Figuring out the right title for an album is tough. I often like to pull out lyrics, as they can make great titles. The problem: sometimes the song from which you pull the lyrics doesn't end up on the album for one reason or another. "Love is Dead" was only half-written when the album Love is Dead was recorded. It ended up on Revenge is Sweet and So are You, which was a line from a song that didn't get put out till years later. Maybe we should have cut "She's My Alcatraz" from Alcatraz, just to continue the tradition and ensure even more confusion.
This is only a problem if you worry about things like that. I think it's kind of cool, myself. At any rate, if we don't put "She Runs Out when the Money Does" on this album, we may end up with another such situation, because a line from that song is one of the top contenders for the album title: Yesterday Rules.
I've learned from google that, as it happens, this is the title of an unreleased Bob Seger song that was supposed to have been on the soundtrack to one of the Back to the Future movies. I'm not sure how that affects the decision. It doesn't rule out using it. The question is, what, if any, psychological/aesthetic effect would we get from obliquely connecting this album with Bob Seger in some way? Cool, in some respects; distracting, perhaps, in others.
This is often the case these days with titles, references, allusions, and the recycling of themes that is such a big part of rock and roll and of pop culture as a whole. It's inevitable that anything you come up with will, intentionally or not, allude to something else; most likely, it will allude to a whole list of other things, some of which you know about, some of which you don't. It seems a little weird, but to some degree the awareness of the parallel "worlds" to which your lyric or title or sound may allude is itself part of the creative process. That is, you have to consider them, and perhaps even sometimes shape or direct your material, or make choices about what to do with it, so that the oblique references are the kind you want. I'm confident that, all things considered, sharing a title with an unreleased Bob Seger song would in no way undermine anything about this album. But it will, strangely and in a funny way, have connected my songs, our recording, the label, and the Berkeley punk rock world to the Silver Bullet Band, Detroit, Michael J. Fox, and the story of whatever shadowy, failed negotiations between mega-corporations ended up causing this song to be created, but not used, in one of the biggest movies of its time.
Here are some other contenders, all culled from snips of lyrics or themes from the songs to be on the album:
Don't Cry: a Guns n Roses song (who knew?) and 2/3 of the title of a 1974 Linda Ronstadt album
Peace Forever: a lyric from my song called "Elizabeth or Fight!" "Forever" is track four of the Eurythmics Peace album, i.e. Peace/"Forever". Or there's this.
Shiny Stuff: hmmm... Or there's this song about the California Gold Rush, to be sung to the tune of "Yellow Submarine."
Love is Loud: that's a line from another of the songs to be recorded. It's probably not advisable because it's too similar to our own Love is Dead. On the other hand, it also alludes to this "nonstop journey to the heart of God."
Almost Just Like Being Alone: that's another line from another song that we might not end up doing. I can't find an exact analogue but if you construe "like" as a verb, it's an idea that appears to be very much in the air.
Or maybe we should wait till we know if it's going to be a boy or a girl? Don't you worry little Andrew or Jenny, the search continues...
Posted by Dr. Frank at July 20, 2003 06:14 PM | TrackBack"Almost just like being alone" is pretty cool but I still like "Yesterday Rules" the best.
Posted by: Lynn at July 20, 2003 07:25 PMHey Dr. Frank-
Ever since you first posted about it, I've been trying to figure out where you were going with the "Yesterday Rules" title. I make a general connection...it's (under)stating the obvious to say that your narrator characters sometimes have a nostalgic/melancholic worldview...and I don't have any particular theory about how conceptually self-contained an album should be and stuff like that...but "Yesterday Rules" kind of *is* suggestive to me of an album-specific organizing theme that I haven't really picked up on here specifically so far, and that almost sort of gives that title, for me, kind of a leftover quality more than a "this is the awesome new mtx record!" quality. I don't know if that makes any sense and I'm probably missing various things...anyway, I'll definitely buy Andrew or Jenny, whatever she's called...my $.02 is all...
One for the lyric-as-title trash heap:
"The MTX: I Still Owe You A Monkey"
;-)
Posted by: spacetoast at July 20, 2003 09:27 PMYesterday Rules -- both nostalgia and psychological determinism in one. Sounds good to me :)
Posted by: JB at July 20, 2003 09:52 PMJust to clarify, I have no doubt it will be the awesome new mtx record. It always is...
Posted by: spacetoast at July 20, 2003 10:18 PMWorse, Frank: "Don't Cry" was the title of an Asia song.
http://members.fortunecity.com/fretman/rock/asia.htm#6
I don't understand why you're be worried about a song that was never released. If it helps, imagine being associated with Christopher Lloyd rather than Michael J. Fox. See? Isn't that much cooler?
Posted by: Angie Schultz at July 20, 2003 11:31 PMJust to chime in: A Seger connection would be fantastically, stupendously cool. Because they don't come much cooler than Detroit Bob.
Name it. The name becomes yours. Bash anyone who steps within a yard of it, and move on. J(sheesh)FC, you're sensitive (in print) for a punk, Doktor. hoping to make the Parkside~mikey
Posted by: Mikey at July 21, 2003 02:29 AMMikey, you know, I'm just trying to involve the fans and readers in the decision, like. Not that I'd ever deny how sensitive I am. Ouch! You're hurting me!
Posted by: Dr. Frank at July 21, 2003 06:24 AM"Yesterday Rules" is a great album title. Of the rest of the titles you suggested, the only one that comes close is "Almost Just Like Being Alone". I wouldn't worry about the Bob Seger thing. Van Halen, the Pointer Sisters, and Kriss Kross all had songs named "Jump" and I don't think they ever had to worry about people connecting them to each other. If you're into the Back to the Future reference for some reason, why not call the album "The Heart of Rock and Roll is Still Bleeding" or something.
Posted by: greg at July 21, 2003 08:25 PM"If you're into the Back to the Future reference for some reason, why not call the album "The Heart of Rock and Roll is Still Bleeding" or something."
Or how about, "Check Out This Guy's Life Preserver (Dork Thinks He's Gonna Drown)"
Or maybe, "Your Kids Are Gonna Love It."
Posted by: geoff at July 21, 2003 08:38 PMI think I like Yesterday Rules best, but that didn't stop me from compiling a few titles from lyrics you've released:
The World Is True (from the Boyfriend Box)
Personal Connections (Inst. Mis.)
and, in the rock tradition of album title as adjective for the band, I like...
Hopelessly Maxed Out (She Runs Out)
Well Maintained and Polished (Hammer)
Beautiful and Flawed (Demowhixy)
Yesterday rules may imply to some that this is a throwback album of some kind. While a very cool title, it may be a bit misleading.
I think Democracy, Whiskey, Sexy would be a GREAT album title!
side note: The "Don't Cry" song by Guns and Roses was actually quite popular, I think it spent a long time at #1 on the Billboard. The song even had 2 versions on the Guns and Roses double release album "Use Your Illusion I/II."
--God I'm pathetic--
how about going in reverse with the album name. instead of using a lyric from a possible album song, go against the tradition and use one from the past.
She's no rocket scientist
What went wrong
Book of revelation
The history of the concept of the soul
A mind is a terrible thing
Let's be together tonight
Bridge to taribithia
If you were to go through with this, i would suggest you don't use Even hitler had a girlfriend. Who knows what type of negative feedback you would get from the non-understanding.
Posted by: ryan at July 21, 2003 11:48 PM"Yesterday Rules" is a really great album title. I also like "Almost Just Like Being Alone".
Can you please check out my band's site at:
www.dilemmaonline.tk?
I just had an inspiration!
If you chose "Democracy, Whiskey, Sexy" as the album title. A GREAT album cover would be an American Flag with a bottle of whiskey and a pair of panties and a bra on top of the flag!
Posted by: Channon at July 22, 2003 11:23 PM...hehe...
Titling a whole album "What Went Wrong" would be a bold move, that's for sure.
Posted by: spacetoast at July 23, 2003 03:03 AMO man i totally agree with the *What Went Wrong* Suggestion! hehe Brainstorming about the topic and my admiration for MTX led to...*The things you can do with Toast." No real reason, just a nice random title - and the only real connection you can make is with *More then Toast* Maybe i just like the word toast...Toast Toast Toast. and cut. = ) No matter what he, she, it ends up being...I'm sure 2 buy a bunch & hand them out as party favors in the soonly future! ^.^ I think i'm smelling smoke from all this thinking and whatnot...Or maybe its my burning toast ahhh!!
Ok it's dead, I'm done now.
Posted by: Allyson at July 25, 2003 03:54 PM