Anyone who writes music can tell you that when a song is first written, it's usually given a boring descriptive title such as "Punk Song in A" or "Song With Slide Guitar" to remind the writer of how it goes. However, sometimes an actual title never comes along, and these descriptive working titles end up in the final tracklisting. Here are 15 song titles that describe the music.
1. Nick Drake - "Cello Song" (1969)
Though some of the songs from Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left feature full string sections, the classic "Cello Song" features just two string players: Drake on guitar and Clare Lowther on cello.
2. George Harrion - "Wah-Wah" (1970)
Though the title of George Harrison's "Wah-Wah" refers to the extensive use of a wah-wah guitar pedal, Harrison also claimed that "wah-wah" is another term for a headache.
3. Yo La Tengo - "Sudden Organ" (1993)
True to its title, this 1993 Yo La Tengo track begins with the sudden blare of an electric organ.
4. Sunny Day Real Estate - "5/4" (1995)
Sunny Day Real Estate singer Jeremy Enigk claimed that the lyrics for the band's second album were written at the very last minute, which would explain the decision to lazily title one of the songs "5/4," after its unusual time signature.
5. Belle & Sebastian - "Electronic Renaissance" (1996)
Though Belle & Sebastian's early music is largely folk-inspired, they did include one entirely electronic song on their debut album Tigermilk, appropriately titled "Electronic Renaissance."
6. American Football - "The One With The Wurlitzer" (1999)
American Football's debut EP opens with a song titled "The One With The Tambourine," which doesn't seem to actually have tambourine (maybe I just missed it). The band would recycle this song title for the instrumental track "The One With The Wurlitzer" from its self-titled album, which actually features a Wurlitzer organ.
7, 8, 9. The Magnetic Fields - "Punk Love"/"Love is Like Jazz"/"Experimental Music Love"(1999)
For its 1999 album 69 Love Songs, a concept album about love songs, the Magnetic Fields explored love songs in a number of different genres, including punk ("Punk Love"), jazz ("Love is Like Jazz"), and even experimental music ("Experimental Music Love").
10, 11, 12. Gorillaz - "5/4"/"Punk"/"Double Bass" (2001)
On its debut album, Gorillaz actually wrote three songs with very self-explanatory song titles. "5/4" is played in a 5/4 time signature, "Punk" briefly eschews hip-hop for punk rock, and "Double Bass" features a double bass line.
13. Madvillain - "Accordion" (2004)
What sets Madvillain apart from mainstream hip-hop is its bizarre production, such as the use of an accordion sample on the track "Accordion," which isn't really something you'd find in a Lil Wayne track.
14. Broken Social Scene - "7/4 (Shoreline)" (2005)
Like Sunny Day Real Estate and Gorillaz, Toronto's Broken Social Scene decided to name a song after its unusual time signature, "7/4 (Shoreline)."
15. Surfer Blood - "Harmonix" (2010)
The first time I ever saw Surfer Blood live (I've seen them four times, all accidentally), they introduced one of their songs as "Harmonix," and I said to myself, "I bet this song is played with guitar harmonics." And I was right.
What other song titles describe the music? Let us know in the comments section!
