In an industry where attention is fleeting and first impressions are everything, choosing an A-side over a B-side is a big decision that not every artist gets “right,” as proven by these classic rock cuts that were delegated to the lower priority flipside of a 45. What a band assumes will be their most successful hit doesn’t always turn out to be the case.
Alternatively, some bands’ throwaway tracks can turn out to be their most popular. Here are some of the best B-sides in classic rock history that, if we’re being honest, definitely should have been A-sides.
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“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones
We’ll start our list of classic rock B-sides that should have been A-sides with a song that doubles as a disclaimer. As listeners, we can’t always get what we want from our favorite artists. When the Rolling Stones first released “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” in 1969, the British rock band tucked the song on the B-side of their twangy rock number, “Honky Tonk Women.” (Both tracks ended up on the Stones’ Let It Bleed album.)
Despite the track’s relatively modest chart performance, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song has undoubtedly become one of the Stones’ most signature tracks of all time. Just like Mick Jagger said, sometimes, you can get what you need.
“Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John
This addition of classic rock B-sides that deserved to be A-sides requires an asterisk, as its official release varied from country to country. In the U.K. and other countries outside of the U.S. and Canada, “Benny & the Jets” was the B-side to “Candle in the Wind.” American markets, on the other hand, knew that the B-side had potential, opting instead to release it as an A-side under the modified spelling of “Bennie and the Jets.”
Elton John was initially certain that the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road closer would fail. Fortunately, he was wrong. The song topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and Canada’s RPM Top Singles chart. The American market chose not to release “Candle in the Wind” as a single at all.
“Black Water” by Doobie Brothers
Sometimes, an artist doesn’t realize they have a hit on their hands until they watch their audience react to it. Such was the case for the Doobie Brothers’ 1974 track, “Black Water,” which they originally released as a B-side to “Another Park, Another Sunday.” The B-side became far and away a more recognizable track from the rock band’s discography, so much so that they eventually re-released the single as an A-side.
Despite the band never thinking of “Black Water” as a hit single, that’s precisely what it turned out to be. By March 1975, the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, garnering the band their first chart-topping single and cementing itself as a Doobie Brothers staple.
“We Will Rock You” by Queen
It isn’t very often that a band can create an A-side and B-side that are both equally incredible and cohesive with one another, but in 1977, Queen accomplished this rare feat with their singles, “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You.” (Because “We Will Rock You” was still technically a B-side in England and Europe, we’ve kept it on the list.)
“We Will Rock You” became a bona fide folk anthem, with fans around the world recognizing its distinct rhythm and refrain, not dissimilar to the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” It was also the last song that Queen performed as a full band at their iconic 1985 Live Aid performance.
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