10 Famous Rock Albums That Were Almost Called Something Else
8. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (Almost Called “Tonight’s The Day”)
Alternative icons Sonic Youth had been together since 1981, but it wasn't until 1988's Daydream Nation that things really started to take off.
Their fifth album got so popular it earned the tenured performers their first ever major label deal. Songs like Teen Age Riot and Silver Rocket introduced many young listeners to a previously unheard world, opening the doors for the alt revolution of the 1990s.
Daydream Nation is a great title; it's evocative, it's memorable, it does everything right. So imagine how different things might have been had the band gone with a name that was basically a parody of a Beatles' title from nearly 30 years earlier.
Tonight's the Day, which came from a lyric in the song Candle, was initially considered, as it alluded to the Neil Young album, Tonight's the Night. Mercifully, Sonic Youth instead opted to name their work after a lyric to another of the album's songs, Hyperstation.
It wouldn't have been a disaster had the other name been chosen, but it would have been a bit of a let down, plus Mr. Young and The Beatles might have given their lawyers a call.