I'm going to need some audience participation here. Or, at least, some co-author participation.
For years, I've been fascinated by songs with titles that don't appear in the lyrics. It's pretty rare - at least in "mainstream" music. But not so rare that it hasn't jumped out and hit me from time to time. But I never remember to, say, write a blog entry. Or a FB Note. Or what have you. So, I have these lightning bolts of realization - hey, that's one of them! - and then I forget. Probably because I then drink something.
So. Let's make a list. Or, actually, two lists - I'm also going to accept songs where the title appears exactly once. The sad part is just how few things I can think of from my years of thinking about this. If I were to spend sober time thinking, I'd find more. But for now, I'll seed each list with exactly one song.
Title Does Not Appear:
Sympathy for the Devil, Rolling Stones
Title Appears Exactly Once:
Verdi Cries, 10000 Maniacs
Go!
Title does not appear:
ReplyDeleteBlack Dog - Led Zeppelin
Baba O'Riley - The Who
Oh, right! Baba O'Riley is the one I rediscover on a weekly basis.
ReplyDeleteFor the longest time, I thought Sister Goldenhair was on the Once list... but then I discovered it was just that I'd stopped listening by the time it came up the second time.
ReplyDeleteA Day In The Life
ReplyDeleteFunk #49 - The James Gang
ReplyDeleteCollege Girl - Ballast
Geek Graffiti - Ballast
Brain Damage - Pink Floyd
Song title appears exactly once:
Eclipse - Pink Floyd
via Jamikel... Enter Sandman.
ReplyDeleteI have an inkling that a LOT of Floyd songs will fit one or the other list.
ReplyDeleteI'll try to stick to Zeppelin and Floyd songs that actually get a lot of airplay.
ReplyDeleteImmigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
Over the Hills and Far Away - Led Zeppelin
D'yer Mak'er - Led Zeppelin
ReplyDeleteThe Houses of the Holy album has a lot of them. Combine that with the fact that the song "Houses of the Holy" does not appear on the "Houses of the Holy" album and it makes your head spin.
40 - U2
ReplyDeleteRainy Day Women #12 and #35 - Bob Dylan
ReplyDeletePositively 4th Street - Bob Dylan
Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan
ReplyDeleteRevival - The Allman Brothers
ReplyDeleteBizarre Love Triangle. In searching to confirm this one, I discovered that apparently EVERY New Order song is on this list. But since this is the only one I ever hear, it's the only one I'm listing.
ReplyDeleteUnchained Melody?
ReplyDeleteYes on Unchained Melody.
ReplyDeleteI am not familiar with anything by New Order, so I can't help you there. Siska played a best of New Order CD in lab sometimes--never heard anything I recognized.
Goodnight Saigon - Billy Joel
ReplyDeleteSpace Oddity - David Bowie
ReplyDeleteYoung Lust - Pink Floyd
ReplyDeleteOooh, Space Oddity is a good one.
ReplyDeleteOoo - another good one: Tubthumping.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of sad that we've got a long list of Nevers, because it makes the Once list kind of stupid. And I love Verdi Cries.
ReplyDeleteHeard on the way to WFM: Scenes from an Italian Restaurant. But like Unchained Melody, it feels kind of cheap. It's a description of the song, rather than a title. Enh.
ReplyDeleteThe words "our Italian restaurant" do appear in the song, though.
ReplyDeleteSynchronicity II - The Police
ReplyDelete(I think)
There's no way the "II" part appears. I think we have to count it.
ReplyDeleteSynchronicity doesn't appear at all in II
ReplyDeleteHere's one that cropped up from thinking about people's 15 albums in 15 minutes: Smells Like Teen Spirit.
ReplyDeleteGood one
ReplyDeleteLithium - Nirvana
ReplyDeleteOh, yeah.
ReplyDeleteFor what it's worth - Buffalo Springfield
ReplyDeleteSuite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills, and Nash
ReplyDeleteThe Last Polka - Ben Folds Five
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat's Up? - 4 Non Blondes
ReplyDeleteBohemian Rhapsody.
ReplyDeleteBook of Days - Enya.
Iris - Goo Good Dolls
Longview - Green Day
White Rabbit - Starplane (which we listened to bc we're recycling costumes)
Here's on the for the "once" list:
ReplyDeleteOne of These Days - Pink Floyd
From the aptly named Sir Not Appearing in This Song List:
Incident on 57th Street - Bruce Springsteen (I think)
well I know it's by Springsteen but I don't think the title appears in the song.
Gary Glitter - Rock and Roll Part 2
Once: Running to Stand Still
ReplyDeleteOoo... a cheap one.
ReplyDeleteNever: Red Hill (Mining) Town