Lightning Bolt or Backspacer?

[Kevin Davis]

When Mogwai retire from the road they should start a part-time "song titlers for hire" business -- most bands could benefit from their services. I mean, how much longer do you think Stip's "Guided Tour" entry on "Sirens" would have been if the song had been titled "I Love You, I'm Going to Blow Up Your School?"

[stip]

Pearl jam has very few good song titles (or album names) that's never been their strong point. Given to Fly may be their best. But as KD said, it's just a lyric from the song, which is the case like 99% of the time

[B]

I'm just curious. Give me an example of an AWESOME song title.

Mogwai's "Stupid Prick Gets Chased By the Police and Loses His Slut Girlfriend" is a great title. Pearl Jam's titles have always been serviceable and plain, and they generally do the exact same thing now that they've always done -- serve as easy ID badges for the songs by echoing memorable words or phrases from them. There's never been any real art to it. I imagine LV would think better of the titles if he thought better of the songs.

That was kind of my point. It's not like Pearl Jam EVER named their songs with gusto. Elderly Woman being the exception that proves the rule.

[stip]

The song title on lightning bolt and backspacer are pretty par for the course. Mind your manners, my father's son, swallowed whole, yellow moon are intriguing. Infallible, pendulum, sirens are evocative words. Future days is terrible, though

[McParadigm]

Mogwai is the king of good song titles.

I'm partial to Mountain Goats

In Memory of Satan
Birth of Serpents
Maybe Sprout Wings
Lovecraft in Brooklyn
Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into the Water, Triumph of
Alpha Rats Nest
Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton
There Will Be No Divorce
I Know You've Cone to Take My Toys Away
I Love You, Let's Light Ourselves on Fire

[Got Some]

Pearl jam has very few good song titles (or album names) that's never been their strong point. Given to Fly may be their best. But as KD said, it's just a lyric from the song, which is the case like 99% of the time

Do The Evolution is a great title

[epilogue]

Mogwai is the king of good song titles.

I'm partial to Mountain Goats

Maybe Sprout Wings
Lovecraft in Brooklyn
Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into the Water, Triumph of

I Love You, Let's Light Ourselves on Fire

These are all great.

[Birds in Hell]

Mogwai is the king of good song titles.

I'm partial to Mountain Goats

In Memory of Satan
Birth of Serpents
Maybe Sprout Wings
Lovecraft in Brooklyn
Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into the Water, Triumph of
Alpha Rats Nest
Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton
There Will Be No Divorce
I Know You've Cone to Take My Toys Away
I Love You, Let's Light Ourselves on Fire

Pearl Jam have much better song titles than these guys.

[B]

I have a hard time giving a shit about song titles.

[PHATJ]

I have a hard time giving a shit about song titles.

Yeah, I couldn't care less either.

[epilogue]

I will say, for whatever reason, I hated the album title: Lightning Bolt when the announced it. My wife thought I was an idiot for hating an album title without hearing the album.

[digster]

Yeah, agreed. I still think that's a bad album title (and song title, for that matter). I have no idea why; some titles sound good, and some just don't.

[Strat]

Go.

That is a fucking great song title. And the song fits it perfectly.

[WaitingForBluey]

These are all good song titles from the past few albums:
Mind Your Manners, My Father's Son, Sirens, Infallible, Pendulum, Swallowed Whole, Yellow Moon, The Fixer, Just Breathe, Force of Nature, Life Wasted, Marker in the Sand, Parachutes, Unemployable, Army Reserve

These are all horrible song titles from the past few albums:
Lightning Bolt, Let the Records Play, Future Days, Got Some, Johnny Guitar, Amongst the Waves, World Wide Suicide, Inside Job

A little awkward but not that bad:
Sleeping By Myself, Gonna See My Friend, Unthought Known, Severed Hand, Big Wave

[LoathedVermin72]

These are all good song titles from the past few albums:
Mind Your Manners, My Father's Son, Sirens, Infallible, Pendulum, Swallowed Whole, Yellow Moon, The Fixer, Just Breathe, Force of Nature, Life Wasted, Marker in the Sand, Parachutes, Unemployable, Army Reserve

These are all horrible song titles from the past few albums:
Lightning Bolt, Let the Records Play, Future Days, Got Some, Johnny Guitar, Amongst the Waves, World Wide Suicide, Inside Job

A little awkward but not that bad:
Sleeping By Myself, Gonna See My Friend, Unthought Known, Severed Hand, Big Wave

no

[digster]

I thought Wilco always had some fairly evocative titles that never got to be too over-the-top. I tend to shy away from overly descriptive titles, at least for songs.

[WaitingForBluey]

These are all good song titles from the past few albums:
Mind Your Manners, My Father's Son, Sirens, Infallible, Pendulum, Swallowed Whole, Yellow Moon, The Fixer, Just Breathe, Force of Nature, Life Wasted, Marker in the Sand, Parachutes, Unemployable, Army Reserve

These are all horrible song titles from the past few albums:
Lightning Bolt, Let the Records Play, Future Days, Got Some, Johnny Guitar, Amongst the Waves, World Wide Suicide, Inside Job

A little awkward but not that bad:
Sleeping By Myself, Gonna See My Friend, Unthought Known, Severed Hand, Big Wave

no

Your username is fitting

[LoathedVermin72]

Examples of good song titles:

Black Skinhead
Death Reflects Us
Fear Your Mind
I'm Still Your Fag
The Virgin
Around the Fur
Be Quiet and Drive
Digital Bath
Midnight in a Perfect World
Cherry Waves
New Religion
Feel Something
Oh My Fucking God
Lithium
First It Giveth
Sick, Sick, Sick
We Suck Young Blood
There There
I'm on Fire
Velvet Kevorkian
The Vampire from Nazareth
We Hate You
Cannibal's Hymn
Spark Another Owl
Nine Eyes
Burn Fetish
Celebrity Skin
Say Hello to the Angels
Black Milk
The World Loves Us and is Our Bitch
Cocksucker Blues
There is a Light That Never Goes Out
Search and Destroy
Gimme Danger
Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell
Death Trip
Suck
Thick Lip

I'm a little obsessive about song titles.

[stip]

King Missile has some of my favorites

Gay/not gay
Detachable penis
Jesus was way cool
Take stuff from work
The boy who ate lasagna and then jumped over a church
Sensitive artist
The miracle of child birth
Pain Series: Hammer Thumb
Pain Series: Cold Pool
Pain Series: Hot Coffee
Double fucked by two black studs
Socks

[tommymtcom]

Man, detachable penis is a classic.