Now we all know that most of the band's non-singles could easily be radio friendly. I personally can imagine so many different songs from this entire catalogue as singles. But there are some songs that I'm downright shocked that were never released as singles, because they sound like they would make huge hits.

With a maximum of three songs, I'd like to hear what others consider very hit-friendly but were never released as singles.

Mine are:

"Nightwatchman" -- I am SHOCKED this was never a single. I understand "The Waiting" being the first single off of Hard Promises, but I don't know why "A Woman In Love" was chosen over "Nightwatchman" as the second single. I really do feel like this song would have exploded on the radio if given the chance (and if not released simultaneously with "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"). Those guitars are way too incredible, and the song grabs you immediately.

"Dogs On the Run" -- I think in the era of the epic-sounding Springsteen introspectives, this song would have killed on the charts. In addition to being such a great song, everything is right in place for its single-hood: it's the perfect time length, it's got that epic thing going on, and it's got the most incredible guitar hook that I think would have wowed everyone in the 80s. This should have been the second single off of Southern Accents, no question.

"The Dark of the Sun" -- there were so many singles spawned in so many different countries from Into the Great Wide Open, but I never see this song. Aside from "Into the Great Wide Open" and "Learning to Fly", this song sounds the most radio-friendly, especially in the pre-grunge early 90s where soaring acoustic guitars and melodic hooks ruled the airwaves. The chorus of this song alone grabs the listener immediately, and it's a shock this was never considered as a single.

Great topic. First of all, I agree with your three songs. Off the top of my head, mine would be:

"Hometown Blues" - I'm not "surprised" this wasn't a single, as it was from the first album that already featured "American Girl" and "Breakdown", but I think this one would've been a radio hit if given the chance. Besides being incredibly catchy (and short), it has the folksy hand clap thing going on.

"Counting On You" - Echo was a fantasic album, but "Room at the Top" was neither a lead off track nor a single (though I love the song). The jazzy second track, "Counting on You" would have had a much better radio career. You could probably sub "Won't Last Long" or "Accused of Love" or "About to Give Out" in here as well.

"Black Leather Woman" - incredibly catchy, monster riff, short and sweet. How in the world could this not be a single? Oh, maybe because it was never released on an album.

I know there is a alot of people that feel that the Echo cd is concered a let down on Petty part. If you listen to the whole cd there is a song " About to give out" that is amazing.

i totally agree with dogs on the run. the lyrics are great in my opinion, "some of us are different, its just somethin in our blood, theres no need for explanations, we're just dogs on the run"...love that line and would love to hear it live!

The Apartment song would have made a good single. Keepin' me alive

I agree with Black Leather Woman. It's a fantastic bluesy song.

Also, Crawling Back to You is an especially heart-touching song that never made it to the charts.

Along with Crawling Back to You is Hard on Me, from the same album.

From Full Moon Fever, I believed Zombie Zoo is a fun, radio-friendly song that never made it to the radio.

Finally, Down South was surprisingly not a single. Great harmonies on that song.

Kings Road, One Story Town, Shadow Of A Doubt (Complex Kid), Think About Me, and All Or Nothin' I think would have gotten a lot of radio play if they had been released as singles.

Yes, I totally agree with "Dark Of the Sun" and "Counting On You". They both were my personal first singles off of their respective albums.

By the time "Highway Companion" came out, the single format was all but gone. Still, "Down South" is the song from that one that went onto the tape for the car. With Mudcrutch, it's "Topanga Cowgirl".

And "A Higher Place" from Wildflowers could have been a big hit, too. But they corrected that later with the quasi re-write "The Last DJ", which had a lyrical impact on radio programmers that "A Higher Place" could never have had.