The B-Sides That Outshined Their A-Sides
10 rare B-sides that outshined their A-sides. Joy Division, Oasis & more hid their best songs on the flip side. Discover the gems radio rejected.
Sometimes the "throwaway" tracks become the classics
Picture this: You're a record executive in 1984, and The Smiths just handed you a single. The A-side is "William, It Was Really Nothing"—catchy, radio-friendly, perfectly fine. Then you flip it over and hear this tremolo-drenched monster called "How Soon Is Now?"
Your response? "Too weird. Keep it on the B-side."
Fast-forward 40 years, and nobody remembers "William, It Was Really Nothing." But "How Soon Is Now?" became the theme song to Charmed, a defining track of alternative rock, and The Smiths' most streamed song on Spotify.
Welcome to the beautiful irony of rare B-sides—where the songs deemed "not good enough" often become the most beloved.
10. Joy Division - "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (1980)
The B-side that became bigger than the band
Here's one of music's cruelest ironies: Joy Division's most famous song was originally the B-side to "Licht Und Blindheit." Released two months after Ian Curtis's death, it was meant to be the throwaway track.
Producer Martin Hannett later said the band considered it "too poppy" for their dark image. The result? A perfect distillation of beauty and despair that's now considered one of the greatest songs ever written. Sometimes being "too poppy" is exactly what the world needs.
9. Nirvana - "About a Girl" (1989)
The Beatles homage that predicted grunge's future
While "Love Buzz" tried to introduce Nirvana as noise-rock experimenters, its B-side revealed Kurt Cobain's secret weapon: actual melodies. "About a Girl" was his unashamed Beatles tribute, complete with jangly guitars and—gasp—a hummable chorus.
Sub Pop Records buried it on the flip side because it didn't sound "punk" enough. Five years later, when MTV Unplugged made it a generation-defining moment, those same executives probably felt pretty stupid.
