Songs not named what you thought

Cafe Society
1

I’m sure we’ve done this a few times because it was in one of these type threads I learned the Night Ranger song isn’t titled Motoring but Sister Christian. Which is weird because usually a song gets the wrong name in my head because the actual title isn’t heard or is buried but they say “sister Christian” plenty of times in the song.

Today’s two songs I found out I was wrong about are also old songs. Joe Cuba’s Cornbread, Hog Maws and Chitterlings is actually named Bang! Bang!-- also featured prominently in the song but, well, I guess I’m food oriented. The last is more typical of my mislabeled songs. 4 Non Blondes’ song doesn’t have the same name as Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On? as I thought but What’s Up? Prolly to avoid confusion.

All my examples are old songs because, even though I know songs less than 20 years old, I’d be surprised if I got any of the titles right if asked.

2

I think the classic one was Teenage Wasteland by The Who actually being Baba O’Riley.

3

Yeah and also another (not as) oldie but goodie is Blur’s Woo Hoo! which is actually is Song 2, but I knew those two.

4

For me, the classic one is “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield. The “it’s time we stop, children, what’s that sound” song.

5

Yes! I was actually thinking about this one too but not only could I not remember the real name, I could not remember the artist and actually looked for Dusty Springfield songs!

6

The Bob Marley song that most people think is called ‘Don’t Worry’ or ‘Every Little Thing is Gonna be Alright’ is actually called Three Little Birds.

7

That is a really good one. Especially as I didn’t realize the actual name. :frowning_face:

8

The song Badge by Cream never made sense to me until I read an interview with Eric Clapton. He had a list of songs on the stage floor that he saw upsidedown that said Bridge but he read it as Badge. So he decided to rename the song Badge. Bridge makes alot more sense.

9

Just to add, there is a song, related I think, that is called Teenage Wasteland - either by Pete Townsend or The Who. I remember @Qadgop_the_Mercotan posted it a while back.

Guilty as charged. I was astonished when I friend’s granddaughter put me right on hat.

j

10

The Tina Turner song that goes ‘Rollin’… Rollin’…Rollin’ on the River’ is another one- it’s called Proud Mary

11

There’s a hokey early-1980s song by Glenn Frey that’s kind of in the yacht rock genre. The last line of the chorus goes “someone’s going to thank the stars above,” and it seems that the title should come from that line. Instead the title is the generic-sounding “The One You Love.”

12

Without love,
Where would you be right now?
Without lo-o-o-o-ve?
and so on- repeated many times- is Long Train Runnin’ by the Doobie Brothers

13

Again, yeup! This song was over 30 years old when I found out it was called Long Train Runnin’. It may have been right here where I did.

14

Bob Dylan was terrible for this. For example, Rainy Day Women #12 and 35 AKA Everybody Must Get Stoned.

Googling the correct spelling, I see that the song was covered by Flatt and Scruggs which really made my day.

15

I remember being confused by Billboard listing a new Rolling Stones song as “Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo”. They later appended “(Heartbreaker)” to the title. Leo Sayre had a hit where he repeatedly exclaimed “I can dance!”, but the song title is “Long Tall Glasses”.

16

Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”. You know, the one that should have been titled either “you don’t know what you’ve got 'til it’s gone” or “they paved Paradise and put up a parking lot”.

17

I guess I’ll be the one who brings up Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight”.

(Often thought of as “Hold On”).

mmm

18

Tina Turner covered the Creedence Clearwater Revival song–also called Proud Mary. :wink:

19

“Escape” by Rupert Holmes. Apparently his record label agreed and pretty much forced “(The Pina Colada Song)” on him.

20

:thinking: Do you mean “Oh Lord”?