line and one of McCartney’s most melodic vocal performances, the album showcases the former Beatle’s perfectionism and chameleonic ability throughout the 1970s, bringing new influences to his music and keeping it sounding fresh and relevant.

The laid-back instrumentation contrasts sharply with the sense of despair that pervades the lyrics of ‘Arrow Through Me,’ and the song has had several cover versions over the years, including by Richie Havens in 1987, Lawrence Juber in 2005, Scary Pockets and Madison Cunningham in 2021, and most recently The Kooks in 2025. Meanwhile, the song has been sampled by Erykah Badu and others. It is gaining popularity among neo-soul fans.

Beverly Hills soft rocker Ned Doheny struggled to make a commercial breakthrough after beginning his recording career in the 1970s, with his studio albums failing to find an audience in the United States and then being abruptly fired by his label. But songs like “Get It Up for Love,” from his 1976 album Hard Candy, reveal that he was unfairly ignored (despite gaining a devoted following in Japan).

Doheny’s version of “Get It Up for Love,” written by Doheny but previously recorded by other artists such as David Cassidy, perfectly balances acoustic guitar and forward-thinking synths, creating a cool, sunny atmosphere that evokes the atmosphere of 1970s LA. Its chorus explodes with Doheny’s multi-tracked vocals and an angular piano part, but it doesn’t dispel the loose vibe that permeates the song.

Although his version never became a charting single, Tata Vega’s cover version became a minor dance hit and was covered by many other artists, including the Average White Band and Johnny Rivers. In 2014, Separate Oceans, a collection of cuts and demos of songs from Doheny’s first three studio albums, was issued, with the opening track “Get It Up for Love” reaching a new audience.

The once-obscure soft rock now often appears on “yacht rock” playlists on streaming platforms like Spotify, with Mark Jordan’s 1983 non-charting song “Margarita” becoming a popular song in those circles in recent years. The Canadian-American songwriter is best known for writing songs for other artists such as Rod Stewart and Joe Cocker, and was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Nevertheless, he is considered by many to be an underrated artist, especially as an interpreter of his own songs.

“Margarita” was released in 1983 on his third album, “Hole in the Wall”. It simply exudes soft rock cool, with assured arrangements and moody instrumentation that form a relaxed base for Jordan’s wistful vocals. Fittingly, the track features backing vocals by Richard Page and Steve George of the band The Pages. Synthesizers may have sounded cheap back in the day, but modern dream pop producers aiming for a solid ’80s vibe are probably still chasing similar sounds today. A true gem that has deservedly captivated an audience of millions in recent years.