 While British albums typically avoided including previously released songs, the lack of a hit single on the North American version of "Rubber Soul" added to the album's identity there as a self-contained artistic statement.Everett writes that in the US the album's "hit" was "Michelle", through its popularity on radio playlists.After their inclusion on the EMI-format LP, "Norwegian Wood", "Nowhere Man" and "Michelle" were each issued as singles in various markets outside Britain and America, with "Norwegian Wood" topping the Australian chart in May 1966.