# B sides **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [October 15, 1999, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-sides/256 "1999-10-15T21:14:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sanford\_Stein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sanford\_Stein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sanford_Stein)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 1999, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-sides/256/1 "1999-10-15T21:14:00Z")
There are many more famous B sides that became hits. My favorite is a release by Cliff Nobles called “Love is All Right”. For the B-side the record label merely used the instrumental track from the A side, minus Nobles’ vocals. They called it “The Horse” and it became a top 5 hit. The song was credited to “Cliff Nobles & Co” although Nobles did not perform on it. ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 1999, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-sides/256/2 "1999-10-15T21:32:00Z")
the are many beatles and elvis b sides that are awesome, but one of my all time favorites is ‘hey, hey, what can i do’-led zep ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 1999, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-sides/256/3 "1999-10-17T05:06:00Z")
There are lots and lots of stories of B sides becoming the hits. “I Will Survive,” “To Sir with Love.” etc. were B sides. You even had “The Greatest Love of All,” and “Cold Hearted” were B sides that later went on to be issued in their own right and go to number one. ---
**Author:** ![Jomolungma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b2d939/32.png) [@Jomolungma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jomolungma)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 1999, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-sides/256/4 "1999-10-18T10:17:00Z")
And let’s not forget perhaps the most famous of all “B” hits. The flip side of Handel’s _Judas Maccabeus_ was _The Messiah_. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 1999, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-sides/256/5 "1999-10-19T13:37:00Z")
Can’t find a reference in a short search, but wasn’t _Rudolph_ a B-side? ---
**Author:** ![JoeyBlades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JoeyBlades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyBlades)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 1999, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-sides/256/6 "1999-10-19T14:45:00Z")
I guess space (or attention span) was limited, but Cecil failed to mention that sometimes there is no B-side or the B-side is the same as the A-side. I’ve got an old 45 that’s blank on one side and I’ve seen them where they are identical on both sides (not even remixes). Also, I’ve got a couple of 12 inch singles that play at 33.33 rpm. ---
**Author:** ![ravenous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@ravenous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ravenous)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 1999, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-sides/256/7 "1999-10-19T19:29:00Z")
This might warrant a new topic, but how do they say whether the B side was the number one hit rather than the A side? Don’t they use record sales to decide this? How do they know I really bought the “Don’t Be Cruel” single because it had “Hound Dog” on it? Rav ---
**Author:** ![Keeves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f05b48/32.png) [@Keeves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeves)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 1999, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/b-sides/256/8 "1999-10-19T20:58:00Z")
Ditto Ravenous. I’ve been trying to figure that out for decades. Any guesses out there?