DAILY DIRT: Led Zep, Journey, ELO, CCR and The Boss: Not a No. 1 from any of them

Daily Dirt for Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025

That is a remarkable statistic. Simply remarkable … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,192 of The Daily Dirt.

1. We conclude our look at what we feel are the top 10 most surprising rock acts to never have a No. 1 song on the Billlboard singles chart.

You might want to take note that three of the five got as high as No. 2, but never sat atop the throne. The most frustrating had to be Bruce Springsteen, who spent FOUR weeks at No. 2. 

Speaking of Springsteen, I’m legitimately shocked that neither “Glory Days” (No. 5) or “Born in the U.S.A.” (No. 9) got that close to the top spot. Never assume, folks, Never assume.

5. Led Zeppelin: “Whole Lotta Love” at No. 4 was this epic band’s best on Billboard. The closest Robert Plant and Jimmy Page ever got to No. 1 was No. 3 in 1984 with the Honeydrippers and “Sea of Love”.

4. Journey: How in the world was “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Who’s Crying Now” or “Open Arms” never a No. 1? “Open Arms” was the only Journey entry to climb as high as No. 2. Shocking, I tell you. Shocking.

3. Electric Light Orchestra: Remarkably, ELO never reached higher than No. 4 (“Don’t Bring Me Down”), but stockpiled a whopping 15 top-20 hits between 1974-86. “Telephone Line” was this writer’s personal fave.

2. Creedence Clearwater Revival: Always a bridesmaid. CCR never reached No. 1, despite running off five consecutive No. 2 songs between March 1969 and October 1970. including the legendary “Proud Mary”.

1. Bruce Springsteen: The Boss has WRITTEN a No. 1 song (“Blinded by the Light,” by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band), but he’s never had one that he actually performed. “Dancing in the Dark” was the closest he came, a song that spent four weeks at No. 2 in 1984 behind Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry”.

2. Did you know (Part 265)

• That “Ocean’s 14” is expected to reunite Brad Pitt and George Clooney in the fourth heist movie of the series, which dates to 2001 (“Ocean’s 11”).
• That Marianne Faithful died at age 78 on Thursday. The one-time singer and former girlfriend of Mick Jagger was arguably best known for the hit song “As Tears Go By”.
• That Netflix is planning a reboot of “Little House on the Prairie”.
• That actor Pete Davidson is reportedly in an ongoing five-year process that began in 2020 to remove more than 200 tattoos.
• That NASCAR returns today at 6 p.m. (Fox) with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

3. Texas heads into National Signing Day on Wednesday with the top 2025 recruiting college football recruiting class in the country, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Here’s a look at the top 10 recruiting classes for 2025 at this very moment:

• 1. Texas
• 2. Georgia
• 3. Ohio State
• 4. Alabama
• 5. Oregon
• 6. Auburn
• 7. LSU
• 8. Texas A&M
• 9. Michigan
• 10. Florida

Steve Thought O’ The Day – If for some reason you have never watched any or all of the “Ocean’s” movies, I highly suggest you take the time. Both Pitt and Clooney are tremendous.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Clooney’s Danny Ocean character supposedly died in the Sandra Bullock-led female version of the franchise called “Ocean’s 8”, so we’ll see how they get around that.