Concept singles

You're probably familiar with concept albums, where the songs are unified by a theme or some kind of link between them. What is less discussed is the idea of "concept singles", where both songs of the single are linked one to the other.

The first example to come to my mind is the WWRY/WATC single, where both songs are anthemic, designed to rally people and usually played together, whether it's on the NOTW album, on the radio (where both songs are almost always played back to back) or live (except on the Magic tour, where they were split by Friends Will Be Friends).

Another one would be the Bicycle Race/Fat Bottomed Girls single, although the "concept" here is less substantial. Apart from the cross-reference in the lyrics and the fact that the two songs start with an a capella chorus, there's no real link between them.

The only other example I can think of (not by Queen this time) is the Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever/Penny Lane single, where both songs evoke the youth of Lennon and McCartney in Liverpool.

Any other "concept single" by any artist comes to your mind?

The Show Must Go On/
Keep Yourself Alive - Queen Talks

Queen Talks is parts of interviews, crafted to be seen as in retrospective;

Keep Yourself Alive is their first single; and

The Show Must Go On is his last single (with Freddie alive).

Maybe that tried to hint something.

Everyone talks about WWRY&WATC being played together but I haven't heard that once in my life on my local radio. I guess it's because of where I live.

[QUOTE] [b]BETA215 wrote:[/b]

The Show Must Go On/
Keep Yourself Alive - Queen Talks

Queen Talks is parts of interviews, crafted to be seen as in retrospective;

Keep Yourself Alive is their first single; and

The Show Must Go On is his last single (with Freddie alive).

Maybe that tried to hint something.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I guess so. I was thinking more about singles containing songs being released for the first time, not re-released but I think this one is interesting and deserves to be called a "concept single".

"on the radio (where both songs are almost always played back to back)"

Never heard them played back to back. You are confusing concept singles with double A sides or songs that Queen fans associate with each other...

Chief Mouse, it's not about where you live, it's about when you live. When it was originally released as a single in 1977, no radio station played just one of the songs, it was only played together.

[QUOTE] [b]mooghead wrote:[/b]

"on the radio (where both songs are almost always played back to back)"

Never heard them played back to back. You are confusing concept singles with double A sides or songs that Queen fans associate with each other...[/QUOTE]

I'm surprised to hear that people never heard WWRY/WATC being played back to back, maybe it has to do to where you live? Here in Canada, I can't remember hearing the songs being played separately on the radio.

About the rest, well you'll notice I wrote "concept singles" with quotation marks. I'd be very surprised to hear that either band sat down and wrote songs specifically for a "concept single", as they would do for a concept album. It's more a case of putting two songs sharing some kind of theme together on a single. In the case of FBG/BR, I agree it was far-fetched, I already said that in my first post. But in the case of WWRY/WATC (which was only a double A-side in America, not in Europe btw), it's a fact both songs were written with crowd participation in mind, since both May and Mercury admitted being influenced by the same event to write these. And Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane, it's probably Lennon or McCartney getting influenced by the other and writing its own variation on the same theme.

So, I don't think there was a concept to begin with, and then songs written accordingly; but more likely songs being coupled because of a shared theme.

[QUOTE] [b]rschoorl wrote:[/b]

Chief Mouse, it's not about where you live, it's about when you live. When it was originally released as a single in 1977, no radio station played just one of the songs, it was only played together.[/QUOTE]

I still hear them played together, at least on US radio, it's something of a rarity to hear one without the other!

Could it be possible that WWRY/WATC are being played back to back more often in the US and Canada because the single was released as a double A-side in America?

In the UK , where I've had a radio at work, practically all day and every day since 1974, have never once heard them played back to back.

In the UK, I don't think WWRY was released as a single, it was 'just' the B side to '...Champions'. The fact that it was a double A side elsewhere resulted in it's airplay.

Interestingly, it features on the original Greatest Hits album in the UK even though it wasn't a single, and so 'I'm In Love With My Car' could have justifiably argued for inclusion on GH above it!!

[QUOTE] [b]cmsdrums wrote:[/b]

Interestingly, it features on the original Greatest Hits album in the UK even though it wasn't a single, and so 'I'm In Love With My Car' could have justifiably argued for inclusion on GH above it!![/QUOTE]

I never thought about that, you're right! Maybe they still included WWRY on GH because they feared some outcry, like what happened later when people complained that Strawberry Fields Forever was not included on Beatles 1, despite having been a double A-side with Penny Lane, which was included on the compilation.

[QUOTE] [b]Bike It 80 wrote:[/b]

[QUOTE] [b]cmsdrums wrote:[/b]

Interestingly, it features on the original Greatest Hits album in the UK even though it wasn't a single, and so 'I'm In Love With My Car' could have justifiably argued for inclusion on GH above it!![/QUOTE]

I never thought about that, you're right! Maybe they still included WWRY on GH because they feared some outcry, like what happened later when people complained that Strawberry Fields Forever was not included on Beatles 1, despite having been a double A-side with Penny Lane, which was included on the compilation.[/QUOTE]

In some ways it's acceptable because the songs were played together in concerts, but after a few decades of growing cynicism, I actually think it's just an early sign of their arbitrary choices. (And the outcry they feared would have been from Brian, when he wouldn't have gotten as much attention as Freddie...)

I seem to remember John in the Magic Years video, maybe Vol. 2, where he talks about WWRY/WRTC. Saying the band regarded them as separate tracks that landed on the album side by side. The US stations started playing them back to back. So a request was made to release them as the Double A side in the US & Canada, I presume.
The rest is history.