I don’t know how popular it was when it originally came out (looks like according to wikipedia it was a top 10 single all over the place), but it got a boost in the early 90s with the Wayne’s World movie, where they were driving down the road singing along to it. I think it recharted then, too.
I dunno, maybe it was because it was different than everything else out at the time, with it’s references to opera? Sometimes songs just break out, and it’s not always clear what makes it strike a chord.
