Unexpected musical partnerships that rocked the charts
'Hound Dog' was initially released as the B-side to the single 'Don't Be Cruel' (1956). After RCA realized the error of its ways, the single was re-released with 'Hound Dog' first and in larger print than 'Don't Be Cruel' on the record sleeve.
Initially released as the B-side to 'Behave Yourself' (1962), 'Green Onions' was reissued as an A-side, and instantly became an instrumental classic. Booker T. & the M.G.'s were one of music's first multiracial lineups.
Released as the B-side to 'All I Really Want to Do' (1965), 'I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better' has enjoyed a greater legacy as one of the band's most endearing compositions.
Remarkably ending up as the B-side to the less popular 'Hung on You' (1965), the Righteous Brothers' 'Unchained Melody' was a huge hit for the duo. It found later fame after being included in the movie soundtrack to 'Ghost' (1990).
'God Only Knows' is considered one of the Beach Boys' greatest compositions. Yet it was released as a B-side to the ever-popular 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' (1966). The fear that radio stations would refuse to play a song with "God" in the title is one of the reasons given for its flipside status.
A John Lennon tour de force, 'I Am the Walrus' kept 1967's 'Hello, Goodbye' company. Many regard this B-side as one of the Beatles' most ambitious and complex efforts, infused with nonsense lyrics and childlike rhymes.
'Proud Mary' (1969) certainly deserves credit for steering CCR to worldwide fame. But it's on the B-side, 'Born on the Bayou,' that front man John Fogerty's gravel-toned tonsils achieved legendary status.
The B-side to 'Honky Tonk Woman' (1969), 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' was at first dismissed as a throwaway. Re-released a few years later, the track has since been voted on several occasions as among the greatest songs of all time.
'Color My World' is unusual in that it ended up as the B-side of not one but two Chicago hits: 'Make Me Smile' (1970) and 'Beginnings' (1971).
Released as the B-side to the heavy metal band's seminal 'Immigrant Song' (1970), 'Hey Hey What Can I Do' has held its own over the years to become an essential inclusion in compilations and box sets.
Rod Stewart's 'Maggie May' exemplifies how a B-side track can totally eclipse an A-side choice, in this case 'Reason to Believe' (1971). 'Maggie May' caught the ears of DJs everywhere and helped launch Stewart's solo career.
'Suffragette City' is the B-side to Bowie's classic 'Starman' (1972). However, such was the acclaim heaped on it by music critics that 'Suffragette City' was re-released in 1976 with 'Stay' its B-side.
While it was never going to top 'Band on the Run,' released as a single in 1974, 'Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five' proved a worthy B-side and is today often performed by the former Beatle during his live shows.
The B-side to 'Detroit Rock City' (1976), 'Beth,' a slow-burn ballad, remains the band's biggest commercial hit in the United States after it was re-released as an A-side.
One of popular music's most powerful anthems, 'We Will Rock You' was paired with 'We Are the Champions' (1977). No matter that it was the B-side: both songs were seen as complementing each other.
Released as the B-side to 'Go Your Own Way' (1977), 'Silver Springs' was originally intended for inclusion on 'Rumours.' When the remastered edition of the album was released in 2004, 'Silver Springs' was included.
Die-hard Smiths fans still bemoan the fact that 'How Soon Is Now?' was relegated to the B-side of 'William, It Was Really Nothing' (1984). Redemption of sorts was achieved when it was belatedly released as an A-side single in the UK in 1985.
Madonna fans in the United States figured that after featuring in the movie 'Desperately Seeking Susan' (1985), 'Into the Groove' would find its way into the single charts. It did, but as the B-side to 'Angel.' British fans were more fortunate, the song being released in the UK as an A-side to 'Shoo-Bee-Doo.'
'Sweetest Thing' was originally released as the B-side to the hit 'Where the Streets Have No Name' (1987). It was re-recorded and re-released in 1998 for the band's compilation album 'The Best of 1980–1990'—and hit no. 1 in several countries as a stand-alone A-side.
'Aneurysm' is a gem of a B-side, adding prestige to the band's breakthrough 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' single released in 1991. 'Aneurysm' subsequently became a live concert favorite.
The original acoustic version of 'Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)' appeared as the B-side to 'Brain Stew/Jaded,' released in Europe as a joint single in 1996. Green Day released another version of the song in 1997.
Originally the flipside to 'Whatever'(1996), 'Half the World Away' was resurrected as the theme song to the popular British television sitcom 'The Royle Family' (1998–2012). Noel Gallagher later revealed that the song was a favorite of the B-sides he had made.
Originally an A-side release in Germany in 1978, 'The Model' was re-released in the United Kingdom in 1982; first as a B-side, and then as side A to become a no. 1 hit for the pioneers of electronic music.
British electronic duo Underworld first released 'Born Slippy Nuxx' as the B-side to 'Born Slippy.' However, after it was used in the 1996 film 'Trainspotting,' "Born Slippy NUXX" was issued as a single and peaked at no. 2 on the UK Singles Chart.
Sources: (Songfacts) (Birmingham What's On)
See also: The most iconic album covers of all time
'A Change is Gonna Come' is the B-side to 'Shake' (1964). While 'Shake' became a posthumous Billboard Top 10 hit for Cooke after his suspicious shooting death in December 1964, 'A Change is Gonna Come' is widely regarded as one of Cooke's greatest and most influential compositions, and remains a much-loved anthem of the civil rights movement.
'52 Girls' is the B-side to 'Rock Lobster' (1978), which was released as the band's debut single by DB Records. 'Rock Lobster' was re-released by Warner Bros records and Island Records, with both labels opting for different B-side recordings. '52 Girls,' meanwhile, remains one of the band's most iconic tracks.
British mod band The Jam chose 'Liza Radley' as the B-side to 'Start!' (1980). It's a love song for an odd, slightly unbalanced young woman who's "not quite right." Many fans felt the track worthy of A-side status.
Inspired in part by Elvis Presley's reference to a pink Cadillac in his 1954 rendition of 'Baby Let's Play House,' Bruce Springsteen's 'Pink Cadillac' is the B-side to the hit 'Dancing in the Dark.' Critics cite the track as one of Springsteen's most powerful flipsides—it was a prominent concert number during the singer's Born in the U.S.A. Tour.
What B-side could possibly compete with '1999' (1982) for airplay? Well, 'How Come U Don’t Call Me Anymore?' comes close. A ballad infused with gospel elements, Prince performed most of the song in his extraordinary falsetto range.
A fan favorite, 'Khanada' serves as the B-side to the group's second single 'Careless Memories' (1981), which disappointed in the UK charts. Fortunately, the B-side made the cut, remembered for its reference to fashion designer Jane Kahn, who clothed the band and pioneered the look of the New Romantic movement.
Back in the day, music fans would eagerly await the next single release from their favorite artist. The A-side—the song intended to be a hit—was backed up by a B-side, invariably a lesser-known track quite often selected as filler or throwaway. But there have been occasions when the flipside has overshadowed the track it's meant to be supporting. This reversal of fortune is exemplified by numerous tracks that made the cut despite being consigned to "side two." So, what are the B-sides that deserved to be A-sides?
Click on and take a spin through this back catalogue of vintage vinyl.
Back in the day, music fans would eagerly await the next single release from their favorite artist. The A-side—the song intended to be a hit—was backed up by a B-side, invariably a lesser-known track quite often selected as filler or throwaway. But there have been occasions when the flipside has overshadowed the track it's meant to be supporting. This reversal of fortune is exemplified by numerous tracks that made the cut despite being consigned to "side two." So, what are the B-sides that deserved to be A-sides?
Click on and take a spin through this back catalogue of vintage vinyl.
B-sides that deserved to be A-sides
Records that enjoyed a reversal of fortune
MUSIC Records
Back in the day, music fans would eagerly await the next single release from their favorite artist. The A-side—the song intended to be a hit—was backed up by a B-side, invariably a lesser-known track quite often selected as filler or throwaway. But there have been occasions when the flipside has overshadowed the track it's meant to be supporting. This reversal of fortune is exemplified by numerous tracks that made the cut despite being consigned to "side two." So, what are the B-sides that deserved to be A-sides?
Click on and take a spin through this back catalogue of vintage vinyl.