Podcast Summary: Hit Parade – The B-Sides Edition (Slate Podcasts)

Date: January 26, 2018
Host: Chris Molanphy
Guest: Ted Leo
Recorded live at The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY

Overview of the Episode

This special live episode of Hit Parade dives into the story of the B-side—a once-central concept in pop music’s physical era that often led to some of pop history’s most surprising hits. Host and chart analyst Chris Molanphy, joined by guest artist Ted Leo, blends trivia, storytelling, and lively audience participation to re-examine the underestimated flipsides of classic singles. The episode celebrates the cultural, historical, and accidental magic of B-sides while tracing their impact on chart history and the ever-evolving music industry, from the 1950s to the era of digital singles.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. What Is a B-Side, and Why Does It Matter? (06:39)

• Physical media like vinyl and cassettes came with two sides: “A” for the intended hit, and “B” for filler, leftovers, or experiments.
• B-sides sometimes accidentally became bigger hits than their intended counterparts, giving a unique spin to pop culture history.
• Molanphy: “The B-side was supposedly filler, a throwaway… and yet it’s remarkable how often throughout chart history the music industry got this wrong.” (06:39)

2. Chart Trivia Showdown: Audience Participation

• The episode is structured around a live trivia game: nine rounds where audience contestants answer questions about historic and surprising B-sides.
• Prizes include Slate swag and “Hit Parade bragging rights.”
• Molanphy uses each trivia answer as a launch point for deep dives into chart history, artist stories, and fascinating industry quirks.

3. Chronological March through Notable B-Side Successes

a) The 1950s: Elvis Presley, “Hound Dog” (09:14–14:41)

• Q: Which song was a B-side but became a smash?
  A: “Hound Dog” by Elvis (original B-side to “Don’t Be Cruel”)
• Elvis’ management, thinking "Don't Be Cruel" was the hit, relegated “Hound Dog” to the B-side, but radio and TV airplay propelled it to equal or greater fame.
• Molanphy highlights the original “Hound Dog” by Big Mama Thornton and Freddie Bell’s comedic, sanitized cover, which inspired Elvis.
• Quote: “Even when Presley was trying to be funny, he managed to put the danger back in the song.” (13:00)

b) The 1960s: Beach Boys and Beatles (16:05–33:15)

• The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows” (B-side to “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” in the US, A-side in the UK, peaked only at #39 in the US.)
  • Insight into how US radio shied away from playing “God” in the title.
  • Quote: “American historian Dominic Priore even claims that in some parts of the United States, ‘God Only Knows’ was banned from the radio for blasphemy.” (19:23)
• The Beatles, “Come Together/Something” (first true “double A-side” #1 in the US due to Billboard changing chart policy)
  • Explanation of Billboard’s evolving policies on tracking B-sides and the unique case that gave the Beatles two #1 songs at once.
  • Quote: “Billboard essentially gave the Beatles a bonus number one hit. Two at once.” (33:15)

c) Surprise Flip-Hits (1960s-70s): Lulu, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Bobby Gentry, Carl Douglas (24:20–37:08)

• Lulu’s “To Sir With Love,” Strawberry Alarm Clock’s “Incense and Peppermints,” and Bobby Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe” all started as B-sides before DJs and audiences turned them into hits.
• Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting”: written and recorded in 10 minutes as a B-side, it tapped perfectly into a cultural moment and became an enduring one-hit wonder.

d) The Disco Era: Gloria Gaynor, “I Will Survive” (52:15–53:41)

• “I Will Survive” was relegated to the B-side of “Substitute” until club and radio DJs flipped it, prompting a dramatic second life and a #1 chart run.
• Quote: “The song that will make the first paragraph of Gaynor’s obituary someday wasn’t just a club anthem... it would have to be uncovered by DJs first.” (53:41)

e) The 1980s: The Infamous Lost B-Sides (57:34–66:00)

• Labels and Billboard policies kept even massively popular B-sides from the Hot 100. Examples:
  • Prince’s “Erotic City”
  • Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac”
  • Madonna’s “Into the Groove” — ubiquitous airplay, but not officially a single in the US.
  • Quote: “If you were in any city in America in the summer of ’85, and flipped on Top 40 radio, you are guaranteed to hear ‘Into the Groove’ within the hour…” (64:02)

f) 1990s–2000s: CD Singles, Chart Manipulation, and the End of the B-Side Era (66:40–73:28)

• Jewel’s “Foolish Games” started as a B-side to “You Were Meant for Me,” but shifting radio and soundtrack popularity led to a combined, record-breaking chart run.
• By the digital era, the concept of “A-side” and “B-side” had all but vanished, but echoes remained in how labels promoted simultaneous potential hits (e.g., Beyoncé—“If I Were a Boy” and “Single Ladies”).

4. Special Guest Segment: Ted Leo Performs and Discusses B-Sides (42:50–49:52)

• Ted Leo discusses the creative and collector’s value of B-sides, referencing his own crowdfunded album project, which offers exclusive B-sides to backers.
• Live performance: Leo plays both his B-side (“Andy Stay out”) and an A-side from his solo album.
• Memorable moment: Leo joins in to perform snippets of famous B-sides including Madonna's "Into the Groove," delighting the audience and host alike.

5. Reflections: What Does the Disappearance of the B-Side Mean? (73:28–80:19)

• The transition to digital music ended the structural need for B-sides, but the stories persist as reminders of music’s unpredictability.
• Key insight: Many legendary hits were discovered by accident, and the “product they thought was destined... wasn’t even as good as the underestimated product in waiting they stuck on the back to fill space.” (79:23)
• Ends with a nod to screenwriter William Goldberg’s maxim:
  • Quote: “Nobody knows anything. … It’s a guess, and if you’re lucky, an educated one.” (79:57)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Trivia is the fossil fuel that runs our engine.” (02:51)
• “We will redress decades of pub trivia malpractice.” (02:51)
• “It is remarkable how often throughout chart history the music business got this wrong.” (06:39)
• On Prince’s irreverent B-sides: “The most lascivious pairing of Prince songs ever to make the Hot 100. And that’s saying something.” (57:37)
• Crowd erupts as Ted Leo joins trivia and performs iconic songs live.
• On Beyoncé: “It’s not only strange, but probably inaccurate, to call anything an A side or B side in the 21st century.” (73:28)
• “If the music business were a single, it would be selling your dreams on the A side, backed with dumb luck on the flip.” (79:23)

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic Description | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–06:39 | Show intro, live setup, concept of the B-side, trivia game launch | | 09:14–14:41 | Elvis—“Don’t Be Cruel”/“Hound Dog” saga | | 16:05–19:23 | Beach Boys—“God Only Knows” as B-side in US | | 24:20–27:43 | Lulu, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Bobby Gentry B-side stories | | 30:51–33:15 | Beatles and the invention of the double A-side | | 36:07–37:08 | “Kung Fu Fighting” accidental B-side mega-hit | | 42:50–49:52 | Interview/Performance: Ted Leo on B-sides | | 52:15–53:41 | Gloria Gaynor—“I Will Survive” and disco B-sides | | 57:34–66:00 | 1980s: B-sides blocked from Hot 100, legendary “missing” hits | | 66:40–73:28 | Jewel and the CD single era; Beyoncé’s digital “double A-side”| | 73:28–80:19 | Reflections: the end of the B-side and lessons for hitmaking |

Takeaway

This episode is a celebratory and slightly nostalgic exploration of the B-side’s role in pop music, revealing how commercial oversight, industry accidents, and consumer serendipity often created the biggest, most lasting pop hits. Through chart trivia, rich storytelling, and enthusiastic live performance, “The B-Sides Edition” reminds us that, in music as in all of culture, the real magic sometimes happens where no one—industry or artist—expected.

(For full context, listen to the January 26, 2018 episode of Hit Parade: The B-Sides Edition by Slate Podcasts.)