By Lauren Gordon, Parade mag | There is no doubt that Bob Seger believes in himself, but that doesn’t mean he was proud of every song he put out. The ’70s heartland songwriter has a catalog of countless memorable hits, including “Night Moves,” “Old Time Rock & Roll,” and “Turn the Page.” Each one features Seger’s signature raspy vocals, electric riffs, and a dash of that James Brown-style funk and blues.
But despite being famous for these timeless anthems, the only song to ever earn him a No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 was a synthesized pop-rock track for the Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack: 1987’s “Shakedown,” which he scored on August 1, 2027.
The Story Behind Seger’s Only No. 1 Hit
The entire opportunity happened thanks to Seger’s famous friend Glenn Frey of The Eagles. Frey had originally scored a No. 2 hit with “The Heat Is On” for the first Beverly Hills Cop movie and was slated to record the lead track for the sequel, according to Songfacts. However, the week before recording, Frey came down with laryngitis and offered the song to his pal Seger. Seger accepted, but only on a few conditions.
“There were a lot of lyrics about working undercover; I didn’t like them, so I threw them all out. I decided to write it my way, and they trusted my judgment,” Seger recalled, according to the outlet.
His instincts paid off. That year, “Shakedown” hit No. 1 on the charts—the first and only time he reached the pinnacle of the Billboard Hot 100 during his legendary career. Yet when he released his hit compilation albums, he famously omitted the track because he felt it didn’t capture who he was as an artist or songwriter. Stereogum noted that the track remains among the least loved by die-hard Seger fans for that exact reason.
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Read the full story here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/music/bob-seger-s-only-billboard-no-1-hit-was-omitted-from-his-greatest-hits-album/
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