50 Fun Facts About Song Titles

Which word completes the title of Queen's almost six-minute UK chart-topper, "Bohemian ___"?

Bohemian Rhapsody found a new American audience in 1992, when the film Wayne's World showed its heroes headbanging along to it.

Which name completes the Beatles title Paul McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon's son, "Hey ___"?

Hey Jude started out as Hey Jules, and Paul McCartney changed the name simply because he thought it sounded a bit better.

Which word completes the title of Nirvana's lead single from Nevermind, "Smells Like Teen ___"?

Smells Like Teen Spirit took its title from graffiti by Kathleen Hanna that referred to a deodorant brand, which Kurt Cobain mistook for a revolutionary slogan.

Which animal completes the Survivor title written for the film Rocky III, "Eye of the ___"?

Eye of the Tiger exists because Queen refused Sylvester Stallone permission to use Another One Bites the Dust in his boxing sequel.

Which name completes the Neil Diamond title sung by Red Sox crowds at Fenway Park, "Sweet ___"?

Sweet Caroline has rung out in the middle of the eighth inning at every Red Sox home game since 2002, and Diamond sang it there in person in 2010.

Which name completes the Michael Jackson hit that unveiled his moonwalk on Motown 25, "Billie ___"?

Billie Jean gave Jackson his first public moonwalk, a move he had been practising in his kitchen before the television special.

Which word completes the Journey title heard in the final scene of The Sopranos, "Don't Stop ___"?

Don't Stop Believin' became the best-selling digital track of the twentieth century in 2012, three decades after Journey released it.

Which color completes the title track of Prince's 1984 film and soundtrack album, "___ Rain"?

Purple Rain closed Prince's 2007 Super Bowl halftime show, which he played in a real downpour under matching stage lights.

Which word completes the title of the rock classic about a Montreux casino fire, "Smoke on the ___"?

Smoke on the Water recalls a Frank Zappa concert in 1971, where someone in the audience fired a flare gun at the ceiling and set the casino alight.

Which word completes the Bon Jovi title about struggling couple Tommy and Gina, "Livin' on a ___"?

Livin' on a Prayer almost stayed in the vault: Jon Bon Jovi disliked the first recording until guitarist Richie Sambora convinced him to rework it.

Which state completes the Lynyrd Skynyrd anthem that answers Neil Young by name, "Sweet Home ___"?

Sweet Home Alabama hit back at Neil Young's song Southern Man, which the band felt blamed the entire South for slavery.

Which state completes the Eagles title that won the Grammy for Record of the Year, "Hotel ___"?

Hotel California ends with a guitar solo traded between Don Felder and Joe Walsh, which readers of Guitarist voted the best of all time in 1998.

Which word completes the Led Zeppelin title that was never sold as a US single, "___ to Heaven"?

Stairway to Heaven became the most-requested song on American FM radio even though fans had to buy the whole album to own it.

Which surname completes the Simon & Garfunkel title featured in the film The Graduate, "Mrs. ___"?

Mrs. Robinson grew out of an unfinished track called Mrs. Roosevelt, which the duo played for the film's director, Mike Nichols.

Which word completes the Elton John title revived by the film Almost Famous, "Tiny ___"?

Tiny Dancer was written by lyricist Bernie Taupin about Maxine Feibelman, his wife at the time, who sewed patches onto Elton's jackets.

Which word completes the Rolling Stones hit Keith Richards wrote in his sleep, "(I Can't Get No) ___"?

Satisfaction made its fuzzy guitar tone so fashionable that the entire available stock of Gibson fuzzbox pedals sold out by the end of 1965.

Which word completes the Bee Gees title from the opening credits of Saturday Night Fever, "Stayin' ___"?

Stayin' Alive has about 103 beats per minute, so first-aid trainers use it to teach the right rhythm for chest compressions.

Which word completes the opening track of Guns N' Roses' debut album, "Welcome to the ___"?

Welcome to the Jungle was inspired, Axl Rose said, by a homeless man who yelled at him as he stepped off a bus in New York.

Which word completes the Madonna title about a pregnant teenager confiding in her father, "Papa Don't ___"?

Papa Don't Preach drew criticism from family planning organizations, which accused Madonna of glamorizing teenage pregnancy.

Which word completes the ABBA title that borrows the name of a stage spotlight, "Super ___"?

Super Trouper is a type of follow spotlight used in large venues, though the lamp seen throughout ABBA's video is a different model.

Which word completes the Beyoncé title whose dance video won MTV's Video of the Year, "Single ___"?

Single Ladies borrowed its dance moves from a 1969 Bob Fosse routine called Mexican Breakfast, first seen on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Which word completes the Mark Ronson title that topped the Hot 100 for 14 weeks, "Uptown ___"?

Uptown Funk took more than 100 takes before it was finished, then won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 2016.

Which word completes the Lady Gaga title that led off her EP The Fame Monster, "Bad ___"?

Bad Romance had its premiere on a catwalk, playing over the finale of Alexander McQueen's Paris Fashion Week show in October 2009.

Which word completes the Taylor Swift title that mocks press coverage of her love life, "Blank ___"?

Blank Space answered tabloids that painted Swift as a serial dater by having her play the flirtatious character they described.

Which word completes the Killers' debut single about a jealous boyfriend in Las Vegas, "Mr. ___"?

Mr. Brightside retells the night singer Brandon Flowers walked into a Las Vegas bar and found his girlfriend cheating on him.

Which word completes the White Stripes title whose riff became a stadium chant, "Seven Nation ___"?

Seven Nation Army got its title from Jack White's childhood in Detroit, where he misheard the name of the Salvation Army.

Which word completes the Coldplay title borrowed from a Frida Kahlo painting, "Viva la ___"?

Viva la Vida, Spanish for long live life, is inscribed on a watermelon in Frida Kahlo's final painting, which Chris Martin saw in Mexico.

Which word completes Christina Aguilera's five-week Hot 100 chart-topper, "Genie in a ___"?

Genie in a Bottle left Aguilera unconvinced at first: she was not keen on the demo, though she ended up proud of the finished record.

Which word completes the Snow Patrol title made famous by a Grey's Anatomy season finale, "Chasing ___"?

Chasing Cars came from a remark by singer Gary Lightbody's father, who compared his lovesick son to a dog running after traffic.

Which word completes the Radiohead title borrowed from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "Paranoid ___"?

Paranoid Android takes its name from the character Marvin and runs for over six minutes, moving through four distinct sections.

Which word completes the Oasis single sung by Noel Gallagher rather than Liam, "Don't Look Back in ___"?

Don't Look Back in Anger became a song of remembrance in Manchester, the band's home city, after the arena bombing of 2017.

Which word completes the Verve title built on an orchestral Rolling Stones sample, "Bitter Sweet ___"?

Bitter Sweet Symphony cost the Verve all of its royalties after a lawsuit, with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards added to the songwriting credits.

Which word completes the R.E.M. title built on a mandolin riff by Peter Buck, "Losing My ___"?

Losing My Religion is an expression from the American South that means losing your temper or civility.

Which word completes the Police title that Sting calls sinister rather than romantic, "Every ___ You Take"?

Every Breath You Take is widely mistaken for a gentle love song, yet in 2019 BMI named it the most played song in radio history.

Which name completes the Dexys Midnight Runners hit that was Britain's top seller of 1982, "Come On ___"?

Come On Eileen has no real Eileen behind it: singer Kevin Rowland long said she was a childhood girlfriend, then admitted she was a composite.

Which day completes the New Order title that is the best-selling 12-inch single in history, "Blue ___"?

Blue Monday came in a die-cut sleeve designed to look like a floppy disk, with neither the band's name nor the title in plain English.

Which word completes the Clash title whose music was written by drummer Topper Headon, "Rock the ___"?

Rock the Casbah was mostly recorded by Topper Headon alone, who taped the drum, piano and bass parts while his three bandmates were out of the studio.

Which city completes the Warren Zevon title recorded with Fleetwood Mac's rhythm section, "Werewolves of ___"?

Werewolves of London went through at least seven line-ups of studio musicians before Zevon was happy with Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass.

Which word completes the Dire Straits title inspired by a band playing in a near-empty pub, "Sultans of ___"?

Sultans of Swing began as a demo tape the band took to DJ Charlie Gillett for advice, and it won a following once BBC radio put it in rotation.

Which word completes the Stranglers title known for its harpsichord and waltz rhythm, "Golden ___"?

Golden Brown peaked at number two in Britain, the band's highest chart placing, and its instrumental passages slip an extra beat into the waltz.

Which word completes the Beach Boys title pieced together across four Hollywood studios, "Good ___"?

Good Vibrations took about 20 recording sessions over seven months, at a time when pop singles were usually finished within two days.

Which word completes the Otis Redding title recorded days before his death, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the ___"?

The Dock of the Bay became the first posthumous number one single in the US, and nobody is sure who whistled the melody on its fade-out.

Which word completes Don McLean's epic about the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, "American ___"?

American Pie was the longest song to reach number one for almost 50 years, until a ten-minute Taylor Swift track took the record in 2021.

Which word completes the Motown title recorded by Gladys Knight and Marvin Gaye, "I Heard It Through the ___"?

I Heard It Through the Grapevine was first released by the Pips, then Gaye's version spent seven weeks at number one and became Motown's biggest hit to that point.

Which fabric completes the Moody Blues title from the album Days of Future Passed, "Nights in White ___"?

Nights in White Satin was written by Justin Hayward at 19, after a girlfriend gave him a set of bedsheets in that very fabric.

Which word completes Procol Harum's debut single with a Bach-derived melody, "A Whiter Shade of ___"?

A Whiter Shade of Pale was recognised in 2004 as the record most played by British broadcasters over the previous 70 years.

Which word completes the title Jimmy Webb wrote for country star Glen Campbell, "Wichita ___"?

Wichita Lineman came to Jimmy Webb on a drive through the Oklahoma panhandle, where he saw a lone worker up a telephone pole speaking into his handset.

Which word completes the Kinks title written and produced by frontman Ray Davies, "Waterloo ___"?

Waterloo Sunset was first called Liverpool Sunset, a theme Ray Davies scrapped once the Beatles had released Penny Lane.

Which name completes the Who title that opens the album Who's Next, "Baba ___"?

Baba O'Riley joins the names of two of Pete Townshend's inspirations, the spiritual master Meher Baba and the composer Terry Riley.

Which surname completes the Kris Kristofferson title Janis Joplin took to number one, "Me and Bobby ___"?

Me and Bobby McGee was named for a studio secretary, Barbara McKee, whose surname Kristofferson had misheard.