Well, it's Friday and you know what that means.
Yes, my Oriental houseboy Kato and I will be off for the weekend to Saratoga, where my horse will naturally win (and Carly will write another song about me).
So posting by moi will be necessarily sporadic for a few days.
But in the meantime, here's a fun project for you to enjoy in my absence:
Best Pop/Rock Song That Namechecks an Actual Celebrity (Musical or Otherwise) Either in the Title or the Song Itself!!!!
My totally top of my head Top Three:
1. Brian Wilson -- Barenaked Ladies
2. David Duchovny -- Bree Sharp
3. Who Killed Bobby Fuller? -- Black 47
Join in, won't you?
[h/t Eschaton regular Jay C.]
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Alex Chilton -the Smithereens
Marlene on the Wall -Suzanne Vega
Does This Bush Stop at 82nd Street -Bruce Springsteen (Joan Fontaine, always cracked me up because it comes out of nowhere).
Smoke On The Water- Deep Purple
Be My Yoko Ono-Barenaked Ladies
This one's a bit of a stretch...
Henry Kissinger- Eric Idle
Henry Kissinger
How I'm missing yer
You're the doctor of my dreams
With your crinkly hair and your glassy stare
And your machiavellian schemes
I know they say that you are very vain
And short and fat and pushy but at least you're not insane
Henry Kissinger
How I'm missing yer
And wishing you were here.
Henry Kissinger
How I'm missing yer
You're so chubby and so neat
With your funny clothes and your squishy nose
You're like a German parakeet
All right so people say that you don't care
But you've got nicer legs than Hitler
And bigger tits than Cher
Henry Kissinger
How I'm missing yer
And wishing you were here.
The Right Profile - The Clash (that's Montgomery Clift, honey)
Sweet Gene Vincent - Ian Dury
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks (Terry & Julie, Stamp & Christie)
Mrs. Robinson - Simon & Garfunkel
My Life Is Good - Randy Newman (something in there about hanging out with Bruce Springsteen)
New York City - John Lennon (a whole mess of names in there)
Hey, Hey, My, My - Neil Young (Johnny Rotten)
Ooooo, nice field! In the interest of brevity, I am going to limit myself to titles.
20/20: "Picasso's Big Blue Heart," "I Never Did No Hitler" (still have no idea what the hell that means....)
TMBG: "XTC vs. Adam Ant"
Gorillaz: "Clint Eastwood"
New Pornographers: "The Mary Martin show"
Cherry Blossom Clinic: "Bobby Baccalieri" (okay, he's really a character, but a great song)
Redd Kross: "Linda Blair," "Janus Jeannie and George Harrison," "Debbie and Kim," (that's Gibson and Gordon, for you playing along at home) "McKenzie" (Phillips), "St. Lita Ford Blues," "Charlie" (Manson),"Ghandi is Dead," "Annie's Gone" (Magnuson), "Shonen Knife"--but to be fair, the Redd Kross thing is sort of shooting fish in a barrel: this is what they do.
(Siezes control; stops self.)
"Showbiz Kids" - Steely Dan ('Steely Dan t-shirts'; talk about meta...)
"New Frontier" - Donald Fagen (Dave Brubeck)
"Banditos" - The Refreshments (Capt. Jean Luc Picard - does that count?)
"Buddy Holly" - Weezer (Buddy Holly, Mary Tyler Moore)
Fear my knowledge of Bree Sharp!
"Stereo" -Pavement (Geddy Lee and his high voice)
"Dio" -Tenacious D ("your sauce will mix with ours, and we'll make a good goulash, honey")
"It's the End of the World as We Know It" -R.E.M. (and that shitty Billy Joel song that sounds the same, but without the shimmery guitars).
-Jay C.
Desmond Dekker Came First - Toots and the Maytals
(allowing for a broad definition of "pop")
Marie Provost - Nick Lowe
(allowing for a small spelling change from "Prevost")
The Intro and the Outro - Bonzo Dog Band
Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen (Roy Orbison's singing for the lonely)
The Indifference Of Heaven - Warren Zevon (Billy and Christie, Bruce and Patti)
Tom Cruise Crazy - Jonathan Coulton (download it for free here.
Behind The Wall Of Sleep - The Smithereens (Jean Shrimpton)
That Beastie Boys song where they mention having "more Attractions than Elvis Costello."
And the winner of the Worst song that namechecks an actual celebrity - I Shot John Lennon by The Cranberries. That sound you heard was their career coming to a screeching halt.
Many places to go here...
"Jackie Wilson Said" - Van Morrison
"Celluloid Heros" - The Kinks
"Werewolves of London" - Warren Zevon
"Broadway Melody Of 1974" - Genesis
"Vincent" - Don McLean
"For You Blue" - The Beatles
"Elvis is Everywhere" = Mojo Nixon
Oh, dave, if we're going to open the Beastie Boys can o' worms, we can't neglect the excellent namechecks of Chuck Woolery and Sadaharu Oh in "Hey Ladies," a particular fave of Thers's.
"Roll Over Beethoven"
The truly execreble "A Hit by Varese" by the why-aren't-they-all-dead-yet Chicago
Thank the stars I can't think of anymore songs that mention classical compopsers.
"pablo picasso"- Jonathon Richman
"Happy Mondays"- My Teenage Stride
"I hate being in love with Elijah Wood"- the Tidy Ups
and "Alex Chilton" was a Replacements song
That Beastie Boys song where they "got more rhymes than Abe Vigoda!"
Science Fiction Double Feature - RHPS soundtrack
Telegram Sam by T. Rex namechecks a great many people who may or may not have existed, with a bonus Howlin Wolf reference tossed in.
Andy Warhol - David Bowie (too obvious?)
Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club namechecks EVERYONE
and that's all I got.
Ahem..."Alex Chilton" was by the Replacements, not the Smithereens.
"Gary Gilmore's Eyes" the Adverts
I love "Winona" by Matthew Sweet, mostly because I can't tell whether he's sincere or mocking.
Add "Me & Mr. Jones" Amy Winehouse (Slick Rick)
Ahem..."Alex Chilton" was by the Replacements, not the Smithereens.
I have a Bill Paxton/Bill Pullman dyslexic thing with the Replacements and the Smithereeens. I drank a lot back in those days. A whole lot.
Nobody's mentioned that Tim Curry song? I think the title is "I do the rock" or I do the ride...
I can't tell but he drops pretty much every name from Studio 54 from about 1977
"Johnny Carson" by Brian Wilson (performed by the Beach Boys on "Love You" - supposed, a "Smile" era tune).
Brian also mentions Joe South in the unreleased "Games Two People Can Play".
Don't think this counts, but Elvis refers to Lennon and Roger Waters in "Other Side of Summer" ("Was it a millionaire who said 'imagine no possessions?' / A poor little schoolboy who said 'we don't need no lessons'...")
Moody Blues, "Legend of a Mind" (Timothy Leary).
Bananarama "Robert de Niro's Waiting" (Jack Nicholson. No, wait, that can't be right. Robert de Niro?
"Good, good, good, . . . like Brigette Bardot!" "The Message of Love," the Pretenders.
"Einstein's Day," by Mission of Burma
"The Wedding of Jacqueline Kennedy to Russell Mael" - Sparks
"Mr. Wilson" - John Cale (an ode to Brian, not the former British prime minister)
"White Devil's Dream" - Quasi, in which the Bush brothers, Cheney, and others are cursed
Three that mention Brother Ray:
Ray Charles - Old 97s
You're Right, Ray Charles - Joe Tex
Glad Tidings - Van Morrison (or is it Brand New Day? I haven't listened to Moondance in years)
"Joan Crawford" - Blue Öyster Cult, not just a name check but a whole freakin' song about a celeb.
"Ballad of John & Yoko" Self-referential namecheck.
"Bette Davis' Eyes" (Just kidding, i was going to "strike" it but your comments won't allow it. And what up wid dat, G?)
There's a Smithereens song about a female bass player who "stood just like Bill Wyman."
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