# Songs not named what you thought **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [April 28, 2021, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986 "2021-04-28T21:00:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/61 "2021-04-29T14:57:38Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > 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. Here’s **Teenage Wasteland** by Pete Townsend. It was intended for the Who album _Lifehouse_ but that didn’t occur; it was reworked into **Baba O’riley** https://www.youtube.com/embed/YEdxnu-PLwQ?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=FLkKiDfuotcMiliNjptWCnsg ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/62 "2021-04-29T19:40:31Z")
Not quite the same thing, but I went most of a lifetime misreading the title of a Cat Stevens album before someone on these boards pointed out that it was not called Catch **A** Bull At Four: > **[Catch Bull at Four](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_Bull_at_Four)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > Catch Bull at Four is the sixth studio album by Cat Stevens. The title is taken from one of the Ten Bulls of Zen. > In the United States the album spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard 200. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada and became Stevens's second consecutive album to reach number two on the UK Albums Chart. The song "Sitting" was released as a single in July 1972, reaching 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. j ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/63 "2021-04-30T03:01:38Z")
It’s not called _Waltzing Matilda_ because there’s already a song called that. Which is quoted in the Tom Waits song. There’s also a song called _And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda_ which is _also_ not _Waltzing Matilda_ but also quotes it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/64 "2021-04-30T14:36:42Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Fans who have been seeing (and saying) “dire maker” when they refer to the track haven’t been doing it right. As Plant once confirmed, the [joke is in the pronunciation](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/the-10-wildest-led-zeppelin-legends-fact-checked-153103/the-title-of-dyer-maker-is-based-on-an-old-cockney-joke-about-jamaica-152525/) — and how someone with a cockney accent might sound when they’re saying either “Jamaica” or “Did you make her?” > > In the old joke, a man tells a friend that his wife has just gone on vacation. After he asks if it’s Jamaica (“D’yer mak’er”) she’s gone to, the man replies, “No, she went on her own accord.” (Get it?) And, on that theme, we have REM’s Calling Jamaica…err, The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonight. [mondegreen/incongruous title mashup]. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/65 "2021-04-30T15:01:32Z")
One that just came on my mp3 player: “My Back Pages” by the Byrds ("…I was so much older then…I’m younger than that now.") (It’s another example of a Bob Dylan-written song with a title no one would ever guess.) ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/66 "2021-04-30T15:02:28Z")
The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy) Also, I think we found @SunUp’s category, enough to sign up here. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/67 "2021-04-30T15:07:51Z")
“Jimmy Crack’d Corn,” traditional but popularized by Burl Ives, is properly titled “Blue Tail Fly.” ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/68 "2021-04-30T15:26:27Z")
“Danny’s Song” by Loggins and Messina. Danny’s name isn’t even in the song. Always thought the song was “I’m So in Love With You Honey”. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/69 "2021-04-30T15:37:51Z")
That brings to mind John Denver’s “Annie’s Song,” which is somehow not called “You Fill Up My Senses.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/70 "2021-04-30T18:18:02Z")
Or _You Fill Out my Census_. There are a LOT of old songs that fit this thread. One that almost nobody knows the correct title to is Irving Berlin’s _The Near Future_ (1919), written about the time of the ratification of the 18th amendment and looking forward to Prohibition. Most people know only a portion of the song as _How Dry I Am._ The lyrics for that part of the song, at least appear to significantly predate Berlin’s, but he’s probably responsible for the music that is now invariably associated with them. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/71 "2021-04-30T19:34:11Z")
It’s a funny bit of Jungian synchronicity. (Ooh! The Police, “Synchronicity II” aka “many miles away”) I’ve been thinking of some categories for a party game of “take turns naming something in this category or drop out” for when we get back to parties (basically just what this thread is, only with everyone in one room). I hit on the category “songs whose titles are not in their lyrics”, which has an awful lot of overlap with this thread. I like to try and figure out just how big the categories are before proposing them so that the game doesn’t end up too short or too long. As a bonus in this case, the songs become a playlist for the rest of the night. So once I saw this thread, I figured it was time for me to stop lurking and get posting. There’s enough overlap between the thread topic and the category that I had a bunch ready to go with the first post. I’m still trying to decide whether I should allow songs whose _subtitles_ appear in the lyrics to be valid answers. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/72 "2021-04-30T19:57:16Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > I hit on the category “songs whose titles are not in their lyrics”, Are you going to allow instrumentals? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/73 "2021-04-30T20:35:52Z")
A trick question is _Strawberry Letter 23_, because the narrator is singing about receiving “Strawberry Letter _22_”. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/74 "2021-04-30T20:44:40Z")
The song IS Strawberry Letter 23, in answer to 22. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2021, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/75 "2021-04-30T23:18:28Z")
Sneaky! I’m darn glad I joined here, because some of the guests are going to be sneaky too. So no Green Onions, Classical Gas, Music Box Dancer, or Wipeout (the latter for different reasons, of course). ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/76 "2021-05-01T00:02:52Z")
I don’t see this in this thread yet: [_Creeque Alley_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USibFMyk3Rw) by The Mamas And The Papas. The name refers to the place in the Virgin Islands where they stayed for a while, where presumably they composed the song. ([Backstory here](https://bestclassicbands.com/mamas-papas-creeque-alley-4-30-1999/).) The words Creeque Alley don’t appear anywhere in the song. This thread actually seems to be more about songs where the title does appear but not prominently, and other words in the song seem more likely to be the title. I will suggest: [_American Pie_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX_TFkut1PM) by Don McLean. While the words “American Pie” do appear prominently in the refrain, they tell us nothing about what the song is about. OTOH, every verse ends with the line “The day the music died” which is entirely what the song is about. I’ve seen it mentioned somewhere that the true official title of the song is in fact “The Day The Music Died”, but that certainly seems to be a minority opinion. Does anybody here know if this is really so? ETA: Similarly, Mary Hopkin’s [_Temma Harbor_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3o-k0ZB0pU). This contains the line in the refrain “Sing a song of Temma Harbor” but there is nothing elsewhere in the song that mentions it, nor any indication of why this song is about Temma Harbor except for that one line that asserts that it is. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2021, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/77 "2021-05-01T00:12:32Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > Wipeout (the latter for different reasons, of course). _Wipeout_ would work for a different category: “ **Songs with an instrumental part that everyone would play, except the pros** ”… When _Wipeout_ was dominating the Top40, EVERY kid in high school would do that drum solo on their desks… EXCEPT the actual drummers, who’d just roll their eyes. And in college, every kid with an acoustic guitar would find a stairwell in their dorm and play the intro to _Roundabout_ by YES… except the real guitarists. (Meanwhile, the guys with an electric guitar were too busy trying to maintain their Badass Rock Star Sneer while doing the opening to _Smoke On The Water…)_ . So who wants to hear _Wipeout?_ I can still do it! (Speaking of, would love to hear **SunUp** ’s “different reasons”…) ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2021, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/78 "2021-05-01T03:00:06Z")
> [@SunUp](#): > > So no Green Onions, Classical Gas, Music Box Dancer, or Wipeout (the latter for different reasons, of course). Don’t forget “Hocus Pocus!” Someone mentioned “For What It’s Worth.” How about “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes?” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/OvGfQCsfzUo/maxresdefault.jpg "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (2005 Remaster)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvGfQCsfzUo) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2021, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/79 "2021-05-01T06:59:54Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I will suggest: [_American Pie_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX_TFkut1PM) by Don McLean. Is there _anybody_ who doesn’t instantly recognize the song when they hear the title? ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2021, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986/80 "2021-05-01T11:20:54Z")
Bob Dylan’s 1965 classic: “Love Minus Zero/No Limit”. [Bob Dylan - Love Minus Zero (Official Audio) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZzyRcySgK8) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-not-named-what-you-thought/940986.md?page=5)