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. Have I missed any?
| 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 |
| Dion | Abraham, Martin and John | Dion | 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 |
| Madness | The Prince | One Step Beyond | 1979 |
| 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 |
| A-ha | Manhattan Skyline | Scoundrel Days | 1986 |
| 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 Wonder Stuff | A Wish Away | The Eight Legged Groove Machine | 1988 |
| David Onley | Jerusalem Tomorrow | Deeper Well | 1989 |
| 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 |
| Duke Robillard | Midnight Cannonball | Duke’s Blues | 1994 |
| Indigo Girls | Language or the Kiss | Swamp Ophelia | 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 |
| Arctic Monkeys | Red Light Indicates the Doors are Secure | Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not | 2006 |
| 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 |
Add to the list in the comment section below.
Music City Mike 
Pearl Jam, Last Exit, Vitology, 2004
Thanks Joe and conrgats on making the first add to the list!
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
Interesting–that could be another list!
“let’s go to bed” by the Cure. Japanese whispers. 1982
Tremor Christ by Pearl Jam. Vitalogy. 1994
Wow–Joe strikes with two more!
Enjoy the silence. Depeche Mode. Violator. 1989
I hope you can sleep tonight Joe!
“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
Great work time–these have all been added to the list. Thanks for your input.
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.
Fantastic – thanks for thae add!
Queen of Denmark by John Grant
Thanks Colin – good one!
“Here’s Looking At You, Kid” by The Gaslight Anthem
and “Greek Tragedy” by The Wombats
“Bastardo” by Charlotte Hatherley
My Way – Sinatra/Syd Vicious
Thanks but it appears several times early in the song.
Bruno Mars – When I Was Your Man
Awesome Nate – thanks for the add to the list.
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
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?
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?
Were you the one who took photos and we went to Springsteen shows with Dave Kapulsky? Connectict and Rhode Island in 1978?
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?
And Kapulsky is the insurance guy I referenced in my other post.
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?
Do you have access to the email I entered when posting these comments?
I could send you my phone #
Another one for you:
Alice In Chains – Would?
Close – but technically the last line is “If I would, could you?”
It Don’t Matter To Me – Bread
The Year Clayton Delaney Died – Tom T. Hall
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.
SPARKS – “Veronica Lake”
Yes, but it is revealed earlier in the song several times. Thanks though!
Ok cheers !
Stone Roses – Made of Stone
The Cure – Play For Today
Billy Bragg – St Swithin’s Day
Awesome!
Stone Roses – Elizabeth My Dear
Two on the same LP!
Shouldn’t ‘The Prince’ by Madness be in this list?
It sure does. I will add it and much thanks.
Am surprised ‘The Rose’ by Bette Midler isn’t on the list
Good one. I will add it.
The Rose was already there under the song’s writer Amanda McBroom.
Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
At the end but not the first and only time they are mentioned in the songs.
Apologies! Missed that criterion.
New York State of Mind – Billy Joel
Mad Man Moon – Genesis
All at the end but not the first and only time they are mentioned in the songs.
‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ by Sinead O’connor.
Repeated 3 times but all at the very end of the song.
Midnight Cannonball : Duke Robillard
Good one! Thanks you.
The Indigo Girls, Language or the Kiss
Dion — Abraham, Martin and John
Great adds – thanks so much.
red light indicates the doors are secure – Arctic Monkeys
I have one!
Manhattan Skyline by A-ha
Good one – thanks – I will add and update.
The Wonderstuff: A Wish Away