Song Titles that are not obvious in the song's lyrics

[Pete from Boston]

John Cage, "4'33""

[hbelkins]

More from Zeppelin. How could I have forgotten "D'yer Mak'er" (I remember hearing Casey Kasem talk about the history of that song title, and how it's properly pronounced similar to "Jamaica" but with an "er" at the end) and "The Crunge," which asks the question that lost travelers have been known to utter, "Where's that confounded bridge?"

[agentsteel53]

the correct title is mentioned in the lyrics, but for the longest time I thought there was an Aerosmith song called "Home Sweet Home".

in fact, for many years I thought the lyrics at end were "and for the last time, I'm just a punk in the street".  hey, it didn't fail to make sense.

[KEVIN_224]

"Foolish Beat" was a #1 hit for Debbie Gibson in 1988. She only sings the title of that song once in the entire song ("...just a foolish beat of my heart..."). Compare that to "Shake Your Love" a few months earlier, where the damn lyric is said like 100 times in the whole thing! 

[Pete from Boston]

"Baba O'Riley."  Synth loop in the style of Terry Riley was intended to be based on vital statistics of the Avatar Meher Baba, of whom Pete Townshend was a follower.   Part of an abandoned rock opera about a world in which this was a typical way of composing music.  Could be called the beginning of Townshend's growing inability to write straightforward rock songs and obsession with overblown concepts he had difficulty carrying out.

[jakeroot]

"Baba O'Riley."  Synth loop in the style of Terry Riley was intended to be based on vital statistics of the Avatar Meher Baba, of whom Pete Townshend was a follower.   Part of an abandoned rock opera about a world in which this was a typical way of composing music.  Could be called the beginning of Townshend's growing inability to write straightforward rock songs and obsession with overblown concepts he had difficulty carrying out.

I already mentioned "Baba O'Riley" on the last page, but it doesn't matter. If I recall correctly, "Baba O'Riley has been cited on some websites as one of the top 10 most confusing song names. My mom, who is not a Who fan, did not know the name of this song. I asked her, and she said, "Teenage Wasteland". Can't blame her...I think quite a few people (mistakenly) call it that.

EDIT: Already mentioned by OP (post #1), which I missed and posted again too. 

[Brandon]

Good luck finding out what "I.G.Y" stands for and what it has in relation to the eponymous song by Donald Fagen.

International Geophysical Year (July 1957 - December 1958).

[vtk]

"Baba O'Riley."  Synth loop in the style of Terry Riley was intended to be based on vital statistics of the Avatar Meher Baba

Third time that one's been mentioned.  But, vital statistics, like a heartbeat or something?  So, does that mean it's actually supposed to sound like an orgasm at the end?

[Pete from Boston]

"Baba O'Riley."  Synth loop in the style of Terry Riley was intended to be based on vital statistics of the Avatar Meher Baba

Third time that one's been mentioned.  But, vital statistics, like a heartbeat or something?  So, does that mean it's actually supposed to sound like an orgasm at the end?

Sorry, skimmed quickly.  "Who's Next" was the salvaged remnants of "Lifehouse," a two-album story about a future society in which music was programmed for everyone based on their particular details.  IIRC, Pete Townshend started the whole thing over and released it in 2000 or so, but like most of his recent output, it did not garner a lot of attention.

[DandyDan]

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.

[vtk]

Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.

Smells Like Nirvana by Weird Al Yankovic

come to think of it...

A Complicated Song
every polka-pop medley
Cavity Search

[Laura]

These days you can find any song you like (barring the relentlessly obscure stuff, of course) by typing a random snippet of the lyrics into Google. It will match one of several dozen websites that list the lyrics to dang near every commercially published song out there, complete with artist and title.

And 99% of those web sites deliberatly misquote at least part of the song lyrics to avoid paying licensing fees.

Grumble...don't get me started on that bs. If the record companies posted them on their own website themselves as a courtesy for consumers, we would not have this issue. They could post the lyrics and have useful ads for a person to then buy a copy of the song or similar songs, but no, that's innovation, and the recording industry isn't capable of that. Instead, god forbid other sites fill this void and give away lyrics for free and make money from worthless ads (lose 20 lbs in 5 days with this secret), so let's just sue the websites who do so. No one would ever pay for lyrics outright, but yet somehow the recording industry is convinced they are losing money from it.

This thread is pointless because there are literally millions of examples.

I recommend for the moderators to lock it pronto.

I respectfully disagree. The fact that there are so many examples makes this an interesting thread. This is much better than a thread that just asks a question that has one correct answer.

I feel like the 90's was the prime time for obscure song names, although it stuck around with emo and pop-punk bands in the 00's

Easy examples with multiple songs: Stone Temple Pilots (interstate love song, sex type thing) and pretty much every song by Fallout Boy and Panic at the Disco.

Other examples that quickly come to mind, where the title is from an otherwise easily forgotten lyric:

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton
(Paved paradise and put up a parking lot)

"Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla
(Tell me all your thoughts on God)


iPhone

[jakeroot]

This thread is pointless because there are literally millions of examples.

I recommend for the moderators to lock it pronto.

I hope that's sarcasm.

[JakeFromNewEngland]

A few songs by Coldplay do the same thing. For example, the song "Charlie Brown" makes no reference to the title at all, at least I can't tell.

[agentsteel53]

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton
(Paved paradise and put up a parking lot)

I had figured that there would be covers of this, but I had no idea there was a version more "authoritative" than the original Joni Mitchell!  I've heard two versions: the original, and one horrifically modern one that was full of auto-tune and I'm afraid whoever put that version together had completely missed the point.

[Brian556]

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton
(Paved paradise and put up a parking lot)

"Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla
(Tell me all your thoughts on God)

Two very good examples of mainstream songs that everybody is familiar with.

[hbelkins]

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton
(Paved paradise and put up a parking lot)

"Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla
(Tell me all your thoughts on God)

Two very good examples of mainstream songs that everybody is familiar with.

I've never heard either song and have only heard of one of them.

[kurumi]

Now available for the first time on one CD: America's best-loved rock classics!

Teenage Wasteland - The Who
Take a look at my Girlfriend - Supertramp
Sending out an SOS - The Police
Woo Ooo - Blur
Sail Away - Enya
Move Out - Yaz
Major Tom - David Bowie
What's that sound - Buffalo Springfield
I Get Knocked Down - Chumbawumba
Stand by Me - the Clash
The Show that Never Ends - ELP
Hey Hey Mama - Led Zeppelin
Feelin' Groovy - Simon and Garfunkel
Stand by me - Clash
I Like Big Butts - Sir Mix-a-lot
Many miles away - Police
We Don't Need No Education - Pink Floyd

[vtk]

Stand by Me - the Clash
...
Stand by me - Clash

Are these two separate songs?

(Great list, by the way.)

[cpzilliacus]

Sorry, skimmed quickly.  "Who's Next" was the salvaged remnants of "Lifehouse," a two-album story about a future society in which music was programmed for everyone based on their particular details.

IMO, one of the greatest rock albums ever made.

[jakeroot]

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton
(Paved paradise and put up a parking lot)

"Counting Blue Cars" by Dishwalla
(Tell me all your thoughts on God)

Two very good examples of mainstream songs that everybody is familiar with.

I've never heard either song and have only heard of one of them.

More of a...Gen Y song(s). I see you're 52.

[jp the roadgeek]

Volume II:

The Lunatic/All that You Do            Pink Floyd
I'll Be Watching You                      The Police
Goin' Down for the Last Time         Head East
You Make it Hard                           CSN
All Aboard That Train                     CSN
Carry The News                             Mott the Hoople
Mama                                           Queen
Blood in the Streets/My Girl            The Doors
Been a Long Time                          Led Zeppelin
Feel It                                           Stone Temple Pilots
Off to Never Never Land                  Metallica
I Like the Night Life                        The Cars
Go Ask Alice                                   Jefferson Airplane
On Our Way Back Home                  Peter Gabriel
Girl, I Want to Be With You              The Kinks
Yesterday's Gone                            Fleetwood Mac

[Laura]

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Counting Crows and Vanessa Carlton
(Paved paradise and put up a parking lot)

I had figured that there would be covers of this, but I had no idea there was a version more "authoritative" than the original Joni Mitchell!  I've heard two versions: the original, and one horrifically modern one that was full of auto-tune and I'm afraid whoever put that version together had completely missed the point.

Ahh!! I always thought there was an original version of this song, but just listed the one I knew. I heard the song as a kid and then later the Counting Crows version and thought it wasn't new.

Yeah, the counting crows one is probably the "horrifically modern one" you're thinkin of. According to Wikipedia, there have been several covers, but this one is most famous.

ETA: I'm loving the Joni Mitchell version. This is definitely the one I remember as a kid.


iPhone

[Laura]

Tapatalk failed double post

[1995hoo]

I've known quite a few people who said they like that song "If You Be My Bodyguard" by Paul Simon.