iStats: Titles

While waiting for my editor to finish, I started scrolling down the songs in my iTunes (which of course is the same in Mini-Me). First I noticed there were quite a number of song titles starting with the word “so”. I scrolled down some more and found out there were also many song titles beginning with the word “take”.

I started listing the words that had at least 5 titles starting with it. I had to disqualify the 33 songs starting with the word “I” (and its variations “I’ll,” “I’d” and “I’m”) and 36 songs with the word “the” for obvious reasons.

Here are the top 7 of the most common words at the start of the song title in Mini-Me:

Number 7 (four-way tie): Get / In / My / So
Thank god I don’t have Billy Ocean’s “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car.”

Number 6 (five-way tie): If / Every / One / What / Who
Interestingly, “when,” “where,” “which” and “how” didn’t make the cut.

Number 5 (3-way tie): It’s / No / Take
I checked, there wasn’t a title with “It Is.” I guess songwriters prefer to abbreviate their titles.

Number 4: A
The article “a” is less definitive than the article “the” so maybe that’s the reason why it’s only number 4 on the list.

Number 3: Don’t
Again, I looked and there wasn’t a title that started with “Do Not.”

Number 2: Love
Fascinating, but what the world needs now, what we all need, isn’t in the top spot. Well, maybe because the titles of most love songs don’t have to start with the word “love.” That is why the most popular word at the start of the song title is a pronoun.

Number 1: You
What better way to address someone than with a song, right? One can even dedicate a song to a loved one. Of course, not all of the “You” songs are love songs; some even are kiss-offs to an ex-lover, as you will see below.

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The List:

Number 7: a four-way tie between “Get,” “In,” “My” and “So”

1. Get Busy – Sean Paul
2. Get Down (You’re The One For Me) – Backstreet Boys
3. Get Off My Cloud – The Rolling Stones
4. Get Right – Jennifer Lopez
5. Get Ur Freak On – Missy Elliot

1. In My Place – Coldplay
2. In The Summertime – Shaggy
3. In Too Deep – Genesis
4. In Too Deep – Belinda Carlisle
5. In Your Eyes – Kylie Minogue
(What? I didn’t burn Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes”?! Sheeet.)

1. My Favorite Game – The Cardigans
2. My First Day Alone – The Cascades
3. My Hometown – Bruce Springsteen
4. My Love Is Your Love (Jonathan Peters Mix) – Whitney Houston
5. My Own Way – Duran Duran

1. So Close – Daryl Hall and John Oates
2. So Cruel – U2
3. So Hard – Pet Shop Boys
4. So Long – ABBA
5. So Serious – Electric Light Orchestra

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Number 6: a five-way tie between “If,” “Every,” “One,” “What” and “Who”

1. If I Can’t Have You – Bee Gees
2. If I Told You That – Whitney Houston
3. If It Makes You Happy – Sheryl Crow
4. If She Knew What She Wants – The Bangles
5. If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better – Tamperer feat. Maya
6. If You Leave – Orchestral Maneuvers In The Dark

1. Every Little Thing – Jeff Lynne
2. Every Time – Janet Jackson
3. Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
4. Everybody Knows (Except You) – The Divine Comedy
5. Everytime – Britney Spears
6. Everywhere – Fleetwood Mac

1. One – Bee Gees
2. One – U2
3. One & One – Robert Miles (with Maria Nayler)
4. One More Night – Phil Collins
5. One Of Us – ABBA
6. One Week – Barenaked Ladies

1. What Have I Done To Deserve This? – Pet Shop Boys
2. What If – Coldplay
3. What Is Love – Haddaway
4. What Makes You Think You’re The One – Fleetwood Mac
5. What Would It Take – Jeff Lynne
6. What Are You Waiting For? Gwen Stefani

1. Who’s Crying Now – Journey
2. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses – U2
3. Who’s That Girl – Madonna
4. Who’s That Girl? – Eurythmics
5. Who Do You Think You Are? – Spice Girls
6. Who Wants To Live Forever – Sarah Brightman

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Number 5: a 3-way tie between “It’s,” “No” and “Take”

1. It’s All Been Done – Barenaked Ladies
2. It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back) – Eurythmics
3. It’s Alright – East 17
4. It’s Like That – Run-D.M.C. vs Jason Nevins
5. It’s No Good – Depeche Mode
6. It’s Not Right But It’s Okay (Thunderpuss Mix) – Whitney Houston
7. It’s Ok – Fine Young Cannibals

1. No Letting Go – Wayne Wonder
2. No More “I Love You’s” – Annie Lennox
3. No More Lonely Nights (Playout Version) – Paul McCartney & Wings
4. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) – Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand
5. No One Like You – Sarah Brightman
6. No Questions Asked – Fleetwood Mac
7. No Surprises – Radiohead

1. Take A Bow – Madonna
2. Take A Chance On Me – ABBA
3. Take A Chance On Me – Erasure
4. Take It Away – Paul McCartney
5. Take Me Home – Phil Collins
6. Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
7. Take Me To The Clouds Above – LMC vs U2

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Number 4: “A”

1. A Change Would Do You Good – Sheryl Crow
2. A Girl Like You – Edwyn Collins
3. A Groovy Kind Of Love – Phil Collins
4. A Little More Love – Olivia Newton-John
5. A Little Respect – Erasure
6. A Question Of Lust – Depeche Mode
7. A Whiter Shade Of Pale – Annie Lennox
8. A Whiter Shade Of Pale – Sarah Brightman

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Number 3: “Don’t”

1. Don’t Bring Me Down – Electric Light Orchestra
2. Don’t Call Me Baby – Madison Avenue
3. Don’t Come Around Here No More – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
4. Don’t Forget To Remember – Bee Gees
5. Don’t Give Up – Peter Gabriel with Kate Bush
6. Don’t Leave Me On My Own – Chris Isaak
7. Don’t Look Back – Fine Young Cannibals
8. Don’t Tell Me – Madonna
9. Don’t Walk Away – Electric Light Orchestra

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Number 2: “Love”

1. Love At First Sight – Kylie Minogue
2. Love Is A Stranger – Eurythmics
3. Love Is Strong – The Rolling Stones
4. Love Isn’t Easy – ABBA
5. Love Me Do – The Beatles
6. Love Shack – The B-52’s
7. Love To Hate You – Erasure
8. Love Will Never Do (Without You) – Janet Jackson
9. Lovefool – The Cardigans
10. Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’ – Journey

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Number 1: “You”

1. You’ll Be Safe Here: Orchoustic Version – Rivermaya
2. You’re Gorgeous – Babybird
3. You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
4. You’re Still The One – Shania Twain
5. You’re The One That I Want – Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta
6. You Are The One – a-Ha
7. You Got Lucky – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
8. You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart – Eurythmics
9. You Learn – Alanis Morissette
10. You Make Loving Fun – Fleetwood Mac
11. You Only Tell Me You Love Me When You’re Drunk – Pet Shop Boys
12. You Promised Me (Tu Es Foutu) – In-Grid
13. You Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate
14. You Should Be Dancing – Bee Gees
15. You Surround Me – Erasure
16. You Win Again – Bee Gees

Gosh, what a nerdy thing to do while waiting! Plus I should have just used the time to memorize the script, hahaha.