(Answered by Amy Christa Ernano)
My favorite is probably “For What It’s Worth”, by Buffalo Springfield.
Then-21-year-old Stephen Stills wrote the song in December of 1966 (and while many think it’s an antiwar song, it’s actually about the Sunset Strip curfew riots in Los Angeles that November), but when he presented it to Atlantic Records executive Ahmet Ertegun, it still didn’t have a title. Stills simply told Ertegun, “I have a song here, for what it’s worth, if you want it”.
Ertegun took that for the name of the song, and ultimately, it stuck, even though the phrase “for what it’s worth” has no relation or significance whatsoever to the song itself or its subject matter. The song’s refrain “Stop, Hey, What’s That Sound?” was subsequently added in parentheses to make it easier to recognize.
“For What It’s Worth” reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967, and now, 53 years later, it’s perhaps one of the most iconic protest songs ever written.
Every Moment Has A Song 