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For Sale Mar 29, 2026 at 12:50 PM

What is that one song from an artist's/band's discography that is like WTF?

Posted by Radagast-Istari

The WTF factor can be either positive or negative. I'll start: everyone knows the Rolling Stones. Started as a bluesy coverband, and every since they came up with original work they went from psychedelic rock (Their Satanic Majesties Request), to elaborate jam sessions (Jamming With Edward!), to disco'esque rock (Dirty Work), to plain hard rock (Bridges to Babylon), and all kinds of stuff in between. But there's one song on the album Steel Wheels from 1989 that is totally and utterly different from every other song they ever did before, or after, and that's [Continental Drift](https://youtu.be/G4SO1bRi9Xo?is=yysNSQHZ63Cw-aTj). It's a world music field trip that starts out in Egypt(?), takes a bit of a goth turn, and ends up in some Mayan temple surrounded by chanting villagers. It's so damn good, I cannot believe they never made a whole album with those visits to other sounds, and cultures.
Continental Drift (Remastered)
YouTube
Continental Drift (Remastered)
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupContinental Drift (Remastered) · The Rolling StonesSteel Wheels℗ 1989 Promotone B.V., under exclusive licence to ...
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edgarpickle Mar 29, 2026 +32
Bugs by Pearl Jam.  https://youtu.be/WnpfP9Y8fms?si=wJJu1LD4aHUfMSPq
32
liquilife Mar 29, 2026 +1
Anyways, here’s Bugs
1
HOLY_HUMP3R Mar 29, 2026 +1
Pearl Jam was my dads favorite band and I’d beg him to play “the bug song” as a kid whenever we were in the car. Idk what was wrong with me 
1
Will_McLean Mar 29, 2026 +20
"Mother" by The Police Edited to add: "Highly Suspicious" by My Morning Jacket
20
Philip_Marlowe Mar 29, 2026 +1
Highly Suspicious is such a jam. Weird as hell and not for everyone, but the pocket in that tune is just incredible - it's like if Frank Zappa and Curtis Mayfield had a baby.
1
vaisatriani Mar 29, 2026 +1
yep, this. It's the big 'what the f*** is this?' song on an otherwise perfect album.
1
Frogdaddy252 Mar 29, 2026 +1
“Mother” used to be my background music on my answering machine as I was saying the “Please leave your message after the beep”…until my own mother called and heard it and said in a cold voice: “Change. That. Message. Now.”
1
frequentflyerpharaoh Mar 29, 2026 +1
I really dig ‘highly suspicious’ but I agree
1
Skidmark666 Mar 29, 2026 +14
My World by Guns N' Roses.
14
keiths31 Mar 29, 2026 +1
You mean My World by Axl Rose Wrote and recorded the track on his own. Rest of the band found out about it when the album was released.
1
Radagast-Istari Mar 29, 2026 +1
Cringe WTF, great start!
1
liquilife Mar 29, 2026 +1
How about an entire Album? Metallica and Lou Reed with Lulu is one big WTF.
1
StrokesJuiceman Mar 29, 2026 +1
SMALL TOWN GIIIIIIIRRRRRRLLLLLLL!!!
1
thewhitedeath Mar 29, 2026 +10
Bugs - Pearl Jam
10
digsy Mar 29, 2026 +1
I hate this song. What were they thinking? Was it on Vitalogy or Vs because whichever one was near perfect except for this. I could have maybe have accepted it as a B-side.
1
thewhitedeath Mar 29, 2026 +1
Vitalogy
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tass_man Mar 29, 2026 +1
To answer your “what were they thinking” question: I remember Eddie saying in the past that the Beatles White Album was the first time he was introduced to a “difficult” listen; one that pushes you to listen to unorthodox songs. So he wanted to do something similar with Vitalogy by including “Bugs” and “Stupid Mop”
1
cityshepherd Mar 29, 2026 +1
Vs is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I still listen to it at least a few times a month. I was so excited to pick up Vitalogy when it came out and I loved Bugs but the album as a whole kind of fell flat for me. I saw Pearl Jam in concert like a dozen times even years after I stopped listening to the new stuff they were putting out and they ALWAYS played like it was the last concert that would ever be played by anyone ever. 12/10 experience every single time.
1
Alternative_Bid6735 Mar 29, 2026 +8
Into the Unknown; Bad Religion. Went hard into prog rock for their second album, exploded the band for a bit, and overall isn’t amazing. But then we got Suffer.
8
jmacd2918 Mar 29, 2026 +1
Billy Gnosis is a hell of a great track though. But yeah one of the weirdest blips any band has ever had in their career 
1
philament Mar 29, 2026 +7
Bowie’s “Laughing Gnome” Adam & the Ants’ “Young Parisians” XTC’s “Countdown to Christmas Party Time” Proof that even artists I love can write, record and release some utter dross
7
Corrosive-Knights Mar 29, 2026 +4
To be somewhat fair to Bowie, though, pretty much all the songs released pre-*Space Oddity* (aka *David Bowie*) album were examples of a young songwriter trying to find his way. In fact, I recall Bowie saying his first “true” David Bowie song was “Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud”, which was the B-side of “Space Oddity” (the song) and a song I feel strongly Bowie was making allusions to in his “last” song, “Blackstar”. Having said all that, I feel his most WTF song(s) are a pair of covers: “God Only Knows” and “Alabama Song”. I’d add a third, and that’s Bowie’s cover of his own “Panic In Detroit”. The original, on the *Aladdin Sane* album, is freaking MAGNIFICENT. The remake he did of it some five years later and in 1979… not so much… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd_ADOWHxn8&list=RDBd_ADOWHxn8&start_radio=1
4
howdidigetoverhere Mar 29, 2026 +1
i heard Alabama Song on a collage radio station around midnight, and it creeped me hell out.
1
Corrosive-Knights Mar 29, 2026 +1
Bowie apparently liked his cover, too, and sang it in concert a few times…! The Door’s version (also a cover) IMHO is the best one!
1
DoodooExplosion Mar 29, 2026 +3
Man, love Bowie….. Laughing Gnome…… not so much.
3
philament Mar 29, 2026 +1
😆
1
CourtneyLush Mar 29, 2026 +1
'Laughing Gnome ' makes perfect sense once you realise that early Bowie was heavily influenced by Anthony Newley.
1
JWmusic42 Mar 29, 2026 +7
Ding Dang - The Beach Boys
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DoodooExplosion Mar 29, 2026 +2
Whooooooo!!!!!!
2
TurnedOutShiteAgain Mar 29, 2026 +1
What about Summer of Love? I think that's the one with the rapping anyway.
1
sunshine_tomorrow_ Mar 29, 2026 +1
Never Learn Not To Love is a worthy contender too
1
crispy_doughnut Mar 29, 2026 +1
Hey Little Tomboy
1
Safe_Opinion_2167 Mar 29, 2026 +6
"0" by Ado. I mean her discography is already all over the place from "soft" J-pop to crazy fast math-rock, but mixing rap with dubstep?
6
bradargent Mar 29, 2026 +6
[Big Bad Bill - Van Halen](https://youtu.be/kkxqcWhym9U?si=4TstRrBvxE6gwGFV) Love this song. It’s a sorta gypsy jazz and it’s got the VH brothers’ Dad, Jan Van Halen, playing clarinet.
6
ElmerTheAmish Mar 29, 2026 +1
[The Chemical Brothers - Salmon Dance](https://youtu.be/dDj7DuHVV9E?si=eu-Q4bUNi7NlRNQq) First time I heard this, I did not understand what the hell I was listening to. I'm not sure I even understand it now, but it's fun as hell!
1
Radagast-Istari Mar 29, 2026 +1
That track rules, but it's not for everyone I found out during a wedding..
1
Fantast1c_Mr_Fox Mar 29, 2026 +1
Edging by blink 182. I celebrate most of their catalogue but that song is just terrible.
1
eti_erik Mar 29, 2026 +9
For Björk that would be "It's Oh So Quiet". She has covered many genres, but this was in her more accessible dance/pop period, and that cover of a 1950s novelty song just didn't fit in with the rest at all. I would even have stood out as odd on that jazz album she made a few years earlier. (Holographic Entrypoint is a lot weirder but that's part of a sountdtrack for an experimental film, not a track on a hit album)
9
Frogdaddy252 Mar 29, 2026 +1
That video tho is one of her best. Spike Jonze understood the assignment.
1
msoats Mar 29, 2026 +1
Same, and hate when it pops up places.
1
corndogs102 Mar 29, 2026 +1
FACK by Eminem was obviously a joke, but the fact that he put it as the first track on his greatest hits album is one of the greatest things anyone has ever done. Even funnier considering that album is one of the top selling hip hop albums of all time. I mean imagine wanting to check out Eminem for the first time and that’s the song you get hit by. It’s also funny that the song is practically referencing South Park in the 3rd verse.
1
W0666007 Mar 29, 2026 +7
Revolution #9 - The Beatles. Not positive. You know my name (look up the number) - The Beatles. Positive. Sorry that was two.
7
Pherllerp Mar 29, 2026 +1
You Know My Name rules.
1
Ninja_Star_23 Mar 29, 2026 +1
Whoop de scoop de poop, scoopdy whoop.
1
cincoparalinko Mar 29, 2026 +2
No Friend by Paramore
2
SignificantBoss8445 Mar 29, 2026 +1
Lonesome Cowboy Bill kills me
1
wasabinski Mar 29, 2026 +1
Chris Cornell's solo album produced by Timbaland is... something.
1
vaisatriani Mar 29, 2026 +1
'Mustapha' by Queen. It's the opening song on their JAZZ album. It's not a bad song at all (indeed, Brian has some killer guitar work on it) but it's just so completely unexpected. It's also a really weird song to open the album with...it's literally track one, side one. 'Let Me Entertain You' would have made for a much better opening song.
1
frequentflyerpharaoh Mar 29, 2026 +1
I’m rather fond of this song, but good point
1
vaisatriani Mar 29, 2026 +1
I'm fond of it too, mainly for Brian's guitar work. John and Roger are also really solid. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-zh0a6nDTo&list=RD5-zh0a6nDTo&start\_radio=1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-zh0a6nDTo&list=RD5-zh0a6nDTo&start_radio=1) When the full band comes in at the 1:25 mark, it's like a thunderclap.
1
ZackMike37 Mar 29, 2026 +1
I Don’t Know - Beastie Boys I absolutely love this song. It has none of the bombast, sarcasm, or swagger that you’d expect from the boys. They’re a punk/hip-hop group but this song is neither. If you like indie rock, you’ll love this one
1
Kvothetheraven603 Mar 29, 2026 +1
Dance Of The Clairvoyant by Pearl Jam (good wtf).
1
djfishfingers Mar 29, 2026 +3
Maxwell's Silver Hammer by the Beatles is a bizarre Paul song.
3
corndogs102 Mar 29, 2026 +1
I feel a bunch of Beatles songs can fit this question. Wild Honey Pie. John Lennon’s Woman is the n*gger of the wlrld. Temporary secretary.
1
werther595 Mar 29, 2026 +1
Run for your life? Those dudes probably needed therapy
1
rimbaud1872 Mar 29, 2026 +1
It was a take on an old Elvis song. The first line of the song is the first song from Elvis‘s baby let’s play house
1
werther595 Mar 29, 2026 +1
I thought rhat was a Ringo jam, no? Seems to fit with the Octopus Garden and With a little help from my friends vibe
1
Blowaway040889 Mar 29, 2026 +1
(Pardon Me) I've Got Someone to Kill - Johnny Paycheck
1
onelittleworld Mar 29, 2026 +1
"Excuse Me" by Peter Gabriel, from his first solo album. It's... not what you're expecting.
1
shinjithegale Mar 29, 2026 +1
Yeah! How can you stray from the “Moribund the Burgermeister” vibes ?
1
AustinAlexanderK97 Mar 29, 2026 +1
Green Day - Nightlife. Love the instrumental on the track, but the rap is dogshit and absolutely fucks up the rest of the song.
1
Sans-valeur Mar 29, 2026 +1
Art Star - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1
howdidigetoverhere Mar 29, 2026 +1
Green Day's Father of All was the most un-greenday song ever made.
1
RomaniRye Mar 29, 2026 +1
Styx- The Plexiglass Toilet
1
pledgedotmeat3mndays Mar 29, 2026 +1
Sister by Prince is unlistenable for me as someone with younger sisters. Infant Kiss by Kate Bush is also pretty disturbing, its based off of a book but it sounds like shes talking about making out with a child.
1
jeweynougat Mar 29, 2026 +1
Pink Cellphone by Deftones
1
boblazaar Mar 29, 2026 +1
Infinite Granite by Deafheaven
1
BattlinBud Mar 29, 2026 +1
Horse Latitudes - The Doors
1
SelfAwareSausage Mar 29, 2026 +1
FACK - Eminem
1
BigOldComedyFan Mar 29, 2026 +1
Wild honey Pie
1
OsikFTW Mar 29, 2026 +1
The White Stripes - who's a big baby
1
thewickerstan Mar 29, 2026 +1
In a more serious “Why did they never pursue this??” sense, gotta shout out [“Idler’s Dream](https://youtu.be/_25hOdPWLc8?si=2HRvMq3FJ48s5b3D)” by Oasis. It’s allegedly the only song in their discography that doesn’t have guitars on it. And it’s utterly gorgeous, yet another example of them tucking a gem away as a B-side. I feel like non-Oasis fans would be shocked that this existed and Oasis fans would be shocked that something of this quality could be produced by them in the 2000’s haha. Fugazi’s piano ballad [“I’m So Tired”](https://youtu.be/_Nv11dYMsXQ?si=OLAzVWE__ImAXjq3) comes to mind as well. I always thought more tracks in that vain would’ve been incredible, but maybe it would’ve ruined the mystique of them doing it that one time. A REALLY good one in terms of being a total anomaly in their discography: The Kinks were famous for going against the grain amongst their 60’s contemporaries, and when groups were going psychedelic, they refused to join the club. Their 1967 album *Something Else* has no traces of lysergic energy…except for the track [“Lazy Old Sun”](https://youtu.be/nnXjxtfKFDM?si=W5G1j2UQp_okzczm). On an album with the likes of “Waterloo Sunset” and distinctly British and quaint numbers on cigarettes, upper class businessmen, and public school head boys, it sticks out like a sore thumb, but in the best sense. And they never really explored that avenue again. I’ve always been dying to find more information on why the heck the tried it, but it seems like Ray Davies summed it up succinctly when he said something to the effect of “It was an experiment that didn’t quite come off”. Another potential favorite. Would you believe that [the smooth Spanish guitar playing on this](https://youtu.be/7_7VPbQ5zek?si=YniluaN6N5JMd_UP) almost on the cusp of Muzak is played by that one guy with the top hat and shades?
1
frequentflyerpharaoh Mar 29, 2026 +1
‘Execution Commentary’ by Muse
1
ExtensionParsley4205 Mar 29, 2026
Prom Queen by Lil Wayne.
0
werther595 Mar 29, 2026 +1
The Stones should never be forgiven for birthing Miss You into the world
1
Menome7 Mar 29, 2026 +1
...I quite like that one
1
dotnetdotcom Mar 29, 2026 +1
"What's the matter with you, boy?" 
1
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