Great Song Titles: John Lennon - “Whatever Gets You Through The Night”
Posted on February 27th, 2008 by Josh Hathaway
That’s such a great line, isn’t it? It’s a great song title. One of these days I’ll have to drop a list of great song titles, titles that are great even if the song isn’t. In this case, the song is good and so is the title. Here are just a couple randoms, off the top of my head. Feel free to play along:
- “Falling In Love is Hard On the Knees” - Aerosmith: I actually like the song, but no song could be as good as that title, could it?
- “How The West Was Won and Where it Got Us” - R.E.M.: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to mutter that line in conversation. I don’t know what it means to R.E.M., but it makes a hell of a lot of sense to me. 11 tells me he read somewhere that Stipe mentioned extra terrestrials in reference to this song. One of their best.
- “Whatever Gets You Through The Night” - John Lennon: It started this mini-list then, didn’t it?
- “Go Fuck Yourself” - Aaron McMullan: Great song, great song title. I’ll admit, I had to hear the song because of the title and then found out what a great tune it is.
- “You Stupid Asshole” and “Run Shithead Run” - Mudhoney: Okay, now I’m just getting silly and rattling these off the top of my head without thinking about it.
Your turn…
Filed under: Tags: Music of the Moment
This is by no means an exhaustive or definitive list, but it’s what popped into my head on short notice. A self-imposed imperative brought to bear, however, was that each example (well, most) not only work as a good stand-alone title, but also in relation to the lyrics somehow — hence the samples given.
“Not Fade Away†(Buddy Holly)
My love is bigger than a Cadillac
I try to show it and you drive a me back
You’re love for me, got to be real
For you to know a just how I feel
A love for real not fade away…
“You’re My Love Interest†(John Hiatt)
Your mouth works / Your mind works / You’re the actual size… / You’re my love interest…
“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead†(Warren Zevon)
I’m drinking heartbreak motor oil and Bombay gin / Straight from the bottle, twisted again… / I’ll sleep when I’m dead…
“Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head” (Elvis Costello)
But you know she doesn’t want you
But you can’t seem to get it in your head
Oh and you can’t sleep at night
And she haunts you when you go to bed
When you’re tired of talking and you can’t drink it down
So you hang around and drown instead
Home isn’t where it used to be
Home is anywhere you hang your head…
“Bewilderbeast†— Badly Drawn Boy
No lyrics, but it somehow seems a be-suitable instrumental.
“Desolation Row†(Bob Dylan)
I’m cheating again. The words in the title don’t actually appear in the song itself, but the way Dylan sets the surreal moods of alienation and paranoia and evokes the sense of desolation, things don’t have to be spelled out, and they aren’t — from the very start of “Desolation Row”:
They’re selling postcards of the hanging
They’re painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They’ve got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they’re restless
They need somewhere to go
As lady and I look out tonight
From desolation row
I got to hear “Desolation Row” in Nashville a few years back. Those opening lines are astonishing. It’s one of my favorite Dylan songs. I like the Zevon title, too. I should have thought of him. I bet he’s got dozens.
As I mentioned, this was all pretty stream of consciousness stuff. I should really spend some time and try and compile a good list. You’ve given me some great suggestions, Gordon.
Morrissey is the king of these:
“There is a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends”
“Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”
“Satan Rejected My Soul”
“We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful”
“Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”
Those are some great ones, no question about it. I’ve never been the world’s biggest Morrissey/Smiths fan, but I love some of those titles.