The last time I wrote about title tracks, I mentioned songs that were left off of the albums that bore their name. Though these ten songs were placed on the correct albums, their titles are actually slightly different, which means they're technically not title tracks. Here are ten great albums that have semi-title tracks.
1. Simon & Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence (1966)
One of Simon & Garfunkel's most famous songs is "The Sound of Silence," which was originally titled "The Sounds of Silence" for its initial single release. The title became singular when it appeared on the 1966 album Sounds of Silence, but for whatever reason, the album title remained plural.
2. The Who - A Quick One (1966)
The Who's second album A Quick One takes it title from the final track, the multi-part suite "A Quick One, While He's Away." In the United States, however, the album had a true title track: it was issued as Happy Jack and contained the single "Happy Jack" in the tracklisting.
3. Vashti Bunyan - Just Another Diamond Day (1970)
Though the opening lyrics to Vashti Bunyan's debut album are "Just another diamond day," the same as the title of the album, the album's opening track is simply titled "Diamond Day," instead.
4. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)
Only the most die-hard Bowie fanatics refer to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by its full name on a regular basis. Nearly everyone else refers to it as simply "Ziggy Stardust," both out of convenience, and because it's the name of the album's popular semi-title track.
5. Patti Smith - Horses (1975)
Though many people refer to the penultimate track on Patti Smith's debut album as "Horses," this is technically only the name of the song's first section. The entire piece is actually titled "Land," and contains three sections: "Horses," "Land of a Thousand Dances," and "La Mer(de)."
6. Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones (1983)
Until very recently, I had thought that Tom Waits' 1983 album Swordfishtrombones had a true title track. However, the name of the track is actually singular instead of plural: "Swordfishtrombone." I wouldn't put it past Tom Waits to have done this just to confuse people.
7. Slayer - Reign in Blood (1986)
When I first heard Slayer's "Raining Blood," I correctly assumed Tom Araya was singing, "raining." However, when I finally heard the full album, titled Reign in Blood, I began to assume that the name of the song was "Reign in Blood" as well, and that I had originally misheard the lyric. I'm guessing that the band couldn't decide whether "Raining Blood" or "Reign in Blood" was more awesome, so they just went with both.
8. Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)
Just like Vashti Bunyan's Just Another Diamond Day, the entire title of Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is sung on one of the album's songs, but only half of the phrase is actually used for the song's title, which is, of course, "Morning Glory."
9. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois (2005)
I'm still not entirely sure what the actual name of Sufjan Stevens' 2005 Illinois-inspired LP is. Wikipedia tells me it's Illinois, but when I ripped the (legally purchased) CD onto my computer, it came up as Come On! Feel the Illinoise! If my CD was correct, the album has a true title track, but if Wikipedia is right, it only has a semi-title track.
10. Savages - Silence Yourself (2013)
Neither the word "silence" nor the word "yourself" appears in the title of any song off of Savages' Silence Yourself, but the album's opening track is titled "Shut Up," which is just a less polite way of saying "silence yourself."
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