Lulu - "I Could Never Miss You More Than I Do"

(Debuted August 1, 1981, Peaked #18, 18 Weeks on the Chart)  

Lulu was best known for the 1967 hit "To Sir With Love," taking it to #1 for five weeks, but had some assorted hits through the years. However, none of her followup singles after that had reached into the U.S. Top 20 pop chart even though she'd scored several U.K. hits in the meantime, sang a Eurovision-winning song in 1969 and sang the theme song for the James Bond film The Man With the Golden Gun.

In 1978, she had recorded "I Could Never Miss You" as part of an LP called Don't Take Love For Granted but didn't release it as a single. Since the album generated little interest at the time, perhaps that was a good thing. In 1980, the song was recorded by both Melba Moore and Bobbi Walker, which led to a second chance. Rather than re-recording it, the song was released in all of its 1978 glory, which may have allowed it to stand out among New Wave, synth-pop and other "modern" sounds of the day.

That's an interesting tactic: sending a three year-old song into the radio static at a time when songs of that era were largely being forgotten. It seemed to work in Lulu's favor, though. It not only went into the Top 20, it was also a #2 adult contemporary hit and went into the Top 10 in Canada and New Zealand. In Lulu's native U.K., however, it was a low-charting hit.