Most of you, by now, are familiar with my obsessive need to put everything into lists. It's a sickness. I make no apologies. Here's another one - this time about songs that have a famous person as its subject matter. There's only three rules:
1. This is a list of songs I like. No crappy songs allowed on list.
2. It cannot be about a fellow band member, family member or girlfriend. Otherwise this list would go on forever. Here's a few examples:
Layla - Derek & the Dominoes (Pattie Boyd)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett)
Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney (Linda McCartney)
Hey Jude - The Beatles (Julian Lennon)
3. Lastly, the song cannot just mention him or her once or twice. The song doesn't need to be a mini-biography, it can simply be inspired by the individual. But a quick namedrop doesn't count. So, "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkle is disqualified since it mentions Joe DiMaggio only once and isn't about him at all.
So, here's the list in no particular order. I've put the song's inspiration/subject matter in parentheses where it's not obvious.
Rosanna - Toto (Rosanna Arquette)
Abraham, Martin and John - Dion (Lincoln, MLK Jr., JFK)
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder (Duke Ellington)
Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John (Billy Jean King)
Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
Andy Warhol - David Bowie
Timothy Leary - Moody Blues
Sexy Sadie - The Beatles (Maharishi Yogi)
Pablo Picasso - Burning Sensations (originally recorded by The Modern Lovers)
She's Not There - The Zombies (Twiggy)
American Pie - Don McLean (numerous musical figures)
Faron Young - Prefab Sprout
Alec Eiffel - The Pixies (Alexandre Gustave Eiffel)
Buddy Holly - Weezer
King Tut - Steve Martin
Black Superman - Johnny Wakelin (Muhammad Ali)
The Ride - David Alan Cole (Hank Williams)
Man on the Moon - REM (Andy Kaufman)
Don Henly Must Die - Mojo Nixon
Night Shift - Commodores (Marvin Gaye)
Michael Caine - Madness
Biko - Peter Gabriel (Stephen Biko)
Bette Davis Eyes- Kim Carnes
Suedehead- Morrissey (James Dean)
Empty Garden - Elton John (John Lennon)
Candle in the Wind - Elton John (Marilyn Monroe)
Midnight Rambler - Rolling Stones (serial killer Albert De Salvo)
Pride - U2 (MLK Jr.)
Killing Me Softly - Roberta Flack (Don McLean)
Calypso - John Denver (Jacques Cousteau)
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
And here's two I absolutely hate, just 'cause:
When Smokey Sings - ABC (Smokey Robinson)
Henry VIII - Herman's Hermits
I'll also mention "Something" by The Beatles: generally considered to be about his woman, Patty Boyd, but George Harrison claimed it was for Ray Charles. The verdict is still out. The same goes for Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" which probably is about her (ex)beau Warren Beatty, but it's still up for debate.
If you've got some more glaring omissions, please send them my way!
1. This is a list of songs I like. No crappy songs allowed on list.
2. It cannot be about a fellow band member, family member or girlfriend. Otherwise this list would go on forever. Here's a few examples:
Layla - Derek & the Dominoes (Pattie Boyd)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd (Syd Barrett)
Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney (Linda McCartney)
Hey Jude - The Beatles (Julian Lennon)
3. Lastly, the song cannot just mention him or her once or twice. The song doesn't need to be a mini-biography, it can simply be inspired by the individual. But a quick namedrop doesn't count. So, "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkle is disqualified since it mentions Joe DiMaggio only once and isn't about him at all.
So, here's the list in no particular order. I've put the song's inspiration/subject matter in parentheses where it's not obvious.
Rosanna - Toto (Rosanna Arquette)
Abraham, Martin and John - Dion (Lincoln, MLK Jr., JFK)
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder (Duke Ellington)
Philadelphia Freedom - Elton John (Billy Jean King)
Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus
Andy Warhol - David Bowie
Timothy Leary - Moody Blues
Sexy Sadie - The Beatles (Maharishi Yogi)
Pablo Picasso - Burning Sensations (originally recorded by The Modern Lovers)
She's Not There - The Zombies (Twiggy)
American Pie - Don McLean (numerous musical figures)
Faron Young - Prefab Sprout
Alec Eiffel - The Pixies (Alexandre Gustave Eiffel)
Buddy Holly - Weezer
King Tut - Steve Martin
Black Superman - Johnny Wakelin (Muhammad Ali)
The Ride - David Alan Cole (Hank Williams)
Man on the Moon - REM (Andy Kaufman)
Don Henly Must Die - Mojo Nixon
Night Shift - Commodores (Marvin Gaye)
Michael Caine - Madness
Biko - Peter Gabriel (Stephen Biko)
Bette Davis Eyes- Kim Carnes
Suedehead- Morrissey (James Dean)
Empty Garden - Elton John (John Lennon)
Candle in the Wind - Elton John (Marilyn Monroe)
Midnight Rambler - Rolling Stones (serial killer Albert De Salvo)
Pride - U2 (MLK Jr.)
Killing Me Softly - Roberta Flack (Don McLean)
Calypso - John Denver (Jacques Cousteau)
Rock Me Amadeus - Falco
And here's two I absolutely hate, just 'cause:
When Smokey Sings - ABC (Smokey Robinson)
Henry VIII - Herman's Hermits
I'll also mention "Something" by The Beatles: generally considered to be about his woman, Patty Boyd, but George Harrison claimed it was for Ray Charles. The verdict is still out. The same goes for Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" which probably is about her (ex)beau Warren Beatty, but it's still up for debate.
If you've got some more glaring omissions, please send them my way!
