Songs that mention other Songs and Performers

[Nerys Myk]

Sometimes its just a quick name drop like in "You'd Better You Bet" by the Who:

But I drunk myself blind to the sound of old T-Rex.
To the sound of old T-Rex, And "Who's Next."

or "Surrender" by Cheap Trick

When I woke up, Mom and Dad are rolling on the couch
Rolling numbers, rock and rolling, got my Kiss records out


It can be an entire verse like Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama"

Well I heard Mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ol' Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow

And sometime the song is peppered with them:

American Pie by Don McLean or the Mamas & Papas "Creeque Alley"

More recently there was Kid Rock's "All Summer Long"

Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow
Singing Sweet home Alabama all summer long

And then there is the tribute song when a performer dies. Some of which can be pretty bad.

Though the Lennon tribute "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)" by Elton John was one I liked (Okay even after 30 years it still makes me cry)

Any favorites or non favorites come to mind?

 

[the G-man]

Neither a favorite or non-favorite but the Righteous Brothers' Rock and Roll Heaven is possibly the only song that rivals American Pie in terms of the sheer number of name-checks.

 

[Candlelight]

Anytime Eminem opens his mouth, Dr Dre seems to get a mention.

 

[Jetfire]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHJ1waRsfJc[/yt]

Hit Or Miss By New Found Glory

It mentions "Thriller". Of course by Michael Jackson.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7-CKirWZE[/yt]

You Get What You Give By New Radicals

They mention Beck, Hanson, Courtney Love & Marilyn Manson. Toward the end of the song.

 

[Holdfast]

It can be an entire verse like Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama"

That immediately came to mind for me.

Elvis gets name-checked in the title of "Elvis Ain't Dead" by Scouting for Girls. And talking about Elvis, he's mentioned in Marc Cohen's "Walking in Memphis".

Stuff I'm feeling too lazy to fact-check the title or artist on:

- I think Catatonia did a song about Tom Jones saving a marriage
- Spandau Ballet definitely mention listening to Marvin Gaye somewhere, but I can't place the line.
- there's a rhyming couplet of "when Smokey sings, I hear violins" that I can hear in my head, and refers to Smokey Robinson, but I can't for the life of me remember any other lyrics from the song.

 

[ToddPence]

Pink Floyd - "Vera Lynn"

At the end of "Dyer Maker", Led Zeppelin ask whatever became of Rosie and the Originals.

The 1980's hair-metal band Heaven's song "In the Beginning" mentions Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and AC/DC.

 

[the G-man]

It can be an entire verse like Lynard Skynard's "Sweet Home Alabama"

Well I heard Mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ol' Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow

...or, in the case of Warren Zevon's "Play it All Night Long," the chorus:

Sweet Home Alabama
Play that Dead Band's Song
Turn the Speakers Up Full Blast
Play it All Night Long
​

Interesting enough, a few years ago, after Zevon died, the Drive-by Truckers remade "Play it all Night Long," but changed the lyrics to reflect Zevon's death from cancer:

Daddy's Doing Sister Sally
Zevon's died of cancer now
the cattle all have brucellosis (sp)
we'll get through somehow

Sweet Home Alabama
Play that dead MAN's song...
​

 

[the G-man]

Elvis gets name-checked in the title of "Elvis Ain't Dead" by Scouting for Girls. And talking about Elvis, he's mentioned in Marc Cohen's "Walking in Memphis".

Hell, you could probably fill an iPod with songs about Elvis.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Interesting. I was listening to "Werewolves of London" and noticed a similarity between it and "Sweet Home Alabama" in the signature riff.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Shooting Star - I Just Wanna Rock, from the 2000 album Leap Of Faith.

It quotes dozens of song titles similar to how Billy Joel's We Didn't Star The Fire mentions all those 50's, 60's & 70's situations.

Lyrics to I Just Wanna Rock :
I'll talk you ya later
Gonna take the long way home
Through the cross town traffic
and the purple haze

Well it's all right now
Cause I'm bored to the sun
I've seen the dark side of the moon
I was born to run

I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby

You can walk this way
I'm gonna keep on loving you
It's been a hard day's night
You shook me all night long

There's smoke on the water
Dust in the wind
Look who's crying now
I won't get fooled again

I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby

I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby

On a stairway to heaven
Feeling like a freebird
To, to the hotel california
It's been a hollywood night

If it feels like the first time
You gotta start me up
Just don't be cruel
I got a whole lotta love

I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby
I just wanna rock, baby"

 

[Davros]

Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple mentions Zappa and the Mothers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f7LwuVF8Oo

Then there is the classic Mojo Nixon song Elvis is Everywhere

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hkIN38qnY

 

[the G-man]

Interesting. I was listening to "Werewolves of London" and noticed a similarity between it and "Sweet Home Alabama" in the signature riff.

Back in college I was trying to get the band backing me at a frat party to play Werewolves at a Halloween party. They didn't know it. I said "just play Sweet Home Alabama sideways". Damned if it didn't work.

 

[cardinal biggles]

Elton John's song "The Wasteland" (from his Songs from the West Coast album) mentions legendary guitarist Robert Johnson quite prominently in the chorus:

Come on Robert Johnson
Though we're worlds apart
You and I know what it's like
With the devil in our heart
You sold your soul at the crossroads
Kept a little of mine on hand
I'm wading out this muddy water
Been stranded in the Wasteland

 

[Jono]

- I think Catatonia did a song about Tom Jones saving a marriage

Yep, it was "Ballad of Tom Jones".

 

[Nerys Myk]

An interesting twist on this is Eddie Money's "Take Me Home Tonight" Where Eddie sings "Just like Ronnie sang" and Ronnie Spector pops in to sing the line "Be my little baby" from her song "Be My Baby"

 

[Captain Dago]

First one that came to my mind was "The South's Gonna Do It Again," by the Charlie Daniels Band, which name checks most of the Southern Rock bands of the 70s.

And, in a completely different vein, "Jackie Wilson Said..." by Van Morrison.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Bright Eyes did a song called "Joy Division," which also contains a reference to the latter band.

Not sure how many people have heard of either one of those, though. Maybe you guys will surprise me.

 

[scotpens]

- Spandau Ballet definitely mention listening to Marvin Gaye somewhere, but I can't place the line.

The line is “Listening to Marvin all night long,” from the song “True.”

“One Way Ticket (to the Blues),” recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1959 and covered by Boney M. twenty years later, has references to the Everly Brothers’ “Bye Bye Love,” Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel,” and the country song “A Fool Such As I” which has been done by numerous artists.

Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke,” in addition to the eponymous Duke Ellington, mentions Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Rick Nelson’s “Garden Party,” recounting his appearance at a 1971 Madison Square Garden concert where he was allegedly booed, contains references to John Lennon and Yoko Ono, “Hello Mary Lou,” “Honky Tonk Woman,” and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode.” The mysterious “Mr. Hughes” who “hid in Dylan’s shoes” is apparently a reference not to Howard Hughes, but to an alias that George Harrison used when traveling.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I remember Joy Division, but mostly as the precursor to New Order.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

"I asked you to go to the Green Day concert, you said you never heard of them." - El Scorcho, Weezer

The one that immediately came to mind was Sweet Home Alabama, which was literally in reply to Neil Young, but I see everyone else thought of that one too.