A song title usually isn’t all that hard to come up with. Most bands take their chorus and pull out a word or two. However, sometimes your first instinct isn’t the right one. The three artists below had to change their song titles while writing. And thanks goodness they did. If they hadn’t, they may have missed out on one of their most iconic tracks. Revisit these songs that almost went by another name.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Thriller” (Michael Jackson)
It’s hard to imagine this Michael Jackson hit being called anything other than “Thriller.” Especially given how tied up the title is in the lyrics. ‘Cause this is thriller, thriller night / And no one’s gonna save you, wouldn’t really work under any other title. Nevertheless, this Halloween staple cycled through several names before it became “Thriller.”
The working title for this song was “Starlight.” Songwriter Rod Temperton initially wrote a different chorus with this word featured heavily. Producer Quincy Jones made him go back and try again. His second title, “Midnight Man,” didn’t stick either. Eventually, Temperton found “Thriller” and the rest is MTV history.
“Takin’ Care of Business” (Bachman‑Turner Overdrive)
“Takin’ Care of Business” is a song most know even if they don’t know the band that sings it: Bachman‑Turner Overdrive. The title phrase has become iconic in rock, but it almost went by a different name.
The original title for this track was “White Collar Worker.” The final name wasn’t found until singer Randy Bachman heard someone on the radio say the titular words. “One night I’m driving to a gig in Vancouver and a guy comes on the radio station,” Bachman once said. “He says ‘Hi, this is Daryl B and we’re taking care of business.’”
“Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” (Aerosmith)
Aerosmith‘s “Dude (Looks Like A Lady)” is a polarizing song. The idea stemmed from a moment when the band mistook Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil for a woman. Out came this rock ode to sexuality.
Despite the song’s themes, the band initially attempted to water down the potentially offensive lyrics. The original title was “Cruisin’ For a Lady,” which songwriter Desmond Child found to be cowardly. “I don’t think Van Halen would put that on the B-side of their worst record,” Child reportedly said when the band gave him the first idea for this song. They worked through the idea and eventually landed on this career-defining hit.
(Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)
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