BY ANY OTHER TITLE: It’s easy to...

BY ANY OTHER TITLE: It’s easy to get confused these days by looking at song titles on the pop charts--specifically Kris Kross’ “Jump” and TLC’s “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg,” both of which have been in the Top 10 for weeks.

What is the hot young Atlanta duo Kris Kross doing rapping to an old Van Halen song--or is it the old Pointer Sisters song?

And what is TLC, the Atlanta R&B; trio, doing singing an old Motown hit? In fact, some reviewers--who presumably heard the record--have mistakenly identified the record as a clever reworking of the Temptations’ 1966 single “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.”

But the truth is, “Jump” and “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” have nothing to do with the old songs.

TLC’s Lisa Lopes, who wrote “Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg” with producer Dallas Austin, says wearily, “I’m tired of explaining this, but our song isn’t related to the Temptations song in any way except the title. Whoever says otherwise doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”

Aren’t there copyright laws to prevent this kind of confusion?

No, according to Brady L. Benton, West Coast research manager of Broadcast Music Inc. “You can’t copyright a title,” he says. “You can copyright a song--meaning its contents--but not the title.”

In fact, we might not have seen the last of “Jump.” Benton says BMI alone has listed 24 songs with that title.