Posted
on May 27, 2016
The
fourth Friday of May has been deemed “National Title Track Day” –
a day to listen only to title tracks.
Do
you know what a title track is?
Each
song, of course, would have a name. And the album would also have a
name.
#1
- Sometimes the album's name would just be the band's name – that
was really common for a band's first album.
#2
- Sometimes the album's name would be a song that was either a hit at
the time that the album was released or was slated to become a hit,
because there was an awesome music video to back it up, or it was
also going to be released and publicized to the radio stations as a
single.
#
3 - And sometimes the album's name would be a unique title that is
different from any of the songs on that album.
A
title track is the song that shares its name with the album. (That's
the #2 above.) Here are a few famous title tracks:
“Let It Be,” by the Beatles – from the album “Let It Be”
- “L.A. Woman,” by the Doors – from the album “L.A. Woman”
- “Thriller,” by Michael Jackson – from the album “Thriller”
- “Purple Rain,” by Prince – from the album “Purple Rain”
When
an album is named the group's name, it is often referred to as
self-titled. (That's the #1 above.) The first album by the Doors was
called “The Doors,” and the first album by “Weezer” was
called “Weezer.” In general, people refer to the albums by those
names, or as “self-titled,” or sometimes, “the band's debut
album.” Sometimes a band decides to release a self-titled album
well into the band's lifespan – and sometimes that album ends up
getting a nickname. For example, the Beatles released their
fourteenth (or so, in the U.S.) album, named “The Beatles,” in 1968
– but almost nobody calls in “The Beatles.” Instead, people
call it “The White Album.”
When
an album has a unique name not shared by any of the songs on that
album, as in #3 above, we could say that the album has a “lost
title track.” We could try to imagine what that song might be...
And
that's when the band called “The Title Trackers” gets busy. They
take classic albums with no title tracks, and they create their own
original songs for that title.
The
fun part is, they try to copy the sound of the particular band –
and the look, and the feel. And their lyrics can be downright funny,
in a loving, honoring-the-original sort of way....but not in a making-fun-of-the-original kind
of way.
At least, that's how The Title Trackers intend their parodies.
And that's how I enjoy them, as well...
Check
out “Checking into Morrison Hotel” on the Title Trackers' website!
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on this date:
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