# Song Titles that don't Appear in the Lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697 "2006-03-02T00:05:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/1 "2006-03-02T00:05:30Z")
Have you ever heard a song many times and had no idea what the actual title of the song was because the title appeared nowhere in the lyrics to the song? Of course you have. Here are some titles of songs that fit this description. Feel free to add as many other examples as you can. 1. For What its Worth by Buffalo Springfield (“Stop, hey, what’s that sound…”) 2. Superstar by The Carpenters (“Don’t you remember you told me you loved me baby…”) 3. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana (“With the lights out, its less dangerous…”) 4. My Back Pages by The Byrds (“I was so much older then…”) 5. Texarkana by REM (“20,000 miles to an oasis…”) 6. The Analog Kid by Rush (“You move me, you move me…”) 7. The Dead Heart by Midnight Oil (“We carry in our hearts the true country…”) 8. Life During Wartime by Talking Heads (“This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco…”) 9. A Soapbox Opera by Supertramp 10. A Sort of Homecoming by U2 (“And your heart beats so low…”) 11. Celebrity Skin by Hole 12. Dialogue Parts 1 &2 by Chicago (“Are you optimistic 'bout the way that things are going…”) 1. Incident on 57th Street by Bruce Springsteen 2. Legend of a Cowgirl by Imani Coppola (“Pack my bags and mount my horse…”) 3. Master Blaster by Stevie Wonder (“We’ll be jamming until the break of dawn…”) 4. New York City Serenade by Bruce Springsteen 5. Open All Night by Bruce Springsteen 6. Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan (“Johnny’s in the basement, mixing up the medicine…”) 7. Vincent by Don McLean (“Starry, starry night…”) 8. Crique Alley by The Mommas and the Papas That’s all I have for now. Other examples? ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/2 "2006-03-02T00:10:42Z")
I never knew that “How Soon Is Now” by the Smiths was called that (the song that croons: _I am huuuuman and I neeeeed to be loooved…_) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/3 "2006-03-02T00:11:16Z")
Tubthumping by Chumbawamba ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/4 "2006-03-02T00:12:43Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > 1. My Back Pages by The Byrds (“I was so much older then…”) This was the first one to come to my mind. It’s actually a Bob Dylan song that was covered by The Byrds. > [@](#): > > 1. Vincent by Don McLean (“Starry, starry night…”) Not true. \*You took your life as lovers often do; But I could have told you **Vincent** this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you. \* I’ll add Franklin’s Tower by The Grateful Dead. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/5 "2006-03-02T00:14:10Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I’ll add Franklin’s Tower by The Grateful Dead. Oops. _Roll away the dew_ ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/6 "2006-03-02T00:15:29Z")
Lots of peak-period Dylan songs qualify, but probably the most notable is “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35,” which is the real title of the song casual listeners assume is called “Everybody Must Get Stoned.” For that matter, when I was first getting into Dylan, I looked through all his LPs in the store trying to find the one with “Mr. Jones” on it. I finally gave up and bought _Highway 61 Revisited_ because it had “Like a Rolling Stone,” and found to my delight that “Ballad of a Thin Man” was the song I had been looking for in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/7 "2006-03-02T00:24:06Z")
“Baba O’Riley” by The Who ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/8 "2006-03-02T00:25:35Z")
“59th Street Bridge Song” by Simon and Garfunkel (“Feelin’ groovy…”) ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/9 "2006-03-02T00:27:57Z")
The entire back catalogue of **New Order** fits this, but for starters, there’s **Blue Monday** (“How does it feel/To treat me like you do…”), **Bizarre Love Triangle** (“Every time I see you falling/I get down on my knees and pray…”), and **True Faith** (“I used to think that the day would never come…”). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/10 "2006-03-02T00:29:04Z")
_Tequila_ and _Wipeout_ are the opposite extreme, natch. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/11 "2006-03-02T00:29:06Z")
> [@Hippy Hollow](#): > > The entire back catalogue of **New Order** fits this, but for starters, there’s **Blue Monday** (“How does it feel/To treat me like you do…”), **Bizarre Love Triangle** (“Every time I see you falling/I get down on my knees and pray…”), and **True Faith** (“I used to think that the day would never come…”). I’m being a little facetious of course. There are some New Order songs with the title in the song (Regret, The Perfect Kiss, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/12 "2006-03-02T00:54:43Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I’ll add Franklin’s Tower by The Grateful Dead. Not quite, **haj** : _I’ll tell you where the four winds dwell In Franklin’s Tower there hangs a bell_ For the Dead, you could go with _Wharf Rat_, _Estimated Prophet_, _Loser_, _Bird Song_, _Weather Report Suite_, _Dupree’s Diamond Blues_, or _The Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion)_. Bob Dylan has a lot of them as well: _Motorpsycho Nightmare_, _Bob Dyaln’s Dream_, _Spanish Harlem Incident_, _Percy’s Song_, _4th Time Around_, _Love Minus Zero/No Limit_, _It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry_… _The Weight_ by The Band (Take a load off fanny, Take a load for free…) ---
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/13 "2006-03-02T00:59:29Z")
The first song that came to mind for me was Primitive Radio Gods’ “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money In My Hand” (“I’ve been downhearted, baby, ever since the day we met…”) ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/14 "2006-03-02T01:02:37Z")
“Smell of Petroleum” by the Pogues. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/15 "2006-03-02T01:05:53Z")
And “Fairytale of New York”, also by the Pogues. Can’t believe I forgot that one. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/16 "2006-03-02T01:07:44Z")
> [@ryobserver](#): > > “Smell of Petroleum” by the Pogues. Also by the Pogues, “Fairytale of New York.” (“And the boys of the NYPD choir were singing, Galway Bay…”) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/17 "2006-03-02T01:15:45Z")
“Bullet with Butterfly Wings” by Smashing Pumpkins “Song for the Dumped” by Ben Folds Five “The Last Polka” by Ben Folds Five “Where’s Summer B?” by Ben Folds Five “Prison Food” by Ben Folds “Einstein on the Beach (for an Eggman)” by Counting Crows “A Murder of One” by Counting Crows “Another Horsedreamer’s Blues” by Counting Crows “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” by Counting Crows “Up All Night (Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood)” by Counting Crows “Suffocate” by Counting Crows “Pieholden Suite” by Wilco “Summerteeth” by Wilco “Candyfloss” by Wilco ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/18 "2006-03-02T01:46:47Z")
“Corduroy” by Pearl Jam “Locked in the Trunk of a Car” by The Tragically Hip ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/19 "2006-03-02T01:48:09Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > 1. The Dead Heart by Midnight Oil (“We carry in our hearts the true country…”) “The dead heart lives here” is the song’s last line. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2006, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697/20 "2006-03-02T01:52:01Z")
> [@Hippy Hollow](#): > > I’m being a little facetious of course. There are some New Order songs with the title in the song (Regret, The Perfect Kiss, etc.). Ah, yes. But there is “Love Vigilantes” which _does_ have lyrics, the song title not among them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-titles-that-dont-appear-in-the-lyrics/346697.md?page=2)