20 notable songs with years in the title (2024)

Phoenix

Harkening back to the glory years of French history. At least, that was the thinking of Phoenix lead singer Thomas Mars back in 2009, when the song was released off the French indie pop-rockers' Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenixalbum.Surely that's all debatable, but "1901" is arguably the group's most popular tune in United States, making it all the way to the top of Billboard's Alternative Songs chart and earning Platinum status.

The Who

From the classic rock opera Tommy, "1921" might be the most important song on the album in terms of plot. The track tells of Tommy's mother manipulating the young boy into believing he really didn't see his father kill her lover. That creates some alternative reality within the boy's mind, in which he never speaks of the incident and essentially moves forward as if it never happened.

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Sink or Swim (2007) from this New Jersey quartet might be the best debut album that nobody heard during that decade. Though it did not receive much mainstream punk rock attention, it has earned cult status with the indie rock crowd over the years. One of the highlights is "1930," an example of the promising, genuine storytelling the band became known for going forward. Rightfully or not, it almost immediately conjured up Springsteen-like vibes.

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Originally released as the B-side to New Order's massive 1987 hit "True Faith," "1963" has enjoyed success as a cult classic within the history of the band. According to New Order Music 1981–89,the song offers a fantasy twist on the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In the song, JFK hired Lee Harvey Oswald to kill his wife Jackie Kennedy so he could spend more time with Marilyn Monroe, who actually died in 1962.

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"December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)" was aNo.1 hitfor the legendary group in both the United Kingdom and United States upon its release in 1975. The tune was written by keyboardist Bob Gaudio and his wife, Judy Parker. According to Four Seasons legend, it was about Gaudio's initial attraction to Parker in the 1960s. The song is also noted for Four Seasons drummer Gerry Polci singing lead and legendary vocalist Frankie Valli mostly providing backup vocals.

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Late Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright never drew much attention to himself, but his songwriting was one of the more underrated aspects of the band. A shining moment on Wright's personal legacy came throughthis Atom Heart Mother track from 1970. He wrote, delivered some stellar piano and organ work, and even sung lead on his tune about an encounter with a groupie. Somehow, Wright managed to make such an occasion sound sweet and relatively endearing.

The Stooges

The opener to The Stooges' self-titled debut album from, when else, 1969. The album is considered one of the most important breakthrough moments for the proto-punk movement in the United States. Thesong is completely innovative for its time, notably Ron Asheton's guitar work, which is kind of like Jefferson Airplane meets Bo Didley with an undeniable punk attitude. The latter also comes courtesy of lead singer Iggy Pop.

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Adams and longtime songwriting collaborator Jim Vallance have long offered different stances regarding the song's title. Vallance has noted that the "69" simply refers to a year — in this case 1969 — and a passionate summer relationship. Adams, meanwhile, has suggested a popular take that it's about sex in the summertime (without getting too much into specifics). Regardless which version we believe, pop rock fans can agree this remains one of the most memorable songs of the 1980s. It reached No. 5 on the Hot 100 and earned regular play on MTV upon release in June 1985.

The Connells

These alternative, indie rockers from North Carolina have probably flown under most radars since putting out their first album in 1985. The Connells, who released a record in 2021, might be best known for this creatively fresh and introspective tune from the 1993 Ringalbum. Singer Mike Connell chronicles the years going by and what's become of oneself, almost like a high school reunion. In fact, the music video features students from Raleigh, N.C.'s Needham B. Broughton High School Class of 1975.

Smashing Pumpkins

"1979" is an undisputed highlight ofMellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and one of the band's most popular tunes. The track is all about nostalgia — a coming-of-age piece, if you will — for Billy Corgan, specifically, which also happens to beone of the Pumpkins' more innovative tunes. It's filled with samples and looping that was pretty unique during that point in the band's tenure. It didn't seem to fit with the dreamy and somewhat metaphysicalMellon Collieconcept, but even still, it's a two-time Grammy nominee.

David Bowie

Inspired by George Orwell's dystopian science-fiction novel Nineteen Eighty-Four(1984), the song was included on Bowie's 1974 Diamond Dogs album, and it has acertain funky, disco vibethat was in style during the late 1970s. The latter was enforced by the innovative guitar playing of Alan Parker, who was actually the star of a song that was reportedly slated to be part of the proposed Diamond Dogs stage musical that never materialized.

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David Bowie wasn't the only one to craft a song about the potential Orwellian state of "1984." Spirit, the highly underrated rock outfit led by Randy California that enjoyed some forgettable success during the late 1960s and into the '70s, delivered its own take on "big brother" watching our every move. Much like the band, the song flew under the radar, but it certainly captured the talent of a group of musicians who were never rightfully appreciated.

Paul McCartney and Wings

The closing number from Wings' third studio album Band on the Run. McCartney legend has it that the title doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the specific year 1985. According to Paul McCartney In His Own Words,the song's opening line — "No one ever left alive in nineteen hundred and eighty-five" — was stuck in the former Beatles' head for a while simply because it rhymed. Regardless, it's one of the strongest album closers of all time.

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Pop-punkers SR-71 wrote and recorded the song in 2004, but it was the popular Bowling for Soup version from later the same year that drew hit status (No. 23 on Billboard's Hot 100). It's the tale of an adult woman realizing time is going by fast, and she hasn't done anything significantly cool since the '80s. Apparently since 1985 in particular, as the song harkens back to that year by bringing up some of the biggest recording artists (Bruce Springsteen or Madonna) and movies (The Breakfast Club) of the time.

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Prince released "1999," from the album of the same name in 1982. Perhaps Prince was ahead of his time because he choose to promote that year when it came to singing about the end of time, rather than 2000. Of course, once the year 1999 finally arrived and we were all safe, the song was played basically non-stop leading up to and on Dec. 31, 1999. Upon initial release, "1999" peaked at No. 44 in the Hot 100 and went to No. 1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart.

Silverchair

This is Daniel Johns' dream of youthful rebellion against overbearing adults. By 1999, Silverchair's mainstream prominence had waned in the United States, but this track, from the Neon Ballroom album, enjoyed success in other parts of the world. Notably, in the band's native Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Canada. If there's one alternative pop-rock tune that represented the Y2K youth at the time, this would be in the running.

Pulp

The story behind this hit from alternative Britpoppers Pulp is almost as good as the song itself. Released as part of 1995's Different Classalbum, it's about frontman Jarvis co*cker's tale about meeting up with his childhood crush and finally getting together sometime in the future -- perhaps in the year 2000. That actually never happened, but the satirical sincerity of the track is why it's worth celebrating on a list like this one.

The Decemberists

The date is reference to the time of a speech made by then-President Barack Obama in the wake of the horrific school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Like many, the incident had real impact on Decemberists' leader Colin Meloy. So, he penned this piece, from 2015's What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, about his sorrow at a time when his own personal and professional life was thriving — and what is was like to balance those emotions from a human standpoint.

Rush

This opus from Rush, which spans the entire 20 1/2-minute Side One of the 1976 album of the same name, was reportedly inspired by Ayn Rand's 1937 dystopian novellaAnthem.The title track, broken down into seven parts, is kind of a futuristic, sci-fi version of Rand's work. More or less. Of course, the creatively genius lyrics in "2112" from late Rush drummer Neil Peart would lead many to believe that he is the originator of the concept.