IN DEFENSE OF TITLE TRACKS
“YEAH, WELL, YOU KNOW, THAT’S JUST LIKE, UH, YOUR OPINION, MAN.”
Before this month, I always had an inexplicable aversion to a title track on an album, as if the most commercialized and packaged song was being pushed on me. Hearing someone calling a title track “their favorite” of the album seemed lazy and obvious. But as I waxed my way through February, I had to admit to myself that often, the title track simply just is the best on the album.
I mean, clearly the artist thought so too, right?
Hell, take a look at Black Sabbath. They unleashed their debut album in February 1970 (horns up) upon an unsuspecting world. The album name was Black Sabbath; the first song was titled “Black Sabbath.” That’s right, “Black Sabbath” by Black Sabbath on the debut album Black Sabbath. If it was savvy enough for Ozzy, it’s savvy enough for me.
And then I realized that Black Sabbath is one of an assembly of other great title tracks I heard this month: Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades” off of Ace of Spades. Bowie with “Ziggy,” Dolly with “Those Were the Days,” The Stones with “Some Girls”, and so on.
In February, I challenged myself to pick a favorite track from each of the albums. To my surprise, a few title tracks materialized. I often wondered if my favorite track was “that big one that everyone knows” (ie, the radio hit) - or is it my favorite simply because I’ve heard it the most? Does my favorite track really just change like the tides and reflect my life at the time? Maybe, maybe not. Sometimes. Who knows. Whatever.
What’s your favorite title track from an album? Let me know down in the depths below.
So anyway, here’s February.
“ON THURSDAYS [WE] THRASH”
FEBRUARY 1 - EVERY TIME I DIE - NEW JUNK AESTHETIC, ”WANDERLUST”
FEBRUARY 2 - DAVID BOWIE - THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS, “ZIGGY STARDUST”
FEBRUARY 3 - CHEAP TRICK - LIVE AT BUDOKAN, “SURRENDER”
FEBRUARY 4 - BLACK SABBATH - PARANOID, “JACK THE STRIPPER / FAIRIES WEAR BOOTS”
FEBRUARY 5 - SUGARCULT - START STATIC, “PRETTY GIRL (THE WAY)”
FEBRUARY 6 - TOO MANY ZOOZ - SUBWAY GAWDZ, “TRICERAHOPS”
FEBRUARY 7 - DJM TRIO - CAVE ART, “ONE BEER”
FEBRUARY 8 - MUNICIPAL WASTE - SLIME AND PUNISHMENT, “BREATHE GREASE”
FEBRUARY 9 - DOLLY PARTON - THOSE WERE THE DAYS, “THOSE WERE THE DAYS”
FEBRUARY 10 - O.C. - WORD…LIFE, “GA HEAD”
FEBRUARY 11 - USHER - CONFESSIONS, “YEAH”
FEBRUARY 12 - MÖTLEY CRÜE - TOO FAST FOR LOVE, “PIECE OF YOUR ACTION”
FEBRUARY 13 - BLACK FLAG - MY WAR, “CAN’T DECIDE”
FEBRUARY 14 - THE EXPLODING HEARTS - GUITAR ROMANTIC, “I’M A PRETENDER”
FEBRUARY 15 - MOTÖRHEAD - ACE OF SPADES, “ACE OF SPADES”
FEBRUARY 16 - THE ROLLING STONES - SOME GIRLS, “SOME GIRLS”
FEBRUARY 17 - ROMEO VOID - NEVER SAY NEVER, “NEVER SAY NEVER”
FEBRUARY 18 - SYSTEM OF A DOWN - TOXICITY, “CHOP SUEY!”
FEBRUARY 19 - NIRVANA - NEVERMIND, “SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT”
FEBRUARY 20 - THE MISFITS - STATIC AGE, “THEME FOR A JACKAL”
FEBRUARY 21 - DEAD KENNEDYS - FRESH FRUIT FOR ROTTING VEGETABLES, “HOLIDAY IN CAMBODIA”
FEBRUARY 22 - PANTERA - VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER, “MOUTH FOR WAR”
FEBRUARY 23 - VAN HALEN - WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, “TAKE YOUR WHISKEY HOME”
FEBRUARY 24 - FLEETWOOD MAC - RUMOURS, “THE CHAIN”
FEBRUARY 25 - PAT BENETAR - CRIMES OF PASSION, “HELL IS FOR CHILDREN”
FEBRUARY 26 - STEVIE NICKS - BELLA DONNA, “EDGE OF SEVENTEEN”
FEBRUARY 27 - SUBLIME - SUBLIME, “DOIN’ TIME”
FEBRUARY 28 - PAPA JOHN CREACH - FILTHY!, “FILTHY FUNKY”
FEBRUARY 29 - ILLEGAL CORPSE - RIDING ANOTHER TOXIC WAVE, “LET IT BEER”
I’ll surface again sometime next month with another list. I’ve also curated a playlist of each of the aforementioned favorite tracks1 from each album. You can listen to that here. Skål, scalawags.
In Hesh we trust,
S. Jones
Tracks by Papa John Creach and Illegal Corpse are not available on Spotify, apologies.