Hidden Track - Reasoning

Reasoning

Most bands that decide to include a hidden track presumably do so simply to surprise fans that find it, or for humorous effect in the case of joke tracks. Sometimes, the tracks are hidden for specific reasons:

  • In some rare cases, it is used to put forbidden (by law) songs on live discs. An example is Ramones' Loco Live American version, which has the song "Carbona Not Glue" hidden after "Pet Sematary" on track 17. It was originally recorded on their album Leave Home, but the makers of the spot remover Carbona, a registered trademark, objected. Therefore reference to the song was removed from the album and cover.
  • "Train in Vain" by The Clash, which appears at the end of London Calling, was left out of the vinyl's track listing simply because it was a last-minute addition to the album, when the sleeves were already printed. It is thus not a real hidden track. It was originally intended as a promotional giveaway for NME. The later CD versions list the track on the sleeve. The album "Driving Rain" by Paul McCartney contains the song "Freedom" hidden because of a similar reason.
  • Green Day's "All By Myself" (by drummer TrĂ© Cool) was added as a secret song to Dookie due to the low sound quality of the original live recording.
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Bite Me" from the album Off the Deep End, was put on after ten minutes of silence to scare listeners who had forgotten to turn off the CD player.
  • The X-Files: The Album, features a hidden track at 10 minutes and 13 seconds into the final track. The track consists of series creator Chris Carter explaining the series mythology and meaning behind the alien conspiracy. The hidden track even includes spoilers and minute details in the show's overall plot that had not yet been resolved on the show itself when the album was released. This track was included as both a surprise to devoted fans who would seek out answers in cross promotional merchandise and as a mystery to new fans who would need to watch the show more closely to better understand the track.
  • Eugene Mirman's album The Absurd Night Club Comedy of Eugene Mirman includes a hidden track making fun of hidden tracks and telling the listener that he or she has a (very bizarre) mission.
  • The Jam's All Mod Cons unlists the song "English Rose" and its lyrics on original vinyl copies because Paul Weller believed the title and song meaning to be personal. They have been added to re-releases of the album.
  • Skip Spence's "Land of the Sun" was included as a hidden track by producer Bill Bentley to specifically close a tribute album to Spence, More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album.
  • Coldplay included two hidden tracks on its 2008 album Viva La Vida: "Chinese Sleep Chant", after "Yes", and "The Escapist", after "Death and All His Friends". The band explained that one of the reasons to put two songs in the same track was to add a bit of value, so it would have "enough value for money".

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