16 iconic musicians who have never had a No. 1 song

By Gabbi Shaw

Though Nirvana has sold millions of albums around the world — and plenty of posters that adorn college dorm walls to this day — the closest they ever got to the top of the Hot 100 was "Smells Like Teenage Spirit," which peaked at No. 6.

It's hard to overstate the influence that Nirvana had on pop music in the early '90s. Grunge, suddenly, was everywhere, and the youth of America had a new icon to look up to: Kurt Cobain.

Before Cobain's death 32 years ago, Nirvana had released three albums, two of which had reached No. 1, "Nevermind" and "In Utero." But their singles never reached the same level on the Hot 100.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" was their only song to crack the top 10. Other popular Nirvana singles like "Lithium" and "Come As You Are" reached No. 64 and No. 32, respectively.

Casual Springsteen fans might be surprised to know that The Boss has never hit No 1 on the Hot 100.

"But, surely, 'Born to Run' hit No. 1?" you might think. Nope, that song peaked at No. 23. You could follow up with, "What about 'Born in the USA?'" Not that one either — that "ode" to America topped off at No. 9.

Springsteen has gotten close with 1984's "Dancing in the Dark," which reached No. 2, and has been certified platinum.

Though the Backstreet Boys were inescapable in the '90s and early 2000s, they've never had a No. 1 song. The closest they came was their No. 2 hit in 1996, "Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)."

Other hits like "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," "I Want It That Way," and "Shape of My Heart" peaked at No. 4, No. 6, and No. 9, respectively.

The band is in the middle of a comeback, however. Their 2019 album "DNA" reached No. 1, so maybe there's still time for this boy band.

The Who might be one of the most famous bands of the '60s and '70s, but they only had one song make it to the top 10.

While The Who's signature song is "Baba O'Riley," that wasn't even released as a single in the US. Their lone song to crack the top 10 is "I Can See For Miles" in 1967 from their third album, "The Who Sell Out."

Hendrix is regularly named the greatest guitarist of all time, but his legendary talent didn't translate to chart success. Hendrix's highest-charting single on the Hot 100 was 1968's "All Along the Watchtower," which reached No. 20.

His third and final album, "Electric Ladyland," did earn the top spot, though, in 1968.

Sheryl Crow has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, but hasn't achieved the same success with her singles.

"All I Wanna Do," her third single ever, reached No. 2, and it remains her highest-charting song to date.

Other hits, like "Everyday is a Winding Road," "Soak Up the Sun," and "The First Cut is the Deepest," made it to No. 11, No. 17, and No. 14, respectively.

Led Zeppelin's highest-charting song is 1969's "Whole Lotta Love," which peaked at No. 4.

But the real shocking news about Led Zeppelin's discography? That their signature song, "Stairway to Heaven," frequently called one of the best songs of all time, never even charted.

The band didn't release it as a single, though it was one of the most frequently requested songs on the radio during the '70s.

And not one of Led Zeppelin's 15 other singles reached No. 1, either.

Bob Dylan may have won a Nobel Prize, but he's never had a No. 1 song on the Hot 100.

Dylan has had two No. 2s, though: "Like a Rollin' Stone" and "Rainy Day Women # 12 and 35." His one other top 10, "Lay Lady Lay," reached No. 7.

Two of his other most iconic songs, "The Times They Are a-Changin'" and "Blowin' in the Wind," failed to chart at all.

Shania Twain is one of the best-selling female country music stars of all time, but that doesn't always translate to Hot 100 chart-toppers.

Twain is the first — and only — female artist to have three consecutive albums be certified diamond, signifying over 10 million units sold.

But her most successful single pulled up just short at No. 2, "You're Still the One." After that, "From This Moment On," "That Don't Impress Me Much," and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" reached No. 4, 7, and 23, respectively.

Johnny Cash's 49-year career resulted in millions upon millions of albums sold, but just one top 10 hit.

He's a singular figure in music history, with his music spanning rock, country, blues, and gospel. He's still revered as one of the most prolific musicians of all time.

However, only one song in his entire career cracked the top 10: 1969's live version of "A Boy Named Sue," which peaked at No. 2.

Though they were the biggest band in the world at one point, One Direction never achieved a No. 1.

One Direction had a few chart-toppers in their home, the UK, but never could crack the top of the Hot 100 in the US. They charted at No. 2 with "Best Song Ever," No. 3 with "Drag Me Down" and "Live While We're Young," and No. 4 with "What Makes You Beautiful."

Adding insult to injury, their former band member Zayn Malik achieved a No. 1 song with his debut single "Pillowtalk" in 2016.

In August 2020, Harry Styles reached No. 1 with his solo hit, "Watermelon Sugar." He's replicated that feat twice more, with "As It Was" and "Aperture."

Modern rock legends Green Day have had plenty of No. 1s on the Alternative chart, but on the Hot 100? Not so much.

Green Day didn't have a song enter the Hot 100 at all until 2004's "American Idiot," which reached No. 61. But at that point, they'd already had five No. 1s on the Alternative chart: "Longview," "Basket Case," "When I Come Around," "J.A.R.," and "Minority."

Their highest-charting song, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 2005.

James Brown is another legend who shockingly never reached the top spot on the Hot 100. He came close more than a few times with songs like "Living in America" (peaked at No. 4), "I Got the Feelin'" (peaked at No. 6), and "I Got You (I Feel Good)" (peaked at No. 3).

In total, he charted over 90 songs on the Hot 100.

Missy Elliott is one of the most prolific rappers of all time, but has yet to reach No. 1 on the Hot 100.

She has had five top 10 singles in her career: "Hot Boyz," "Get Ur Freak On," "Gossip Folks," "Lose Control," and her highest-charting song (which reached No. 2), "Work It."

After taking a seven-year hiatus from music, Elliott returned in 2015 with "WTF (Where They From)"  and then 2017's "I'm Better," so it remains to be seen if she'll reach the top.

Reggae icon Bob Marley still remains the face of his genre decades after his death. His songs remain popular around the world, but it took some time for his music to gain a following.

Marley and his band, the Wailers, released dozens of songs before one reached 51 on the charts, "Roots, Rock, Reggae," and it ended up being his highest-charting song.

Lovato has garnered her fair share of radio hits, but none have topped the charts. Summer songs like "Cool for the Summer," "Sorry Not Sorry," and "Here We Go Again" peaked on the Hot 100 at 11, 6, and 15, respectively.