5 Song Titles Not Mentioned In The Lyrics

Until researching this post I never realized how many songs exist that never mention their titles anywhere in the lyrics. Both Led Zeppelin ("The Lemon Song," "Black Dog," "Four Sticks," and "Immigrant Song") and Bob Dylan ("Subterranean Homesick Blues," It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry," "From A Buick Six," and "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35") each have more than a handful of songs that fall into this category. Because it's too easy to pick a tune from one of these two legacy artists I ignored them while compiling my picks of five song titles not mentioned in the lyrics.

Cream - SWLABR (1967)

This track is from the power trio's Disraeli Gears LP and it later became the flipside of Cream's first, big  American hit single, "Sunshine of Your Love." The lead vocal is by bassist Jack Bruce who wrote the music. The obscure lyrics are by poet Peter Brown. The title is an acronym for "She Walks Like A Bearded Rainbow." Bruce later said that the "W" stood for "was" instead of "walk." It doesn't matter that the title isn't mentioned anywhere in the lyrics because it wouldn't help you understand them anyway - something not atypical in 1967. With rocking, lead guitar work by Eric Capton and Ginger Baker on drums the short piece sounds pretty cool even if no one can comprehend Brown's head scratching words.

The Beatles - Yer Blues (1968)

This deep track is the second song from side three of The Beatles (The White Album), immediately following "Birthday." It's one that may not be well known to many casual Fab Four fans. It was written by John Lennon in India during The Beatles' famous retreat with the Maharishi. Supposedly, he was mocking the late 60s British blues movement but it doesn't feel much like a parody. To me, it sounds like the real thing. His buddy, Paul McCartney, came closer to genuine satire with his album opener, "Back In The USSR." That doesn't stop Lennon's track from being one of the double album's better rock songs. The Beatles' founder references Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" when he sings, "Feel so suicidal just like Dylan's Mr. Jones." Obviously, the rocker wasn't in the best frame of mind when he composed it.

Carpenters - Superstar (1971)

Written by Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett - and released as a b-side to one of their singles under the name of  "Groupie (Superstar)" by the duo she worked in with Delaney Bramlett, her husband at the time - "Superstar" was one of Richard and Karen Carpenter's more topical releases, and one of the more sophisticated hits of their career. Lyrically, there's nothing sappy about this #2 hit as it acknowledged the era it was written in - a time when rock stars were often looked upon as gods. The lyrics were far less innocent than most of the music the brother and sister team recorded and the realization that their target audience might be offended inspired them to change the lyrics to "And I can hardly wait/To be with you again" instead of  "And I can hardly wait/To sleep with you again."  It contains another superlative singing perfomance by Karen Carpenter. Later, the song was covered by Luther Vandross whose take did well on the R&B charts.

The Pogues - Fairytale of New York (1987)
Composed by band members Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan the song is a controversial piece that opens with lyrics about an Irish immigrant discussing past Christmases. The song begins with the infamous line, "It was Christmas Eve Babe, in the drunk tank" that immediately sets the dour mood. It was banned in several media outlets due to it's quite earthy language. The female voice is the late Kirsty MacColl. According to various sources this is Great Britian's favorite Christmas song of all time and has sold 2.4 million copies. It's England's most played Christmas record of the 21st Century. "Fairytale" was released as a single for the 1987 holiday season and on The Pogues classic LP, If I Should Fall From Grace With God, the following year. Discussing the song won't come close to allowing you to experience it's full emotional impact, so if you've never heard it - which is possible in America - here is your chance to view and listen to the official video.

Chumbawamba - Tubthumping (1997)According to the Urban Dictionary tubthumping is singing and having a good time after participating in a political protest. The song using that word as its title is not Chumbawamba's favorite, but it's one the band greatly appreciates. Lead singer Dunstan Bruce told the Guardian, "It's not our most political or best song, but it brought us back together. The song is about us – as a class and as a band. The beauty of it was we had no idea how big it would be."  The group were one of the most political bands to ever come from the United Kingdom. Despite that, it's hard to find a song of its type that is loaded with more musical hooks that will quickly reel you into its grasp. Chumbawamba were one-hit wonders in America where "Tubthumping" reached #6 on Billboard's Hot 100.