![A No.1 single does not a superstar make - and, from Vampire Weekend to Joni Mitchell, these are the 10 artists - having never had a top 20 single - to prove it.]()
A No.1 single does not a superstar make - and, from Vampire Weekend to Joni Mitchell, these are the 10 artists - having never had a top 20 single - to prove it.
![Vampire Weekend: Surely one of the most famous, commercially successful indie rock bands of the last decade, albums Contra and Modern Vampires Of The City reached No.1 in the US and No.3 in the UK. Their singles record is surprisingly sparse though. Astonishingly, they've never had a charting single in the US, and 'Oxford Comma' peaked at No.36 in the UK.]()
Vampire Weekend: Surely one of the most famous, commercially successful indie rock bands of the last decade, albums Contra and Modern Vampires Of The City reached No.1 in the US and No.3 in the UK. Their singles record is surprisingly sparse though. Astonishingly, they've never had a charting single in the US, and 'Oxford Comma' peaked at No.36 in the UK.
![Joni Mitchell: As one of the most important folk musicians (she'd kill us for using that word, forgive us Joni) of all time, Joni Mitchell released dozens of hugely important albums, perhaps the most iconic of which was 1971's Blue. She never had a charting single in the UK though - not 'California', not 'Both Sides Now', not even 'Big Yellow Taxi'. That last song did chart in the US, but it peaked at No.67.]()
Joni Mitchell: As one of the most important folk musicians (she'd kill us for using that word, forgive us Joni) of all time, Joni Mitchell released dozens of hugely important albums, perhaps the most iconic of which was 1971's Blue. She never had a charting single in the UK though - not 'California', not 'Both Sides Now', not even 'Big Yellow Taxi'. That last song did chart in the US, but it peaked at No.67.
![Foals: Despite the fact that they're sitting on the cusp of headlining major festivals, having earned themselves a fervent fanbase over the space of four albums, none of Foals' many singles has made much of a dent in the charts. Their most successful single in the UK was 2012's 'My Number', but even that didn't break into the top 20. Still, their forthcoming album What Went Down seems like a safe bet for No.1 in the albums chart.]()
Foals: Despite the fact that they're sitting on the cusp of headlining major festivals, having earned themselves a fervent fanbase over the space of four albums, none of Foals' many singles has made much of a dent in the charts. Their most successful single in the UK was 2012's 'My Number', but even that didn't break into the top 20. Still, their forthcoming album What Went Down seems like a safe bet for No.1 in the albums chart.
![Leonard Cohen: You might have assumed, given that he is one of the most prominent figures in music, and is responsible for one of the most famous songs in the world, that Leonard Cohen had a few hit singles under his belt. You'd be wrong. Even the now-ubiquitous 'Hallelujah' failed to chart until he re-released it in 2007 - and it only reached No.36.]()
Leonard Cohen: You might have assumed, given that he is one of the most prominent figures in music, and is responsible for one of the most famous songs in the world, that Leonard Cohen had a few hit singles under his belt. You'd be wrong. Even the now-ubiquitous 'Hallelujah' failed to chart until he re-released it in 2007 - and it only reached No.36.
![Arcade Fire: With a No.19 UK single in the form of 'Rebellion (Lies)', Arcade Fire are actually the most commercially successful band, as far as hit singles go, in this list. But given that they've headlined Glastonbury and have two UK and US No.1 albums, that still seems shocking.]()
Arcade Fire: With a No.19 UK single in the form of 'Rebellion (Lies)', Arcade Fire are actually the most commercially successful band, as far as hit singles go, in this list. But given that they've headlined Glastonbury and have two UK and US No.1 albums, that still seems shocking.
![Pixies: Doolittle is frequently cited, by fellow musicians, critics and music fans, as one of the most important, innovative albums of the 20th century... but that hasn't helped them with a hit single. They've never charted on the Billboard Hot 100, and their biggest hit in the UK was 1990's 'Velouria'.]()
Pixies: Doolittle is frequently cited, by fellow musicians, critics and music fans, as one of the most important, innovative albums of the 20th century... but that hasn't helped them with a hit single. They've never charted on the Billboard Hot 100, and their biggest hit in the UK was 1990's 'Velouria'.
![Maccabees: Their fourth album, Marks To Prove It, reached the coveted No.1 spot in the UK - but none of their singles have come anywhere near achieving the same feat. They've had a couple that have scraped their way into the top 40, but that's where their singles success begins and ends.]()
Maccabees: Their fourth album, Marks To Prove It, reached the coveted No.1 spot in the UK - but none of their singles have come anywhere near achieving the same feat. They've had a couple that have scraped their way into the top 40, but that's where their singles success begins and ends.
![The National: Matt Berninger and his band have enjoyed over a decade as one of the biggest and most well-respected indie rock bands in the world. They've released a successful documentary, become heavily involved in US politics and headlined festivals, but they've never had a charting single. Their most successful single, 'Abel', was released over a decade ago and only reached No.83 in the UK.]()
The National: Matt Berninger and his band have enjoyed over a decade as one of the biggest and most well-respected indie rock bands in the world. They've released a successful documentary, become heavily involved in US politics and headlined festivals, but they've never had a charting single. Their most successful single, 'Abel', was released over a decade ago and only reached No.83 in the UK.
![Bombay Bicycle Club: The band might have been graduating to bigger venues and festival headline slots in the past few years, particularly with the release of their No.1 album So Long, See You Tomorrow - but they've never had a hit in either the US or the UK. The closest they've come is on UK shores, with 'Ivy & Gold', which peaked at No.56.]()
Bombay Bicycle Club: The band might have been graduating to bigger venues and festival headline slots in the past few years, particularly with the release of their No.1 album So Long, See You Tomorrow - but they've never had a hit in either the US or the UK. The closest they've come is on UK shores, with 'Ivy & Gold', which peaked at No.56.
![My Bloody Valentine: A band who have managed to negotiate an enviable balance between cult and commercial success, the alt-rock band have amassed a fervent, dedicated fanbase over their 30 years together. The closest they've come to a hit single, though, was 'To Here Knows When', which peaked at No.29.]()
My Bloody Valentine: A band who have managed to negotiate an enviable balance between cult and commercial success, the alt-rock band have amassed a fervent, dedicated fanbase over their 30 years together. The closest they've come to a hit single, though, was 'To Here Knows When', which peaked at No.29.