Monday, October 12, 2009

Questions In Song Titles

Questions in song titles can be rhetorical, they can be pondered by the singer in the song's lyrics or they can merely be opening up a broader philosophical debate. Or they can be direct suggestions for action to be taken by the song's intended audience. The list below contains a few of these in my music collection.

Why Don't We Do It in the Road, The Beatles
Because 'no one will be watching us', apparently. A John Lennon song with bluesy guitar.

Where's Summer B?, Ben Folds Five
No one seems to know where Summer has been but much has gone on since his/her departure... Ross and Frank are still together and Joe Cavalo is hanging out with Darren's girlfriend. And they're all asking Ben where Summer is, but how should he know? One of their best from their first self titled album.

Are You Magnetic?, Faker
The stand out track and second single from Be the Twilight. Quite addictive and a little anthemic too. More questions raised here- do you collapse? Apparently not if you 'land in the right place'.

You And Whose Army?, Radiohead
With your cronies, you might manage to destroy the Roman Empire or at least drive Thom Yorke crazy.

What's Up?, 4 Non Blondes
What's going on anyway? Apparently the only way to work it out is to get up early and shout at people. It doesn't seem to work though because the lead singer still doesn't know what's going on.

Who Was I Kidding?, Martha Wainwright
Well, it obviously wasn't her father, judging from other material on this album. Maybe herself, but at least it wasn't about her songwriting abilities which are exceptional.

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