Alone Again Or, Not Fade Away, Party Fears Two - seemingly nonsensical titles

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Elmer McMuffin, Aug 3, 2020.

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  1. Elmer McMuffin

    Elmer McMuffin Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oxfordshire
    I'm always drawn to these. I find myself wondering how or why you write a great song, then wilfully add a title that doesn't seem to make sense on its own or maybe to anyone other than its writer.

    Any other examples?

     
  2. tmwlng

    tmwlng Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denmark
    Not being an English native speaker, for a long time I could make little sense of Genesis' More Fool Me.
     
  3. NumberEight

    NumberEight Came too late and stayed too long

    A remarkable number of Dylan’s 1965-1966 song titles...
     
  4. Jarleboy

    Jarleboy Music was my first love

    Location:
    Norway
    Paul Simon´s incomplete-sounding title "Can´t Run But". Great song.

     
  5. elaterium

    elaterium Forum Resident

    Not Fade Away makes perfect sense.Our love will not fade away. What’s not to understand?

    Alone again or...holds out for some hope. Again, a fine title.
     
  6. tmwlng

    tmwlng Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denmark
    I suppose Love You To fits in the category. For a long time I've seen it as a short version of I would love you to.
     
  7. Jarleboy

    Jarleboy Music was my first love

    Location:
    Norway
    Janis Ian´s 1967 song "Insanity Comes Quietly To The Structured Mind". An early example of her wonderful songs.

     
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  8. vince

    vince Stan Ricker's son-in-law

    Apparently, the title of THIS comes from translated Japanese instructions to....something!
     
  9. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Love have a few more (Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale), 60s Bob Dylan too.

    Queen Jane Approximately springs to mind, Yea Heavy and a Bottle of Bread too.

    I like them, they just sound intriguing.
     
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  10. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII

    Location:
    OH
    Johnny Rivers "The Eleventh Song" which is the tenth song on Rewind.
     
  11. sekaer

    sekaer Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    And begs the question, "love you to" what?
     
  12. Two Sheds

    Two Sheds Sha La La La Lee

    You have to admit that 'Not Fade Away' is a memorable title.
     
  13. SurrealCereal

    SurrealCereal Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I think the nonsensical title of “Alone Again Or” works in context. It’s certainly not the only unusual title on Forever Changes. One of the things that makes that album so unique is its weird lyrical approach. For example, the jumbles of overlapping words on “The Red Telephone” and the pseudo-stream-of-consciousness flow of "Maybe the People Would Be the Times or Between Clark and Hilldale" (not to mention it’s title) are unusual in the same way as the title of “Alone Again Or.”
     
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  14. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Not a song, but Unhalfbricking is a great album title from Fairport Convention.
     
  15. Filip1701

    Filip1701 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Croatia
    Positively 4th street
    Love minus zero - no limit
    Queen jane approximately
    Rainy day women 12 & 35
    Temporary like achilles
    4th time around
    Obviously 5 believers
     
  16. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    Large chunks of Robert Plant's and Mike Nesmith's song catalogues.

    "Not Fade Away" may be grammatically odd but it relates directly to the lyric.

    So what is the earliest hit song in this vein? I nominate "Positively 4th Street."
     
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  17. bRETT

    bRETT Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    After Dylan it seemed to be a more commonplace thing:

     
  18. Elmer McMuffin

    Elmer McMuffin Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oxfordshire
    Just to clarify on the inclusion of Not Fade Away here - specifically I mention the word 'seemingly' and 'on its own'. Ie NOT in the context of the song or the lyrics or being familiar with the song.

    I first heard the song in the mid-80s on the Stones album 'Got Live if You Want it'. In those pre-internet days, you could forget about finding the lyrics or pulling up the original. And I could barely understand what Jagger was singing over the fake audience noise. So to me the title always stuck out from the others in that it was written in the negative - what or who was not fading away? Wouldn't you expect it to be written in the positive? Or there to be a full sentence to explain the context of the 'Not' Even now, I'm not sure what 'love is real and not fade away' or 'love is love and not fade away' means. And my point is, I love these titles all the more for not seeming resolved or to make perfect sense on their own.
     
  19. Vangro

    Vangro Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I think "Not Fade Away" is a pretty unusual title, considering it's pre-Dylan, pre-psychedelia, pre-"rock". "Don't Fade Away" or "Won't Fade Away" would be more regular, expected, titles.
     
  20. Elmer McMuffin

    Elmer McMuffin Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Oxfordshire
    Exactly! I wonder the extent to which the grammatical choice is deliberate. It certainly worked with me - just intriguing in an unfathomable way.
     
  21. elaterium

    elaterium Forum Resident

    If you’ve ever walked down 4th st. In the West Village it makes sense.
     
  22. Murph

    Murph Enjoy every sandwich!

    Van Halen: Me Wise Magic
     
  23. Wildest cat from montana

    Wildest cat from montana Humble Reader

    Location:
    ontario canada
    " I' m a-gonna tell you how it's goin' to be / You're gonna give your love to me / Love forever and a day / Love is loving / Not fade away'
    Brilliant 50s rock lyrics.
     
  24. Mister Charlie

    Mister Charlie "Music Is The Doctor Of My Soul " - Doobie Bros.

    Location:
    Aromas, CA USA
    Hard Day's Night
    Tomorrow Never Knows
     
  25. ggergm

    ggergm another spring another baseball season

    Location:
    Minnesota
    You Enjoy Myself - Phish
     
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