A-side and B-side - Double A-side

Double A-side

A "double A-side" is a single in which both songs are intended to be the hit or plug side equally. This practice was invented by The Beatles in 1965 for their single containing "Day Tripper" and "We Can Work It Out," as the band deemed both to be single-worthy. The Beatles released three further double A-sided singles: "Yellow Submarine" and "Eleanor Rigby;" "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane;" and "Something" with "Come Together." The Rolling Stones followed suit in early 1967 with "Let's Spend the Night Together" and "Ruby Tuesday." Some singles have also been designated double A-sides in retrospect, such as "Don't Be Cruel" / "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley. "Hound Dog" had initially been the B-side upon first release in 1956, but since both sides became chart hits independently of one another, reissues later in the 1960s and beyond listed the single with both songs as a double A-side. Also, for Cliff Richard's 1962 "The Next Time" / "Bachelor Boy", both sides were marketed as songs with chart potential (albeit with "Bachelor Boy" pressed as the B-side).

In the UK, the biggest-selling non-charity single of all time was a double A-side, Wings 1977 release "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School", which sold over two million copies. It was also the UK Christmas No. 1 that year, the only occasion on which a double A-side has topped that chart.

Queen released their first double-A-side single "Killer Queen", backed with "Flick of the Wrist", in 1974. However, due to lack of promotion, only "Killer Queen" became a hit, whereas "Flick of the Wrist" was all but ignored. Three years later, they released "We Are the Champions" with "We Will Rock You" as a B-side. Both sides of the single received much radio airplay, which made them sometimes referred to as double A-side. In 1978 they released "Fat Bottomed Girls" / "Bicycle Race" as a double A-side; that time both sides of the single become hits.

Occasionally double-A-sided singles are released with each side targeting a different market. During the late 1970s, for example, Dolly Parton released a number of double-A-sided singles, in which one side was released to pop radio, and the other side to country, including "Two Doors Down" / "It's All Wrong but It's All Right" and "Baby I'm Burning" / "I Really Got the Feeling".

Many artists continue to release double A-side singles outside of the US where it is seen as more popular. Examples of this include Oasis's "Little by Little" / "She Is Love" (2002), Bloc Party's "So Here We Are" / "Positive Tension" (2005) and Gorillaz's "El Mañana" / "Kids with Guns" (2006).

Artists having the most U.S. double-sided singles where each side charted in the US Hot 100, according to Billboard:

NOTE: Perry Como (12) and Nat King Cole (19) both had additional double-sided singles on Billboard's pre-1955 charts.

Artists having the most U.S. double-sided singles where each side reached the Billboard Top 40, according to Billboard: