Many times, when a band has released over 20 albums, and has seemingly exhausted their genre, they feel the need to find new and creative ways to appeal to their fans. A band may release an album that experiments with an entirely different genre, they may collaborate with another artist, or release an album of all cover songs.
Perhaps the most exciting and innovative way for a band to connect with their fans is the use of hidden tracks in their albums. Most often embedded in the final track of an album, a hidden song is unlisted on a track list, and typically begins after a prolonged period of silence within another track.
Sometimes hidden tracks are covers, and other times they are a slow and beautiful a cappella song. These 11 hidden songs have proven a fantastic way for artists to surprise their fans and connect with them on a new and deeper level.
11
The Parting Glass by Ed Sheeran
Hidden in “Gimme Love”
After a thrilling conclusion to Ed Sheeran’s debut album with “Give Me Love” comes about 25 seconds of silence, and a chilling cover of “The Parting Glass.” The traditional Scottish folk song has been covered by many modern artists, but Sheeran’s cover has always stood out to me.
“Give Me Love” ends on a borderline feral, throaty high note, with Sheeran nearly screaming, begging a nameless audience to love him, and the silence after the conclusion of the song is truly deafening. Abruptly cutting the silence, Sheeran takes a deep and loud breath, before softly uttering the words “Of all the money that e’er I had.”
His vocals are a soft contrast to the end of “Give Me Love,” with the soothing quality of a lullaby. It’s one of the most beautiful renditions of any folk song ever recorded, and while “Give Me Love” is still gorgeous, I almost wish “The Parting Glass” was a listed track so it would be easier to replay.
10
Master/Slave by Pearl Jam
Hidden in “Release”
“Release” is a gorgeous slow jam to close out Pearl Jam’s phenomenal debut, Ten. The song ends with Eddie Vedder repeating the plea, “Release me,” before a high-pitched moan and hum, then the vocals, drums, and guitar all start to fade out. After the final guitar strum, there are about 15 seconds of silence, then “Master/Slave” starts.
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“Master/Slave” is actually a continuation of the introduction to “Once,” the first track of the album. It begins with a subtle drum beat that steadily increases in volume, leading into a relatively odd and edgy jumble. Vedder’s vocals are difficult to make out, as he sort of mumbles any semblance of words.
The percussion remains the loudest aspect of the song, and its experimental overtones make the hidden track a complete and utter trip. It’s the same musical sequence repeated with Vedder’s occasional vocals slipping in between the cracks of the percussion, but it certainly closes out Ten with a bang.
9
Wherever You Go by Beach House
Hidden in “Irene”
Beach House went to some pretty great lengths to keep “Wherever You Go” hidden, as it comes almost a full seven minutes after “Irene” ends. The last track on their highest-charting album, Bloom, “Irene” closes out with a chilling repetition of the line, almost entirely flooded out by the music, “It’s a strange paradise.”
A strange paradise indeed, as seven minutes of silence go by, and one wonders, when streaming, why a suggested song hasn’t automatically started playing yet. About 13 and a half minutes into the song, a dreamlike guitar sequence begins seemingly out of nowhere, and Victoria Legrand slowly coos, “The kind you like / To come back in / Wherever you go.”
This song leaves a very lasting impression, perhaps even more so than if it were a listed track.
The short, three-to-four-word lines of lyrics are typical of Beach House, begging the question of why “Wherever You Go” was not only a hidden track, but a track that was buried nearly seven minutes deep. That said, this song leaves a very lasting impression, perhaps even more so than if it were a listed track.
8
Endless, Nameless by Nirvana
Hidden in “Something In the Way”
When streaming Nirvana’s Nevermind, “Endless, Nameless” is included as the 13th and final track, with no indication that it was ever a hidden track in the first place. When the album was initially released, however, the song was not listed, and played after ten minutes of silence at the end of “Something in the Way.”
The ten minutes of silence are almost necessary, given the stark contrast between Kurt Cobain’s melodic vocals on “Something in the Way” to his rage-filled screaming in “Endless, Nameless.” Of all of Nirvana’s music, “Something in the Way” is among the softest, most poetic songs, whereas “Endless, Nameless” is one of the angriest and loudest.
In addition to the vocals, the difference between the lyrics themselves is also night and day. Where the lyrics of the listed track are moody poetry, the lyrics of “Endless, Nameless” are choppy, incomplete thoughts, and often take the form of Cobain just screaming words like “Death,” “Violence,” or “Crime.”
7
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Lauryn Hill
Hidden in “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”
There are many famous covers of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” my personal favorite being Heath Ledger’s version in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You. A very close second, however, is Lauryn Hill’s version, which appears at the end of the title track on her flagship album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
As a result of the song’s success, in some re-releases of the album, it has been listed as its own track. Hill’s rendition of Valli’s classic love song takes on a soulful quality, making hers the most unique cover of the hit. It begins with Hill rapping and beatboxing, before she sings “You’re just too good to be true.”
It isn’t until she sings the first line that the song is really even recognizable as “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” The song is primarily composed of the drum beat that carries over from the beatboxing in the introduction, and Hill’s velvety smooth vocals as she belts out a truly timeless classic.
6
Damone by Deftones
Hidden in “MX”
Deftones’ eclectic sound, though not always neatly, falls beneath the umbrellas of rock and metal. Their second studio album, Around The Fur, closes with a whopping 37-minute nu metal track entitled “MX.” The majority of those 37 minutes, however, are filled with silence, broken up only by a 20-second voicemail before “Damone” begins halfway through the 32-minute mark.
To make your fans listen to almost an entire half hour of silence if they want to hear the unlisted hidden song, “Damone,” is borderline insane, but once those 30 minutes are up, it is most definitely worth the wait. The drums and the guitar in particular are blissful metal jams on behalf of Abe Cunningham and Stephen Carpenter, respectively.
Chino Moreno’s vocals are also center stage, as he simply wails at various points of the song, “Why?” The emotion in the hidden song is truly palpable, made even more clear by the 30 minutes of silence between “Damone” and “MX.” Moreno’s repeated “Why?” is a perfect way to officially close out their first album to reach the Billboard 200.
5
Your House by Alanis Morissette
Hidden in “You Oughta Know – Jimmy the Saint Blend”
Alanis Morissette finishes her breakout album with a reprise of one of her greatest hits, “You Oughta Know – Jimmy the Saint Blend.” With a slightly different title, it’s expected that this second recording of “You Oughta Know” will be different from the first, and after about a minute of silence, Morissette launches into the unlisted a cappella song, “Your House.”
“Your House” is a romantic reckoning, made all the more poignant by the angst-riddled anthem that is “You Oughta Know,” separated only by a minute of silence.
Morissette sings with unbridled emotion and a slight reverb after each line, really driving home the impact of her vocals sans music. Just three minutes long, “Your House” is a romantic reckoning, made all the more poignant by the angst-riddled anthem that is “You Oughta Know,” separated only by a minute of silence.
“Your House” almost takes on the form of a list, as Morissette asks a nameless lover if they would forgive her for breaking into their house, lying in their bed, and violating their privacy. Her vocal quality is pleading, and it’s clear that this violation is done out of lust—something that likely all of Morissette’s fans can relate to.
4
Diamond Bollocks by Beck
Hidden in “Static”
At the end of Beck’s sixth studio album, Mutations, comes “Static,” a classically mellow Beck album closer. The song is slow and sweet, and on the original release of the album, the song was nearly 12 minutes long. After about a minute of silence from the time “Static” ends, the hidden track “Diamond Bollocks” starts with a whimsical chimes-driven introduction.
As an artist, Beck has never really fit into the mold of just one genre, often experimenting with and mastering sound in ways that not many artists can pull off. The juxtaposition of “Static” and “Diamond Bollocks,” not only on the same album but on the same track in the initial release of the album, clearly exemplifies that versatility.
“Diamond Bollocks” is an electronic experimental masterpiece that, at any given moment, can make it relatively difficult to discern what instruments are present. At one point, the music stops entirely, and at another, the sound effects mimic that of a spaceship. Unlike “Static,” it is upbeat, and Beck’s vocals seem almost secondary to the music.
3
Wasted Kisses by New Power Generation
Hidden at the End of Newpower Soul
“Wasted Kisses” is a track so hidden, you actually can’t find it on streaming services in Prince’s discography, nor his band The New Power Generation’s discography. The track appears at the end of NewPower Soul, the last studio album released by The New Power Generation, after 37 tracks at the end of the album that consist of nothing but silence.
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The album seems to end with the tenth song, “(I Like) Funky Music,” but there are 49 tracks listed on the album, and tracks 11-48 are complete silence. Track 49, “Wasted Kisses,” comes after about four-and-a-half minutes of silence. The song begins with an eerie sequence that has a relatively classical sound, coupled with an electric piano.
Once the song actually starts to take shape, it is driven by a funky drum beat, and Prince’s muted vocals singing, “Why did I waste my kisses on you, baby?” His voice is soothing and soulful, and the song itself is a combination of funk and R&B, showcasing the best of what Prince has to offer.
2
I’m Going Crazy by The Smashing Pumpkins
Hidden in “Daydream”
The Smashing Pumpkins’ debut album, Gish, ends with bassist D’Arcy Wretzky’s only lead vocal credit on the album, “Daydream.” It is a smooth, ethereal track, and comes in at just shy of two minutes. After Wretzky sings the last line, there are 13 seconds of silence, before the hidden song “I’m Going Crazy” abruptly starts.
The hidden track doesn’t even last a full minute, but it is a phenomenal way to close out the album, with both Wretzky and Billy Corgan singing vocals atop James Iha’s crunchy electric guitar. The only lyrics of the song, aside from variations of “I’m going crazy,” are “I don’t want feelings / Your feelings.”
The lack of a finished lyric leaves us breathlessly in awe, as Corgan’s vocals often do, and desperately wanting more.
The song ends with Corgan singing, “I have gone,” an incomplete thought to close out the album. The lack of a finished lyric leaves us breathlessly in awe, as Corgan’s vocals often do, and desperately wanting more. Overall, Gish was a great way to introduce the band to the world, but “I’m Going Crazy” really is the cherry on top.
