The First Double A-Sided Single

This post is part recording music history and part tribute to a great band.

For decades before the compact disc (CD) came out in the early 1980s, the world had the vinyl record. The vinyl record was termed as such because it was manufactured out of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The records were played on a turntable and for a while, they came out in four speeds or "RPMs" ("Revolutions Per Minute") namely, 78 rpm, 33 1/3 rpm, 45 rpm, and 16 2/3 rpm. However, by the 1950s and up to the eventual demise of the vinyl record in the early 1980s, two speeds remained dominant in the record market: the 33 1/3 rpm for "long-playing" (LP) records and the 45 rpm for the "singles".

The practice prevalent in the recording industry in those days was that a recording artist would go into the recording studio and record several songs that will be compiled onto an LP or "album". The artist and his/her recording producer would then select the song they deem the "best" out of the songs recorded and release it to the public as a single. The "best" song was placed on the top or "A" side of the single while a song of "lesser quality" (for lack of a better term) was placed at the bottom or "B" side. Once the "A" and "B" sides of a single were selected, the singles were then "pressed" (another old recording industry term used to describe the record manufacturing process) and subsequently released and marketed to the record-buying public.

Such was the standard practice for a lot of the recording artists during that period. However, Talent is one thing that's never distributed evenly. As a result, every once in a while, there were artists that came along that were so enormously gifted that the recording industry had to make some adjustments or changes to its practices just to accommodate the volume of high quality songs these individuals produced.

The Beatles was one such group.

Led by the songwriting tandem of the late John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the Beatles dominated the music world during the 1960s. This songwriting duo cranked one hit tune after another in spite of a grueling work pace. Unlike recording artists these days who produce albums at the average rate of one every two years, the Beatles produced two albums every year. One album was released around the May-June period while the second album was released around the Christmas season. And while they were not recording, they had commitments to do concert tours, and movie and television appearances.

But even in the face of everything that was thrown at them, the Beatles still managed to come up with a significant number of high quality songs. The Lennon-McCartney songwriting effort was so prolific that on top of the two albums they produced each year, their recording company, Parlophone in the United Kingdom, had to issue singles for some very good songs that did not make it on any Beatles album. Examples of these songs were "She Loves You", "From Me To You", "I Want To Hold Your Hand", and "I Feel Fine".

But it was in 1965 when they became the first band in music history to record and produce a "Double A-Sided Single", meaning that both songs were good enough to make it on the A side of any single.

Released in early December 1965, "We Can Work It Out" and "Day Tripper" were the two songs that made up the first double A-sided single.

"We Can Work It Out" was essentially a Paul McCartney composition. This was a song he wrote supposedly about a spat he had with his girlfriend at the time, the British actress Jane Asher. John Lennon provided Mr. McCartney with the song's middle shift and refrain.

The following shows a promotional video that was produced for the song. On the video you will see Paul McCartney doing the lead vocals, John Lennon providing backup vocals (and humor) while on keyboards, the late George Harrison playing lead guitar, and Ringo Starr playing drums.

The other song on the single, "Day Tripper", was a John Lennon composition. There is some confusion as to what actually inspired the song. Mr. Lennon stated in an interview that the song was about a prostitute on a "day trip" while Mr. McCartney, on the other hand, admitted years later that the song was about drugs.

The following shows the promotional video that was produced for the song. In a departure from a Beatle rule that a song's composer does the lead vocals, Paul McCartney sings lead while John Lennon does the backup vocals.

This Double A single eventually landed and stayed at the top of the UK Charts for five weeks from December 1965 to January 1966 and was at the top of the US Charts for three weeks in January 1966. (Source: About The Beatles)

In their remaining years as a group and as a testament to their talent, the Beatles would go on to release three more of these Double A-sided singles: "Yellow Submarine / Eleanor Rigby" (released August 1966), "Strawberry Fields Forever / Penny Lane" (February 1967), and "Something / Come Together" (October 1969). The band broke up in April 1970.

It has been almost 40 years since their breakup but not a single musical artist or band has come close to duplicating what the Beatles accomplished. News came out recently that Mariah Carey had just scored her 18th #1 hit on the Billboard Charts with the song "Touch My Body". This feat put her two singles shy of the Beatles' all-time record of 20 #1 hits.

However, one needs to put things into their proper perspective. One needs to consider the fact that it took Ms. Carey close to two decades to accomplish her feat, having been a recording artist since the early 1990s. The Beatles, on the other hand, accomplished their record within the eight years (1962-1970) the band was together. Let's also add the fact that all of the Beatles' #1 hits were Beatle compositions.

The songs, the numbers, the chart records, and the band's enduring popularity even among members of generations that were not yet around during their years of existence provide lasting evidence of the band's greatness.

On another note, to my countrymen in the Philippines who are dealing with the fury of Typhoon Frank, may this note find you and your families safe and secure. You all take care.