"When I see you in this low-lying dreamy western town"

Poster entitled "National Loan 1920" by Francisque Poulbot, 1920

It's not a common trick, but I like it when bands write a title song for an album and then leave the song off the album (or name an album after a pre-existing song that they are not planning to include). It's a trick that Guided By Voices has used numerous times ("Bee Thousand", "Alien Lanes", "Isolation Drills"), but it's also been done by Superchunk ("On the Mouth", "Foolish") and the Teardrop Explodes ("Kilimanjaro") and probably others I can't think of right now. But one of my favorite "lost" title tracks is "Dreamy" by Beat Happening.

Not included on the 1991 album of that name, the song was a b-side on the "Nancy Sin" 7" single in 1990. It's almost a template of Beat Happening's style, highlighting Calvin Johnson's flat baritone over pounding drums, guitar, and tambourine. The lyrics are the usual mix of naivety and raunchiness that was an important part of the Beat Happening aesthetic as well - the first verse pulls no punches with, "Wear a pearl necklace if you think of it / I'll run the red river but not drink of it."

"Dreamy" by Beat Happening