Ten B-Sides That Became Bigger Than The A-Sides

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The “Ten B-Sides That Became Bigger Than The A-Sides” list presents a showcase of songs that, for various reasons, could be argued to have become bigger than the A-Sides. Three factors went into consideration here. The first was chart success. If the B-Side ranked higher on the charts than the A-Side, then arguably, the B-Side was more successful than the A-Side. However, not all of our B-Side picks actually charted higher. That brings us to criterion number two. Some of these B-Sides just simply became more loved, more respected, more cherished, or however you want to describe them when compared to the A-Sides. That, of course, is subjective, but it’s subjectivity based on popularity. The third factor that came into play here was the Beatles. The band released so many different versions of singles around the world that it became really hard to track chart success. Additionally, so many of them were released as double A-sides in some countries and not in others. So, to make it easy, we just looked at one that was a clear choice in the U.S. The Beatles warrant their own article just based on their singles.

# 10 – “Come Together” – B-Side to “Something”

There are a lot of music fans who would argue there are plenty of Beatles singles in which the B-sides were better than the A-sides. We’re not going to argue against that point. However, when you look at the charts, the Beatles’ singles can get complicated because many were treated as double-sided hits, and Billboard changed its methodology during the chart run of “Something” and “Come Together.” On the original U.S. Apple single, “Something” was listed as Side 1 and “Come Together” as Side 2. Initially, both songs charted separately, with “Come Together” climbing higher than “Something” before Billboard combined the two sides into one chart position during the seventh week of the single’s run. The combined single then reached number one. We had to have some sort of criteria for the Beatles songs on this list; otherwise, the whole entire list would be filled with Beatles songs.

# 9 – “God Only Knows” – B-Side to “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”

Continuing with our “Ten B-Sides That Became Bigger Than The A-Sides” list, we take a look at the fantastic Beach Boys single “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” backed by “God Only Knows.” This is an interesting case. In the United States, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” was a top 10 hit, peaking at number eight, while “God Only Knows” just broke into the top 40, peaking at number 39. In the United Kingdom, the sides were reversed: “God Only Knows” was released as the A-side with “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” on the flip side, and “God Only Knows” reached number two. Nonetheless, I think if you ask any Beach Boys fan or just rock fans in general which song they prefer, nine out of ten would pick “God Only Knows.” It’s one of Brian Wilson’s most brilliant compositions.

# 8 – “Black Water” – B-Side to “Another Park, Another Sunday”

This story highlights an interesting twist in the music industry. “Black Water” by The Doobie Brothers was initially released as the B-side to “Another Park, Another Sunday.” Producer Ted Templeman later recalled that the acoustic arrangement of “Black Water” was one reason it was not viewed as the obvious hit side. “Another Park, Another Sunday” reached the Billboard Hot 100, but Tom Johnston later recalled that some radio stations stopped playing it because of the lyric “And the radio just seems to bring me down.” Meanwhile, “Black Water” began receiving airplay on its own.

As the popularity of “Black Water” grew, the record company took notice and reissued the song as an A-side. This strategic move paid off spectacularly, as “Black Water” eventually climbed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1975. It’s important to note, however, that while “Black Water” initially gained attention as a B-side, it did not reach number one until it had been reissued as an A-side. This distinction often goes unnoticed in the song’s story. In the end, though, I think most Doobie Brothers fans preferred “Another Park, Another Sunday” over “Black Water.” Of course, this could be just due to “Black Water” being so overplayed on the radio over the years. But who knows?

# 7 – “Gloria” – B-Side to “Baby, Please Don’t Go”

Van Morrison composed the song “Gloria” for his band Them in the early 1960s. The band recorded it in 1964, and Decca released “Gloria” as the B-side to the single “Baby, Please Don’t Go” that November. While “Baby, Please Don’t Go” did become a hit, “Gloria” truly ascended to legendary status. The situation is somewhat complex to analyze because “Baby, Please Don’t Go” is a blues standard that had been recorded decades before Them released its version.

Over time, “Gloria” emerged as a classic rock standard and one of Van Morrison’s signature songs. It also became a hit through a cover by The Shadows of Knight and has been recorded by multiple artists over the years, including The Doors and Patti Smith, among others. While “Baby, Please Don’t Go” remained a classic blues rocker, “Gloria” transformed into a classic rock and roll anthem.

# 6 – “Be True” – B-Side to “Fade Away”

Landing in the number six spot on our “Ten B-Sides That Became Bigger Than The A-Sides” list is a case where the B-side never really charted, but among the artist’s fans, it would definitely become the more loved song. I remember being completely blown away by how good this B-side was when I first purchased the “Fade Away” single with its black and white cover. My next thought was why in the world would Springsteen leave this song off The River album, which was a two-record set. In the coming years, even Bruce would admit that it was a mistake to leave “Be True” off the album as he realized just how great a song it was. In our opinion, it should have been the album’s opening track.

# 5 – “Ain’t No Sunshine” – B-Side to “Harlem”

At the halfway point on our “Ten B-Sides That Became Bigger Than The A-Sides” list is a song that may come as a surprise to many, as it isn’t often discussed in this context. Bill Withers’ legendary song “Ain’t No Sunshine” was released in 1971 as the B-side to the song “Harlem.” The track featured some legendary players, including Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass, Al Jackson Jr. on drums, and a man we all love, Stephen Stills, on guitar.

This is another case in which radio DJs flipped over the A-side to the B-side and simply liked the B-side better. Because of that preference, they started playing it more, and Sussex Records responded by switching the designation and promoting “Ain’t No Sunshine” as the A-side. It eventually became a massive hit, soaring all the way to number three on the Billboard Hot 100. “Ain’t No Sunshine” would become Bill Withers’ signature song.

# 4 – “Wipe Out” – B-Side to “Surfer Joe” (The Surfaris)

At the number four spot on our “Ten B-Sides That Became Bigger Than The A-Sides” list is another intriguing B-side story. Bob Berryhill, Pat Connolly, Jim Fuller, and Ron Wilson of The Surfaris were set to release “Surfer Joe” as a single. However, the group realized they needed something that would fit well with the song for the B-side, so in just a few minutes they came up with an instrumental based on blues chord changes, which for non-musicians is just basically a I-IV-V progression. The group probably never expected that this song, which they had come up with at the last second just to be included as a B-side, would become one of the most famous songs of all time.

When the song was released in 1963, it reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. However, its true success at that time pales in comparison to how legendary the song has become and how many drummers in how many clubs throughout the world over the past 60 years have been asked to play “Wipe Out.”

# 3 – “We Will Rock You” – Flip Side to “We Are the Champions”

This pick might come as a surprise because, as most people know, these two songs are almost always played back-to-back. You very rarely hear “We Will Rock You” on the radio without it being immediately followed by “We Are the Champions.” On the album News of the World, the two tracks appear consecutively, with “We Will Rock You” leading directly into “We Are the Champions.” The single paired “We Are the Champions” with “We Will Rock You,” and in the United States Elektra Records requested permission to promote the two songs as a double A-side, giving both songs equal airplay. The fact that “We Will Rock You” occupied the reverse side of the physical pairing still makes its history relevant to this list.

That unusual configuration earns it a spot on our list. The designation is particularly noteworthy given that “We Will Rock You” has become just as iconic, if not more so, than its counterpart. The stomp-stomp-clap section of “We Will Rock You” has become a universal sports anthem, resonating in stadiums around the world and cementing its status as a cultural phenomenon.

# 2 – “Beth” – B-Side to “Detroit Rock City”

Yes, we get it—if you’re a KISS fan, “Detroit Rock City” is often regarded as a much better or at least much more beloved song than “Beth.” Many KISS fans claim “Detroit Rock City” as their favorite KISS song of all time, and it’s easy to see why, given its raw energy and iconic status within the rock genre. We completely understand that sentiment. Nonetheless, when looking purely at chart success, “Beth” became the highest-charting U.S. single the band ever had, reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.

It was also one of the biggest surprises ever. If it wasn’t, it never would have been released as the B-side. No one expected this ballad, sung by drummer Peter Criss, to become as big as it did. As airplay grew, “Beth” was reissued as the A-side. It still blows our minds how a song that diverged so much from the band’s typical sound could achieve such success. Good job, Peter!

# 1 – “Maggie May” – B-Side to “Reason to Believe”

It had to be cool being a radio DJ in the 1970s. Not just because you were sort of a celebrity, spending all day playing records, talking on the radio, and all that jazz, but also because every day, record companies were sending your station singles, making you among the first to hear these records. Inevitably, as we’ve seen many times on this list, record companies’ A-sides often got flipped in favor of the B-sides, which many DJs found to be the much better song. This is probably one of the biggest examples of that phenomenon ever happening.

“Reason to Believe” is a good song, but “Maggie May” is legendary. “Reason to Believe” was initially promoted as the A-side, but radio programmers began favoring “Maggie May,” and the single’s emphasis shifted as the song took off. If those DJs had never flipped this record over, it’s possible that Rod Stewart’s solo career might not have been launched, and who knows what would have happened. Although he was just so talented and had already been so loved by fans of the Faces, it’s likely he would have had another hit eventually. Yet, as history shows, “Maggie May” was the song that broke his career big time. And it all started because it was the B-side.