Springsteen and the Silver Medal Syndrome

On the Billboard Hot 100 list, Bruce Springsteen endures the second-place status of silver medal syndrome year after year.

Some elite athletes achieve their lifelong dreams of winning an Olympic medal, but not all will be thrilled about it. Gold medalists will be ecstatic, obviously. The next happiest? That would be the bronze medalists, according to several scientific studies that have concluded that, on average, third-place winners are more satisfied with their accomplishments than silver medalists, like their counterpart in Heartland Rock, Bruce Springsteen.

If you think about it, this makes sense: bronze medalists may be two steps away from gold, but they’re one step away from not even making it to the podium. They’re just happy to be there. On the other hand, silver medalists can’t always appreciate the remarkable fact that they won a silver because they see it as losing the gold. This “second place is first loser” mentality– the knowledge that they were so close to achieving their goal, only to let it slip away– leads to disappointment, frustration, even disgust.   

Let’s apply that Silver Medal Syndrome to another highly competitive arena: the Billboard Hot 100. For almost 70 years, the Billboard Hot 100 has charted the most popular songs in America, based on factors such as sales and airplay. The chart shows some surprising silver medalists and celebrates performers whose most popular songs peaked at number two. 

As for, Bruce Springsteen, with his career that has spanned six decades, “The Boss” has done it all: sold out arenas the world over; won Grammys and Academy Awards and even a special Tony; earned an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Except for one thing: he has never had a number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Springsteen has had 11 number-one albums in the US (12 on the UK charts). He’s had a bunch of top ten singles. Technically, Manfred Mann took the Springsteen-penned “Blinded by the Light” to number one in 1973. As a solo performer, however, he has yet to sing a chart-topping song.

Not that he hasn’t come really, really close. Forty years ago, in the summer of 1984, Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and seemed poised to usurp the top spot from Duran Duran’s “The Reflex”.  Yet in a stunning maneuver, the number three song leapfrogged over Springsteen to take the throne the following week. That song was Prince’s “When Doves Cry”, which remained number one for five weeks. 

“Dancing in the Dark” stayed at number two for an entire month that summer before it began its descent back down the charts. Forty years later, and that’s still the closest the Boss ever came to getting a gold medal. (Incidentally, the song that finally knocked “When Doves Cry” off the summit? Ray Parker Jr.‘s “Ghostbusters”.) 

The “Dancing in the Dark” story is not unprecedented. In March 1969, Tommy Roe’s “Dizzy” —a largely forgotten song by a largely forgotten performer—jumped from number four to number one, leaving in its wake two undeniable classics: the Foundations’ “Build Me Up Buttercup” (which peaked at number three) and Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s classic “Proud Mary” (which peaked at number two). 

You heard that right: “Proud Mary”, that staple of Americana, never reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Indeed, Creedence Clearwater Revival never had a number one song on that chart. Instead, CCR has the distinction of having the number two songs on the Billboard Hot 100: five. (Those songs are “Proud Mary”, “Bad Moon Rising”, “Green River”, “Travelin’ Band”, and “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”.) 

Even more baffling are the other musical silver medalists besides Springsteen and CCR. Bob Dylan never had a number-one song. (Both “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35” and “Like a Rolling Stone” peaked at number two.) Journey never had a number-one song. (“Open Arms” peaked at number two.) Johnny Cash, Sheryl Crow, Green Day, One Direction, Missy Elliott, and Backstreet Boys are all members of the “Mega-Popular Acts Who Never Had a Song Go Higher than Number Two on the Billboard Hot 100” Club.

Of course, these performers have done all right for themselves, notwithstanding the lack of a gold medal song. What if your number-two song is your only visit to the upper echelons of the Billboard Hot 100? Here’s a heartbreaking story: In 1996, Donna Lewis was cruising up the charts with her song “I Love You Always Forever”. It finally rose to number two, where it stayed for nine weeks.  

Believe it or not, nine weeks at number two is not a record: Foreigner’s “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and Missy Elliott’s “Work It” stalled at number two for ten weeks. However, those acts have enjoyed other chart successes, while Donna Lewis is a One-Hit Wonder. Here’s the kicker: the song that kept Lewis from getting the gold medal was another One-Hit Wonder, Los del Rio and “Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)”.

The Silver Medal Shines, Too

Now, being kept out of the spot by a goofy remix may sting a little, but hopefully Donna Lewis has been able to take comfort in a truism that can apply to silver medalists everywhere: so much of everything we do in life comes down to luck and timing. Success on the Billboard Hot 100 is no exception. In 1996, “Macarena” was a juggernaut; it reigned as the number-one song on the charts for a staggering fourteen weeks, and it sparked a dance craze that wedding guests did for years to come. (Apparently, on TikTok, you can still find Gen-Zers doing the Macarena, albeit with some new moves.) Who can compete with that? 

Or take Springsteen, who was prevented from reaching the summit in 1984 by Prince’s “When Doves Cry”. That was the summer of Purple Rain, and Prince, essentially, was the ubiquitous king of the radio waves. At the end of that year, Billboard named “When Doves Cry” the top-selling single of 1984. Again, who can compete with that? 

Could Donna Lewis, Bruce Springsteen, or any of these high-profile silver medalists have made it to number one if they released their singles two or three months earlier, or later, when competing against different songs? Maybe. Who knows? 

Or more importantly, who cares? Yes, earning a gold medal, a number-one song, or “employee of the month” is certainly a feather in your cap. But does it truly matter? Is Springsteen any less of a living legend because he never had a number one song on the Billboard Hot 100? What about CCR?

Or how about that high school student who does everything right, works hard to earn good grades, gets accepted into her dream college, and is “only” number two in her graduating class? Does being runner-up in any way diminish her achievements? She’s still going to that dream college. 

Or what if that “feather in your cap” is your only feather?  Think about those One-Hit Wonders who made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and are never heard of again. Right Said Fred, Vanilla Ice, Carl Douglas, Billy Vera and the Beaters, Daniel Powter, PSY, they all had number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100, but they couldn’t sustain their popularity beyond that one moment in the spotlight. Sure, they won their “gold medals”, but they were merely gold-plated; those acts had no substance or staying power.

Compare that to Springsteen, who is going strong in 2024, with a world tour and a new song on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Sandpaper”, with country singer Zach Bryan). Seems as if “only” getting a silver medal 40 years ago hasn’t impeded him one bit. 

Perhaps participants in any competitive endeavor should follow the example set by that quintessential Silver Medalist, Bruce Springsteen, and try not to obsess over any success or failure (or perceived failure, like coming in second place). After all, you’re in this for the long haul. So don’t settle for Employee of the Month. Strive to be the Boss.