I truly hate naming songs

[TritoneAddiction]

It's gotten so bad I've actually considered having a full year (2022) of music making where I name my tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. To just say to hell with song titles. But how many will listen to a piece of music named 8 or 14?
Is this a stupid idea?

Almost everytime I try to name my tracks it feels forced. Like I have to add something to a piece of art that's already finished. I also feel like a song title can sometimes limit how the music could be interpreted. Like "This is what you're supposed to think about and envision while listening to the music".

Maybe it would be easier if I wrote music based on lyrics where one can simply take a phrase from the chorus or something, but 95% of my music is instrumental.

[PhillipOrdonez]

I hear you. I've thought of using numbers too. I just go for the most ambiguous sounding word that doesn't add or take away meaning from the song but still mean something to me in a personal level. Like the one I called slapskaus. I was eating lapskaus the day I made it. ‍♂️

[Adabler]

I listen to a lot of techno and quite often the tacks a just called untitled or just a string of numbers. As an example I really like a track called 30003b: https://www.discogs.com/master/1411372-Wax-No-30003

You make great music, which is why people listen to it, not the naming.

[guitfnky]

I love it—who says a song title has to have anything to do with the music itself? certainly naming with numbers doesn't—and that's a perfectly valid approach.

most of my songs start with working titles as random words or phrases that pop into my head and just sound cool or funny to me. one of my favorites recently is a song we've been calling Whale Handshake. we'll keep calling it that until our singer settles on lyrics and names it. if it ends up with vocals it usually gets retitled (word association), but if it's instrumental, chances are the working title stays.

for me, titles are just another part of the creative process—another thing to have fun with.

[jam-s]

It's gotten so bad I've actually considered having a full year (2022) of music making where I name my tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. To just say to hell with song titles. But how many will listen to a piece of music named 8 or 14?
Is this a stupid idea?

Almost everytime I try to name my tracks it feels forced. Like I have to add something to a piece of art that's already finished. I also feel like a song title can sometimes limit how the music could be interpreted. Like "This is what you're supposed to think about and envision while listening to the music".

Maybe it would be easier if I wrote music based on lyrics where one can simply take a phrase from the chorus or something, but 95% of my music is instrumental.

You could go with some kind of schema like "22track A1" then increment the number up to 9 and then go to B1, etc. letter+number is easier for people to remember.

[DaveyG]

It's gotten so bad I've actually considered having a full year (2022) of music making where I name my tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. To just say to hell with song titles. But how many will listen to a piece of music named 8 or 14?
Is this a stupid idea?

Almost everytime I try to name my tracks it feels forced. Like I have to add something to a piece of art that's already finished. I also feel like a song title can sometimes limit how the music could be interpreted. Like "This is what you're supposed to think about and envision while listening to the music".

Maybe it would be easier if I wrote music based on lyrics where one can simply take a phrase from the chorus or something, but 95% of my music is instrumental.

I've spent literally seconds searching the Internet so you don't have to:

https://www.chosic.com/song-name-genera ... -and-mood/

The results are variable in quality but it won me over with the very first name it generated: "Sexy Heaven".

Gotta be better than just a numbering system.

[selig]

It's gotten so bad I've actually considered having a full year (2022) of music making where I name my tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. To just say to hell with song titles. But how many will listen to a piece of music named 8 or 14?
Is this a stupid idea?

Almost everytime I try to name my tracks it feels forced. Like I have to add something to a piece of art that's already finished. I also feel like a song title can sometimes limit how the music could be interpreted. Like "This is what you're supposed to think about and envision while listening to the music".

Maybe it would be easier if I wrote music based on lyrics where one can simply take a phrase from the chorus or something, but 95% of my music is instrumental.

Having written and released instrumental music since 1986, song titles are tricky for sure. Sometimes I just use the date so I can hit SAVE. Other times I just write the very first thing that comes into my head, which can be hilarious! Neither is helpful except that it allows you to save the song early on in the process.
As for the final titles, what do YOU envision while listening to the music? isn’t that what matters? You chose the notes etc, why not choose the title as well?
I’ve often created themes for my albums, where the titles come more naturally. for my first album I “cheated” and used Rune names which I chose randomly. I also had a water themed project which helped with titles. In the end, it really only matters to you. You can simply choose words that sound cool together (I have a running list I keep on hand for just such an occasion), words that fit a theme, made up words, random words from a dictionary, or even numbers! What matters is what YOU think.

[TritoneAddiction]

I hear you. I've thought of using numbers too. I just go for the most ambiguous sounding word that doesn't add or take away meaning from the song but still mean something to me in a personal level. Like the one I called slapskaus. I was eating lapskaus the day I made it. ‍♂️

Yes I've too tried many times to find words that means something, yet still leaves a bit for the imagination.

[TritoneAddiction]

I love it—who says a song title has to have anything to do with the music itself? certainly naming with numbers doesn't—and that's a perfectly valid approach.

most of my songs start with working titles as random words or phrases that pop into my head and just sound cool or funny to me. one of my favorites recently is a song we've been calling Whale Handshake. we'll keep calling it that until our singer settles on lyrics and names it. if it ends up with vocals it usually gets retitled (word association), but if it's instrumental, chances are the working title stays.

for me, titles are just another part of the creative process—another thing to have fun with.

Yeah I don't have any problem coming up with stupid song names while saving/working on songs. The problem becomes when the track is finished and I actually like the song. At that point a stupid name would just ruin a good track. I mean sure if the track is silly in its nature or just some random experiment, then a stupid name is all good.

[TritoneAddiction]

You could go with some kind of schema like "22track A1" then increment the number up to 9 and then go to B1, etc. letter+number is easier for people to remember.

I kind of like this idea. A1, A2, B6 etc. Doesn't get in the way of the music. And it looks a little better then just 1, 2, 3.
I'll keep this in mind. Maybe I'll go with that. Thanks.

[TritoneAddiction]

I've spent literally seconds searching the Internet so you don't have to:

https://www.chosic.com/song-name-genera ... -and-mood/

The results are variable in quality but it won me over with the very first name it generated: "Sexy Heaven".

Gotta be better than just a numbering system.

Believe me I've tried these. In fact I tried the one you posted just yesterday. Didn't work out.

[TritoneAddiction]

As for the final titles, what do YOU envision while listening to the music? isn’t that what matters? You chose the notes etc, why not choose the title as well?

I usually have a pretty strong feeling/image from the song. And I would have no problem writing down that mental image with 2 or 3 sentences. Unfortunately that isn't always easy to convert into a good sounding snappy title. And some words, even though they might be able to convey the image, the words themselves just sound like shit as a title. I mean every now and then I can be lucky and stumble upon words that both convey my image of the song and manage to sound good as a title. But it's rare.

I think I've tried most things. My own spontaneous words/title suggestions. Asking other people for help. Word association web pages. Checking synonyms. Song name generators.
I always write lists of words/title suggestions before I pick a title. But whatever way I choose, I pretty much always hate this stage. So maybe I should just go with a A1, A2, B3, B4 system for a while and put an end to my misery. It would be wonderful to just enjoy writing tunes without dealing with this crap every time I finish a tune.

[guitfnky]

I love it—who says a song title has to have anything to do with the music itself? certainly naming with numbers doesn't—and that's a perfectly valid approach.

most of my songs start with working titles as random words or phrases that pop into my head and just sound cool or funny to me. one of my favorites recently is a song we've been calling Whale Handshake. we'll keep calling it that until our singer settles on lyrics and names it. if it ends up with vocals it usually gets retitled (word association), but if it's instrumental, chances are the working title stays.

for me, titles are just another part of the creative process—another thing to have fun with.

Yeah I don't have any problem coming up with stupid song names while saving/working on songs. The problem becomes when the track is finished and I actually like the song. At that point a stupid name would just ruin a good track. I mean sure if the track is silly in its nature or just some random experiment, then a stupid name is all good.

who said anything about stupid names? I’m talking about words or phrases that resonate with you. I’m a goofy guy, so “stupid names” is sort of my thing, but whatever works for you. if you find a working title that resonates with you, you’re less likely to need to change it later on.

[TritoneAddiction]

Yeah I don't have any problem coming up with stupid song names while saving/working on songs. The problem becomes when the track is finished and I actually like the song. At that point a stupid name would just ruin a good track. I mean sure if the track is silly in its nature or just some random experiment, then a stupid name is all good.

who said anything about stupid names? I’m talking about words or phrases that resonate with you. I’m a goofy guy, so “stupid names” is sort of my thing, but whatever works for you. if you find a working title that resonates with you, you’re less likely to need to change it later on.

I guess in my head I translated "random words or phrases that pop into my head and just sound cool or funny to me" to mean something similar to stupid.
If I didn't have a problem coming up with words or phrases that resonated with me I wouldn't have created this thread in the first place. So that's not really a solution here I'm afraid.

[guitfnky]

who said anything about stupid names? I’m talking about words or phrases that resonate with you. I’m a goofy guy, so “stupid names” is sort of my thing, but whatever works for you. if you find a working title that resonates with you, you’re less likely to need to change it later on.

I guess in my head I translated "random words or phrases that pop into my head and just sound cool or funny to me" to mean something similar to stupid.
If I didn't have a problem coming up with words or phrases that resonated with me I wouldn't have created this thread in the first place. So that's not really a solution here I'm afraid.

yeah, that makes sense. easy for me to say since I enjoy wordplay and non-sequiturs. I like the idea someone else mentioned of starting/keeping a list, and picking from that. I have a list, but I almost never refer to it, so it’s more like a collection of weird words that will keep growing until I die, otherwise never seeing the light of day.

[TritoneAddiction]

I guess in my head I translated "random words or phrases that pop into my head and just sound cool or funny to me" to mean something similar to stupid.
If I didn't have a problem coming up with words or phrases that resonated with me I wouldn't have created this thread in the first place. So that's not really a solution here I'm afraid.

yeah, that makes sense. easy for me to say since I enjoy wordplay and non-sequiturs. I like the idea someone else mentioned of starting/keeping a list, and picking from that. I have a list, but I almost never refer to it, so it’s more like a collection of weird words that will keep growing until I die, otherwise never seeing the light of day.

Yes I have my own word list too. I keep all the words/suggestions for all the songs I make. Occasionally they can help out, but not very often.

[PhillipOrdonez]

I have a list but then the tracks don't match the words or my idea of the words so it is not very useful. Also it doesn't help that I forget I have such list somewhere.

[Noise]

I can understand the TritoneAddiction problem.

Has a matter of fact, I understand it so well, that I've made a idiotic app sometime ago just to generate names for this occasions
This tool was laying around my computer, and why not share with the fam

So, here it is. Sorry about the design.
https://untitled.noiseshadow.com/

I sware this was generated right now

untitled.jpg (566.09 KiB) Viewed 1880 times

Some nerd details:
I've handpicked all the words from song names and interesting sources.
The generation is based on [Article] [Adjective ] [ Noun ]
You can skip the [article] just for the juicy part.

Merry christmas!

[Oenkenstein]

I can understand the TritoneAddiction problem.

Has a matter of fact, I understand it so well, that I've made a idiotic app sometime ago just to generate names for this occasions
This tool was laying around my computer, and why not share with the fam

So, here it is. Sorry about the design.

Your name generator is hilarious. Got a suggestion for a drum and bass track: El Fluffy.
It can help me generate names for patches.

Thank you very much.!

[Noise]

Your name generator is hilarious. Got a suggestion for a drum and bass track: El Fluffy.
It can help me generate names for patches.

Thank you very much.!

ahahah "el fluffy"

Just got this one "I'M A AVERAGE INSTALLATION"
I think it is moking me right now.

[TritoneAddiction]

I can understand the TritoneAddiction problem.

Has a matter of fact, I understand it so well, that I've made a idiotic app sometime ago just to generate names for this occasions
This tool was laying around my computer, and why not share with the fam

So, here it is. Sorry about the design.
https://untitled.noiseshadow.com/

I sware this was generated right now

untitled.jpg

Some nerd details:
I've handpicked all the words from song names and interesting sources.
The generation is based on [Article] [Adjective ] [ Noun ]
You can skip the [article] just for the juicy part.

Merry christmas!

Haha. Glad I'm not alone with my song-title-making hatred. I gave it a spin. "Bony Blasted". Should fit every song. Also got "Mastering criticism", Peppery Pilot".
But seriously a few generated titles were pretty decent, especially if I were to look for something a little quirky.

[jam-s]

Some more suggestions:
* Take the "featured article of the day" from Wikipedia.
* Some random chemical name or formula can also work
* Geometric forms can also be some pretty cool names

[BumCuddle]

I just use the first thing that pops into my head as working titles with maybe a notice of what synth or effect I used most like say:

Bassydownbeatparsec

Then I will throw a rating on the end from 1-9 for how I'm feeling the idea could be worth working on again, this number will change each time I go back and work on them...

Unfortunately I have a lot of 1s & 2s

[demt]

Opus 12+ mutater suite

[challism]

Stay tuned for the forthcoming Reason Studios RE:

Songname Generator. It generates song names from a database of top song names from carefully hand-picked EDM genres.

Also coming soon: Lyric Generator!