The greatest Title Tracks of all time
23 June 2024, 12:00
Radio X takes a look at best examples of the title track - from Californication to Back In Black.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
A song about the darker side of Hollywood, the pun was so good it gave name to a track, an album and even a TV series.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication [Official Music Video]
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The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
“Past the pub that saps your body, and the church who'll snatch your money / The Queen is dead, boys / And it's so lonely on a limb.” Morrissey’s state-of-the-nation address kicks off The Smiths’ third album with a bang.
The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead - A Film By Derek Jarman (Official Music Video)
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Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
“We're just two lost souls / Swimming in a fish bowl / Year after year.” Roger Waters takes the theme of life, death and madness one step further on this classic 1975 album.
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (with lyrics)
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The Clash - London Calling
As Margaret Thatcher settled into power, Joe Strummer penned this address to the nation, which titled the band’s best album.
The Clash - London Calling (Official Video)
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AC/DC - Back In Black
Original singer Bon Scott was dead, but Acca Dacca continued with Geordie Brian Johnson and this album and song was a tribute to their fallen comrade.
AC/DC - Back In Black (Official Video)
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Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino
Alex Turner named the album and the title track after he saw the phrase “tranquility base” on a cup relating to the Apollo moon mission. And why not?
Arctic Monkeys - Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (Official Video)
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Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
Dark times for La Winehouse, but a brilliant torch song all the same. And what an album.
Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
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Iggy Pop - Lust For Life
The title was originally a biopic of the painter Vincent Van Gogh (played by Kirk Douglas), but the name summed up Iggy’s return to form after years of drug abuse - and kicked off the film Trainspotting to boot.
Iggy Pop - Lust For Life
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Paul McCartney & Wings - Band On The Run
Macca finally came out from the shadow of The Beatles with this complex, ambitious and utterly brilliant look back at the Apple years that was also the name of his classic 1973 LP.
Band On The Run (Remastered 2010)
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Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
“And if you need an explanation / Then everything must go.” Following the disappearance of guitarist Richey Edwards, the rest of the Manics tear everything down and start again.
Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
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U2 - The Unforgettable Fire
One of Bono’s less bombastic moments, this atmospheric tune was also released as a single, after it titled the band’s fourth album in 1984.
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire (1984)
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David Bowie - “Heroes”
An amazing song, an amazing album, an amazing artist at the peak of his powers.
David Bowie - Heroes (Official Video)
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Prince - Sign ‘O’ The Times
A year after The Queen Is Dead, the Minneapolis dynamo wrote his own summary of modern life - and it’s pretty brutal… but compelling.
Prince - Sign O' The Times (Official Music Video)
