The Biggest Comebacks in Music History

Formed in 1968 by Richie Furay and Jim Messina after their former band, Buffalo Springfield, broke up, Poco had a hit in 1979 with “Crazy Love.” The band had to wait a decade for their next Top 40 entry.

While theatrical rock band KISS is undoubtedly iconic, they failed to release a Top 40 hit for some time after 1979’s “I Was Made For Lovin’ You.” This changed with the release of power ballad “Forever” – their last Top 40 hit to date.

North Carolina-born rhythm-and-blues singer Harrison topped the pop charts with his interpretation of the old blues classic “Kansas City” in 1959, but he didn’t make the Top 40 again until 1970. Interestingly, Harrison originally recorded his comeback hit, “Let’s Work Together,” in 1962, under the title “Let’s Stick Together,” but it didn’t go anywhere. It wasn’t until he re-recorded it, with alternative lyrics and a slightly different title, eight years later that it became a success.

Prior to their comeback song, the legendary heavy metal band’s last Top 40 hit had been in 1998 with “The Memory Remains” (with backing vocals by Marianne Faithfull). More than a decade later, after weathering various personal and creative conflicts, Metallica scored again with “The Day That Never Comes.”

Neil Sedaka is a prolific songwriter and singer who became a teen star in the 1950s. His singing career tailed off in the 1960s, and he posted his last Top 40 hit, “Bad Girl,” in 1963, before he made a comeback as a performer. Sedaka continued to write hit songs for other artists. Sedaka rebounded in 1974 with the hit “Laughter in the Rain,” his third No. 1 as an artist on Billboard Hot 100 chart. Sedaka has had nine top 10 songs.