Songs joined as a medley, a suite or just played one after the other because they fit. Sometimes the medley is unintentional as DJs just found two songs that sound right together and continue to play them as a pair.
Here are some really good back-to-back songs, however they came together.
Elton John, “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” – From Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
According to Elton John, the songs were written separately and not intended as a medley, but the same key signature helped them blend together despite one being an an instrumental with grand orchestral backing, while the other was a turbocharged rocker.
Produced by Gus Dudgeon and engineered by David Hentschel.
The Beatles, Abbey Road side two suite of songs. Sixteen minutes of pure genius. To me, this suite left like getting on an amusement park ride and left you dazed and giddy. These were song snippets that were brilliantly filled out, edited together represented The Beatles, and George Martin, at their most best. All of the songs in the suite were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The suite also features Ringo’s only recorded drum solo, and the other three Beatles’ guitar soloing on the same song.
From Abbey Road (1969)
Pure Prairie League, “Falling In and Out of Love” / “Amie” From Bustin’ Out (1972)
The songs were recorded for Bustin’ Out in a way that arranged this marriage of songs. “Falling” segues into “Amie” and concludes with the main chorus of “Falling.” I can’t imagine those two songs not played together. PPL is a great country/rock band that has managed to survive the years.
The Moody Blues, “Nights in White Satin” / “Late Lament”
There is magic happening here. On its own, “Nights in White Satin” is a powerful, melancholy, mysterious and dreamy song. Written by Justin Hayward at age 19, the song has a maturity that seems incredible for a young man only beginning to experience life. The orchestral sounds during the main body of the song were provided by Mike Pinder on the Mellotron. Other orchestra back at the beginning and during “Late Lament” were courtesy of Peter Knight and London Festival Orchestra. “Late Lament” was written by drummer Graeme Edge and spoken by Pinder.
From Days of Future Passed (1967) and brilliantly produced by Tony Clarke and the orchestra arranged and conducted by Knight. If you want an awesome experience, listen to this song medley late at night, looking up at the stars with a beverage in hand, and turn your imagination loose.
Queen, “We Will Rock You” / “We Are the Champions” From News of the World (1977)
“We Are the Champions” was released as the A side, charting at Number 4 in the U.S., and “We Will Rock You” as the B side, but many radio programmers noticed how popular the B side was and played them both. The running order on the album starts with “We Will Rock You” then “We Are the Champions” which is the way the two are played together.
Boston, “Foreplay” / “Long Time” From Boston (1976)
“Foreplay” is a masterful instrumental, very prog-rock, which Tom Scholz said was the first song he ever wrote and recorded. It segues into “Long Time” which was a No. 22 single. Radio often plays the songs together, which runs almost eight minutes.
The Guess Who, “No Sugar Tonight” /“New Mother Nature” From American Woman (1970)
According to guitarist Randy Bachman: he wrote a short song in the key of F♯ called “No Sugar Tonight”. When he presented the song to Burton Cummings and RCA, he was told that the song was too short. Bachman and Cummings expanded the song by adding to it a song Cummings had written that was also in the key of F♯, “New Mother Nature”. From Wikipedia
The Beatles, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” / “With a Little Help from My Friends”
From Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
Interesting, “Sgt. Pepper” appears in two versions and each serves to segue into longer songs.
Journey, “Feeling that Way” / “Anytime” From Captured (1981)
These are separate songs and appear together on the album. The medley happened as these songs were played in their order on the radio and became a medley that way. The closing “Feeling that Way” and the beginning of “Anytime” are similar which provided the link for the segue.
Jackson Browne, “The Load Out” / “Stay” Number 20 charting single. From Running On Empty (1978)
“The Load Out” was written in recognition of the crew, and “Stay”, the classic tune seemed to imply the same so it became a radio medley.
Many radio stations played “The Load-Out” and “Stay” together as a medley, and, although it wasn’t released as a single to the public initially (“Rosie” was the original B-side to “Stay”), “The Load-Out” charted as a tag-along to “Stay” on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts, based on airplay. – Wikipedia
Led Zeppelin, “Heartbreaker” / “Livin Lovin Maid” From Led Zeppelin II
Bet you didn’t know about this one. There’s an indistinguishable gap separating these two songs. Is that a medley? I’ve heard these songs played back-to-back on radio as if they are a pair.
I’m sure you can think of many examples of back-to-back songs. I know there’s enough for a second list.
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