00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 average level albums
00:13that are elevated tremendously by the presence of one truly great single.
00:26Number 10. LP. The Rembrandts. When the Rembrandts got the opportunity to provide the theme song for the insanely popular
00:34and culturally relevant Friends in 1994, it would eventually prove to be a ticket to immortality.
00:48I'll Be There For You is the track that turned the Rembrandts from a moderately successful pop-rock duo into
00:53a band permanently associated with one of the most enduring television shows of all time.
01:03The album it came from, entitled LP, is indeed a perfectly serviceable collection of pop-rock, but none of it
01:09really ever comes close to hitting the highs that I'll Be There For You does.
01:13To this day, while you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't know the song itself, the band's own
01:18stature is far less established.
01:28Number 9. Bleed American. Jimmy Eat World.
01:32At the peak of the alt-rock explosion of the late 90s and early 2000s, Jimmy Eat World were operating
01:38on a pretty high level of performance relative to their peers.
01:41Don't you worry what they tell themselves, but you're a wrong way.
01:46However, despite the adoration that fans of the genre bestowed upon the album Bleed American, the majority of its mainstream
01:52success is down to the strength of its breakout single, The Middle.
01:56It just takes some time to middle, girl, in the middle, out the right. Everything, everything will be just fine.
02:04This highly accessible piece of radio-friendly rock was just about as concise and punchy a track as the genre
02:10ever produced, a crossover hit that reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
02:15The album that it came from was a strong one for sure, but it's still totally overshadowed by this iconic
02:21single.
02:22Everything, everything will be just fine. Everything, everything will be just fine.
02:27Number 8. Hands All Over. Maroon 5.
02:31Sometimes a late decision can be the difference between a disappointing album release cycle and a truly career-altering saga.
02:45For Maroon 5, despite strong initial sales, their third studio album's momentum quickly started to falter.
02:53Hands All Over contains several competent Maroon 5 songs, but it eventually became clear that it was somewhat of a
03:00dip compared to their earlier material.
03:07The album's fortunes changed dramatically when Moves Like Jagger was added as a deluxe edition single nearly a year after
03:14its original release, becoming one of the biggest hits of the year.
03:18In contrast to the rest of the record, Moves Like Jagger brings way more energy and immediate appeal to the
03:24table, making its enduring popularity very easy to understand.
03:35Number 7. Romance 1600.
03:39Sheila E.
03:40All things considered, Sheila E.'s 1985 album Romance 1600 is a pretty solid effort.
03:47An energetic mixture of funk, pop, and R&B.
03:50Moves Like Jagger's Book
03:51Shine down the morning skin
03:54Given that Prince was involved in its production and some of its performance, it's pretty easy to understand why the
04:00record was considered a success.
04:02However, even its best points pale in comparison to the breakout single, A Love Bazaar.
04:07A track that sees Sheila and Prince sharing lead vocals throughout.
04:10That's what we are
04:12We all wanna go bizarre
04:18From its opening beats onward, it's clear that this track is operating on a different level.
04:24Even by Prince's standards, it's a remarkably catchy listen.
04:27And to this day, it remains a classic of the funk genre.
04:31That's what we are
04:33We all wanna love
04:35We all wanna know
04:35I'm sorry
04:35Number 6.
04:37The Reason
04:38Hoobastank
04:39In many ways, Hoobastank could very easily have fallen into obscurity in the wake of their second album, The Reason,
04:46had it not been for the standout title track.
04:49I'm not a perfect person
04:53They didn't necessarily do anything wrong on the LP, but many critics argued that there wasn't much to distinguish the
05:01band from others in their field.
05:02I found a reason for me
05:07The song The Reason, however, was always going to be a standout.
05:12Where some of their other tracks on the album play it safe, The Reason brings a far more interesting and
05:18commercially viable product to the table.
05:20It ended up becoming a crossover hit, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
05:25And the reason is you
05:29Number 5.
05:31Tommy Two-Tone 2
05:33Tommy Two-Tone
05:34There's really not much to criticize about Tommy Two-Tone's second album, Tommy Two-Tone 2.
05:40The record is a pleasant, energetic release that hits on the sounds of Power Pop and New Wave, but overall,
05:49very little of it has remained in the cultural consciousness alongside its enormous hit.
05:53All things considered, 8-6-7-5-3-0-9, Jenny, was on a different level to the tracks that
06:00join it on the LP.
06:01Jenny, I've got your phone number, honey would make you mine
06:07The fact that it became the band's only major hit is no surprise.
06:11It's a remarkably sharp and radio-ready piece of songwriting, capped off with a chorus that really does stick in
06:17your head.
06:18Although the band are now regarded as a one-hit wonder, their one hit was certainly quite a good one.
06:248-6-7-5-3-0-9
06:288-6-7-5-3-0-9
06:31Number 4.
06:33Count Three and Pray
06:35Berlin
06:36Bolstered by its inclusion on the soundtrack to the iconic 1986 film Top Gun, Berlin's Take My Breath Away is
06:43a song that encapsulates the 80s sound better than almost anything else.
06:47I'm watching every motion in my foot, love is gay
06:53The single reached number one in the Billboard Hot 100 and won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe for
06:58Best Original Song.
07:00It also went on to become Berlin's defining hit, despite the band having a considerably broader catalog than that reputation
07:07suggests.
07:07Watch you in slow motion as you turn to be insane
07:14The album Count Three and Pray contains some polished synth-pop and new wave material.
07:19But in the grand scheme of things, nothing on there approaches the cinematic sweep or cultural reach of its signature
07:26ballad.
07:32Number 3.
07:33Every Second Counts
07:35Plain White Tees
07:36Few acoustic pop songs of the 2000s managed to nail the assignment quite as well as Hey There Delilah by
07:43the Plain White Tees.
07:44Hey there Delilah, don't you worry about the distance, I'm right there if you get lonely.
07:50The album it comes from, Every Second Counts, is perfectly competent, but much of it consists of straightforward pop punk
07:57and emo pop that has not aged nearly as distinctly as its enormous hit.
08:10Hey there Delilah stands apart because it strips everything down to acoustic guitar and vocals,
08:16telling a simple long-distance love story with an almost folk-song directness.
08:21It's a catchy, well-written, and timeless track that commercially outstripped everything else the band ever did.
08:27Hey there Delilah, here's to you, this one's for you.
08:33Number 2.
08:35Xtreme 2 Porno Graffiti
08:37Xtreme
08:38There are a few standout moments on Xtreme's sophomore album Xtreme 2 Porno Graffiti that the band's fans hold in
08:45high regard.
08:46Saying I love you is not the words I want to hear.
08:54However, to many listeners, the record itself might be a surprising listen, given just how different their biggest hits sounds
09:02from their usual formula.
09:04Songs like Decadence, Dance, and Get the Funk Out are good fun, don't get us wrong,
09:08but most would agree that Nuno Betancourt's guitar work is by far the most ear-catching thing about this LP.
09:22That, and the insanely popular acoustic ballad, More Than Words.
09:26A track that doesn't even sound like it's being performed by the same band.
09:31It became so popular that it utterly eclipsed the rest of Xtreme's hard-rocking back catalog.
09:36Just if I said I love you
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10:161. Pablo Honey, Radiohead
10:19Although it was dwarfed in its stature by virtually everything that Radiohead would go on to do,
10:25the band's debut LP, Pablo Honey, is generally seen as a competent first effort.
10:29You're just like an angel
10:34Your skin makes me cry
10:36Songs like You, Blow Out, and Anyone Can Play Guitar fit well into the sounds and vibes of the
10:42early 1990s, even hinting at where the group would eventually end up. However, in terms of its legacy,
10:49the album's defining moment is undoubtedly the hit single, Creep.
11:00It initially didn't make too much of a commercial splash, but when it eventually took off, boy,
11:07did it take off. These days, despite the immense critical acclaim the band eventually achieved,
11:12Creep remains by far their most streamed track of all time.
11:19But what's another classic example of an album that is carried by one standout song?
11:24Let us know in the comments below.
11:26Let us know in the comments below.
11:26Let us know in the comments below.
