Friday, December 07, 2007

Weekend Listomania (Special There is Nothing Like a Dame Video Edition)

Well, it's Friday and you know what that means. Yes, my Oriental manservant Hop-Sing and I are off to Hollywood, where we've been offered cameo roles in the new J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie. Apparently, we're going to be playing green Orion slave girls, which in the little yellow devil's case is apparently against his religion, so I may have to apply the lash.

In any case, posting by moi will be necessarily sporadic for a while.

But in my absence, here's a fun project for you all to contemplate:

Best Song With A Girl's Name in the Title!!!!!!
You know -- the catchiest, the best written, the most historically significant, the one that most reminds you of a girl you actually knew. However you define it.

[Oh, and BTW -- the word "girl" here is used in a deliberately anachronistic, ironic Sixties Pop-contextual way. Obviously, we know that these are all songs about strong, confident "women" who don't need men in their lives as anything other than large, hairy vibrators with lots of good attachments.]

In any case, my totally top of my head Top Ten would be....

10. (a tie) Four Seasons -- Marlena



and Suzanne Vega -- Marlena On the Wall



[The Four Seasons had lots of songs with girls names, but this one, while a tad obscure, is clearly the champ as Pure Pop. Those falsetto "roop-eee-doops" at the end are absolutely sublime, IMHO]

9.Leonard Cohen -- Suzanne



[Not my favorite song, but in honor of Hannukah....]

8. Ramones -- Sheena is a Punk Rocker



7. Elvis Costello -- Veronica



6. The Beach Boys -- Wendy



[Here's looking at you, Brooklyn Girl!]

5. Bob Dylan -- Visions of Johanna



4. The Hollies -- Carrie Anne



3. Aerosmith -- Janie's Got a Gun



2. Buddy Holly -- Peggy Sue



and my number one girl's name song is....

1. Fountains of Wayne -- Hey Julie



What can I say? This is the one that makes me cry...the guy in the song just loves her so much. More proof, if any is needed, that Adam Schlesinger is a fricking genius.

Okay -- what are your faves?

[Editor's Note: Steve called me from the set to let me know that because of all the Hollywood debauchery he was enjoying, he couldn't get to a computer to post his Weekly Listomania. Kid C.]

41 comments:

  1. Alison--Elvis Costello
    Donna--Richie Valens
    Julia--The Beatles
    Valleri--The Monkees
    Maureen--Fountains of Wayne
    Gloria--Shadows of Night
    Leah--Roy Orbison
    Runaround Sue--Dion
    Hello Mary Lou--Ricky Nelson

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  2. Alison - for me, too. First one that came to mind.
    Eleanor Rigby - Beatles
    Sweet Jane - Velvet Underground
    Lola - Kinks
    Layla _ Derek & the Dominos (i.e., Clapton)
    Help Me, Rhonda - Beach Boys
    Billie Jean - well????? Okay, it's Michael Jackson, but still ...
    Maybelline- Chuck Berry
    Rosalita - Bruce
    Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills & Nash

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  3. Off the top of me head:

    The Spongetones - Anna
    The Mice - Felicia
    The Kinks - Victoria
    The Who - Pictures of Lily
    Pink Floyd - See Emily Play
    Game Theory - Erica's Word
    The Direct Hits - Modesty Blaise

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  4. The Rolling Stones - Angie

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  5. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
    you can see why it's my personal fave

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  6. Gloria-Patti Smith

    Julia-The Beatles

    Cynthia Mask-Robyn Hitchcock

    Walk Away Rene-Left Banke

    Valerie - Amy Winehouse version (zutons orig)

    Amelia-Joni Mitchell

    Candy Says- Velvet Underground

    I could do this all day, so I'll stop there.

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  7. I've got Sprinsteen on the brain this week...

    Candy's Room

    --whiskey girl

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  8. couple more...
    For Emily- Simon &Garfunkle
    Suite: Judy Blue Eyes- CS&N
    Ruby Tuesday- Stones
    Mona- Stones

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  9. For sheer melodic beauty
    The Everly Brothers: Cathy's Clown
    And that would be
    Van Morrison's Gloria a a a a

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  10. Peg - Steely Dan

    Josie - Steely Dan

    Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne

    Carmelita - performed by Ronstadt, written by Zevon (which also could be one of the great drug songs from last week's list)

    My Sharona - The Knack

    And ... I hate to say it, considering Sting's being voted Worst Lyricist Ever, but:

    Roxanne - The Police

    p.s. I don't suppose Sugar Magnolia, Brown Sugar, or Bitch qualify as girl's names, do they?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Caroline, No - Beach Boys
    The Wind Cries Mary - Jimi Hendrix
    One-Eyed Fiona - Lyle Lovett
    Ariel - Dean Freidman
    Jenny Jenny - Little Richard
    Karen - Shoes (!!)
    Carol - Chuck Berry
    Claudette - Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers
    Donna The Prima Donna - Dion
    When Joanna Loved Me - Tony Bennett
    Plaistow Patricia - Ian Dury (best opening line ever.)

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  12. My Sharona - The Knack
    That would belong on list Worst Songs With A Girl's Name in the Title!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Some really great songs mentioned already, I especially appreciate Marlene Watches from the Wall, what a great song. It reminds me of Joni Mitchell's Shades of Scarlett Conquering, another great song.

    As for Elvis, (glasses not toliet) I could add So Like Candy.

    Trey

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  14. And let's not forget
    My Maria - BW Stevenson
    Valerie - Richard Thompson
    Lady Madonna - The Beatles

    and though it's far from one of their best

    Julie's In The Drug Squad - The Clash

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  15. My Sharona - The Knack
    That would belong on list Worst Songs With A Girl's Name in the Title!!!!!!


    Oh, I think it's hysterically funny. And it was pretty influential when it came out.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good call on Left Banke. Besides "Walk Away Renee, they were a veritable treasure trove of songs named after girls:

    Desiree
    Goodbye Holly
    Myrah

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  17. dammit, you people sucked me back in:

    Edith and the Kingpin-Joni Mitchell

    The Green Pajamas also have many great girl name songs:
    All Clues Lead to Megan's Bed
    Christine Crystalline
    Mary Ryan's Hair
    Essence Of Carol
    Dreams Of Rhonda
    Matilda
    and
    Kim the Waitress

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  18. Victoria - Kinks
    Aja - Steely Dan
    Barbara Ann - Beach Boys
    Caroline, No - ibid

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  19. Oops...I didn't see "Victoria" and "Caroline, No" had already been mentioned:

    So let's replace them with:

    "Martha My Dear" - Beatles (OK, so it's Paul's dog...) and
    "She Sheila" - Producers

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  20. Well, Mike mentioned Shoes' "Karen," and I'd also add "Oh, Angeline," from Silhouette.

    Material Issue has several girls' name songs: "Valerie Loves Me," "Renee Remains the Same," "Li'l Christine" and "Diane" spring immediately to mind. And that's just International Pop Overthrow!

    But (since I was just listening to it in the car) The Lolas "Little Deedra" is my fave right now.

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  21. Material Issue gives me great flashbacks to college

    But Walk Away Renée wins the category, IHMO.

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  22. Material Issue, as you both prolly already know, also covered "Kim the Waitress"

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  23. "Mavis of Maybelline Towers" by The Loud Family and Anton Barbeau, probably my favorite song from last year.

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  24. Candy-O - The Cars
    Judy - The dB's
    Is that you MoDean? B52's (a reach)
    52 Girls - B52's(hee hee.)

    Trey

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  25. Some terrific choices here, Steve and fellow bloggers. I'll challenge myself to come up with ten worthy "girl name" songs that haven't been mentioned yet and hopefully won't be by the time I'm finished with this. In no particular order of preference, then:

    The Wind Cries Mary--Jimi Hendrix

    Sweet Virginia--I actually have two entries for this one: the first from the Rolling Stones, the second from Gomez. (They are two totally different songs, but I'll count them as only one entry

    Rosalita--Bruce Springsteen

    Michelle--The Beatles

    Denise--Fountains of Wayne (can't believe this one hasn't been snapped up already, in fact had to go carefully through this blog multiple times to make sure it hadn't been)

    Caroline Goodbye--Colin Blunstone

    I Want to Help You, Ann--The Lyres

    Sara--Bob Dylan

    Nadine--Chuck Berry

    Bernadette--The Four Tops

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  26. Sister Anne - MC5

    Annie's Gone - Redd Kross

    Anna - Arthur Alexander

    Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) - Procol Harum

    Lazy Line Painter Jane - Belle & Sebastian

    ReplyDelete
  27. Ten other greats that haven't been mentioned yet:

    Janie Jones - The Clash

    Wake Up, Dolores - Los Lobos

    Denise - Randy & The Rainbows

    Marie Provost - Nick Lowe

    Some of Shelly's Blues - Mike Nesmith

    The Best of Jill Hives - Guided By Voices

    Maggie's Farm - Bob Dylan

    Back In Judy's Jungle - Brian Eno

    Judy In Disguise (With Glasses) - John Fred & The Playboy Band

    Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy - Kid Creole & The Coconuts

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  28. morbid puritan said...

    Sister Anne - MC5

    Magdalene (My Regal Zonophone) - Procol Harum


    I love you...on several levels...
    :-)

    I'd also have to add...

    Mink DeVille -- Rolene!!!!

    I want to date a woman named Rolene...
    :-)

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  29. virgotex said...

    Material Issue, as you both prolly already know, also covered "Kim the Waitress"


    No one can save us...
    :-)

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  30. Gosh, I hate to say this but -- Adam Schlesinger is Al Jardine.

    That's so not fair....
    :-)

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  31. If I may add....

    The Who - Mary Ann with the Shakey Hands

    The Association - Along Came Mary

    The Hollies - Carrie Ann

    And who could forget...

    Kiss - Beth

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  32. Judy in Disguise With glasses.

    Two and a half million copies sold.

    I was hooked on Steppenwolf and Johnny Winter back then, but now I know.

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  33. I just knew somebody was gonna say "Beth."

    I actually find it hard to believe that there are people out there whose nostalgia is Kiss.
    :-)

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  34. "Elenore" - The Turtles
    "Sweet Mary" - Wadsworth Mansion
    "Love Grows (where my Rosemary goes)" - Edison Lighthouse

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  35. I can't let the posting here wind down without mentioning Blondie's Maria.

    ReplyDelete
  36. totally agree with these from above:

    Suzanne Vega -- Marlena On the Wall
    The Hollies -- Carrie Anne
    The Who - Pictures of Lily
    Game Theory - Erica's Word

    Would add:

    Iggy Pop and Kate Pierson - Candy
    Talk Talk - Candy
    Talk Talk - Does Caroline Know?
    Talk Talk - Pictures Of Bernadette
    Talk Talk - Renee
    Concrete Blonde - Caroline

    ReplyDelete
  37. Mike said...
    I can't let the posting here wind down without mentioning Blondie's Maria.

    12/09/2007 6:24 PM


    I absolutely adore that song...

    ReplyDelete
  38. so many good ones already taken, but here goes-

    annie - kirsty maccoll (the elastica song by that name ain't bad either)
    angelyne - gary 'us' bonds (penned by the boss and highlighted by miami steve's turn at the mike)
    frankie - bruce springsteen
    barbara h., denise - fountains of wayne
    oh yoko - john lennon
    julia - the beatles (yes, used already, but it's my daughter's name)
    rosemary rose - kinks
    little bonnie - drive-by truckers
    867-5309/jenny - tommy tutone
    christine's tune - flying burrito brothers
    amoreena - elton john

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  39. Primus - Wynona's Big Brown Beaver

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  40. I just put together a comp on this topic. Additions to what's here already:

    Annalisa / Chris Von Sneidern
    Suzanne / Weezer
    Grace / Supergrass
    Gabrielle / Martin Luther Lennon
    Kate / Ben Folds Five
    Jenny / The Minders
    Maria / Green Day
    Emily / Bowling for Soup
    Evangeline / Bad Religion
    Isabelle / Koufax
    Cheri / 20/20
    Ruby / The Apples in Stereo
    Jackie / The New Pornographers
    Salome / the Old 97s

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  41. Here's a few faves:

    The Toy Dolls: Deidre Is A Slag
    The Eastern Dark: Julie Is A Junkie
    Chelsea: Monica Monica
    The Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Isobel Goudie
    and for "Veronica", I'll see your Elvis Costello and raise you one Wreckless Eric

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