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

[spooky]

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

Are these two separate songs?

(Great list, by the way.)

Wikipedia claims that the song was titled "Train In Vain" to avoid confusion with "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King. I've seen it come up on the satellite display as "Train In Vain (Stand By Me)".

[roadman65]

Many songs that are popular now are covers.  Even back in the early 80's when Manfred Mann came out with Blinded By The Light many thought it was their song (or his), but actually Bruce Springsteen wrote the song and performed it on his debut album Greetings From Asbury Park, New Jersey.

The original Bruce song did not make the hit similar to Paul Young's Every Time You Go Away where many were not aware it was a Hall and Oates original until someone discovered that it was when the Philadelphia duo did other major hits on their own.

Then I myself had an attack of ignorance when The Righteous Brothers song You've Lost That Loving Feeling was played again on the radio when Hall and Oates, too, covered that hit song in 1980.  I actually thought that Howard Stern, who was an actual DJ for WNBC in New York, played the song on his radio show was turning down the turntable speed of vinyl records to come up with Bill Medley's deep voice.  Yes, I though that he was purposely playing Hall and Oates from a 45 rpm single speed at 33 rpm's on the turntable until later when I learned that the original artist actually had their version sound like a slow moving turntable.  Not that I mock the Righteous Brothers for those of you here jumping to conclusions about that sentence, but in fact like both versions.  I was 15 at the time and how was I supposed to know as I was 3 or 4 when the Righteous Brothers were popular in culture.

[hbelkins]

Feelin' Groovy - Simon and Garfunkel

We sang that one in my elementary school music classes. While the official title is "59th Street Bridge Song," it is parenthetically titled "Feelin' Groovy."

[kendancy66]

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).

I was born in the first month of that year

[hbelkins]

Yet another Zeppelin contribution: "Four Sticks." So named, legend has it, because John Henry Bonham played the drums on that track with two drumsticks in each hand.

[kurumi]

Yet another Zeppelin contribution: "Four Sticks." So named, legend has it, because John Henry Bonham played the drums on that track with two drumsticks in each hand.

Much of it is in 5/4, like the aptly titled "Five Four" by Gorillaz

[bulldog1979]

"December 1963" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is known as "Oh, What a Night" in parentheses. Just like "Big Yellow Taxi", the title is used only once in the lyrics.

[bugo]

Yet another Zeppelin contribution: "Four Sticks." So named, legend has it, because John Henry Bonham played the drums on that track with two drumsticks in each hand.

Much of it is in 5/4, like the aptly titled "Five Four" by Gorillaz

If you want to talk about odd time signatures, look no further than Tool.  Their song "Forty Six &2" has some odd changes, but manages to be very catchy and a great pop tune despite all the time signature changes.  Many of their other songs have odd time signatures as well.

The song is mostly in 4/4 time with some sections of 7/8 in between. In the intro, Danny Carey plays 4 measures of 7/8 on his ride cymbal over the rest of the band playing in 4/4, and they all meet up on the downbeat of the 5th measure in 4/4. During the bridge there are 3 measures of 7/8 followed by one measure of 4/4. During a particular quad fill, the drums are in 3/8, the guitar plays one measure of 9/8 followed by one in 5/8 all while the bass keeps time in 7/8.

I have problems with playing in 4/4 with a measure of 3/4 every so often.  Danny Carey is a monster.

[hbelkins]

The song is mostly in 4/4 time with some sections of 7/8 in between. In the intro, Danny Carey plays 4 measures of 7/8 on his ride cymbal over the rest of the band playing in 4/4, and they all meet up on the downbeat of the 5th measure in 4/4. During the bridge there are 3 measures of 7/8 followed by one measure of 4/4. During a particular quad fill, the drums are in 3/8, the guitar plays one measure of 9/8 followed by one in 5/8 all while the bass keeps time in 7/8.

That sounds like the aural equivalent of a strobe light causing a seizure.

[bugo]

The song is mostly in 4/4 time with some sections of 7/8 in between. In the intro, Danny Carey plays 4 measures of 7/8 on his ride cymbal over the rest of the band playing in 4/4, and they all meet up on the downbeat of the 5th measure in 4/4. During the bridge there are 3 measures of 7/8 followed by one measure of 4/4. During a particular quad fill, the drums are in 3/8, the guitar plays one measure of 9/8 followed by one in 5/8 all while the bass keeps time in 7/8.

That sounds like the aural equivalent of a strobe light causing a seizure.

Nope.  It sounds completely natural:

[froggie]

Yet another Zeppelin contribution: "Four Sticks."

Among my favorite of Zeppelin songs...

Meanwhile, one song not mentioned yet:  The Body Electric, from Rush (off their Grace Under Pressure album).

[hbelkins]

Well, if we're speaking of Rush, I don't think I've ever heard the number or year "2112" mentioned in the hundreds of times I've played side one of their fourth album.

[froggie]

Or "YYZ" for that matter...

[sammi]

Or "YYZ" for that matter...

This one is only obvious if you know Morse code, and if you can recognize that "YYZ" is in Morse code.

[OracleUsr]

Okay, here are some more:

"Bow down before the one you serve" ("Head like a hole" by Nine Inch Nails)
"Country Song" by Seether
"Keep 'em separated" ("Come Out and Play" by Offspring)
"Smelling like a rose" ("Dead and Bloated" by the Stone Temple Pilots)
"Time to Take her Home" OR "Conversations Kill" ("The Big Empty" by the Stone Temple Pilots)
"Half the Man I used to be" ("Creep" by, yep, Stone Temple Pilots)
"Special" ("Creep" by Radiohead)
"I want to hear everybody sing" ("Rolling" by Big and Rich)
"I'd like to know" ("Questions 67 and 68" by Chicago)
"Put your hands in the air" ("Unity" by Shinedown)

[Brian556]

"Bubbly"-Colbie Callait

[bugo]

Okay, here are some more:

"Bow down before the one you serve" ("Head like a hole" by Nine Inch Nails)

"Head like a hole, black as your soul?"  The title is right there in the chorus.

"Special" ("Creep" by Radiohead)

Again, the song title is right in the chorus.

[english si]

"Special" ("Creep" by Radiohead)

Of all the Radiohead songs, you (and seemingly most people) only seem to know this one - that total waste of time, their 'Iron Lung'.

As bugo says, the title is prominently in the chorus (though I'll give you 'Special' as being more prominent, coming just before the chorus twice).

How about 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)' - Fade Out is pretty dominant, but Street Spirit really isn't, hence why they needed the bracketed bit. Or 'Paranoid Android' which does have a robot voice going "I may not be paranoid, but I'm not an android" but doesn't stand out? Or Pyramid Song, where I cannot see the link at all from the lyrics?

or if you want one of their less-good songs that somehow people seem to like, 'Idioteque' is a much better fit for this thread than 'Creep'.

Actually, thinking about, Creep is one of their most obviously lyrics-based titles from their better known songs.

[hbelkins]

"Come Out and Play" is also in the lyrics to that Offspring song.

I've heard Robert Lamm talk about the story behind the song "Questions 67 and 68" and that line is at the very end of the song. Of course, there's also "Poem 58" from that same album.

There are a whole bunch of Rush songs that don't have the song title in the lyrics, many from the 80s. "Red Sector A" and "Force 10" are a couple that I can think of offhand. I also don't think the line "the spirit of radio" is in the song of the same title.

[Pete from Boston]

"Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand"

[Henry]

When I first heard Paul McCartney/Wings' Silly Love Songs, I thought it was actually titled I Love You, because that's what they sing in the chorus.

[Pete from Boston]

I always found it odd that the Roy Orbison song is titled "Oh, Pretty Woman" when you mostly just hear him sing "pretty woman," no "oh."

[jakeroot]

I always found it odd that the Roy Orbison song is titled "Oh, Pretty Woman" when you mostly just hear him sing "pretty woman," no "oh."

Yeah, true. The only time is at the very end where you hear "Oh, oh, Pretty woman".

[bugo]

"Special" ("Creep" by Radiohead)

Of all the Radiohead songs, you (and seemingly most people) only seem to know this one - that total waste of time, their 'Iron Lung'.

It is overrated, but it's really a good song.  The rest of Pablo Honey kinda sucks though.  I owned Pablo Honey and when The Bends came out, I wasn't expecting much out of it.  A friend bought The Bends and let me borrow it and I was blown away.  I loved it and couldn't believe it was the same band.  It is still my favorite Radiohead album.  When OK Computer came out, I was actually disappointed in it because I expected it to be more like The Bends and the reviews I read talked about it so highly.  I eventually grew to like it but it took a while.  When Kid A came out, I didn't know what to expect so I wasn't disappointed.  The last Radiohead album that I liked was Hail To The Thief.  Thom Yorke is too whiny on their last few albums.

[spooky]

A current example: "Pompeii" by Bastille.