Does the title of a song affect the song? - Music

Romanelli

Bone Swah

Gender: Male

Location: Broomfield, Colorado

Moderator

I see albums added to the site with six tracks, all called "untitled". I have no interest in those tracks, because whoever wrote them doesn't seem to care enough to give his creations names. Take a minute and give them a title...it's your chance to call it anything you want to. Calling all of your songs "untitled" doesn't make you look cool...it makes you look lazy and unimaginative.

This is why people don't write books or make films and call them "untitled". Marketing is important, and the title is the best thing you've got when the music isn't playing.
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moojakptorei

Romanelli wrote:

I see albums added to the site with six tracks, all called "untitled". I have no interest in those tracks, because whoever wrote them doesn't seem to care enough to give his creations names. Take a minute and give them a title...it's your chance to call it anything you want to. Calling all of your songs "untitled" doesn't make you look cool...it makes you look lazy and unimaginative.

This is why people don't write books or make films and call them "untitled". Marketing is important, and the title is the best thing you've got when the music isn't playing.

I agree. Albums with one or two tracks called untitled are ok though. For example, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea has an untitled track but it's an instrumental which links Ghost to Two Headed Boy Pt. 2 and it was later renamed 'The Penny Arcade in California'. Another example is What's The Story Morning Glory which has two untitled track. However both these tracks are around 40 seconds and have alternative names, The Swamp Song - Excerpt 1 and 2.

Patman360

Serenity Now

Gender: Male

Age: 31

Location: Cork, Ireland

Moderator

Mercurydylan89 wrote:

The roar of the masses could be farts.

On topic, changing my opinion here, it seems song titles are more important than I first thought, you guys are making a good case for it.
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Jackwc

Queen Of The Forums

Location: Aaaanywhere Sex: Incredible

mooseboy101 wrote:

Most good songs recorded in the past 20 so years are Untitled so ya no

lol Mooseboy you're such a pretentious bellend.
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thursdayeno

i would have never guessed the title of anything would really matter until i started submitting team fortress 2 videos to reddit.

i easily make the best videos, which nobody else in the world can do in their daydreams but i don't take any time to name them therefore nobody likes them.
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GeevyDallas

WATTBA

Romanelli wrote:

I see albums added to the site with six tracks, all called "untitled". I have no interest in those tracks, because whoever wrote them doesn't seem to care enough to give his creations names. Take a minute and give them a title...it's your chance to call it anything you want to. Calling all of your songs "untitled" doesn't make you look cool...it makes you look lazy and unimaginative.

This is why people don't write books or make films and call them "untitled". Marketing is important, and the title is the best thing you've got when the music isn't playing.

I agree with your closing point,although music shouldn't be made to be marketed,but in that respect a song title is extremely important if it is being marketed to the general public.

However the first part I disagree with you on pretty much everything.It's quite possible and I'd believe it to be the case in most situations that an album of all untitled tracks would be the artists way of trying to place no additional emphasis on certain tracks or their way of trying not to influence the way the fan interprets and enjoys the song or album,I would say they care more about their art if that was the case and not the other way around.The lazy and unimaginative part bewilders me also,surely someone putting out an album would have put so much love and care into it,that the act of adding titles to the tracks would be the least imaginative and time consuming process of creating the entire album.

pearljammer13

Young Pilgrim

Gender: Male

Age: 36

Location: Massachusetts

I actually made this thread a while back, and almost everyone said no. Still seems to be the prevailing opinion, though not entirely.

I think sometimes it can have a slight effect. My example was Mayonnaise by Smashing Pumpkins. It's a great song, but the title is ugly as hell and somehow makes the song just a little less perfect. Also the fact that is has nothing to do with the lyrics at all annoys me. The vast majority of the time, the title doesn't really affect my feelings on the song, but there are definitely times it does at least a bit.

jstreets

Location: WV OH KY

I don't think it should affect the song in a negative way. A good song is a good song. It could enhance your understanding of it though.

Johnny

I wont give any examples but i think in the extreme case it affects

meccalecca

Voice of Reason

Gender: Male

Location: The Land of Enchantment

Romanelli wrote:

I see albums added to the site with six tracks, all called "untitled". I have no interest in those tracks, because whoever wrote them doesn't seem to care enough to give his creations names. Take a minute and give them a title...it's your chance to call it anything you want to. Calling all of your songs "untitled" doesn't make you look cool...it makes you look lazy and unimaginative.

This is why people don't write books or make films and call them "untitled". Marketing is important, and the title is the best thing you've got when the music isn't playing.

I'd like to defend the concept of "Untitled" songs. Outside the scope of lyrical popular music, there's a world of instrumental music. ambient, classical, jazz, whatever. The composers intend for the music to operate on its own without a title forcing imagery. it's actually the total opposite of pretentious. A name have give this kind of music false meaning.