Double A-side radio airplay

[70jack90]

This is a question that I'd like to know.

So I know this is quite rare in the US but it's common in Europe back in the day, but when they release singles that are double A-side, would radio programmers choose one of the double A-singles to be played on a radio station?

One thing I know that in the UK, especially around the 90s and early 2000s, there were a couple of hits that were double A-side singles, but sometimes, either one of the A-sides would be promoted on the radio, and sometimes vice versa. But was it possible to put two a-side hits by the same artists at the same time as they are charting, or would they release the A-side hits separately?

Billboard used to do it back when the Hot 100 was just a singles chart until late 1998.

[WolfSpear]

I’ll give my best answer.

It was actually somewhat common to have both sides on the radio throughout the 40’s and 50’s. Normally a #1 side would see it’s flip side somewhere on the chart, even in the 90-100 range if it received some airplay. Of course, the best known examples would include “Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel” by Elvis Presley and “Come Together/Something” by the Beatles.

Billboard started treating the Hot 100 as a singles chart in 1969. At that time, “Come Together” and “Something” were both in the top 10 simultaneously. With this new format in play, airplay of both songs and sales of the single would be combined. As per customs, the more popular of the two is listed first...

Interestingly, the number of double A-sided singles went down near the mid-70’s and early 80’s. An example from the 90’s would be Tupac’s “How Do U Want It/California Love”. By this point in time, only Airplay factored would be the one receiving more. This was mentioned in the magazine itself but I can’t directly source that issue.

Given that the B-side has become the A-side on a couple of occasions while climbing and descending the charts, the label basically says “this is the new single, this is the song we want to push” and back then, both sides were generally good, so the radio never objected to play both. If you were the Beatles, huge chance both would be duking it on the radio!

[renaboss]

Weren't "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You" usually played back-to-back on the radio? As in, one would segue straight into the other? I read that somewhere.

[hughster1]

Nov 2, 2020 19:07:42 GMT -5 renaboss said:

Weren't "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You" usually played back-to-back on the radio? As in, one would segue straight into the other? I read that somewhere.

That's my recollection - so much so that I wasn't aware that they were on different sides!

[jebsib]

I don't think that Double A sides were really a consideration post 1950s.
There were a couple of times it may have happened, but mostly B sides became popular after the A side was popular (John Denver's I'm Sorry / Calypso),

That 2Pac example was an outlier because the physical retail single was released MONTHS after the first hit, California Love peaked.
Thus it 'housed' 2 radio hits, but stations didn't really concurrently play them.

The last traditional Double A Side single I recall was Outkast's "Hey Ya! / "The Way You Move" in early 2004. And even that was a "DVD Single".

[garrettlen]

In England, where their music was originally packaged, The Beatles had a number of Double A sided singles throughout the 60's.

[rockgolf]

Nov 10, 2020 21:29:38 GMT -5 garrettlen said:

In England, where their music was originally packaged, The Beatles had a number of Double A sided singles throughout the 60's.

In most cases, both sides of Beatle singles separately charted on the Hot 100 before BIllboard changed the rules in the middle of Come Together/ Something.
Among the biggest Beatle B-sides on the chart: Revolution, Yellow Submarine, Strawberry Fields Forever and I Saw Her Standing There.

[degen]

Nov 10, 2020 16:04:59 GMT -5 jebsib said:

I don't think that Double A sides were really a consideration post 1950s.
There were a couple of times it may have happened, but mostly B sides became popular after the A side was popular (John Denver's I'm Sorry / Calypso),

That 2Pac example was an outlier because the physical retail single was released MONTHS after the first hit, California Love peaked.
Thus it 'housed' 2 radio hits, but stations didn't really concurrently play them.

The last traditional Double A Side single I recall was Outkast's "Hey Ya! / "The Way You Move" in early 2004. And even that was a "DVD Single".

Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”/“Castle on the Hill” were technically double A sides released on the same day and encouraged to both be played by radio programmers. Of course that’s not how it always pans out, as COTH pretty much had to wait for SOY to slow down before it was given full attention.

[iggyamo]

Nov 12, 2020 18:14:53 GMT -5 degen said:

Nov 10, 2020 16:04:59 GMT -5 jebsib said:

I don't think that Double A sides were really a consideration post 1950s.
There were a couple of times it may have happened, but mostly B sides became popular after the A side was popular (John Denver's I'm Sorry / Calypso),

That 2Pac example was an outlier because the physical retail single was released MONTHS after the first hit, California Love peaked.
Thus it 'housed' 2 radio hits, but stations didn't really concurrently play them.

The last traditional Double A Side single I recall was Outkast's "Hey Ya! / "The Way You Move" in early 2004. And even that was a "DVD Single".

Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”/“Castle on the Hill” were technically double A sides released on the same day and encouraged to both be played by radio programmers. Of course that’s not how it always pans out, as COTH pretty much had to wait for SOY to slow down before it was given full attention.

The 2 DJ Khalid songs with Drake this year had decent respectable amount of airplay, as well as Heartless and Blinding Lights