Michael Jackson, Thriller (1982). What would ultimately become the bestselling album of all time wasn’t called Thriller right away because the song called “Thriller” was originally called “Give Me Starlight.” It was a song about a breakup, but then Jackson and Quincy Jones rewrote it to be about monsters and stuff.
Beastie Boys, Licensed to Ill (1986). Back in the ’80s, calling someone by that f-word which is an incredibly offensive thing to call a homosexual person was, by and large, socially acceptable. To the point where the young, admittedly insensitive Beastie Boys nearly gave their debut album a very regrettable title. Columbia Records refused to release it with that name and made them change it. (About a decade later, Beastie Adam Horovitz published an open letter apologizing for the original title.)
Nas, Untitled (2008). Nas wanted to call his ninth album, uh, the N-word, but all written out. This was, to say the least, a controversial choice. Def Jam Records supported him, but when the NAACP threatened to protest and Wal-Mart threatened to not stock the album, Nas pulled back and gave the album no title at all.
U2, The Joshua Tree (1987). Calling attention to social injustice has long been U2’s thing, to the point where the band almost titled their record The Two Americas, because when they’d toured the U.S. they were shocked by the divide between the rich and the poor.
The Beatles, The Beatles, a.k.a. “The White Album” (1968). When the recording sessions for what would be called “The White Album” began, the Beatles toyed with titling it after A Doll’s House, the late 19th century feminist play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.
Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973). The prog legends had picked Dark Side of the Moon, or The Dark Side of the Moon: A Piece for Assorted Lunatics as a title until they discovered that some obscure band called Medicine Head had already released a record titled Dark Side of the Moon. So they re-titled it Eclipse, after the album’s closing track. After Medicine Head’s album sold next to no copies, the Floyd felt safe in returning to the original title, but without the subtitle.
Davie Bowie, Low (1977). Most of Bowie’s albums have cryptic, one-word titles: Outside, Blackstar, Lodger, “Heroes,” Reality, and Low. But almost not Low. He almost went with the extremely long and goofy New Music Night and Day.
