The Biggest Two Sided Hit of All Time

The people at The60sshop@aol.com have done a survey on the best two sided hits of all time. After a long search this is the #1 two sided hit. If you would like to subscribe to their newsletter you can write to them here The60sshop@aol.com. Tell them Rick Phillips sent you.

In Billboard Magazine, HOUND DOG hit the charts first. Always a fan favorite, it debuted at #24 on the chart for the week ending July 25, 1956. ELVIS already had three other records in The Top 100: I WANT YOU, I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU was perched at #3, HEARTBREAK HOTEL was still holding on at #38 and MY BABY LEFT ME (featured earlier in this countdown) was in at #59.
The following week, HOUND DOG shot up to #11 and DON'T BE CRUEL debuted at #28. For the week ending August 8th, HOUND DOG rose to #6 and DON'T BE CRUEL hit #17. Next week, HOUND DOG moved to #3 and DON'T BE CRUEL joined it in The Top Ten at #6. A week later, HOUND DOG went to #2 and DON'T BE CRUEL to #4. The following week, HOUND DOG held the #2 spot (kept out of the #1 position by THE PLATTERS' hit MY PRAYER) and DON'T BE CRUEL crept up a notch to #3. For the week ending September 5th, DON'T BE CRUEL leap-frogged to #1 and HOUND DOG fell to #3. Both records held those positions for the following two weeks. Then on the chart dated "Week Ending September 26th," HOUND DOG moved back to the #2 spot, right behind DON'T BE CRUEL, which was now in its fourth week at #1. The following week, DON'T BE CRUEL held on to its top spot, but HOUND DOG fell to #6. A week later, HOUND DOG was down to #9 but DON'T BE CRUEL was still poised at #1, now for the sixth consecutive week. Both titles held their positions the following week. For the week ending October 24th, DON'T BE CRUEL finally fell from #1 (replaced by THE GREEN DOOR by JIM LOWE) and HOUND DOG fell out of The Top Ten to #12. Both recordings then began their descent down the charts, replaced by a brand NEW ELVIS PRESLEY hit, LOVE ME TENDER.
By all appearances, DON'T BE CRUEL was the clear-cut winner, holding down the #1 Spot for seven consecutive weeks. In addition, it spent a total of 16 weeks in Billboard's Top Ten. However, over at Cash Box Magazine, a slightly different scenario occurred. (It should be pointed out that in 1956, Billboard Magazine ran SEVERAL different charts. HOUND DOG DID go to #1 on both Billboard's Sales Chart and their Jukebox Chart. Officially, however, based on Billboard's Top 100 Chart, it peaked at #2.)
For the week ending July 28, 1956, HOUND DOG debuted at #50 on the Cash Box Best-Selling Singles Chart. A week later, it shot all the way up to #6 and DON'T BE CRUEL was shown for the first time as a "tag-along" B-SIDE. The following week, HOUND DOG went to #2 and DON'T BE CRUEL debuted on its own strength at #29. For the week ending August 18, 1956, HOUND DOG was OFFICIALLY The Number One Record in the Country according to Cash Box Magazine. DON'T BE CRUEL, at this point, was still climbing the charts at #13. A week later, HOUND DOG held the top spot while DON'T BE CRUEL rose to #5. HOUND DOG spent its THIRD week at #1 the following week, while DON'T BE CRUEL crept to #4. A week later, HOUND DOG was still the #1 song in the nation while DON'T BE CRUEL moved up a notch to #3. The following week (on the chart dated "Week Ending September 15, 1956), DON'T BE CRUEL finally reached #1 on the Cash Box Chart and HOUND DOG fell to #2. DON'T BE CRUEL held the #1 position for the next five weeks while HOUND DOG bounced around The Top Ten. (#3, #2, #5, #6 and then down to #14.) Ironically, ELVIS replaced himself at the top of the heap when LOVE ME TENDER went to #1 for the week ending October 27th. It stayed on top for five weeks, giving ELVIS PRESLEY the Number One Record In The Country for 15 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS, spread out between those three titles! Add in HEARTBREAK HOTEL's four weeks at #1 and ELVIS PRESLEY held down the top spot in Cash Box Magazine for 19 WEEKS in 1956 alone!
That makes DON'T BE CRUEL / HOUND DOG without question the BIGGEST TWO-SIDED HIT OF ALL-TIME. NO other record EVER had BOTH sides hit the #1 spot during the rock era. (Remember that we eliminated ROSEMARY CLOONEY's 1954 Hit HEY THERE / THIS OLE HOUSE at the outset of this special new series.)
So there you have it ... THE TOP 200 BIGGEST TWO-SIDED HITS OF ALL-TIME. Some surprises? Some disappointments? For Sure ... but we believe that we came up with the FAIREST way to rank these records, setting all personal prejudices aside ... you know, other than all of our own biting commentary!!! (lol)
We hope you have enjoyed this very special countdown ... certainly the most ambitious we've ever undertaken here in FORGOTTEN HITS. Thanks for stickin' with us! I also want to pass along my HIGHEST thanks to RANDY PRICE, without whom this list may have never seen the light of day (as I'd still be bouncing off the walls in some rubber room somewhere, trying to rationalize how on earth THE CREW CUTS could have a couple hits bigger than ELVIS, THE BEATLES and THE BEACH BOYS!!!) Thank you from the bottom of my heart, RANDY ... I couldn't have done it ... and passed this list along ... without you.
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What's next??? How about our long-delayed interview with PETER NOONE. (It's coming up right after our Annual Labor Day Vacation.) And then, the much-anticipated FAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDES SERIES. There's plenty more to come in FORGOTTEN HITS ... those of you who need to use the bathroom should probably go now!!! 
Don't Be Cruel

Hound Dog