Catch You On the Flip Side
The term flip side was generated back in the day when there were phonograph records (ask your mom or dad). The flip side referred to the song on the opposite side of the record. The A-Side song was selected by the record producer in hopes that it would receive radio airplay and become a "hit". It was suppose to be the better, more likable, more marketable song. The B-Side was seen as the inferior, more forgettable, "extra" song. In fact, the B-Side song would often not even make it onto the artist's LP (long play). Usually the A-Side song performed as expected. It was the one that was played on the radio, the song everyone would find themselves tapping their toes to and singing along with and buying at the store. Usually the B-Side song was not as radio-friendly and, therefore, was a mystery to most but was included, nonetheless, when purchasing the single. Occasionally, though, the B-Side became the more popular song, for whatever reasons, and found itself getting lots of airplay and rising in the charts. Subsequently, the A-Side became the forgotten song, the dud. This was never the producer's original intent.
Let's consider that every person has a figurative flip side, an A and a B side. Every strength having a related weakness and every weakness having a related strength. For example, people who have a tendency toward dogmatism are individuals who usually have strong convictions. I like strong convictions. Strong convictions are good, dogmatism is bad.
Discipline is good, rigidity is bad. Easygoing is good, apathy is bad. Concern is good, worry is bad. Passion is good, rage is bad. Caution is good, paralysis is bad. Humor is good, ridicule is bad. Confidence is good, arrogance is bad. Humility is good, an inferiority complex is bad… You get the point. But sometimes the line between a particular strength and the flip side weakness becomes blurred both in our thinking and in our behavior.
Humanly speaking, shouldn't our A-Side be the better, more likable side? The side that people want to tap their toes to and sing along with, the side that generates the most positive revenue? The B-Side is intended to be the minor side, the less familiar side. The song that doesn't even show up on our LP! Sometimes, unfortunately, our B-Side gets more airplay than our better A-Side and, therefore, becomes the more featured anthem. More popular for all the wrong reasons. This was never the Producer's intent. We are wise to "own" both our A and B sides. What airplay we give each, is our choice.
Grandmotherly Musing #2: Know and admit to your A-Side (strengths) and your B-Side (weaknesses). Feature your strengths, limit your weaknesses. Allow yourself to learn from and be stretched by other's strengths and be patient with their weaknesses.
See how many A-Side Songs you can match to the corresponding B-Side Songs listed below. Answers will be on my next blog. How much fun is this?!
- The Candy Man (Sammy Davis Jr)
- Every Breath You Take (The Police)
- Hey Jude (Beatles)
- She Loves You (Beatles)
- These Boots Are Made For Walkin' (Sinatra)
- Benny & The Jets (Elton John)
- Always Something There To Remind Me (Burt Bacharach)
- Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac)
- I Walk The Line (Johnny Cash)
- Return To Sender (Elvis)
- My Way (Frank Sinatra)
- Material Girl (Madonna)
- Beat It (Michael Jackson)
- Piano Man (Billy Joel)
- Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
a. Harmony
b. Get On The Floor
c. You're My Home
d. Angel
e. I Want To Be Happy
f. Cycles
g. Who Is Gonna Love Me?
h. Angel
i. You've Got It Bad Girl
j. Murder By Numbers
k. I'll Get You
l. Where Do You Come From
m. Silver Springs
n. Get Rhythm
o. The City Never Sleeps At Night
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