Mike’s Music Lists: Songs That End With Their Titles

Every true music geek likes to know the title of each new song he hears.  Guessing is required when you hear it live in concert for the first time. Sometimes, the title is an obvious refrain, often heard in the chorus. Other times, however, titles are obscure and have no direct mention in the lyrics. Here are some titles that don’t appear until…wait for it…the very last words of the song.

Artist Song Album Year
Bob Dylan Boots of Spanish Leather The Times They Are a-Changin’ 1964
The Beatles Here, There and Everywhere Revolver 1966
The Byrds Wasn’t Born to Follow The Notorious Byrd Brothers 1968
Chicago Questions 67 and 68 The Chicago Transit Authority 1969
Roxy Music Virginia Plain Roxy Music 1972
Jackson Browne Late For The Sky Late For The Sky 1974
John David Souther Simple Man, Simple Dream Black Rose 1976
Amanda McBroom The Rose 1977
Steve Forbert Big City Cat Alive on Arrival 1978
Squeeze Up The Junction Cool for Cats 1979
The Cure Play for Today Seventeen Seconds 1980
The Cure Let’s Go To Bed Japanese Whispers 1982
Frank Zappa The Jazz Discharge Party Hats The Man from Utopia 1983
The Nails 88 Lines About 44 Women Mood Swing 1984
St. Swithin’s Day Billy Bragg Brewing Up with Billy Bragg 1984
The Replacements Left of the Dial Tim 1985
The Cure Just Like Heaven Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me 1987
U2 Running to Stand Still The Joshua Tree 1987
George Michael One More Try Faith 1988
The Stone Roses Made of Stone The Stone Roses 1989
The Stone Roses Elizabeth My Dear The Stone Roses 1989
Aztec Camera Stray Stray 1990
Depeche Mode Enjoy the Silence Violator 1990
Billy Bragg Tank Park Salute Don’t Try This at Home 1991
Pearl Jam Last Exit Vitalogy 1994
Pearl Jam Tremor Christ Vitalogy 1994
Quasi Our Happiness is Guaranteed Featuring “Birds” 1998
Loudon Wainwright III Much Better Bets So Damn Happy 2003
Josh Rouse Middle School Frown Nashville 2005
Coldplay Square One X&Y 2005
Charlotte Hatherley Bastardo Bastardo 2005
Darrell Scott Hank William’s Ghost Hank William’s Ghost 2006
David Mead Sicily Almost and Always 2008
Gaslight Anthem Here’s Looking at You, Kid The ’59 Sound 2008
John Grant Queen of Denmark Queen of Denmark 2010
Steve Earle God is God I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive 2011
Bob Dylan Long and Wasted Years Tempest 2012
Bruno Maes When I Was Your Man Unorthodox Jukebox 2012
Jason Isbell Yvette Southeastern 2013
The Wombats Greek Tragedy Glitterbug 2015

Have I missed any?  Add to the list in the comment section below.

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40 comments

  1. Pearl Jam, Last Exit, Vitology, 2004

    1. Thanks Joe and conrgats on making the first add to the list!

  2. Ted Goldthorpe · · Reply

    How about songs whose titles are sung once in the 2nd Verse?
    “Time (Is A Clock Of The Heart)” Culture Club……slightly imperfect example granted
    “The Spy Who Loved Me” Carly Simon

    1. Interesting–that could be another list!

  3. “let’s go to bed” by the Cure. Japanese whispers. 1982

  4. Tremor Christ by Pearl Jam. Vitalogy. 1994

  5. Wow–Joe strikes with two more!

  6. Enjoy the silence. Depeche Mode. Violator. 1989

  7. I hope you can sleep tonight Joe!

  8. “Here There and Everywhere” by the Beatles
    “One More Try” by George Michael
    “Running to Stand Still” by U2
    “Square One” by Coldplay
    “Virginia Plain” by Roxy Music
    “Wasn’t Born to Follow” by the Byrds

    1. Great work time–these have all been added to the list. Thanks for your input.

  9. Hey Mike,

    Best song of all time that ends with the first appearance of its title : undoubtedly The Rose, by Amanda McBroom (1977), as recorded by Bette Midler and Conway Twitty.

    – Ron.

    1. Fantastic – thanks for thae add!

  10. Colin Bell · · Reply

    Queen of Denmark by John Grant

    1. Thanks Colin – good one!

  11. “Here’s Looking At You, Kid” by The Gaslight Anthem
    and “Greek Tragedy” by The Wombats

  12. “Bastardo” by Charlotte Hatherley

  13. Jerry Lang · · Reply

    My Way – Sinatra/Syd Vicious

    1. Thanks but it appears several times early in the song.

  14. Nate Stein · · Reply

    Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man

    1. Awesome Nate – thanks for the add to the list.

  15. Peter Howes · · Reply

    I’m a little late to the party, but here are a few not on the list:

    88 LINES ABOUT 44 WOMEN – The Nails
    TALK TALK – The Music Machine
    BIG CITY CAT – Steve Forbert
    SECOND HAND NEWS – Fleetwood Mac
    CAN’T HARDLY WAIT – The Replacements

    1. Thanks Peter. I left off The Mats and The Mac since the words get repeated. I stayed pure with the title only sang once.
      PS – Don’t we know each other?

  16. Peter Howes · · Reply

    Interesting Mike – I don’t think we know each other, but there are some common threads. I too grew up just outside New York City (Union, NJ). Springsteen is my favorite artist, first saw him in Dec 1975 at Seton Hall. Born To Run is my all time favorite album. By funny coincidence, a long time music friend of mine is also in the insurance business and has a record collection in excess of 100,000. Anything in particular trigger your thought that we might know each other?

    1. Were you the one who took photos and we went to Springsteen shows with Dave Kapulsky? Connectict and Rhode Island in 1978?

      1. Peter Howes · ·

        Oh my God – yes!!!
        You started to enter my mind as I was going through some of the items you have here, but I didn’t remember your last name (I’m not even sure if I knew it back then).
        BTW – The ad you have from the Setonian for the Springsteen concert is mine. I sent that in to Brucebase years ago along with many photos. I had a bunch of photos from the Providence, RI show on the Brucebase website, but when they moved to the Wiki site from the old site, many of the photos weren’t brought over. These aren’t there any more – did you ever see them back on the old site?

      2. Peter Howes · ·

        And Kapulsky is the insurance guy I referenced in my other post.

  17. I didn’t notice the RI photos at Brucebase. The Springsteen auto I got was when we were all backstage in RI couretsy of Obir. (Remember transporting Bruces’s black suit from CT to RI?) If only I got a BTR LP signed by the whole band. And no photo with Bruce either.

    I was the music writer for the Setonian and was so bummed that there was no issue over the Xmas holiday and they didn’t want me to write a review that would not be printed until January. Still hoping that maybe they recorded that Seton Hall show and we will see it in the archive series one day.

    I’m not holding my breath for one last tour. I also heard that the ticket prices will be ridiculous. ($550 for the pit and lower bowl.)

    It’s great to hear from you, Are you sill in NJ?

    1. Peter Howes · · Reply

      Do you have access to the email I entered when posting these comments?
      I could send you my phone #

  18. Another one for you:

    Alice In Chains – Would?

    1. Close – but technically the last line is “If I would, could you?”

  19. J. Rootdog · · Reply

    It Don’t Matter To Me – Bread
    The Year Clayton Delaney Died – Tom T. Hall

    1. Thanks for your suggestions. While both do and with the title, I was looking for songs where that is the only time the title gets mentioned. In both of these it is earlier in the lyrics as well. Thanks again for your support.

  20. SPARKS – “Veronica Lake”

    1. Yes, but it is revealed earlier in the song several times. Thanks though!

      1. Ok cheers !

  21. Stone Roses – Made of Stone
    The Cure – Play For Today
    Billy Bragg – St Swithin’s Day

  22. Stone Roses – Elizabeth My Dear

    1. Two on the same LP!

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