For me personally it is all about the song (lyrics and melody combined). I didn't listen to what was most popular even as a kid. My favorite songs have usually been ones that didn't get airplay or weren't released as singles. You can't measure success of a songwriter the same way you measure success as a performer. There have been several examples of songwriters mentioned in this tread that have been writing for a long time. To those I would like to add Rodney Crowell. He is still releasing new songs that are articulate and finely crafted. He never had a stunning commercial success on his own but has written some timeless songs.
As a guitar player I can't think of any songs that I play that have been hits. I am just not interested. Many that I play are unknown to many people. I would not like to play just what everyone knows.
Sorry for the rant. I think this is my longest post to date.
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