12 Artists Who Reached No. 2 on the Hot 100 Then Never Charted Again

Key Points:

• Arthur Brown's 1968 hit "Fire" reached No. 2 on the charts, blocked from No. 1 by The Beatles' "Hey Jude," and established a theatrical rock precedent influencing bands like KISS and Alice Cooper.
• John Denver's breakthrough hit "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (1971), co-written with Fat City, peaked at No. 2 behind the Bee Gees' "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart," while Fat City later formed the Starland Vocal Band.
• The instrumental "Dueling Banjos" by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell spent four weeks at No. 2 in 1973, blocked by Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His Song," but the duo never charted again.
• The Floaters' 1977 single "Float On," featuring spoken introductions and lush Philly soul production, held at No. 2 for two weeks behind hits by Andy Gibb and The Emotions, but the group disbanded by 1982 after failing to replicate its success.
• Shop Boyz's 2007 hit "Party Like a Rockstar" was kept from No. 1 for six weeks by Rihanna and Jay-Z's "Umbrella," marking a major crossover success blending rock and rap, though the group failed to maintain momentum with subsequent releases.