Bands / artists with songs about other bands / artists

[sprocketflup]

fIREHOSE (again) - Under the Influence of Meat Puppets.

[chriswareham]

Totally Random Man by Therapy?

"I feel like Captain Beefheart sounds"

[chriswareham]

Here Today by The Chameleons

Written in the first person about John Lennon's final moments.

[chriswareham]

Left To My Own Devices by Pet Shop Boys

"Che Guevera and Debussy to a disco beat"

[AndyTravis]

"When Smokey Sings" by ABC

[AustinArto]

[quote name='darkandrew' timestamp='1482069820' post='3197337']... I was thinking of other bands / artists that have written songs about other bands / artists.[/quote]

Can't believe nobody's mentioned Wesley Willis. About 99% of his output was songs about other bands / artists:

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m1yqrmMpec"]https://www.youtube....h?v=5m1yqrmMpec[/url]
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5k6G439vYY"]https://www.youtube....h?v=K5k6G439vYY[/url]
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-WuR51w9yU"]https://www.youtube....h?v=s-WuR51w9yU[/url]
[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3Q5DPHpw7E"]https://www.youtube....h?v=w3Q5DPHpw7E[/url]

etc. Lots of bands returned the favour and referenced Wesley in their lyrics.

He also did songs about other stuff:

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFjuPbCShBw"]https://www.youtube....h?v=BFjuPbCShBw[/url]

Edited December 19, 2016 by AustinArto

[TheRev]

John Martyn's 'Solid Air' was about Nick Drake

[url="https://youtu.be/ohmSPv-rtSQ"]https://youtu.be/ohmSPv-rtSQ[/url]

[magee]

Leonard Cohen's Tower Of Song has a lovely reference to Hank Williams:

'I said to Hank Williams, how lonely does it get?
Hank Williams hasn't answered yet
But I hear him coughing all night long
Oh, a hundred floors above me in the Tower of Song'

Edited December 19, 2016 by magee

[MarkJB]

Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music" name checks Sam and Dave, Lou Rawls, Otis Reading, James Brown and Wilson Pickett!

Kid Rock's " All Summer Long" is a shameless rip off of Sweet Home Alabama and mentions the original in the Chorus.

Madness "The Prince" is about Prince Buster

U2 "Angel of Harlem" is a tribute to Billie Holiday

The Who's "The Seeker" has the line... "I asked Bobby Dylan, I asked The Beatles"

Edited December 19, 2016 by MarkJB

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 22, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[bartelby]

Sun Kil Moon/Jesu's Fragile mentions Chris Squire a fair amount:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaKdI7v8XxU[/media]

[MacDaddy]

Alice Cooper, has the song 'Poison'.

The band Poison, are yet to release a song called 'Alice Cooper'.

[MrCrane]

Billy Bragg - Levi Stubb's Tears

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbdJ8OGYtzM[/media]

[dannybuoy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRiBrWY3NB4

[MacDaddy]

The Gonads - I lost my love to a UK Sub.

[razze06]

Tickets to see Iron Maiden feature quite prominently in Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus.

Have a good version of that:

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw8ZDwdyHJQ[/media]

Edited December 19, 2016 by razze06

[MrCrane]

David Bowie's "Low" and Nick Lowe's "Bowi" EP

[MrDaveTheBass]

David Bowie's 'Song for Dylan'
RHCP's 'Californication' references Kurt Cobain.

[tauzero]

The Who - You Better, You Bet has the line "[color=#252525][font=sans-serif]I drunk myself blind to the sound of old T. Rex".[/font][/color]

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1482085856' post='3197527']
Spandau Ballet - Listening to Marvin all night long (Hank or Gaye)?
[/quote]

Are you sure it isn't about Lee Marvin?

[niagra]

From the missus:

Vegas by Sleeper mentions Elvis and Sinatra

[BigRedX]

Japanese nutters Polysics have a track called "Kaja Kaja Goo" which has Nick Beggs playing Chapman Stick somewhere in the mix...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aEwoEB7Xng

[IainS]

Ben Folds' Rockin' the Suburbs is about Korn and mentions Michael Jackson, Quiet Riot and Jon Bon Jovi.

[Low End Bee]

King Kurt - **** Off Status Quo

Motorhead - R.A.M.O.N.E.S.

Half Man Half Biscuit - Joy Division Oven Gloves

Vic Goddard & The Subway Sect - Johnny Thunders (tune!)

Denim - Middle of the Road (I count 11 references plus a Chicory Tip riff)

[yorks5stringer]

[quote name='Maude' timestamp='1482079799' post='3197450']


The folks at TOTP thought it was about Jockey Wilson
[/quote]

I heard that was actually an 'in-joke' by Kevin Rowland....ignore, already commented on!

How about 'Everything you did' on The Royal Scam by Steely Dan? The line was 'turn up the Eagles, the neighbours are listening'. The Eagles responded on the track Hotel California with 'they stab it with their Steely Knives' which originally was 'they stab it with their Steely Dans'.
They shared the same Manager (Irv Azoff) and there was some competition between them.

Edited December 19, 2016 by yorks5stringer