Hit songs whose title was not in the lyrics

Don't know if we've done this yet, but...

Hit songs whose title was not in the lyrics (which made it virtually impossible to try to identify the song you heard by looking at the Top 40 chart). Usually you would listen for the words repeated the most times to assume what the title was.

I would like to keep it to songs that were hit singles, or at least released as singles, since without these restrictions you could include half of Led Zeppelins songs. But you could include Immigrant Song since it was a single, for example. OK, we can include popular FM radio tracks as well. But no instrumentals!

'Badge'-Cream (as an example)

 

Rainy Day Women #12 and #35 - Bob Dylan
Positively Fourth Street - Bob Dylan

 

Superstar - Carpenters

 

Led Zeppelin songs without the title in the lyrics that were actually singles:
"Immigrant Song"
"Black Dog"
"Over the Hills and Far Away"
"D'yer Mak'er"
"Trampled Under Foot"
"Fool in the Rain"

And some more, some of which had elements of the title in the song, but the title itself is never mentioned:

"Sunshine Superman' by Donovan
"Epistle to Dippy" by Donovan
"Hey Leonardo" by Blessid Union of Souls
"Key West Intermezzo" by John Mellencamp
"Annie's Song" by John Denver
"Unchained Melody" by Les Baxter/Al Hibbler/Roy Hamilton/Vito and the Salutations/Righteous Brothers/Heart/U2/ etc etc etc
"Hot Smoke and Sasafrass" by the Bubble Puppy
"Pavan for My Lady" by Ars Nova
"Family Affair" by Mary J. Blige
"Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby, Stills and Nash

 

For What It's Worth-Buffalo Springfield

 

Wannabe -Spice Girls

 

That has the title in the lyrics.

 

FM Radio track-
Baba O' Reily - The who

Singles:
10538 Overture - ELO
Rapper's Delight - Sugarhill Gang
#9 Dream - John Lennon (says dream, but not #9 dream)

 

My brother and I started a list about 2 years ago. Can't find it at the moment, but from memory here are one or two or a dozen.

Beatles - Ballad Of John And Yoko

Brothers Johnson - Strawberry Letter 23
In the final verse they sing "Strawberry letter 22." The urban myth is that there was a longer version of the song with one or two more verses that contained the lyrics.

Dishwalla - Counting Blue Cars
In this song the closest they get to the title is the line "We count only blue cars".

Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil

 

Third Week in the Chelsea - Jefferson Airplane

 

ELP-KARN EVIL 9

 

"New York Mining Disaster 1941" -- Bee Gees
"The Christmas Song" -- Nat King Cole etc. etc. etc.
"Black and White" -- Three Dog Night
"White Rabbit" -- Jefferson Airplane

 

THE BEATLES - A DAY IN THE LIFE

 

Smells Like Teen Spirit--Nirvana

 

Synchronicity II - The Police

 

deja vu - CSNY
word game - stills
prison song - nash
cowboy movie - crosby
after the goldrush - young

 

"Train In Vain" - The Clash
"The Rain, the Park, and Other Things" - The Cowsills

 

New Order were the masters of "songs that don't mention the titles" i.e. Blue Monday, Bizarre Love Triangle, Age Of Consent, Subculture, Thieves Like Us, etc.

It would probably be easier to list their songs that *do* have the title in the lyrics.

 

Michael Nesmith made an art out of coming up with song titles that weren't in the actual lyrics. For example, The Monkees' chart hits "Tapioca Tundra" and "Good Clean Fun".

Ironically, his only two solo hits, "Joanne" and "Silver Moon" actually do show up in the lyrics.

 

Another thread just reminded me of this one: "Sukiyaki" by A Taste Of Honey. Mind you, the original Japanese title translates as "I Look Up When I Walk" -- no idea if that's in the Japanese lyrics.

 

'Lithium' - Nirvana

 

Don't forget solo Plant!

My favorite: "Big Log"!

James

 

Illusions in G Major - ELO

A great song from Eldorado

Subterranean Homesick Blues - Bob Dylan


Brian

 

From the Rock Book of Lists:

The Fleetwoods- Come Softly To Me. They only sing "Come softly"
Little Stevie Wonder- Fingertips, part 2
Brenton Wood- Gimme Little Sign. He sings "Gimme some kinda sign."
Chris Kenner- Land of 1000 Dances. Also by Wilson Pickett, Cannibal & the Headhunters, Patti Smith, et al.
Johnny Otis- Willie and the Handjive
My True Story- The Jive Five