By DOUG STRASSLER

A funny thing happened to me while I was on the way home for Thanksgiving. Going through my iTunes, I started thinking about Madonna’s “You’ll See,” a single from her Something to Remember collection of ballads and a great song that, as far as I know, only I still listen to.

Released in 1996, “You’ll See” is a sequel song to “Take a Bow,” which had come out the year before. But it’s not a sequel in the same sloppy way Britney’s “Stronger” is a sequel to “…Baby One More time.” Whereas the singer in “Bow” is defeated by song’s end, “You’ll See” is a rally cry; she has recovered from hurt and declares that she may have been down but is in no way out. The video, too, is a sequel to “Bow,” using the same director and the same actor who played the bullfighter in the previous video (it was part of Madonna’s hard lobbying to get cast as Evita). The song was a modest hit at the time, reaching #6 on the charts, and yet no one ever talks about it now.

Imagine my shock, then, when I discovered the very next day that Susan Boyle has covered “You’ll See” on her I Dreamed a Dream album – you know, currently the best-selling album in the country. Boyle has reportedly sung this song at auditions, and used it as a personal mantra, for years. Whodathunkit?

“You’ll See” is just one example of what I’ve called a musical forget-me-nots: Songs from major artists that had their moment and then, for whatever reason, got lost in the folds of time instead of being added to the list of that singer’s cherished accomplishments. Below, I list several more songs by huge singers that have faded away:

* “Do You Remember,” Phil Collins

Do you remember “Do You Remember?” Granted, it wasn’t nearly as huge as Grammy-winner “Another Day in Paradise,” also from his …But Seriously album, but this is a song that has always stuck with me. It’s a sentimental breakup song, but I think of it as “the moving song,” due to its video, in which a pre-teen boy and girl who’ve grown up together have to say goodbye when her family moves. Oddly, until writing this, I always thought that this video came out the same summer my family moved from northern Jersey to northern Virginia when I was 10. It turns out “Remember” came out in 1990, a full year after my move. Funny the tricks memory plays sometimes. (Also, it’s easy to pick on Phil Collins, but I don’t care. In an interview he once called me “a very kind and clever lad.” Talk about something to remember.)

* “Forever,” Mariah Carey

Long before acts like Adele, Amy Winehouse and The Noisettes revived the 1950s soul sound, Mariah took a stab with this song, the fourth single off of her massive Daydream album. It never got the same domestic push that “Fantasy,” “One Sweet Day,” and “Always Be My Baby” received, which is a shame. This song, in which the protagonist laments losing her boyfriend but vows he’ll stay hers forever in her mind, could have come straight out of the Brill Building.

The good news? Country crooner Kristy Lee Cook brought “Forever” back two seasons ago when she sang it on American Idol during Mariah week.

The bad news? That’s the performance that sent her home.

(Interesting fact: “Forever” was never released as a physical single, so despite reaching number nine on Billboard’s Hot 100 airplay chart, it never charted on the official Hot 100. The lack of availability as a retail single kept a lot of songs off the chart, because the thinking was that people would be more likely to buy a full album if that was the only way to get a track they heard on the radio. Consequently, monster jams like No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak,” Will Smith’s “Men in Black,”  and Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” never charted. By the end of the decade, the rules were changed to allow airplay-only songs on the Hot 100. — Mark)

* “All About Soul,” Billy Joel

I imagine this may be the most forgotten gem on my list, since it peaked at #29, but it’s a testament to the excellence of Joel’s River of Dreams album, his last studio release. With traces of Paul Simon’s Graceland and Bruce Springsteen’s Tunnel of Love, the songs on this album weren’t merely pop; there was plenty of instrumental experimentation, with infusions of blues and soul, and there were thoughtful lyrical explorations of love, trust and betrayal, particularly on this one. Try listening to it once and you’ll be “Na na na na na na na na”-ing the whole rest of the day.

* “The One,” Elton John

I was hesitant to include this song by Joel’s frequent tour-mate on my mix, because I remember how big it was when it came out. But does anyone talk about it anymore? It’s a regret of mine that I’ve never gotten to see him play this in concert. It may not have made Mark’s wedding playlist, but you’ll definitely hear it at the wedding I’m in no danger of having anytime soon. I think what happens is when there are as many masterstrokes as there are in Elton’s oeuvre, it’s simply impossible for all the great ones to stay afloat. However, with lyrics like “For each man in his time is Cain/ Until he walks along the beach/ And sees his future in the water/ A long lost heart within his reach,” this song is haunting, inspiring, and intensely romantic. Drop whatever you’re doing and listen to it now. Here, I’ll even help:

Do any of these tunes ring a bell? And do you think any of these have a second life waiting in the wings? Most importantly, what are some of your musical forget-me-nots?