# "B" Side of the 45's... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 31, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789 "2002-05-31T20:22:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/1 "2002-05-31T20:22:07Z")
What was the purpose of picking such lousy songs, typically, for the “B” sides of 45’s? Didn’t they want to PROMOTE the LP from which the song came and/or promote the band? Of course, some “B” sides cannot be found on ANY LP…not sure the logic here, unless the band had no LP at the time??? Does anyone know how this worked? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/2 "2002-05-31T20:59:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jinx \* > \*\*What was the purpose of picking such lousy songs, typically, for the “B” sides of 45’s? Didn’t they want to PROMOTE the LP from which the song came and/or promote the band? Of course, some “B” sides cannot be found on ANY LP…not sure the logic here, unless the band had no LP at the time??? \*\* To answer your first question: they want to save all the good songs from the album to later release as singles. Second question: B-sides not found on any album are more than likely extra material that didn’t make the cut. Sometimes, however, a B-side will be a remix or radio edit of the A-side. CD singles nowadays often contain remixes and material that didn’t make it onto the album - s.e. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/3 "2002-05-31T21:58:11Z")
Some examples where the ‘B’ side became the ‘A’ by accident: Steam: “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” KISS: “Beth” - much to the dismay of KISS Army members everywhere ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/4 "2002-05-31T22:25:03Z")
See what [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a991015.html) has to say. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/5 "2002-05-31T22:57:07Z")
Damn Cecil! :mad: I had some good answers for this, and he stole most of my limelight. To add slightly to the illumination provided by Cecil: In the days of '45 records, the single(hit) came out much earlier than any LP that it may have eventually wound up on. “Flip Side” songs often were never to be found on a subsequent album. I believe that in the early days of Rock ‘N’ Roll, much more $ worth of sales came from the 45 rpm singles than from the less popular 33&1/3 RPM albums. The companies obviously didn’t want to offer two great songs on one record, when they could sell two records. Sometimes they screwed up, as with Elvis’s “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/6 "2002-06-01T00:04:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by John Carter of Mars \* > \*\*“Flip Side” songs often were never to be found on a subsequent album. \*\* An excellent example of this is Bruce Springsteen. In the early 80’s (prior to CD’s) Columbia Records would release his newest singles flipped with a previously unreleased track thereby insuring big sales from his hardcore “gotta have it all” fans. In the CD era, Tori Amos does this quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Lockfist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/838e76/32.png) [@Lockfist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lockfist)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/7 "2002-06-01T02:03:01Z")
My question is why in the hell did **Queen** put _Don’t Try Suicide_ on the B-side of _Another One Bites The Dust_ ??? I was **FIVE YEARS OLD**! I distinctly remember my dad taking a paperclip and scratching the B-side such that it would not play… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/8 "2002-06-01T02:58:00Z")
“I was FIVE YEARS OLD ! I distinctly remember my dad taking a paperclip and scratching the B-side such that it would not play…” You lost me there **Lockfist**. Why did he do that? I liked both songs. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/9 "2002-06-01T14:41:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by John Carter of Mars \* > Damn Cecil! :mad: [Aretha] Don’t you blaspheme in here! _Don’t you BLASPHEME in HERE!_ [/Aretha] ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/10 "2002-06-01T15:12:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lockfist \* > \*\*My question is why in the hell did **Queen** put _Don’t Try Suicide_ on the B-side of _Another One Bites The Dust_ ??? > > I was **FIVE YEARS OLD**! I distinctly remember my dad taking a paperclip and scratching the B-side such that it would not play… \*\* Your dad was pro-suicide? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2002, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-side-of-the-45s/111789/11 "2002-06-01T16:21:26Z")
It is believed that an entire bar was cleared out in seconds after someone put on the B-side of _They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-haa!_, entitled _!Aah-ah Yawa Em Ekat ot Gnimoc Er’yeht_, which is basically the A-side played backwards.