Lots of Radiohead songs –
“How I Made My Millions”
“Melatonin”
“Coke Babies”
“Cuttooth”
“Exit Music for a Film”
“Idioteque”
“Pyramid Song”
“Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box”
“The Amazing Sounds of Orgy”
“Subterranean Homesick Alien”
Bullet with Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins
A few pieces by Belle and Sebastian, including “A Century of Elvis” and “A Space Boy’s Dream” (although some would argue if those were songs :)), “Dirty Dream Number Two”, “Winter Wooskie”, and “Expectations”.
Not to mention all the Shins songs: “Caring is Creepy”, “Know Your Onion!”, “Those Bold City Girls”, “Sphagnum Esplanade”, etc.
A lot of Love songs as well: “Alone Again Or”, “A Message to Pretty”, “My Flash on You”, “Colored Balls Falling”, “7 and 7 Is”, “Stephanie Knows Who”, “Que Vida!”, “The Castle”, “Revelation”, “A House is Not a Motel”, “The Daily Planet”, and many more I’m too tired to think about.
A question along these lines that I’ve wondered about–are there ANY Springsteen songs that meet this criterion? His titles always seem so straightfoward–not only are they from the song, they are usually the refrain or the key idea of the song. Can anyone think of a Springsteen song that even has a less-than-obvious title, let alone one not found within the song?
Strawberry Letter 23 by The Brothers Johnson. (Although they do mention strawberry letter 22 a few times.)
“Eclipsed” is used, though. Close enough for me.
New Order is infamous for having song titles that have nothing to do with their lyrics.
Well, I can think of a few
Open All Night (from “Nebraska”)
Highway Patrolman (also from “Nebraska”)
Incident on 57th Street (from “The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle”)
Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street (From “Greetings from Asbury Park”)
“Locked in the Trunk of a Car” and “Nautical Disaster” by The Tragically Hip.
“Synchronicity II” by the Police. Title doesn’t even have anything to do with the song. Sting’s solo “The Dream of the Blue Turtles” also qualifies.
“Straw Hat And Old Dirty Hank” by The Barenaked Ladies.
“Wednesday Morning, 3 a.m.” and
“A Poem on the Underground Wall” by Simon & Garfunkel
“Revolver”
“A Rennaisance Affair” and
“2Wicky” by Hooverphonic
Mambo #5
A bunch of AFI, including-
Clove Smoke Catharsis
Malleus Maleficarum
Exsanguination
No Poetic Device
And a whole bunch more I don’t feel like typing
Some Metallica-
Dyer’s Eve
No Leaf Clover
Enter Sandman
Welcome Home (althought the parenthetical “Sanitarium” is mentioned)
To Live is to Die
Some others that I don’t feel like checking and then typing
nebco 9-did you know NSU stood for non specific urethritis? Serious. I read recently that Jack Bruce admitted this. But what does swalbr mean?(if anything) Also Mother’s Lament by Cream.
Movie themes, w/words added later include Exodus,Theme from Gone with the Wind,
Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
Steely Dan - The Caves of Altamira
“Land of 1000 Dances,” Chris Kenner/Wilson Pickett/etc.
“My True Story,” The Jive Five
“Train in Vain,” The Clash
“One Chord Wonders,” The Adverts
“Hymn to Her,” The Pretenders
“Rapper’s Delight,” The Sugarhill Gang
“Mystery Train,” Little Junior Parker/Elvis Presley
“Randy Scouse Git” (a.k.a. “Alternative Title”) The Monkees
“Thank You For Talkin’ To Me Africa,” Sly and the Family Stone
“Fingertips Pt 2,” Stevie Wonder
“Epistle to Dippy,” Donovan
“Creeque Alley,” The Mamas and the Papas
“The Inner Light,” The Beatles
“Renaisance Fair,” The Byrds
“5D (Fifth Dimension),” The Byrds
“Young Turks,” Rod Stewart
“After the Goldrush,” Neil Young
“Night of the Living Bassheads,” Public Enemy
“Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos,” Public Enemy
“Gimme Little Sign” Brenton Wood
(He sings “Gimme some kinda sign”)
“What’s Up?” 4 Non-Blondes
(They sing “What’s going on?”)
Arguably, “Sunshine Superman,” Donovan
(He sings the word “sunshine” and the word “superman” but not together to create the full title)
She Walks Like a Bearded Rainbow. Not said directly in the lyrics, but alluded to.
Sympathy for the Devil has the Devil say “So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your soul to waste.”
So at best that’s a partial non-mention of the title.
doctordoowop
and
Marley23
swlabr = “She Was Like A Bearded Rainbow”. This is from SDSTAFF Tuba: www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mswlabr.html
D.O.A., by Bloodrock
Indeed!
“Silent Running” by Mike & the Mechanics
“Run Like Hell” by Pink Floyd
Thought of some more …
“Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Iron Maiden
“War Pigs” by Black Sabbath
“The Logical Song” by Supertramp
“The Load Out” by Jackson Browne (technically part of a medley called “The Load Out/Stay”, but they can be perceived as different songs on the album Running on Empty)
Still more …
“The Wedding Song” by Paul Stookey
“Ode to Billie Joe” by Bobbie Gentry
“Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vega
“Good Riddance” by Green Day
“Life During Wartime” by Talking Heads