Songs that mention other Songs and Performers

[M'Sharak]

Steely Dan's "Parker's Band" is, of course, about the immortal Bird, Charlie Parker.

The Bird is also referenced, along with many others, in Manhattan Transfer's version of "Birdland." MT's "Body and Soul" is about Coleman Hawkins and also namechecks Eddie Jefferson and others.

The title of the Joe Zawinul/Weather Report tune which Manhattan Transfer recorded alludes to a 52nd Street NYC nightclub where Parker headlined for a time and which took its name from him. George Shearing wrote another tune about the same club called "Lullaby of Birdland" which has been performed and recorded by many artists, including Sarah Vaughan.

The Lambert, Hendricks & Ross song "Twisted" contains a reference of another sort: Annie Ross' words are sung to the melody of an earlier tune written by Wardell Gray.

But The Manhattan Transfers lyrics tells you the club was named after Bird.

Bird named it, Bird made it
Bird heard it, then played it
Well stated Birdland
It happened down in Birdland....

In the middle of that hub
I remember one jazz club
Where we went to pat feet
Down on 52nd Street
Everybody heard that word
That they named it after Bird
Where the rythym swooped and swirled
The jazz corner of the world
And the cats they gigged in there
Were beyond compare


Bird would cook, Max would look
Where? Down in Birdland
Miles came through, trane came too there
Down in Birdland
Basie blew, Blakey too
Where? Down in Birdland
Cannonball played that hall there

So we have Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Count Basie, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, and finally Cannonball Adderley

Okay, fair enough - you've got me on the lyrics, which I never knew well.

Speaking of lyrics, I forgot to mention that Annie Ross' lyrics to "Twisted" name-check Alexander Graham Bell, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. Though none of them were primarily known as musicians, Bell and Einstein both played instruments (Bell was a self-taught pianist and, at 16, a music teacher); Edison didn't, but he invented a device which allowed millions of people to listen to the recorded music of many of the artists named in this thread.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Luckenbach, Texas by Waylon Jennings, mentions Waylon, Willie Nelson, Mickey Newberry, Hank Williams and Jerry Jeff Walker. Also Willie's "Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain".

 

[Count Zero]

The Seeker by The Who has this line: "I asked Bobby Dylan, I asked the Beatles, I asked Timothy Leary but he couldn't help me, either."

David Bowie has a song called "Song for Bob Dylan".

Hip hop songs, of course, are full of this sort of thing. In Fugee-La by The Fugees mentions Paul McCartney and the song Say Say Say he did with Michael Jackson.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Another Weezer Song - Heart Songs. Features at least 13 different artists. Lyrics

There are a few more I know of, just can't remember them.

Ooh, I forgot about that one.

Just remembered another Weezer one - Buddy Holly

Oh, wow, there's an obvious one. I'll add In the Garage to hopefully round out the Weezer list

 

[Jono]

Flight of the Conchords did a song in one episode where Brett dissed any rapper he could think of. Not sure if it turned up on an album or not.

 

[barnaclelapse]

Two of my favorite examples would be Bob Dylan mentioning Alicia Keys in "Thunder on The Mountain" and The Gaslight Anthem referencing Springsteen's "I'm on Fire" in "High and Lonesome Sound."

 

[Pingfah]

"I said to Hank Williams 'How lonely does it get?'
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long
A hundred floors above me
In the tower of song."
Leonard Cohen, Tower Of Song. Obvious one, really.

Hank Williams is also namechecked in the great Johnny Cash song On The Night Hank Williams Came To Town.

Ry Cooder did a song called Hank Williams as well, it's on an album called My Name Is Buddy.

 

[empty]

Last Emperor's track "Secret Wars" is pretty fun, it pits Marvel Super Heroes against various rappers like KRS One, Redman, Busta Rhymes or Lauryn Hill. The artist impersonates several of the rappers...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SPjPGeYlMU
and part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYlEOs2N0fc

The Game is another rapper that heavily references lots and lots of MCs...
like in this song; LL Cool J, Will Smith, Biggie, Nas, 2 Live Crew, Ice Cube, etc...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rez__dw4n_A

And another song by The Game (with a fantastic video) about deceased people like Aalyiah, Left Eye from TLC, Eazy E, Marvin Gaye... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTSzVDbXUJ0

 

[chardman]

The ultimate song of this type was the 1974 "Life Is A Rock But The Radio Rolled Me" by a studio band called "Reunion". (It was on the Billboard Hot Hundred for several months, and peaked at No.8.)

The Video on YouTube

The Lyrics

B.B. Bumble and the Stingers, Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles Singers
Lonnie Mack and twangin' Eddy, here's my ring we're goin' steady
Take it easy, take me higher, liar liar, house on fire
Locomotion, Poco, Passion, Deeper Purple, Satisfaction
Baby baby gotta gotta gimme gimme gettin' hotter
Sammy's cookin', Lesley Gore and Ritchie Valens, end of story
Mahavishnu, fujiyama, kama-sutra, rama-lama
Richard Perry, Spector, Barry, Archies, Righteous, Nilsson, Harry
Shimmy shimmy ko-ko bop and Fats is back and Finger Poppin'

Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

FM, AM, hits are clickin' while the clock is tock-a-tickin'
Friends and Romans, salutations, Brenda and the Tabulations
Carly Simon, I behold her, Rolling Stones and centerfoldin'
Johnny Cash and Johnny Rivers, can't stop now, I got the shivers
Mungo Jerry, Peter Peter Paul and Paul and Mary Mary
Dr. John the nightly tripper, Doris Day and Jack the Ripper
Gotta go Sir, gotta swelter, Leon Russell, Gimme Shelter
Miracles in smokey places, slide guitars and Fender basses
Mushroom omelet, Bonnie Bramlett, Wilson Pickett, stop and kick it

Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

Arthur Janov's primal screamin', Hawkins, Jay and
Dale and Ronnie, Kukla, Fran and Norma Okla
Denver, John and Osmond, Donny
JJ Cale and ZZ Top and LL Bean and De De Dinah
David Bowie, Steely Dan and sing me prouder, CC Rider
Edgar Winter, Joanie Sommers, Osmond Brothers, Johnny Thunders
Eric Clapton, pedal wah-wah, Stephen Foster, do-dah do-dah
Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda, Surfer Girl and Little Honda
Tighter, tighter, honey, honey, sugar, sugar, yummy, yummy
CBS and Warner Brothers, RCA and all the others

Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

spoken:
Listen--remember, they're playing our song!
Rock it, sock it, Alan Freed me, Murray Kaufman, try to leave me
Fish, and Swim, and Boston Monkey,
Make it bad and play it funky.
(Wanna take you higher!)

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

Ooh, I forgot about that one.

Just remembered another Weezer one - Buddy Holly

Oh, wow, there's an obvious one. I'll add In the Garage to hopefully round out the Weezer list

I'll add Pork n Beans - as part of the lyrics are (with it menting Timbaland):-

So they can sing along
(Hey, hey)
Timbaland knows the way
To reach the top of the charts

 

[ManOnTheWave]

The Pixies "I've Been Tired" mentions Lou Reed.