Best Title Tracks from Rock Albums

During a recent bout with nostalgia I had the urge to hear a song from my teenage years in the 70s. I had not heard the song in over twenty years, since it was not really a hit.

I knew the song title as well as the band. It was "Sheer Heart Attack" by Queen. I remembered it as a fast-paced rock song that was sung by drummer Roger Taylor instead of usual lead vocalist Freddie Mercury. I went to Amazon.com and typed in the title and the band name. The song came up as well as the album.

What surprised me was that the song "Sheer Heart Attack" was not on the album Sheer Heart Attack. For some reason, Queen placed the song on their News of the World album, which came out years after Sheer Heart Attack.

I did not like that surprise, since I feel that a band should put a title track on the album with that same title. A friend told me that Led Zeppelin did the same thing with their song "Houses of the Holy." The song appears not on the album with that same name but on a later album, Physical Graffiti.

Fortunately for music fans, most title tracks appear on the album of the same name. I prefer the title song to be the first track on the album. I also prefer that the title track be the best song on the album, though this latter is rarely the case.

I made a list of the ten title tracks that are also the best songs on the album.

10. "Pretzel Logic" by Steely Dan: The biggest hit from the album was "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," but the title song provides a jazzier sound and lyrics revealing the band's sense of humor. I chuckle whenever hear the line, "He said you must be joking son, Where did you get those shoes?"

9. "Last Man on Earth" by Loudon Wainwright: A typical Wainwright album where he switches nonchalantly from poignant to humorous, the rhythms vary as well. The acoustic autobiographical "Surviving Twin" is filled with sincerity, but Wainwright admits in the title track that he doesn't "own a computer" or "pack a cell phone" or "drive an SUV" and that he "hates that letter e."

8. "Rockin' the Suburbs" by Ben Folds: The piano in "Zak and Sara" is hard to resist, but the title track is livelier and filled with pop culture references. Folds admits that he is "Rockin' the suburbs just like Michael Jackson did, only he was talented." He later replaces the late king of pop with Quiet Riot and then Bon Jovi.

7. "Harvest" by Neil Young: Two of Young's most recognizable songs, "Old Man" and "Heart of Gold," are on this album, but the enigmatic title track has more life in it.

6. "Moondance" by Van Morrison: The entire album has magic in it, from "And It Stoned Me" to the coda "Glad Tidings." The standout is the title song because of its contagious rhythm and blend of brass and strings.

5. "American Woman" by The Guess Who: The hippy album cover looks dated, but songs such as "No Time" and "No Sugar Tonight" sound as alive today as they did forty years ago. The title song, though, contains electricity and an angry anti-war message that is, unfortunately, still very much relevant.

4. "Look Sharp" by Joe Jackson: The opening song, "One More Time," has become associated with Taco Bell commercials. The title song is less of a rocker but has plenty of energy and a much better chorus.

3. "American Pie" by Don McLean: McLean's flag-painted thumb graces the cover, which makes it almost as ingrained in pop culture as the title anthem itself.

2. "Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel: The album is rife with great songs, such as the poetic "I am a Rock" and the tearjerker "A Most Peculiar Man." The repetition of the guitar riff throughout the title track complements the philosophical poetry in the lyrics, making it the standout track.

1. "Imagine" by John Lennon: I love the message and melody of "Crippled Inside." I also love the anger in "How Do You Sleep?" and the anti-war sentiment of "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier Mama." Clearly, though, none of those songs compare to the simple majesty of the title track.