Quote Originally Posted by Jaap View Post
One of the most famous examples is "I'll Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, which was actually the flip-side of "Substitute" but became a hit when the dj-s started playing the b-side instead.

Something similar [[though with much less impact on the charts) happened to The Supremes "The Young Folks," the b-side of "No Matter What Sign You Are."

But yes, you are right, most often it doesn't happen. What I always found intriguing is that for royalties it doesn't matter whether it is an A or B side. Janie Bradford has said at a couple occasions that she really appreciated that Diana Ross picked "I am Me" as the b-side of "Muscles."
Wow! Like they say, "you learn something new everyday." I didn't realize "I
Will Survive was actually the b-side! Now that's a pretty awesome example of how sometimes a flip side does get attention.

I also recall reading about "The Young Folks" getting airplay. Seems this song always divides fans, but I do think it's a good song. Maybe because it doesn't try so hard to sound relevant. It's just a nice gentle sort of song that says what it has to say. I definitely would play that one more than the a side.

Oh if only they still sold singles...I'd be very happy to score a flip side on a hit single!