I just thought about this right now, but it seems like after "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came out, it became more common to have songs where the actual title was never sung. Collective Soul and Green Day also have quite a few of those. Often they're single word titles too.

I never thought of that actually.  I'm not sure if it's so much a 90s thing, it probably depends more on the artist.  Like Bob Dylan had that song called "Positively Fourth Street".  IDK, it's kind of hard to say, interesting though. :)

I never thought of that actually.  I'm not sure if it's so much a 90s thing, it probably depends more on the artist.  Like Bob Dylan had that song called "Positively Fourth Street".  IDK, it's kind of hard to say, interesting though. :)


Yeah, that's true. I forgot about that one, but I guess there's always been a few. There's also ones that have a nickname, like "The __ Song", with some other line for a chorus.

LOL, yeah that's pretty much it.  ;D  There are some other pointless song titles from the 90s.  One I just remembered is "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand" by Primitive Radio Gods.  :P

Yeah, not mentioning the song title during the song is something that has been around for along time, but it does seem like there was alot of that in the '90s, especially after Teen Spirit came out.

I just thought about this right now, but it seems like after "Smells Like Teen Spirit" came out, it became more common to have songs where the actual title was never sung. Collective Soul and Green Day also have quite a few of those. Often they're single word titles too.


What do you mean? Collective Soul's 3 biggest hits all mentioned the song title in their songs ("Shine", "December" and "The World I Know")

It does go back a bit, remember Baba O'Reilly

I thought it was a New Order thing. :P

I thought it was a New Order thing. :P


;D

It does go back a bit, remember Baba O'Reilly


I was going to mention that as well, along with Hair Of The Dog.

In fact, this has happened so often there is a wiki page dedicated to it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:BorgHunter/List_of_non-instrumental_songs_with_titles_that_do_not_appear_in_the_lyrics

I consider it not to be a 90s thing for over the decades many a song has never featured it's title within it's own lyrics, as for pop music the earliest one I would say would be Unchained Melody.

I thought it was a New Order thing. :P

me too...but their '93 hit "Regret" does mention the title in its first verse.


Some notable "unmentioned" 90s song titles that come to mind:
* Selling The Drama - Live
* The Mummers' Dance - Loreena McKennitt
* Basket Case - Green Day
* Jumper - Third Eye Blind

...and a few more which I might think of later.

Edit: I think the Stone Temple Pilots also fail to mention the titles in any of their songs.

I have a new theory on why this might've been more prevalent in the '90s. It seems like alot of that music was intended to be kinda serious or more "artsy" (at least compared to alot of '80s pop), so maybe they wanted to paint a picture of the title with the other words in the song?

In that respect, I think the grunge era (1991-'96) kinda mirrored the Hippie era of the late '60s.

Well the 00's and the 80's they mention the song titles like alot in the songs like for example as far as the 00's  50 Cent mentions the song title like alot on track "21 Question's" and on "In Da Club" as well I think. Rihanna mentions the song titles alot too on her songs like "SOS", "Pon De Replay" and "Umbrella". I guess 00's and 80's music both share that catchiness where the artist who is performing their respectrive song always mentions the song title alot if you will from songs from each of those respective 2 decades as opposed to 90's music.

I have a new theory on why this might've been more prevalent in the '90s. It seems like alot of that music was intended to be kinda serious or more "artsy" (at least compared to alot of '80s pop), so maybe they wanted to paint a picture of the title with the other words in the song?

In that respect, I think the grunge era (1991-'96) kinda mirrored the Hippie era of the late '60s.


It was the hippie era upside down, instead of peace in a time of war, there was cynicism and dissent in a time of relative peace.

It was the hippie era upside down, instead of peace in a time of war, there was cynicism and dissent in a time of relative peace.
Yeah but in 1991 the USA was just coming off the Iraq War, the Ecomomy was in terrible shape, and remember the whole Rodney King thing too and the LA Riots that came along with the Rodney King incident as well. Also there was a big deal made about Ice-T's song "Cop Killer" in 1992, the OJ trial in 1994, and the Olympic Park Bombings in Altanta in 1996 as well. The 90's was very controversal in many ways and many aspects as well.