This American Songwriter feature revisits 1976, the US bicentennial year, to highlight four notable songs that reached No. 2 on the pop charts without ever claiming the top spot. The piece argues that chart position alone doesn't reflect lasting quality, noting that each of these tracks has since achieved classic status despite falling just short of No. 1 at the time.

The four songs are Eric Carmen's "All By Myself", Gary Wright's "Love Is Alive", Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and The Spinners' "Rubberband Man". The article details the craftsmanship behind each: Carmen's classical intro and Hugh McCracken's guitar solo, Wright's funky synth-bass work following his earlier hit "Dream Weaver", Lightfoot's atmospheric storytelling about the real-life shipwreck, and the Thom Bell/Linda Creed production behind the Spinners' Philly Soul hit featuring lead singer Phillipe Wynne.