Key Takeaways

• Singles were once the primary measure of an artist’s success before albums took precedence.
• Many classic rock songs, despite their popularity, were never released as singles.
• Formats for music have evolved, but the purpose of singles has remained consistent: to promote a song.
• This list highlights 40 classic rock tracks that are beloved yet were not released as singles in the U.S. or U.K.

Before albums became the benchmark for those wishing to make big statements, singles were the best representation of an artist’s merit. If something couldn’t be said in a three and a half minute song, then it probably wasn’t worth saying.

As albums gained popularity and significance, singles lost some of their value. But music is still carried by songs, slices of life distilled into immediately memorable, radio-friendly moments of joy, sadness, anger, nostalgia and all the other emotions. And that’s where singles still matter. The formats have changed over the past century — from shellac to vinyl to CDs to digital and to vinyl again — but their purpose has remained relatively the same for more than a century: to sell the song.

The following list of 40 Classic Rock Songs Never Released as Singles includes dozens of tracks that fit the criteria for singles, from constant airplay to near-immediate familiarity. But they are all album tracks. For clarification, these songs weren’t singles at the time of their original release in the U.S. or the U.K.; however, several were released as singles in non-English-speaking regions such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands, sometimes years after they were first issued. Also, the list features songs that weren’t single A-sides, even though they may have been tucked away on the flip.

Jethro Tull, “Aqualung” (From Aqualung, 1971)

Jethro Tull’s breakthrough 1971 album Aqualung contained two singles, but its familiar title track, a longtime popular radio and live favorite, wasn’t one of them. The band’s fourth LP was their first U.S. Top 10, thanks to songs such as “Cross-Eyed Mary,” “Hymn 43” and “Locomotive Breath.” But much of its success can be attributed to the six-and-a-half-minute opening “Aqualung” and its defining riff and invigorating flute solo.

The Who, “Baba O’Riley” (From Who’s Next, 1971)

It wasn’t the unconventional length that kept the Who’s “Baba O’Riley” from being released as a single from Who’s Next; the longer-running “Won’t Get Fooled Again” was the album’s first single after being trimmed for AM radio. The extended synthesizer passages probably weren’t a hurdle either (again, see “Won’t Get Fooled Again”). But outside of select European countries, this classic never saw a proper single release.

Pearl Jam, “Black” (From Ten, 1991)

Technically, Pearl Jam’s early single releases are sketchy, initially relegated to album tracks that received plenty of radio airplay. “Black,” one of the most popular songs from their debut album, Ten, which slowly gained an audience in the year following its August 1991 release. The band’s label urged them to release “Black” as a single, but they refused. The song still reached No. 3 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Tracks.

READ MORE: 40 Songs That Weren’t on the Albums They Were Named After

Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Born on the Bayou” (From Bayou Country, 1969)

“Proud Mary”‘s B-side is almost as famous as Creedence Clearwater Revival’s first Top 10 hit. According to Doug Clifford, “Born in the Bayou” was supposed to be the A-side but was exiled to the flip, even though it was a favorite among the band members. California-born John Fogerty set the song in the South, a place he’d rarely visited, and practically defined swamp rock in the process. It remains a favorite among CCR fans.

Joni Mitchell, “Both Sides Now” (From Clouds, 1970)

Folk singer Dave Von Ronk released the first version of Joni Mitchell’s classic “Both Sides Now” in 1967; Judy Collins had a No. 8 hit with her version the next year. Mitchell’s version was released in 1969, on her second album, Clouds. Partly because of Collins’ well-known version, Mitchell’s acoustic rendition remained an LP track, while another frequently covered Mitchell song, “Chelsea Morning,” was released as a single.

Grateful Dead, “Casey Jones” (From Workingman’s Dead, 1970)

The Grateful Dead wasn’t known as a singles band and rarely put much effort into making or marketing them. (Their first Top 40 song, “Touch of Grey,” arrived in 1987, more than 20 years after their debut.) Their popularity and growing live reputation in 1970 led to some airplay. The single taken from Workingman’s Dead, however, was “Uncle John’s Band,” their first charting song, and not the fan favorite “Casey Jones.”

Fleetwood Mac, “The Chain” (From Rumours, 1977)

Almost any of Rumours‘ 11 songs could have been singles; four of them actually were. Side 2 opener, fan favorite and the only track on the album written by all five Fleetwood Mac members, “The Chain,” was designated as an LP-only cut and stands out not only for its interconnecting musicality but also as a statement of purpose for the splintering group. For years, the band opened its concerts with the unifying “The Chain.”

The Beatles, "A Day in the Life" (From <em>Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band</em>, 1967)

From the start, the Beatles envisionedSgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as an album statement, with none of its 13 songs released as singles (though two songs recorded at the start of the sessions, “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever,” were issued four months before the LP). The album’s closing masterwork, “A Day in the Life,” was pieced together from separate songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Led Zeppelin, “Dazed and Confused” (From Led Zeppelin, 1969)

Led Zeppelin was against singles from the day they formed, citing a desire for their LPs to be taken as complete works; their record company pushed back. “Good Times Bad Times,” clocking in at 2:43, was the only single from their 1969 debut, reaching No. 80 in the U.S. Most of Led Zeppelin‘s other songs weren’t as lean, including concert showpiece “Dazed and Confused,” a holdover from Jimmy Page’s Yardbirds days.

Traffic, "Dear Mr. Fantasy" (From <em>Mr. Fantasy</em>, 1967)

Traffic had placed three singles in the U.K. Top 10 before their debut album, Mr. Fantasy, was released in December 1967. One track from the LP was released as a single, but Steve Winwood’s “No Face, No Name and No Number” only skimmed the Top 40 and is barely remembered today. Better known and one of the band’s best songs, “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” closed Side 1 but was oddly never chosen as a single.

Eagles, “Desperado” (From Desperado, 1973)

Despite its appearance on the Eagles’ best-selling Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975) compilation album, “Desperado” was neither a hit nor a single. The soft-rock ballad served as the title track of their second LP, a concept record about the Old West and its outlaws, drawing parallels with contemporary rock artists. Its popularity was instantaneous with Linda Ronstadt’s cover version released just ten months later.

READ MORE: The 50 Best Title Tracks From Classic Albums

The Rolling Stones, “Gimme Shelter” (From Let It Bleed, 1969)

The Rolling Stones’ foreboding Let It Bleed opening song sounded like both a warning and the death knell of the ’60s. Altamont was only ten days away; the literal end of the decade was just weeks away. “Gimme Shelter” begins as a dark storm moves in; four-plus minutes later, wreckage surfaces in aftermath among worn gospel voices and frayed souls. It’s not too surprising that this dark song was never a single.