Sunday, February 19, 2012

A Perpetually Incomplete List

I have this ... it's not an obsession, exactly, but I can't think of a better word for it (fixation, maybe?) ... Anyway, for several years now I have been putting together a list of songs that have the same name but are in no way the same song. Not entirely sure why, I just have to do it. Compulsion! That's the word. As it stands, the list I have put together is pretty long (as you shall see) but it could always be longer. If you can think of any I missed, please let me know so I can add them to the list. It'll never be finished, but it's fun to keep adding.
(I guess I should point out that I occasionally cheat a little, leaving out the occasional "The" or parenthetical. And in a couple of cases (namely Faggot and Tick Tock), I know the different versions are spelled differently, but I let it slide because I just wanted to add them to the list.)

About A Girl – Nirvana; Voltaire
Agony – Eels; Into The Woods
Alcohol – Barenaked Ladies; Beck; Brad Paisley; Butthole Surfers; Gogol Bordello; Suggs; The Kinks
Amazing – Aerosmith; Kanye West
Angel – Jimi Hendrix; Sarah McLachlan
Ashes To Ashes – David Bowie; Faith No More
Asshole – Beck; Denis Leary; Guttermouth
Bad Habit – The Dresden Dolls; The Offspring
Beautiful Disaster – Kelly Clarkson; Roger Clyne And The Peacemakers; 311
Believe – Cher; Voltaire
Be Prepared – The Lion King; Tom Lehrer
Blind – Korn; Placebo
Breakaway – Kelly Clarkson; Tracey Ullman
Bloody Mary – Lady Gaga; Mr. Bungle
Breakdown – Guns ‘N Roses; Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Breakfast – Sesame Street; The Newsboys
Breed – Lauren Christy; Nirvana
Brooklyn – They Might Be Giants; They Might Be Giants
California – Phantom Planet; Wax
California Girls – The Beach Boys; The Magnetic Fields
Celebration – Kool And The Gang; Madonna; They Might Be Giants
Change The World – Eric Clapton; Nellie McKay
Crazy – Aerosmith; Barenaked Ladies; Gnarls Barkley; Patsy Cline; Seal
Creep – Radiohead; Stone Temple Pilots; TLC
Daddy – Custom; Korn
Dead – My Chemical Romance; They Might Be Giants; Voltaire
Delilah – The Dresden Dolls; Tom Jones
Deliver Me – Sarah Brightman; Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Disenchanted – For Squirrels; My Chemical Romance
Dog Eat Dog – Joni Mitchell; Weird Al Yankovic
Down – Harry Nilsson; Pearl Jam; 311
Dust ‘N Bones – Cornbugs; Guns ‘N Roses
Early In The Morning – Bobby Darren; Harry Nilsson
Everything You Know Is Wrong – Chumbawumba; Weird Al Yankovic
Evidence – Enon; Faith No More
Faggot – Korn; Mindless Self Indulgence
Flower – Eels; Liz Phair; Toadies
Forever Young – Bob Dylan; Madness
For What It's Worth – Buffalo Springfield; Placebo
Get In Line – Barenaked Ladies; Juliana Hatfield; NoFX
Girlfriend – Avril Lavigne; Harry Nilsson; Matthew Sweet
Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen; Pulp
Good Day – Tally Hall; The Dresden Dolls
Happiness – You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown; Super Junior; The Fray; Tones On Tail
Happy Birthday – Voltaire; Weird Al Yankovic
Happy Birthday To Me – Syreeta; The Vandals
Harry Truman – Mindless Self Indulgence; Stan Ridgway
Head Over Heels – Tears For Fears; The Go-Gos
Hello Cruel World – E; Voltaire
Holiday – Green Day; Madonna; Weezer
Hot Dog – Matt Berry; They Might Be Giants
Hurricane – Bob Dylan; The Hush Sound
If – Bread; Coyote Shivers; Janet Jackson
I Feel For You – Jerry Reed; Shaka Kahn
If I Only Had A Brain – The Wizard Of Oz; MC 900 Ft. Jesus
I Kissed A Girl – Jill Sobule; Katy Perry
I Miss You – Bjork; Blink 182
I'm Sorry – King Missile; Voltaire
In This City – Enon; Iglu And Hartly
I Palindrome I – They Might Be Giants; They Might Be Giants
I Remember You – Skid Row; Slim Whitman
It's My Life – Bon Jovi; Talk Talk
I Want You – Savage Garden; The Beatles
Jack In The Box – Clodagh Rogers; Elysian Fields
Johanna – Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street; Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (One is a slow, boring love song sung by a male boring character about a female boring character; the other is an old dude whipping himself for having impure thoughts about the female boring character)
Jump – Green Jello; Kriss Kross; The Pointer Sisters; Van Halen
Kickin' – Mike Patton; Whale
Kill You – Korn; Dethklok
Kiss Me – Sixpence None The Richer; Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
La La Land – Demi Lovato; Ookla The Mok
Last To Know – Faith No More; Imperial Teen
Little Girls – Annie; Oingo Boingo
Look Of Love – Dusty Springfield; Lesley Gore
Lucky – Britney Spears; Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat; Local H
Magdalena – A Perfect Circle; Underscore Orchestra
Maria – Blondie; West Side Story; Men At Work
Minneapolis – that dog.; They Might Be Giants
Money – Mindless Self Indulgence; The Beatles
Mother – Blonde Redhead; Danzig; Henry Rollins; John Lennon; Pink Floyd; Tori Amos
My Girl – Madness; The Temptations
Never Say Never – An American Tale; Romeo Void; that dog.; The Fray
No More Tears – Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer; Ozzy Osbourne; The KLF
Once Upon A Dream – Jekyll And Hyde; Sleeping Beauty
One – A Chorus Line; Harry Nilsson
One Step Beyond – Fantomas; Madness
1,2,3,4 – Feist; Plain White T's
Only The Lonely – Roy Orbison; The Motels
Ophelia – The Borrowers; Tori Amos
Our House – Crosby, Stills And Nash; Madness
Out There – Barnum; The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
Party Hard – Andrew W.K.; Pulp
Pennsylvania – Bloodhound Gang; John Linnell
Perfect Crime – Faith No More; Guns ‘N Roses
Pi – Hard ‘N Phirm; Kate Bush
Pig Latin – Dillinger Escape Plan; Imperial Teen
Planet Of The Apes – Mindless Self Indulgence; They Might Be Giants
Poker Face – Cornbugs; Lady Gaga
Popcorn – Barenaked Ladies; Gershon Kingsley
Pop Goes The Weasel - nursery rhyme; 3rd Bass
Popular – Wicked; Nada Surf
Pressure – Billy Joel; Fishbone
Promises Promises – Madness; Naked Eyes
Push It – Garbage; Salt ‘N Pepa; Tool
Read A Book – D-Mite; They Might Be Giants
Reunited – Greg Kihn; Peaches And Herb
Ride – Birdsaw; Rob Zombie
Right Now – Babes In Toyland; Korn; Van Halen
Round And Round - Madness; Ratt
Runaway – Del Shannon; Imperial Teen
Sally – Gogol Bordello; The Police
Salvation - Rancid; The Cranberries
Santa’s Beard – The Beach Boys; They Might Be Giants
Scream – Fluffy; Michael Jackson
Seven – Imperial Teen; They Might Be Giants
Seventeen – Repo! The Genetic Opera; The Fags; Winger
Shame – Depeche Mode; Matchbox 20; Randy Newman; Rollins Band; Stabbing Westward
She's A Woman – Bill Hicks; The Beatles
She Was A Hotel Detective – They Might Be Giants; They Might Be Giants (These were the two songs that I think started this whole list. I loved the fact that two songs that were so very different could have the same name (and be written by the same band, no less).)
Shine – Collective Soul; Stepa; Tracy Bonham
Shut Up – Black Eyed Peas; Bloodhound Gang; Butt Trumpet; Kelly Osbourne; Madness
Sing – The Carpenters; The Dresden Dolls
Siren – Birdsaw; Tori Amos
Skywriting – Artificial Joy Club; Eels
Smile – Lily Allen; Michael Jackson; Olive
Snoopy – It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown; You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown
Sober – Pink; Tool
So Low - Matt Berry; Seapony; Self
Stay – Lisa Loeb; Oingo Boingo
Stay Awake – Mary Poppins; The Capricorns
Stronger – Britney Spears; Kanye West
Superstar – For Squirrels; Self; The Carpenters
Suppertime – Little Shop Of Horrors; You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown
Sweet Emotion – Aerosmith; Faith No More
Take The Long Way Home – Bloodhound Gang; Supertramp
Temptation – Birdsaw; New Order
Thank You – Alanis Morissette; Descendents; Dido; Led Zeppelin
That's All – Don Juan Y Los Blancos; Genesis
The End – My Chemical Romance; The Beatles; The Doors
The Fear – Lily Allen; Pulp
Tick Tock – Don Juan Y Los Blancos; Kesha
Time – Pink Floyd; Hootie And The Blowfish; The Alan Parsons Project; Tom Waits
Too Little Too Late – Barenaked Ladies; Metric
Tsunami – Prozzak; Res; Stereogram
Vacation - Connie Francis; The Go-Gos; Vitamin C
Violin – Kate Bush; They Might Be Giants
Wait – Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street; The Beatles; White Lion
Welcome To The Jungle – Guns ‘N Roses; They Might Be Giants
What Is Love – Haddaway; Howard Jones
Wild Wild West – Escape Club; Will Smith
Woodstock – It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown; Joni Mitchell
You And I – Chess; Lady Gaga
Zero – Smashing Pumpkins; Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Again, if you know of any I missed, let me know. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to add songs to this list.

Be seeing you.
-Sally

4 comments:

Jimmy said...

Again and Again - Samantha James, Jewel
All Good Things - Mandy Moore, Nelly Furtado
All I Want - Toad The Wet Sprocket, The Offspring
Amy's Song - Switchfoot, Joshua Radin
Answers - Goldfinger, The Ataris
Anthem - Blink-182, Five Iron Frenzy
Anything - Bif Naked, Goldfinger, Incubus
Basket Case - Green Day, Sara Bareilles
Black Eye - Millencolin, Lagwagon
Bombs Away - Lagwagon, 8 Bit Weapon
Boyfriend - Ashlee Simpson, Best Coast, Reel Big Fish
Brand New Day - Fireflight, Joshua Radin, Lindsey Ray
Breathe - John Frusciante, Kylie Minogue
Burn - Fire Iron Frenzy, Lagwagon
Burning Up - Ashlee Simpson, Kylie Minogue

I think I'll stop at B for now.

Anonymous said...

Rain--The Beatles and Blind Melon (I think?)
Also, Madness did one called Time, too.
proffy
P.S. I didn't know TMBG did a different I Palindrome I. Did I?

Staples said...

Thanks, Jimmy! I didn't know any of those. And Hard 'N Phirm also have a song called Anything.

Mommy, the Blind Melon song is No Rain (close!), but I didn't know Madness had a Time song, so thanks!

The other I Palindrome I is the demo ("not like I'm driving a rocking chair now"). I consider it a different song.

Anonymous said...

Oh, yeah! I like that one (the other I Palindrome I, I mean).
proffy