Song Titles

[typo]

i often see lyrics posted with no title and that got me thinking. something had to

at what point do you usually select a title?

do you have criteria for title selection?

[neoism]

yeah...this has been a big question for me....i really get confused when selecting a title...

so last time i had this crazy idea...giving a title which has no connection with the lyrics....and thats why last lyrics name is "teaspoon of phenomena"....lol

[Nightwolf]

Our latest project "The Hivemind Theory" started uncharacteristically for me. I came up with the idea and the title, then ALL the Song titles, beefore I wrote any of the words

[neoism]

btw, John....whats the meaning of Hivemind....?

[Mazrocon]

yeah...this has been a big question for me....i really get confused when selecting a title...

so last time i had this crazy idea...giving a title which has no connection with the lyrics....and thats why last lyrics name is "teaspoon of phenomena"....lol

I don't like titles that have nothing to do with the song. Cause it makes me check out the lyric or song and then I get dissapointed cause the song doesn't live up to the title If you have a name like "Majestic Wonderland" (just as an example) you expect something amazing. I also like really unique titles that you can find easily. If you use a title like "I Miss You" or "I'll Always Love You" you're gonna get mixed up with other songs...

~TIMOTHY~

[Roflcopter]

btw, John....whats the meaning of Hivemind....?

Hivemind is like a colony of insects 'thinking' as a colony, not as individuals, a group mind. Term very popular in Science Fiction and mysticism, but not in biology. They don't really use it, because they don't like to use the word 'mind' to begin with.

[McnaughtonPark]

Hivemind is like a colony of insects 'thinking' as a colony, not as individuals, a group mind. Term very popular in Science Fiction and mysticism, but not in biology. They don't really use it, because they don't like to use the word 'mind' to begin with.

I thought it was about the buzz.

[Roflcopter]

You mean a buzz-word?

[thelevellers]

Buzz-saws are more useful

Personally I usually try and come up with a title first, as like tunesmith says it gives you a stronger hook, or in some cases (like my 'Stopping the World') it can help make the hook the hook, if you get me? Failing getting the title first I usually try and find it soon, as it also helps me focus the intent of the lyrics at the title, so to speak, I think 'Now your in the picture' ended up like that, I had a riff in my head, then was trying different lyrics, I think I had a verse, but it wasn't very good, and then once that line/concept appeared the rest of the song was relatively easy to write.

Anyone else want to add to this?

[AnneC]

There's no real rhyme or reason to my song titles. Normally I choose a title when the song is more or less done. This thread has given me food for thought though, and I may try writing from a title at some point. I have a suite of songs that's about 70% written and the rest would lend itself quite nicely to that method. I'd better get cracking, I have about 2 months to complete it.

[roxhythe]

Yes and no. Since my creativity peaked at 29, and I've written every single one of my songs since then, I've had to rely a lot on other people for ideas, and that has included a few titles. (Oh, wait--that's another thread.)

I have participated in a number of online "challenges" where they'll assign a title and you have to write a song to it. I've also had people hand me titles on occasion that just had to have songs to go with them. But it doesn't always work out that way.

I usually do have a *hook* to start with, and it may eventually make its way into the title, but not always. My titles are almost always *drafts*--I'll assign it something, because I have to have something to refer to the song by, but I'll wait for the *real* title until I'm performing it for audiences. I do not tell them what I called the song; I want to see what *they* call it when they request it again (if they request it again--if they don't, the question is moot, because I probably will not play it again). My titles more often than not are guesses at what people will call the songs, and sometimes I'm close, and sometimes not. They're normally way better'n I am--my songs for the most part have pretty interesting titles, and it's mostly because of them, not me.

The most recednt challenge I was in had us pick a random four words out of a random quote, and *that* was going to be the title. Not being very good at following rules (and it's been that way since before the creativity left me--it's not a new thing), I decided to "go Dylan," and write a folk-rock tune whose lyrics had absolutely nothing to do with the title--that way, I could write whatever I wanted to, and get away with it. So I did that. I don't know how much attention the song is going to get, though--the title is frankly not that catchy.

Joe