10 Rock Music Songs That Were Almost Never Released
How different things could have been if these songs never saw the light of day?
Though it might be clear with the power of hindsight, one can never tell what is going to be a hit before it leaves the studio.
A musician or band never knows how their song is going to be perceived; what they think is genius might be viewed as total nonsense by the public or, in the case of the entries on this list, vice versa.
These ten songs are all considered sure-fire smashes today, but there was one point in time where they weren't deemed worthy enough to be released. Whether they were too long, too complicated, or just thought to be bad, in an alternate timeline, they never left the vault.
Some of this resistance came from record label executives, who continuously prove to be out of touch with public opinion despite that literally being their job.
Other times, it was the artist themselves who weren't so keen and had to be talked round by their fellow bandmates.
Remember, a song you're hearing for the first time is one that the person who made had heard hundreds of times during the production process. That's enough to drive anyone mad.
10. The Boys Are Back In Town - Thin Lizzy
Though they have a bulging back catalogue of excellent songs to sample - Jailbreak, Whiskey in the Jar, Waiting for an Alibi - the one track that most people immediately associate with Irish twin guitar magicians Thin Lizzy is their raucous summer anthem, The Boys Are Back in Town.
First released in 1976, this ode to troublemaking quickly gained popularity amongst those who liked their rock hard and feisty. It's a good thing this happened as, had it not been a success, Thin Lizzy might have ceased to exist.
The Boys Are Back in Town was not originally selected as one of the ten songs to feature on the album Jailbreak, but a decision by one of their managers put on the record.
When the band found out that a song that was almost cut had become a radio hit, they were flabbergasted, with guitarist Scott Gorham calling it their "saviour" in a 2016 interview, as the album was "make or break time" for the group.
Managers might not always get it right in rock music, but sometimes they do actually know what they're doing. Not often, but sometimes.