Some of you may remember my “25 Songs That Would Make Great Story Titles” post from a couple years ago. Well, now I’ve come up with 25 more song titles that I’ve always thought would make interesting titles for chapters, stories, or even whole books! And so, here they are, along with how I think they could best be used.
1) “So This Is Eden” (Bad English, 1991)
Some sort of modern (or at least late 20th century) story about someone who comes to town to make it big and finds it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, even once he’s made the big time.
2) “Seven Doors Hotel” (Europe, 1983)
Mystery, possibly even horror based on the apocryphal lyrics.
3) “Never In a Million Years” (Asia, 1983)
Could go any number of ways with this one. Either a dystopian, “I never thought this would happen to me” kind of tale, or else a deeply passionate romance, if you wish to stay true to the lyrics of the song in question.
4) “Wheel in the Sky” (Journey, 1978)
Something wherein the wheels of fate play a big role. It would have to be pretty epic in scale.
5) “Under the Gun” (Aldo Nova, 1982)
Action thriller for sure. Futuristic, or even recent past, it doesn’t matter.
6) “Didn’t Know It Was Love” (Survivor, 1988)
Wistful romance, or else romantic comedy.
7) “Another Town, Another Train” (ABBA, 1973)
A restless wanderer looking for something he’ll probably never find (or else finally does, if you’re into happy endings).
8) “That’s What I Like About You” (Trisha Yearwood, 1991)
Romantic comedy, without question. Perhaps set in the South or rural Midwest
9) “Outlaw Man” (Eagles, 1973)
Probably already in use for numerous titles, but this one would definitely have to be a Western.
10) “Enchanted” (Stevie Nicks, 1983)
I know it’s already been used a hundred times, but this one would be a sort of cross between a fairy tale and a Western.
11) “Stormwind” (Europe, 1984)
Something very dramatic involving a lot of sorrow and hard times.
12) “Boy in the Bubble” (Paul Simon, 1986)
A story about someone who is incredibly oblivious–perhaps even downright selfish–who realizes this about himself almost too late.
13) “The Fast One” (John David Souther, 1972)
Western here-and-gone-again romance.
14) “Have Mercy” (Richard Marx, 1987)
Religious redemption story.
15) “Tough Times Don’t Last” (Bad English, 1989)
Another hard luck tale, but with a happy ending.
16) “No Reply” (Beatles, 1965)
Either a romantic drama, or else some kind of mystery/spy-thriller involving an unanswered letter.
17) “Go Rest High on that Mountain” (Vince Gill, 1995)
A bittersweet story, possibly set in the hills, but possibly anywhere, in which the protagonist redeems himself and earns his just reward at the cost of his own life.
18) “Traveling Man” (Cobra, 1983)
Some guy who just can’t settle down, possibly because of his job as a hired hit man.
19) “Diesel Gypsy” (Kendalls, 1975)
Trucker novel without question. How exactly you make it interesting I don’t know, but I’m sure it can be done.
20) “Bite the Hand that Feeds” (Paul Young, 1985)
Someone going rogue and turning on his former employers, perhaps for reasons of conscience. Sci-fi or spy thriller for sure here.
21) “Italian Girls” (Daryl Hall and John Oates, 1982)
Romantic comedy set in contemporary times, without question.
22) “Escape” (Journey, 1981)
Prison breakout, or else perhaps just someone’s escape from a stifling existence to discover true independence. (I myself used it as a chapter title in my first Knights of Aralia book.)
23) “Shell Shock” (Heart, 1985)
Fast-paced action of some kind. Could be military, could be romance, but it’s got to hit hard whatever the case.
24) “Do You Recall” (Journey, 1979)
Something wistful and reminiscent.
25) “Heads Carolina, Tails California” (Jo Dee Messina, 1996)
A travel story about heading out to find one’s fortune in the world.
So there you have it: 25 more songs that could inspire chapters if not whole stories unto themselves. Next week perhaps I’ll have something a little more substantial, but in the meantime I’m still curious: What song titles do you think would make great story titles?
By the way, for those interested, Knights of Aralia Book II: Evil Rising is now going up on pre-order all over the place, so be sure to check it out and get your copy ahead of time.