diff --git a/stepmania/src/ScreenOptions.cpp b/stepmania/src/ScreenOptions.cpp
index 2d023d2b2f..10c45329cd 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ScreenOptions.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/ScreenOptions.cpp
@@ -232,7 +232,11 @@ void ScreenOptions::Init( InputMode im, OptionRow OptionRows[], int iNumOptionLi
 
 	// poke once at all the explanation metrics so that we catch missing ones early
 	for( r=0; r<m_iNumOptionRows; r++ )		// foreach line
+	{
 		GetExplanationText( r );
+		GetExplanationTitle( r );
+	}
+
 
 	CHECKPOINT;
 
@@ -281,12 +285,19 @@ ScreenOptions::~ScreenOptions()
 CString ScreenOptions::GetExplanationText( int row ) const
 {
 	CString sLineName = m_OptionRow[row].name;
-	if( sLineName=="" )
-		sLineName = m_OptionRow[row].choices[0];
 	sLineName.Replace("\n-","");
 	sLineName.Replace("\n","");
 	sLineName.Replace(" ","");
-	return THEME->GetMetric( m_sName,sLineName );
+	return THEME->GetMetric( "OptionExplanations", sLineName+"Help" );
+}
+
+CString ScreenOptions::GetExplanationTitle( int row ) const
+{
+	CString sLineName = m_OptionRow[row].name;
+	sLineName.Replace("\n-","");
+	sLineName.Replace("\n","");
+	sLineName.Replace(" ","");
+	return THEME->GetMetric( "OptionExplanations", sLineName+"Title" );
 }
 
 BitmapText &ScreenOptions::GetTextItemForRow( PlayerNumber pn, int iRow )
@@ -330,14 +341,12 @@ void ScreenOptions::InitOptionsText()
 {
 	for( int i=0; i<m_iNumOptionRows; i++ )	// foreach options line
 	{
-		const OptionRow &optline = m_OptionRow[i];
-
 		const float fY = ITEMS_START_Y + ITEMS_SPACING_Y*i;
 
 		BitmapText &title = m_textTitles[i];
 
 		title.LoadFromFont( THEME->GetPathToF("ScreenOptions title") );
-		CString sText = optline.title;
+		CString sText = GetExplanationTitle( i );
 
 		title.SetText( sText );
 		title.SetXY( LABELS_X, fY );
diff --git a/stepmania/src/ScreenOptions.h b/stepmania/src/ScreenOptions.h
index abb26b0aa6..ce21f77af5 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ScreenOptions.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/ScreenOptions.h
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ const unsigned MAX_OPTION_LINES = 40;
 struct OptionRow
 {
 	CString name;
-	CString title;
 	bool bOneChoiceForAllPlayers;
 	vector<CString> choices;
 
@@ -36,7 +35,6 @@ struct OptionRow
 	OptionRow( const char *n, int b, const char *c0=NULL, const char *c1=NULL, const char *c2=NULL, const char *c3=NULL, const char *c4=NULL, const char *c5=NULL, const char *c6=NULL, const char *c7=NULL, const char *c8=NULL, const char *c9=NULL, const char *c10=NULL, const char *c11=NULL, const char *c12=NULL, const char *c13=NULL, const char *c14=NULL, const char *c15=NULL, const char *c16=NULL, const char *c17=NULL, const char *c18=NULL, const char *c19=NULL )
 	{
 		name = n;
-		title = n;
 		bOneChoiceForAllPlayers = !!b;
 #define PUSH( c )	if(c) choices.push_back(c);
 		PUSH(c0);PUSH(c1);PUSH(c2);PUSH(c3);PUSH(c4);PUSH(c5);PUSH(c6);PUSH(c7);PUSH(c8);PUSH(c9);PUSH(c10);PUSH(c11);PUSH(c12);PUSH(c13);PUSH(c14);PUSH(c15);PUSH(c16);PUSH(c17);PUSH(c18);PUSH(c19);
@@ -68,6 +66,7 @@ protected:
 	void InitOptionsText();
 	void GetWidthXY( PlayerNumber pn, int iRow, int &iWidthOut, int &iXOut, int &iYOut );
 	CString GetExplanationText( int row ) const;
+	CString GetExplanationTitle( int row ) const;
 	BitmapText &GetTextItemForRow( PlayerNumber pn, int iRow );
 	void PositionUnderlines();
 	void PositionIcons();
diff --git a/stepmania/src/ScreenOptionsMaster.cpp b/stepmania/src/ScreenOptionsMaster.cpp
index 67271bfc22..826777481c 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/ScreenOptionsMaster.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/ScreenOptionsMaster.cpp
@@ -231,7 +231,6 @@ ScreenOptionsMaster::ScreenOptionsMaster( CString sClassName ):
 			RageException::Throw( "Parse error in %s::Line%i", m_sName.c_str(), i+1 );
 
 		OptionRowHandler hand;
-		bool TitleSetExplicitly = false;
 		for( unsigned part = 0; part < asParts.size(); ++part)
 		{
 			CStringArray asBits;
@@ -240,12 +239,7 @@ ScreenOptionsMaster::ScreenOptionsMaster( CString sClassName ):
 			const CString name = asBits[0];
 			const CString param = asBits.size() > 1? asBits[1]: "";
 
-			if( !name.CompareNoCase("title") )
-			{
-				TitleSetExplicitly = true;
-				row.title = param;
-			}
-			else if( !name.CompareNoCase("list") )
+			if( !name.CompareNoCase("list") )
 			{
 				SetList( row, hand, param, row.name );
 			}
@@ -265,9 +259,6 @@ ScreenOptionsMaster::ScreenOptionsMaster( CString sClassName ):
 			}
 			else
 				RageException::Throw( "Unexpected type '%s' in %s::Line%i", name.c_str(), m_sName.c_str(), i );
-
-			if( !TitleSetExplicitly )
-				row.title = row.name;
 		}
 		OptionRowHandlers.push_back( hand );
 	}
@@ -611,6 +602,10 @@ void ScreenOptionsMaster::RefreshIcons()
 				break;
 			}
 
+			/* XXX: hack to not display text in the song options menu */
+			if( row.bOneChoiceForAllPlayers )
+				sIcon = "";
+
 			icon.Load( (PlayerNumber)p, sIcon, false );
 		}
 	}