Another football season is upon us! (Hey, isn’t this a blog about rock music?)

Why yes, it is, but I often tie in other subjects — cars, weather, sports, you name it — to come up with themed playlists, so this should come as no surprise. A loyal reader suggested this week’s theme of “over/under” and I decided the time was ideal to explore it.

For those who don’t gamble, you may not be familiar with the concept of “betting the over” or “betting the under.” For any given game, the Las Vegas oddsmakers estimate the total number of points that will be scored by both teams added together, and bettors are invited to wager whether the combined score will be over or under that estimate. In fact, bettors sometimes bet the over/under on other things: how many passes the quarterback will throw, how many sacks the defense will tally, how many penalty flags will be thrown, etc.

Still with me? Good. Back to music: This week’s post takes a look at 20 songs that have the words “over” or “under” in the title. There is, of course, a Spotify playlist at the end so you can listen to these tracks as you read along.

Play ball!

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“It’s Over,” Boz Scaggs, 1976

First as a member of The Steve Miller Band in the late ’60s and then as an R&B-leaning solo artist, Scaggs built a solid following that peaked in the late ’70s around the time of his superb “Silk Degrees” LP, which spawned four hit singles: “Lowdown,” “Lido Shuffle,” “What Can I Say” and the buoyant “It’s Over,” which described a romantic breakup.

“Born Under a Bad Sign,” Cream, 1968

Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker wrote most of Cream’s hit singles, but the trio’s catalog was sprinkled with classic blues tunes like Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful” and Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads.” On their #1 double album “Wheels of Fire” in 1968, you’ll find this strong cover version of “Born Under a Bad Sign,” written in 1967 by Stax Records bandleader Booker T. Jones and singer William Bell, and first recorded by blues legend Albert King.

“Over and Over,” The Dave Clark Five, 1965

Robert Byrd, using the stage name Bobby Day, wrote and recorded “Over and Over” back in 1958 and released it as the B-side of his hit “Rockin’ Robin” (later a hit for a young Michael Jackson). Seven years later, the British Invasion band The Dave Clark Five charted their only #1 single in the US with a cover version of “Over and Over,” which was one of eight Top Ten singles for the group here in 1964-66.

“Under My Wheels,” Alice Cooper, 1971

I was stunned to learn that Alice Cooper’s “Under My Wheels” never made it past #59 on US pop charts when it was released in 1971. It’s a relentless rocker from their “Killer” album that I always cranked up, but it didn’t come close to the commercial success of “I’m Eighteen” before it nor “School’s Out” or “Elected” after it. The band clearly loved it, because they performed it in every concert from 1971 on.

“Roll Over Beethoven,” The Beatles, 1963

One of Chuck Berry’s best rock and roll songs with his cleverest lyrics, “Roll Over Beethoven” reached #29 on US pop charts in 1956 and was later covered by more than a dozen other artists including Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mountain, Electric Light Orchestra, Cliff Richard and Johnny Winter. Most notably, The Beatles featured their version on the “With the Beatles” British album in 1963, as the opening track on their 1964 US release, “The Beatles’ Second Album,” and performed it regularly during their 1964 tours, with George Harrison on lead vocals.

“Under the Sea,” Samuel E. Wright, 1989

The re-emergence of Disney as a box-office juggernaut in the 1990s essentially began with 1989’s “The Little Mermaid,” which boasted an award-winning soundtrack anchored by the effervescent “Under the Sea.” It was sung by the actor Samuel E. Wright, who provided the voice for the character of Sebastian the Jamaican crab as he extolled the superiority of life in the ocean, and it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song that year.

“Over Under Sideways Down,” The Yardbirds, 1966

Following Eric Clapton’s departure from the lineup, The Yardbirds brought in guitarist Jeff Beck, who made an immediate impact with fuzz guitar solos on “Heart Full of Soul” and “Shapes of Things,” both popular singles in the US. His guitar intro on the psychedelic “Over Under Sideways Down” helped keep The Yardbirds on the charts here when that song reached #12 in 1966.

“Got Me Under Pressure,” ZZ Top, 1983

Guitarist/vocalist Billy Gibbons wrote and recorded a demo of this rocker in one afternoon, and ZZ Top later recorded it for their multi-platinum “Eliminator” LP in 1983, where it remained a deep album track. The kinky lyrics to “Got Me Under Pressure” are all about a guy who feels pressured by his uninhibited woman to do things he’s not comfortable doing.

“Don’t Dream It’s Over,” Crowded House, 1986

There’s a pained longing that’s at the heart of the lyrics of “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” a hugely popular track by Crowded House, one of Australia’s most successful rock bands. Frontman Neil Finn wrote the song about the dissolution of a romance, and it struck a chord internationally, reaching #2 in the US in early 1987. It’s from Crowded House’s debut LP, the first of eight albums in their catalog.

“Under My Thumb,” The Rolling Stones, 1966

Mick Jagger’s lyrics in “Under My Thumb” speak of taming a previously domineering woman, which was regarded by some as anti-feminist, but one interpretation is that the “girl” being controlled is a guitar. In any event, it’s one of The Stones’ most popular early tracks despite never being released as a single. Brian Jones plays the marimba on the track, which is found on their 1966 LP “Aftermath.”

“(Just Like) Starting Over,” John Lennon, 1980

After a self-imposed, five-year hiatus from the music business to raise his new son Sean, Lennon indeed felt as if he was “starting over” when he re-entered the studio in 1980 to record the songs that became “Double Fantasy,” a new LP with his wife Yoko Ono. As the album’s first single, “(Just Like) Starting Over” was at #6 in the US when he was murdered in December 1980, after which it went to #1 and stayed there for six weeks.

“Down Under,” Men at Work, 1981

Guitarist/vocalist Colin Hay wrote this catchy, semi-autobiographical Men at Work tune about an Australian who travels the globe, meeting people who are eager to know more about his home country (like “what is a Vegemite sandwich?”). It’s almost an anthem there, and also reached #1 in several countries, including the US in early 1983.

“Over My Head,” Fleetwood Mac, 1975

When Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac, adding two new singer-songwriters to the mix, the first single from the new album was nevertheless a tune by longtime member Christine McVie. “Over My Head” offered a sunny, romantic groove that put the band on the US Top 40 charts for the first time, peaking at #20.

“Under the Boardwalk,” The Drifters, 1964

Written by the songwriting team of Kenny Young and Artie Resnick, this classic describes a couple’s romantic encounter in a seaside town out of sight of everyone as they snuggle under the boardwalk. The Drifters recorded it in 1964, reaching #4 on US pop charts. It went on to be recorded by a dozen other artists such as The Rolling Stones, Sam & Dave, John Mellencamp, Bette Midler, Billy Joe Royal, Tom Tom Club and Rickie Lee Jones.

“Head Over Heels,” Tears For Fears, 1985

As co-founders of Tears For Fears, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith found enormous success in the US with two #1 singles, “Shout” and “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” both from their 1985 LP “Songs From the Big Chair.” They followed those with a third single, “Head Over Heels,” which peaked at #3, making the album one of the biggest sellers of the 1980s.

“Under Pressure,” Queen with David Bowie, 1982

By coincidence, both Queen and David Bowie were recording new music in the same studio in Montreux, Switzerland, in the summer of 1981. Freddie Mercury coaxed Bowie to write lyrics and add vocals to two tracks they were working on, one being “Under Pressure,” which had been a scat-singing instrumental before Bowie’s involvement. It went on to reach #1 in the UK and Canada but curiously stalled at only #29 in the US.

“The Song is Over,” The Who, 1971

Pete Townshend’s post-“Tommy” project, to be called “Lifehouse,” proved to be exceptionally challenging for him to bring to fruition. He ended up abandoning the film he had in mind and scaled back the music from a double to a single album…but wow, what an album! “Who’s Next” shows The Who at their peak, with stunning numbers like “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” “Baba O’Riley,” “Behind Blue Eyes” and my favorite, “The Song is Over.”

“Under the Milky Way,” The Church, 1988

Formed in Sydney, Australia in 1980, The Church made surreal soundscapes of alternative rock and “dream pop” that found a sizable audience in their native land, where their first four LPs all made the Top 20. Their fifth LP, “Starfish,” triggered their breakthrough in the US market, where the single “Under the Milky Way” reached #24 on pop charts in 1988. Bassist Steve Kilbey and girlfriend Karin Jansson of the alt-rock band Curious collaborated to write the track.

“Over the Rainbow,” James Taylor, 2020

Everybody knows this endearing tune by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg from the 1939 film classic “The Wizard of Oz,” made famous by Judy Garland. Less known, perhaps, is that there is an introductory verse omitted from the film version but included in many cover versions of the song, such as those by Frank Sinatra, Eva Cassidy, Tony Bennett, Melissa Manchester, Ella Fitzgerald, Mandy Patinkin and Jewel. In 2020, James Taylor recorded the full song for his “American Standard” LP.

“I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Carly Simon, 2005

Beginning in the 1980s, rock-era singers began recording covers of classic songs of the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. Linda Ronstadt put three such albums in the Top Ten, and inspired more collections by the likes of Bryan Ferry, Annie Lennox, Boz Scaggs and James Taylor (see above). Coincidentally, Taylor’s ex-wife Carly Simon also released a couple of these packages, including 2005’s “Moonlight Serenade,” which has a beautiful rendition of the Sinatra standard, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

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Honorable mentions:

“Over the Hills and Far Away,” Led Zeppelin, 1973; “Under Suspicion,” Robert Palmer, 1979; “Move It On Over,” George Thorogood and The Destroyers, 1978; “Under the Bridge,” Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1991; “All Over the World,” Electric Light Orchestra, 1980; “Under Cover of Darkness,” The Strokes, 2011; “Over and Over,” Joe Walsh, 1978; “Under the Weather,” K.T. Tunstall, 2005; “Get Over It,” The Eagles, 1994; “Underneath the Streetlight,” Joni Mitchell, 1982.