The Songs Nobody Wanted, The B-Sides Nobody Expected, and the Bands That Almost Weren’t

 The Songs Nobody Wanted, The B-Sides Nobody Expected, and the Bands That Almost Weren’t

Music history is full of strange twists, bad decisions, lucky accidents, and moments that make you wonder how anyone in a record company kept their job. Because sometimes the biggest hits in the world were songs nobody wanted. Sometimes the throwaway B-side became the song everyone remembers. Sometimes bands had two lead singers and somehow didn’t implode. Sometimes, the most famous frontman in the band wasn’t even the original guy.

Music is messy; that’s what makes it fun.

First, the Hits nobody wanted. There is something deeply satisfying about a song becoming a hit after everyone else said no. It’s like musical revenge. Take Waiting for a Star to Fall by Boy Meets Girl. They wrote it and offered it to major artists. Rejected. Offered again. Rejected. So, they recorded it themselves. Boom, instant Top 5 hit.

The same thing happened with I Can't Dream About You by Dan Hartman, which was reportedly turned down by Hall & Oates. Then there’s Michael Bolton, who spent years writing songs that others passed on before becoming famous himself. Country music practically runs on this system. Songwriters walk into Nashville with a demo, play it for artists, and hear: “Great song… not for me.” Then someone else records it and wins a CMA award. Take Garth Brooks Friends in Low Places or Carrie Underwood's Jesus Take The Wheel. That’s the music business in a nutshell.

Next, The B-Sides That Took Over the World. Now this is where things get really entertaining. Back in the vinyl days, singles had two sides:

A-side = the hit
B-side = the filler

Or at least that was the idea. Sometimes the filler took over. The Most Famous Flip-Side Victories

Maggie May – Rod Stewart
A-side: Reason to Believe
B-side: Maggie May

Radio DJs flipped the record. The B-side became a #1 hit. Rod Stewart’s career took off. The A-side quietly went home.

Beth – Kiss
A-side: Detroit Rock City
B-side: Beth

The band pushed the loud rock song. America fell in love with this piano ballad. Beth became their biggest hit. Sometimes fans want tears instead of guitars.

Rock Around the Clock – Bill Haley & His Comets
A-side: Thirteen Women
B-side: Rock Around the Clock

The B-side helped launch rock and roll. Imagine accidentally putting rock history on the back of the record. That’s like hiding pizza behind broccoli.

I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
A-side: Substitute
B-side: I Will Survive

DJs flipped it. Disco history was made. The survival anthem of a generation was originally the backup plan.

Ruby Tuesday – The Rolling Stones
A-side: Let's Spend the Night Together
B-side: Ruby Tuesday

The softer song ended up getting more airplay. Proof that even the Rolling Stones had surprises on the back of the record.

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Black Water – The Doobie Brothers
A-side: Another Park, Another Sunday
B-side: Black Water

One DJ flipped it. It became their first #1 hit. Never underestimate a curious radio host.

Hey Tonight – Creedence Clearwater Revival
A-side: Have You Ever Seen the Rain
B-side: Hey Tonight

In this case, both sides were strong. CCR basically said: “Why choose? We’ll just make both good.” And it worked.

 

Next, we have Bands with Two Lead Singers (that somehow worked) . Having two lead singers sounds like a bad idea. Two egos. Two microphones. One spotlight. But some bands made it work beautifully.

The Cars had:

• Ric Ocasek
• Benjamin Orr

And both sang major hits.

Orr sang:

• Just What I Needed
• Drive
• Let’s Go

While Ocasek handled many others.

That’s a true dual-lead system.

The Rolling Stones

• Mick Jagger = primary lead
• Keith Richards = occasional lead

Founder Brian Jones was the musical architect, but not a lead singer. So they had shared vocals at times, but not a true dual-frontman structure. Still impressive.

Other Successful Dual-Lead Bands

• Fleetwood Mac
• The Eagles
• Hall & Oates

Multiple voices. Multiple personalities. Multiple hits. Minimal explosions. Mostly.

Finally, what about the Frontman who wasn’t the original frontman? This might be the most surprising part of music history. Some legendary bands weren’t originally fronted by the singer we associate with today.

Journey

Originally led by:

• Gregg Rolie

Then came:

• Steve Perry

And suddenly:

• Don’t Stop Believin’
• Faithfully
• Open Arms

Arena rock history was born.

REO Speedwagon

Originally:

• Terry Luttrell

Then:

• Kevin Cronin

And boom:

• Keep On Loving You
• Can't Fight This Feeling

The sound everyone remembers.

Other Notable Switches

• Genesis — Peter Gabriel → Phil Collins
• AC/DC — Bon Scott → Brian Johnson
• Van Halen — David Lee Roth → Sammy Hagar

Sometimes, change ruins a band. Sometimes it saves it. Sometimes it makes them legends. Music history quietly teaches a powerful lesson. The rejected song might become a hit. The B-side might become the classic. The second singer might become a legend. The replacement frontman might become the voice of a generation.

In other words, sometimes the thing nobody expected is the thing everyone remembers. Somewhere in Nashville, Detroit, Los Angeles, or London, a songwriter is still hearing: “No thanks, we’ll pass.” While history quietly whispers, “Just wait.”