Hall & Oates "She's Gone"

What happens when your girlfriend stands you up on New Year's Eve? You arrive at the lyrics to "She's Gone". It happened to John Oates, and the New Year's Eve-that-never-was turned heartache into one of the duo's favorite songs. Originally released in 1973, the ballad received next to no attention outside the duo's hometown of Philadelphia. Upon re-release in 1976 (after the success of "Sara Smile"), the song went to #7 on the Hot 100 and #6 on the Adult Contemporary Charts.

Bruce Springsteen - "The Streets of Philadelphia"

Bruce Springsteen's biggest hit of the 1990s came via the soundtrack to the movie Philadelphia.  A year later, Springsteen's "Secret Garden" was released, but didn't become a hit until the following year when Renee Zellweger told Tom Cruise, "You complete me" in the movie Jerry Maguire.