The lifecycle of a hit song is pretty well-defined: A song is released, it works its way up the charts, stays there for a little while, and eventually falls off, living on in the Spotify playlists and radio dials of its fans but never re-appearing on the charts.
But sometimes fate intervenes and, for one reason or another, a song will find itself charting (or at least working its way back into pop culture consciousness) once again years or decades later – the original version, not an update or a cover. (These are the most covered songs in music history.)
One common reason for this occurrence is the death of the original artist; after Prince and Michael Jackson passed away suddenly, for example, some of their biggest hits re-appeared on Billboard charts as mourning fans listened to their music once again.
Another reason is TikTok. A song is used in a video that goes viral, and suddenly it’s just as popular as it was the first time it was released. For evidence, look no further than Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 classic “Dreams,” which again found fame after a brief video of a man skateboarding while drinking cranberry juice and lip synching to the song went viral.
The other most common reason is the song’s use in a popular film or TV show. Older fans remember why they loved the song in the first place, and younger fans discover a great song for the first time. This famously happened with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” in “Wayne’s World” as well as The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” in “Ghost,” and currently a new generation is falling in love with Kate Bush’s 1985 song “Running Up That Hill,” which has cracked the Billboard Top 10 after being featured prominently in season four of Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” (Learn which artists have had the most dominant reigns in Billboard history.)
Click here to see classic songs that have returned to the Billboard Hot 100
To determine the classic songs that have returned to the Billboard Hot 100, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on historical Billboard Hot 100 chart performance. We identified songs that exited the Hot 100 and re-entered the chart after a period of at least 20 years. Supplemental data on chart performance during a song’s initial appearance on the Hot 100 and its latest appearance also came from Billboard. Holiday songs were not considered.
Source: BIPS / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
25. “Twist And Shout” by The Beatles
> Original Hot 100 appearance: March 14, 1964
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 2 for 4 weeks (11 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: August 9, 1986
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 23 for 1 week (15 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 22 years, 25 weeks
Source: Getty Images / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
24. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston
> Original Hot 100 appearance: May 16, 1987
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 2 weeks (18 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: February 25, 2012
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 25 for 1 week (2 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 24 years, 45 weeks
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
23. “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King
> Original Hot 100 appearance: May 8, 1961
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 4 for 2 weeks (14 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: October 4, 1986
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 9 for 3 weeks (21 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 25 years, 26 weeks
Source: Frank Micelotta / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
22. “Unchained Melody” by The Righteous Brothers
> Original Hot 100 appearance: July 17, 1965
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 4 for 2 weeks (13 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: December 29, 1990
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 40 for 1 week (13 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 25 years, 28 weeks
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
21. “Do You Love Me” by The Contours
> Original Hot 100 appearance: August 11, 1962
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 3 for 3 weeks (18 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: June 4, 1988
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 11 for 1 week (16 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 25 years, 47 weeks
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
20. “Greatest Love Of All” by Whitney Houston
> Original Hot 100 appearance: March 29, 1986
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 3 weeks (18 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: February 25, 2012
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 36 for 1 week (2 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 26 years, 0 weeks
Source: Getty Images / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
19. “How Will I Know” by Whitney Houston
> Original Hot 100 appearance: December 7, 1985
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 2 weeks (23 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: March 3, 2012
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 49 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 26 years, 17 weeks
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Source: Skip Bolen / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
18. “Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi
> Original Hot 100 appearance: December 13, 1986
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 4 weeks (21 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: November 30, 2013
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 25 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 27 years, 3 weeks
Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
17. “Faith” by George Michael
> Original Hot 100 appearance: October 24, 1987
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 4 weeks (20 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: January 14, 2017
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 47 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 29 years, 17 weeks
Source: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
16. “Kiss” by Prince and The Revolution
> Original Hot 100 appearance: February 22, 1986
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 2 weeks (18 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: May 7, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 23 for 1 week (2 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 30 years, 16 weeks
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
15. “Raspberry Beret” by Prince And The Revolution
> Original Hot 100 appearance: May 18, 1985
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 2 for 1 week (17 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: May 14, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 33 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 31 years, 5 weeks
Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
14. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
> Original Hot 100 appearance: January 22, 1983
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 7 weeks (24 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: June 7, 2014
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 14 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 31 years, 25 weeks
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Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
13. “I Would Die 4 U” by Prince and The Revolution
> Original Hot 100 appearance: December 15, 1984
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 8 for 1 week (15 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: May 14, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 39 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 31 years, 27 weeks
Source: Chris Graythen / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
12. “Purple Rain” by Prince and The Revolution
> Original Hot 100 appearance: October 6, 1984
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 2 for 2 weeks (16 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: May 7, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 4 for 1 week (2 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 31 years, 36 weeks
Source: mark downey / Corbis Entertainment via Getty Images
11. “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince and The Revolution
> Original Hot 100 appearance: August 4, 1984
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 2 weeks (19 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: May 7, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 25 for 1 week (2 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 31 years, 45 weeks
Source: Sherry Rayn Barnett / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
10. “When Doves Cry” by Prince
> Original Hot 100 appearance: June 2, 1984
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 5 weeks (21 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: May 7, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 8 for 1 week (2 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 32 years, 2 weeks
Source: Hulton Archive / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
9. “Careless Whisper” by Wham! Featuring George Michael
> Original Hot 100 appearance: December 22, 1984
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 3 weeks (21 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: January 14, 2017
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 33 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 32 years, 9 weeks
Source: Gary Gershoff / Archive Photos via Getty Images
8. “Little Red Corvette” by Prince
> Original Hot 100 appearance: February 26, 1983
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 6 for 2 weeks (22 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: May 7, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 20 for 1 week (2 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 33 years, 16 weeks
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
7. “1999” by Prince
> Original Hot 100 appearance: October 30, 1982
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 44 for 2 weeks (12 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: May 7, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 27 for 1 week (2 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 33 years, 33 weeks
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
6. “Under Pressure” by Queen & David Bowie
> Original Hot 100 appearance: November 7, 1981
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 29 for 2 weeks (15 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: January 30, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 45 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 34 years, 18 weeks
Source: Aaron Rapoport / Corbis Historical via Getty Images
5. “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell
> Original Hot 100 appearance: January 28, 1984
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 2 for 3 weeks (19 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: November 13, 2021
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 42 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 37 years, 46 weeks
Source: Carlo Allegri / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
4. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
> Original Hot 100 appearance: February 11, 1984
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 4 for 2 weeks (14 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: November 13, 2021
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 19 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 37 years, 48 weeks
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Source: Rogers / Hulton Archive via Getty Images
3. “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
> Original Hot 100 appearance: January 3, 1976
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 9 for 2 weeks (24 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: November 17, 2018
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 33 for 1 week (3 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 43 years, 1 weeks
Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images
2. “Space Oddity” by David Bowie
> Original Hot 100 appearance: January 27, 1973
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 15 for 1 week (14 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: January 30, 2016
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 42 for 1 week (1 week total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 43 years, 8 weeks
Source: RB / Redferns via Getty Images
1. “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac
> Original Hot 100 appearance: April 16, 1977
> Original Hot 100 performance: No. 1 for 1 week (19 weeks total)
> Re-entered Hot 100: October 17, 2020
> Hot 100 performance upon re-entry: No. 12 for 1 week (4 weeks total)
> Gap between Hot 100 appearances: 43 years, 34 weeks
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