A seven-inch ABBA single could hold a whole little world. The A-side was the song competing for chart glory, the one you heard on the radio and sang into a hairbrush. But what are ABBA b-sides? They are the tracks placed on the reverse of those vinyl singles – and for fans, they are often where the story becomes more surprising, more intimate and wonderfully less predictable.<\/p>\n
Some ABBA B-sides became cherished favourites in their own right. Others began as overlooked flip-side companions before gaining fresh life on compilations, CD editions and fan playlists. They are not simply \u201cthe songs that did not make it\u201d. They are a vivid part of ABBA\u2019s creative history, capturing the group in between blockbuster singles, trying new colours and sometimes hiding a masterpiece in plain sight.<\/p>\n
In the era of vinyl singles, a record had two playable sides. The A-side was the track selected as the main release, usually promoted to radio, shops and the music press. The B-side was the additional song on the other side. It might be an album track, a non-album recording, an alternate version or, occasionally, a song that could easily have been a single itself.<\/p>\n
For ABBA, the distinction matters because the group\u2019s singles were such a central part of their identity. From \u201cWaterloo\u201d and \u201cMamma Mia\u201d to \u201cThe Winner Takes It All\u201d and \u201cThe Day Before You Came\u201d, the A-sides formed an extraordinary run of pop events. Yet the reverse sides reveal a different rhythm: country touches, tender ballads, experimentations with sound, and songs with a little more room to breathe.<\/p>\n
A B-side was not always a consolation prize. A record company chose the A-side for practical reasons: radio appeal, a strong opening hook, the commercial mood of the moment, or the need to follow a previous hit with something recognisably ABBA. That decision did not necessarily reflect which song Benny Andersson, Bj\u00f6rn Ulvaeus, Agnetha F\u00e4ltskog or Anni-Frid Lyngstad valued most. Nor does it decide which track will mean the most to you.<\/p>\n
ABBA were masters of the three-and-a-half-minute single, but they were never only a singles band. Their B-sides remind us how much imagination sat behind the glittering surface. They let the group be wistful, playful, odd, theatrical or quietly devastating without needing to meet every expectation attached to the next big hit.<\/p>\n
Take \u201cCrying Over You\u201d, the B-side of \u201cSuper Trouper\u201d in many territories. It has a directness that feels almost startling after the grand stage lights of its A-side. The vocal ache, elegant arrangement and sense of private heartbreak make it a classic example of why fans search beyond the familiar.<\/p>\n
Then there is \u201cThe Way Old Friends Do\u201d, used as the B-side to \u201cThe Winner Takes It All\u201d. Recorded live at Wembley Arena in 1979, it feels like a farewell embraced by an audience – a warm, communal moment attached to one of pop\u2019s most bruising break-up songs. The contrast between the two sides is part of the magic.<\/p>\n
Other flip sides show ABBA\u2019s light-footed sense of fun. \u201cHappy Hawaii\u201d, issued as the B-side of \u201cKnowing Me, Knowing You\u201d, reworks the music of \u201cWhy Did It Have to Be Me?\u201d with new lyrics and a sunny setting. It is not merely a curiosity. It shows how the group could revisit an idea and give it a completely different personality.<\/p>\n
This is where the subject becomes slightly more complicated – and more interesting for collectors. Many ABBA B-sides were already available on albums. \u201cI Wonder (Departure)\u201d appeared as the B-side to \u201cThe Name of the Game\u201d, while \u201cTropical Loveland\u201d backed \u201cFernando\u201d in certain releases. For someone buying the single without the LP, these were valuable additions. For album owners, they offered a carefully chosen companion track.<\/p>\n
Other B-sides were genuinely harder to find at the time. \u201cShould I Laugh or Cry\u201d, on the reverse of \u201cOne of Us\u201d, was a non-album track on its original single release. Its cool, uneasy mood and Frida\u2019s superb lead vocal have made it a favourite among listeners who like ABBA at their more sophisticated and shadowy.<\/p>\n
\u201cCassandra\u201d, the B-side of \u201cThe Day Before You Came\u201d, is another essential stop. It has dramatic piano, a richly layered vocal arrangement and an air of ancient tragedy translated into elegant 1980s pop. Calling it a B-side can make it sound secondary, but the song has the scale and emotional precision of one of ABBA\u2019s finest late recordings.<\/p>\n
That is the joy of the format. A B-side can be an album track, a rarity or a song later upgraded by fan affection. Its original placement tells you about the release strategy of the time; it does not set a limit on its artistic value.<\/p>\n
The best way to understand the appeal is to spend time with the songs themselves. \u201cI\u2019ve Been Waiting for You\u201d, which backed \u201cSo Long\u201d, is an early gem with a folk-rock edge and a soaring Agnetha vocal. It points towards the emotional confidence ABBA would later make world-famous.<\/p>\n
\u201cLove Isn\u2019t Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)\u201d appeared behind \u201cRing Ring\u201d and brings bright, busy early-1970s pop energy. It may not have the studio polish of the group\u2019s later work, but that is part of its charm. You can hear four gifted musicians and singers building their shared language.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet on the Carousel\u201d, the B-side of \u201cMamma Mia\u201d in the UK, is especially notable because it draws on material from the group\u2019s earlier stage project, ABBA: The Album<\/em>\u2019s musical predecessor, The Girl with the Golden Hair<\/em>. Its arrangement carries a more theatrical flavour than the immaculate pop snap of \u201cMamma Mia\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cElaine\u201d, used as the B-side to \u201cThe Winner Takes It All\u201d in some markets, is another fan treasure, though release details vary by country. Its urgent beat and wonderfully dramatic melody make it feel built for a larger audience. This is one reason ABBA collectors<\/a> compare labels, catalogue numbers and territories with such care: there is no single universal B-side list for every release.<\/p>\n ABBA were an international group, and their singles were often configured differently across the UK, Sweden, Europe, Australia, North America and beyond. A song that was the B-side in one country might be absent from another pressing, or paired with a different A-side altogether. Promotional singles and reissues can add further variations.<\/p>\n The changing format of singles also matters. Seven-inch vinyl was the classic home of the B-side, but twelve-inch singles, cassette singles and CD singles later created room for extended mixes, extra tracks and alternate versions. By the 1980s, the idea of a \u201cB-side\u201d had begun to broaden, even if fans still use the term affectionately for the lesser-known songs attached to a single release.<\/p>\n For that reason, it is wise to ask a second question whenever you see a B-side named: which country and which pressing? A UK fan\u2019s memory of a single may differ from a Swedish fan\u2019s, and both can be right. That small detail turns a simple discography fact<\/a> into a shared bit of fan detective work.<\/p>\n These terms are often bundled together, but they are not identical. A B-side was officially issued on a single. A bonus track is usually added to a later album edition, compilation or reissue. An unreleased song is a recording that did not receive an official commercial release at the time, although it may eventually emerge from the archives.<\/p>\n ABBA\u2019s archive has made those distinctions especially fascinating. Tracks such as \u201cJust Like That\u201d have attained near-mythical status precisely because fans know recordings or fragments exist without an original official release in the way a conventional B-side received one. Meanwhile, songs first heard as flip sides may now be easily available digitally, making them feel less rare than they once did.<\/p>\nCountry, format and the collector\u2019s detail<\/h2>\n
B-sides versus bonus tracks and unreleased songs<\/h2>\n