hit songs that don't include the title phrase in their lyrics

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(obviously excludes instrumental hits)

1. the carpenters, "superstar"

amateurist, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:10 (fifteen years ago)

2. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
3. M People - Renaissance

Tuomas, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:15 (fifteen years ago)

surely there are thousands of these

4. Supertramp - The Logical Song

wiki says: Rolling Stone called it a "small masterpiece" praising the "hot sax" and Hodgson' "wry humor"

Jamie_ATP, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:15 (fifteen years ago)

5. destiny's child - bills bills bills

lex pretend, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:16 (fifteen years ago)

6. destiny's child - independent women part 1

lex pretend, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:16 (fifteen years ago)

re: Carpenters - what's so great is that you can sing "superstar" over every opening notes/lyric of the verses ("long ago" and "loneliness" iirc), which makes it a bit more unique imo

willem, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:16 (fifteen years ago)

7. mya - case of the ex

lex pretend, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:17 (fifteen years ago)

8. 4 Non Blondes - What's Up?

Tuomas, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:18 (fifteen years ago)

8. New Order - Blue Monday
9. New Order - True Faith

But yeah, there must be thousands. Anything called "The x Song" for starters.

Dorian (Dorianlynskey), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:19 (fifteen years ago)

11. Underworld - Born Slippy

Tuomas, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:31 (fifteen years ago)

12. The Prodigy - Out of Space

Tuomas, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:34 (fifteen years ago)

Unchained Melody

I am using your worlds, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 08:54 (fifteen years ago)

14. The Beatles 'The Ballad of John and Yoko'
15. Simon & Garfunkel 'The Boxer'
16. Oxide & Neutrino 'Casualty (Bound 4 Da Reload)'

Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 09:15 (fifteen years ago)

17. The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil

Tuomas, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 09:18 (fifteen years ago)

18. Manic Street Preachers - If you tolerate this, your children will be next.

Mark G, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 09:44 (fifteen years ago)

Eh? Doesn't that tune have the title in the chorus?

Tuomas, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 09:46 (fifteen years ago)

Always inserts "then"

Mark G, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 09:58 (fifteen years ago)

19. Culture Club: The War Song

Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 11:58 (fifteen years ago)

20. Nirvana - Smells like Teen Spirit

go in go hard brother (Billy Dods), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 12:04 (fifteen years ago)

21. Yankovic - Smells Like Nirvana

Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 12:57 (fifteen years ago)

"If you tolerate this, your children will be next"
"bills bills bills"

I dunno if I'd count these, but while we are in 1998,
22. The Tamperer feat. Maya - Feel It

ein fisch schwimmt im wasser ยท fisch im wasser durstig (a passing spacecadet), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 13:24 (fifteen years ago)

According to Wikipedia 4 Non Blondes named their song "What's Up?" and not "What's Going On?" so it wouldn't be confused with the Marvin Gaye song. I didn't know that! Too bad they still had to steal the verse melody from "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

Tuomas, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 13:28 (fifteen years ago)

22. Bob Dylan - "Positively 4th Street"

a wicked 60s beat poop combo (Pancakes Hackman), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 13:31 (fifteen years ago)

picking stuff like "the boxer" and "bills bills bills" is splitting hairs a bit imo

banned, on the run (s1ocki), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 13:50 (fifteen years ago)

i mean he says in a clearing stands A boxer

banned, on the run (s1ocki), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 13:50 (fifteen years ago)

The Who - Baba O'Riley

kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 14:38 (fifteen years ago)

"logical song" seems borderline too.

amateurist, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 14:46 (fifteen years ago)

How about hit songs that go out of their way to include the title phrase in their lyrics

Mark G, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 15:03 (fifteen years ago)

Technically, "Ode to Billy Joe"

mottdeterre, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 16:57 (fifteen years ago)

"Mother Popcorn" -- James Brown

mottdeterre, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 17:08 (fifteen years ago)

"Green Onions"

& other try hard shitfests (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 17:10 (fifteen years ago)

dude, instrumentals don't count

amateurist, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 17:21 (fifteen years ago)

"Rhymes" by Al Green (not really a HIT, but it's on a hit album)

amateurist, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 17:21 (fifteen years ago)

but there are rhymes in it, right

cialis morissette (goole), Wednesday, 21 October 2009 17:22 (fifteen years ago)

The Police - Synchronicity II

Gavin in Leeds, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 19:45 (fifteen years ago)

Bjork - Hyperballad

Gavin in Leeds, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 19:48 (fifteen years ago)

"When You Walk in the Room" -- Jackie DeShannon (and others)

mottdeterre, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 20:42 (fifteen years ago)

"Creeque Alley" -- the Mamas and the Papas

mottdeterre, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 20:44 (fifteen years ago)

Fade To Black - Metallica

kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 20:47 (fifteen years ago)

Enter Sandman - Metallica

kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 21 October 2009 20:47 (fifteen years ago)

33. Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
34. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five - The Message

Tuomas, Thursday, 22 October 2009 15:54 (fifteen years ago)

35. Wu-Tang Clan - Triumph

Tuomas, Thursday, 22 October 2009 15:57 (fifteen years ago)

Casualty [Bound 4 Da Reload

says Bound 4 Da Reload over and over, the other not-always-printed bit of the title is just legalese from the publisher and doesn't count

RAPTOBER (sic), Friday, 23 October 2009 02:00 (fifteen years ago)

36. The Kinks - "Celluloid Heroes"

Mr. Snrub, Friday, 23 October 2009 02:37 (fifteen years ago)

37. The Cure "Inbetween Days"
38. The Cure "Lovesong"

Sean Carruthers, Friday, 23 October 2009 03:13 (fifteen years ago)


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