Songs about other famous musicians

[Norman Breaks]

Tracks that name check other musicians.

For example:

[BrianD3]

Phil Lynott & Mark Knopfler - King's Call
Dire Straits - Calling Elvis
Van Morrison - Jackie Wilson Said
Mott the Hoople - All The Young Dudes
Ian Dury - Sweet Gene Vincent

[DeletedUser]

American Pie would be a bit too obvious I’m sure!!

But When Smokey Singe by ABC is a good’un!

[Norman Breaks]

This smooth groove:

[678904673]

Van's tribute to Jackie Wilson

[Fugue]

Name-checks Peter Gabriel.

[BrianD3]

Probably cheating a bit as the references are the song.

[Apelles]

Neil Young being mentioned negatively in Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet home Alabama' immediately comes to mind. There was also a very unflattering song I remember hearing by an American punk band
about 'Don Henley must die'.
Eminem mentioned other recording artists in one of his tunes . . Britney Spears and the guy from limp biscuit.

[nlgbbbblth]

Here's some of my favourites

Kirsty MacColl - There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis
The Fall - I Am Damo Suzuki
The Replacements - Alex Chilton
Motorhead - R.A.M.O.N.E.S
David Bowie - Song For Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan - Blind Willie McTell
Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs' Tears
Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke

Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond [Syd Barrett]
The Dream Academy - Life In A Northern Town [Nick Drake]
Elton John - Empty Garden [John Lennon]
R.E.M. - Let Me In [Kurt Cobain]
Commodores - Nightshift [Marvin Gaye / Jackie Wilson]
Camera Obscura - Lloyd, Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? [Lloyd Cole]

[DeletedUser]

Here's some of my favourites

Kirsty MacColl - There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis
The Fall - I Am Damo Suzuki
The Replacements - Alex Chilton
Motorhead - R.A.M.O.N.E.S
David Bowie - Song For Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan - Blind Willie McTell
Falco - Rock Me Amadeus
Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs' Tears
Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke

Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond [Syd Barrett]
The Dream Academy - Life In A Northern Town [Nick Drake]
Elton John - Empty Garden [John Lennon]
R.E.M. - Let Me In [Kurt Cobain]
Commodores - Nightshift [Marvin Gaye / Jackie Wilson]
Camera Obscura - Lloyd, Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? [Lloyd Cole]

I never knew the Dream Academy song was about Nick Drake!!!

[jmayo]

Tom Petty - Runnin down a dream - (Del Shannon - Runaway)

Tom Petty - Freefallin - (Elvis)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication (Kurt Cobain)

Christy Moore - Lisdonvarna (Jackson Browne, The Chieftains, Adam & Bono, Clannad, Van the Man, Emmy Lou Harris, Moving Hearts, Plantxy and Brush Sheilds)

Must be most references to other acts in one song?
ok maybe Brush Shields is stretching famous musicians

[jmayo]

Just thought of few more...

Dexys Midnight Runners - Jackie Wilson Said

Chuck Berry - Roll over Beethoven

John Cougar Mellenchamp - Rock in the USA (James Brown, Martha Reeves, Jackie Wilson)

Marc Cohen - Walking in Memphis (Elvis, Al Green)

[BrianD3]

Endless Art by A House would have the most references, these at least and I have probably missed some.

Jimi Hendrix
Sid Vicious
Brian Jones
Otis Redding
Beethoven
Bach
Brahms
Elvis Presley
Johnny ray
John Lennon
Keith moon
Mozart
Ian Curtis
Johann Strauss
Richard Strauss

Also, there was a female version of it that referenced Janis Joplin and probably others.

[Norman Breaks]

No mention of Weezer - Buddy Holly yet?

[Seanybiker]

Steve Harley and cockney rebel - come up and see me.


It was about the original members of cockney rebel, they wanted to write songs and Steve said he was the main writer and had half an album already written so he said if you don't like it then tough so they quit the band and he went off had the biggest hit of his career giving out about the lads

[jmayo]

Endless Art by A House would have the most references, these at least and I have probably missed some.

Jimi Hendrix
Sid Vicious
Brian Jones
Otis Redding
Beethoven
Bach
Brahms
Elvis Presley
Johnny ray
John Lennon
Keith moon
Mozart
Ian Curtis
Johann Strauss
Richard Strauss

Also, there was a female version of it that referenced Janis Joplin and probably others.

Jaysus never thought of that.
I haven't heard that in decades I would say.

[Fratello]

It was about the original members of cockney rebel, they wanted to write songs and Steve said he was the main writer and had half an album already written so he said if you don't like it then tough so they quit the band and he went off had the biggest hit of his career giving out about the lads

Cool story. Thanks for that.

[BrianD3]

I was just reading the wiki page on Gene Vincent and found that Ian Dury (Kilburn and the High Roads) has another song, that mentions him.



Wiki page also says that Sweet Gene Vincent was going to be a much longer and had to be trimmed. Also that Dury had spent a lot of time reading about Vincent before writing the song.

[Norman Breaks]

This was not quite what I meant by this thread but felt it was worth a mention. LOTS of famous names dropped in the verses. Very good word play.



They was told not to ride in PATTY'S HEARSE
And stay out of CHARLES MANSION
Took ABRAHAM'S LINCOLN through the TODD BRIDGE expansion
WiILLIS READS a map that marks the spot showin
On his left, GEORGE BURNS a blunt WILLIAM'S HOLDIN'
TYRA BANKED the money that CHAKA CONNED him for
ALICIA KEYED his car for givin' MELBA MORE
For the REDD FOXX she bought off the block, but thought twice
As DEBORA COCKS the gun cuz she beat KELLY'S PRICE
When ROSA PARKED the truck on the farm that KIM FIELDS
LINDA TRIPPED tryin' to walk in LAURYN'S HEELS
Water dripped outta FARRAH'S FAUCET in the glass
She was "Superfly", CUTIS MAY FEEL her ass
CHRIS TOOK HER to a show, TED TURNED HER to a hoe
ROBERT (THE RZA) DIGGS the beat, but ain't feelin' the flow
But he signed too fast, for 1/2 of JOHNNY'S CASH
NIA LONGED for the album to drop, cameras flashed
TOM SAW HER at the LUCILLE BALL up in the foyer
He confronted RICHARD, PRIOR to hirin' his lawyer
SUGE'S KNIGHT removed the rook off the board
DON KING was checked and AL SHARPENED the sword

[CHORUS]
"Wantin cream, I ain't wantin fame"
"Fame is the measure"
"Rap celebs"
"The place where stars are born"

[Verse 2]
The SAINTS marched in, KURTIS BLOWING his horn
TOM CRUISED the boulevard, CHRIS ROCKED the song
For the hundred time, they pressed rewind to the beginning
They toast the rhyme, the juice spilled on JOHN'S LINNEN
They took it to ELIZABETH, TELL HER to dry clean
The lone seamstress, who was schemin' on AL'S GREEN
You know they shoot for the STARS, AND BUCK WILD
Like the kids in the yard who play with JANE'S CHILD
A beautician laced ERYKAH'S BAD DOO
SEAN COMBED through the evidence, just to get a clue
The needle in the haystack, from outta EARTHA'S KITT
Knew the TIGER WOULD kill him, once thrown in BRAD'S PIT
JESSE OWIN' the money from the weed BUBBA SPARKED
Made his journey seemed far, as he walked in DICK CLARKES
JEFFEREY'S LIONS stuck with a thorn from GEORGE BUSH
PAUL PIERCED the heart, as the crowd pushed
Acting alone... DREW BURIED MORE bones
Of the victims, three blocks from JIM'S BROWNSTONE
They shared the same bowl, he caught NATALIE'S COLD
The producer, threw the butter on ESTHER'S ROLL
NIPSEY WRESTLED him down, got his jaw wide
In a instant, BROOKE SHIELDS him from the gunfire
ANGIE STONES him to death, with those vocals
KEITH SWEAT from the workout, just from runnin' local

[CHORUS]
"Wantin cream, I ain't wantin fame"
"Fame is the measure"
"Rap celebs"
"The place where stars are born"

[Verse 3]
LARRY'S BIRD flew outta NICHOLAS CAGE
JOE TEXTED messages from SATCHEL'S PAGE
BET HE WRITE letters with ink from SEAN'S PEN
Infinite bars, you couldn't tell where the song end
GLENN CLOSE enough to quickly dub the tapes
RICHARD GEAR ripped, while he was climbin' BILL GATES
He was a southerner, posin' as a native NYer
JASON KID took his 1st steps in JIMMY'S WALKER
And stayed on line, chattin' with rap celebs
Used BERNIE'S MAC to search VERONICA'S WEB
It cost him his life for the advice she gave
Now PETE ROSE lay on VANESSA'S RED GRAVE

[CHORUS]
"Wantin cream, I ain't wantin fame"
"Fame is the measure"
"Rap celebs"
"The place where stars are born"
"Wantin cream, I ain't wantin fame"
"Fame is the measure"
"Rap celebs"
"The place where stars are born"

[Apelles]

Contrary to popular belief
that it might be a song about . . I dunno . . smoking spliffs whilst out on a boat or something, Deep Purple wrote and recorded 'Smoke on the water' shortly after they witnessed a disastrous Frank Zapper gig in Montreux, Switzerland in 1971.
Zapper and his band, 'The Mother's of Invention' were playing at a casino there, when "some stupid with a flare gun" fired a couple of shots into the ceiling and burnt the whole place to the ground. The band watched on in astonishment as the blaze completely engulfed the venue, and when the fire eventually died down, they observed an eerie layer of smoke, cloaked across the surface of Lake Geneva.
Deep Purple were supposed to be recording their new album 'Machine Head' in that same casino complex, but because of the fire, they ended up using using the 'Rolling Stones mobile studio' at a different hotel, so the Stones along with Zapper's band both get namechecked in the lyrics.

[Enoch Von Clausewitz]

The Pogues - A Pair Of Brown Eyes


Johnny (Cash)

Ray (Lynam) and Philomena (Begley)

[Enoch Von Clausewitz]

Blondie - Rapture

Fab Five Freddy

[Norman Breaks]

Lots of rock bands and singers mentioned here:

[Norman Breaks]

Michelle Pfeiffer talking to Graham Norton about the Bruno Mars song Uptown Funk

[Norman Breaks]

I just remembered a lyric by Ice Cube that mentions Sinead O Conner:



Motherfucker, you'd better break yourself
My skin is my sin, look at my complexion
Section 8, erection great
Balls like Ru Paul and a big fat plank
Get you higher than a Spike Lee joint
See I'm a chicken hawk and I'm hunting chicken and watermelon
It ain't nothing but hard time bailing
Just got a misdomener
Cause I got a deuce-five, and I'm black as Sarafina
Get the hell out Somolia, we didn't call y'all
I can't wait till I can kill all y'all
feck Reggie Denton and Jimmy (Johnny) Cochran
Damn I couldn't get close enough to sock him
I plead guilty your honor
Cause I dissed the Pope more times than Sinead O'Connor
Huh huh, cool, like Butthead and Beavis
Truer than the Mack but I'm downer than he is
And that police chief named Willie
Can take his motherfucking ass back to Philly
Dropped a bomb on a crew named "Move"
Years ago, here's a hoe
That's ready to stop me, they think I'm Khadafi
Rolling in a six-tre jalopy
They want to give me ten in the pen cause I'm smelling like Hen
My skin is my sin
My S-K-I-N is my S-I-N (Burning our black skin)
My S-K-I-N is my S-I-N (Burning our black skin)
I Get Around like Tupac, just bought a new glock
And I want what you got
So please give it up so I can live it up
Just like the rich but I still eat grits
I don't know karate
But I can still beat the dog shit out of Nazis
You claim you want to put in work
Plotting to blow up a church
See you devils are all the same
You'll gun down a congregation in Jesus' name
Using me as a scapegoat, well cracker don't sleep
Far from a goat, more like a black sheep
Lamb of God, and it's odd
That Allah is a man that don't need a tan
And you can't stand when I talk like that
And why do black men have to walk like that?
Cause we swing low like a chariot
And now I got Harriet all on my dick
Cause my shoe size is much bigger than a motherfucking 10
My skin is my sin
My S-K-I-N is my S-I-N (Burning our black skin)
My S-K-I-N is my S-I-N (Burning our black skin)
Who's that janky-ass nigga with last?
Standing like a G pissing on America's flag
Dub C, the nigga from Westside
Westide Maad Circle bailing with a double barrel
Cause uh, my skin is my sin
And all I need is knowledge of self and ammunition is my best friend
When it's time to roll nigga, we ain't calling on Jesus
I'm calling Mad Dog for the 9 millimeters
Cause I give the song with those peckerwoods to the fullest
And a bitch by the name of America's on it
The same bitch that jacked my forefathers
And the Indians took my motherfucking religion
Place a holy Bible in my hand, but for what?
Like Jim Kelly said, "You try to set me up?" Shit...
I'm too slick for your lies in disguise
When will you devils open your eyes and realize?
Like Pepsi, niggas got a new generation
And we don't want your American education
Ain't no brain washing this way
feck America, Tom Meztger, and KKK
And to the cracker named J.B. Stoner
Don't let me catch you on no corners
I see you on TV talking more shit
But just like your punk-ass ancestors, you's a bitch
You's a bitch if I ever saw one
Grand Wizard bring your ass on Imperial so we can get physical
And watch God show and prove
Not only mentally but physically the black man rules
So run devil run, you's to best start running
Because the niggas are coming, oh, the niggas are coming
And ain't no way you gon' win
Cause I come from a tribe of O.G.'s and my skin is my sin
My S-K-I-N is my S-I-N "Burning our black skin"
My S-K-I-N is my S-I-N "Burning our black skin"