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User:Pmanderson/List of songs containing covert references to real musicians

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This is a dynamic list of songs and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Songwriters occasionally write songs that make covert references to real musicians and bands.

Entries are listed with the following syntax:

  • "Song Title" by musical artist(s) most associated with song references musicians and/or bands referred to.

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  • "Daddy Could Swear, I Declare" by Gladys Knight & the Pips references Ray Charles. ("...as he sang to me 'What'd I Say?'")
  • "Deadhead" by The Teen Idles references The Grateful Dead. ("I'll be grateful when you're dead", and lyrics from the Grateful Dead song "Casey Jones" are quoted.)
  • "Death Singing" by Patti Smith references Benjamin Smoke. (Smith has said the song is about him, and recites the lyrics in a documentary about Smoke.)
  • "Destroy Rock 'N' Roll by Mylo references a list of artists: Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, David Bowie, Van Halen, Madonna, Huey Lewis & The News, The Cars, Herbie Hancock, Bonnie Tyler, Stevie Nicks, Men At Work, ZZ Top, Paul MCartney & Michael Jackson, Weird Al Yankovic, Cyndi Lauper, Pink Floyd, The Pretenders, Billy Joel,

Billy Idol, Elton John, Neil Young, Sheena Easton, Patti Smith & Scandal, Fashion, Big Country, Morris Day & The Time, John Lennon, REO Speedwagon, David Gilmour, The Rolling Stones, Pat Benetar, Hall & Oates, Wham, Rebbie Jackson, Adam Ant, Bananarama, Christine McVie, Queen, John Cougar Mellencamp, U2, Fleetwood Mac, The Alan Parsons Project, Rick Springfield, The Thompson Twins, Missing Persons, Duran Duran, Breathe, Eurythmics, Culture Club and Band Aid.

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  • "Range Life" by Pavement references Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots. ("Out on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins. Nature kids, they don't have no function. I don't understand what they mean and I could really give a fuck. The Stone Temple Pilots, they're elegant bachelors. They're foxy to me are they foxy to you?").

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  • "Reminisce, Part One" by Dexys Midnight Runners references Stevie Wonder ("I heard that blind man, the man with the glasses, I heard him singing... um, I didn't like the song you understand, but I did know what he meant about the 'higher ground'.")
  • "Rip It Up" by Orange Juice references the Buzzcocks ("my favourite song’s entitled Boredom", followed by part of that song's guitar solo)

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  • "Wednesday" by Tori Amos references Prince ("I start humming 'When Doves Cry'")
  • "When We Was Fab" by George Harrison references his old band The Beatles (the music video for this song is more explicit in the reference).
  • "When The Sun Goes Down" by Arctic Monkeys references "Roxanne" by The Police ("And he told Roxanne to put on her red light")
  • "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" by The Clash references The Jam ("They got Burton suits, you think it's funny / turning rebellion into money", which Joe Strummer later said was about The Jam).
  • "Wild Horses" by the Rolling Stones presumably references Marianne Faithfull ("faithless lady").
  • "Writing to Reach You" by Travis references Oasis ("What's a Wonderwall anyway?")

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See also

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