A record has peaked at 40 for a variety of reasons so far. We've had obscure acts with their only hits, big names before they became big or when their popularity has been in decline or maybe just a minor blip. With this latest one though it's not that simple to pinpoint.
Traffic were formed when Steve Winwood left The Spencer Davis Group in April 1967, less than 18 months after they had their first Top 40 hit. Their debut hit, "Paper Sun" came in June and reached 5. Then came "Hole in My Shoe" which made 2 and "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" which made 8. A decent start to their Top 40 career then.
The end of 1967 saw them release their debut album which contained this track. It was released as a single in March 1968 and made 40.
Their career wasn't exactly in decline though. This is a band that's held in high regard by many who had just released their debut album. At the same time though it would be their final Top 40 hit. Another album would follow later on in the year but by the beginning of 1969, Traffic were finished.
The original run of Traffic was over such a short period of time that there was presumably no decline for the band given they are much celebrated. Maybe it was simply a case that the single wasn't a success because people had the album.
The band did reunite in 1970 following Steve Winwood having a short stint in Blind Faith and more albums would follow but they split up again in 1974. They also briefly reunited in 1994.
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