Songs *about* bass players...?

[BlueMoon]

1 hour ago, itu said:

Carly Simon - You're so vain, would it fit?

 I recall she hinted it was about Jagger.

[Richard R]

Poles Apart, and Lost for Words. Both about Roger Waters, on The Division Bell.

[Len_derby]

I thought there must be a song about, or mentioning, Willie Dixon. If there is I haven’t found it yet. Sweet had a hit with ‘Little Willie’ in the 70’s but I don’t think it’s about Mr Dixon. He definitely wasn’t little.

[pete.young]

7 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Blue Murder - Alan Hull

 

Hi WoT, what's the story behind this? I know the song and the album well. The bass tone on that record helped put me off short scale basses for about 30 years!

[Drax]

 

[MrCrane]

8 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Blue Murder - Alan Hull

OK, I'll bite. What's the story behind that one?

Edit:

Ha! Just saw @pete.young beat me to it.

Edited November 2, 2020 by MrCrane

[wateroftyne]

59 minutes ago, pete.young said:

Hi WoT, what's the story behind this? I know the song and the album well. The bass tone on that record helped put me off short scale basses for about 30 years!

I've said too much 😄

[MrCrane]

4 minutes ago, wateroftyne said:

I've said too much 😄

You little tease.

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 9, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[gjones]

9 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

The Paul Carrack / How Long thread, (a song about how the bass player has been tomming around with another band) got me thinking...

What other songs are about specific bass players? (Not generic bass players. That's boring.)

I can think of:

You Make Loving Fun - Fleetwood Mac

How Do You Sleep? - John Lennon

Clyde - JJ Cale

Blue Murder - Alan Hull

Any others?

I'm not sure 'You Make Loving Fun' was about a bass player. 

Ssshh....don't tell John Mcvie (although he's probably over it by now).

[Mickeyboro]

Are you ready, Steve?

 

[casapete]

5 hours ago, BlueMoon said:

 I recall she hinted it was about Jagger.

A lot of theories on this one, although think Warren Beatty was the favourite. Mick Jaggers sang backing vocals on the track, and was rumoured to be Keef playing guitar on the outro too.

[AndyTravis]

9 hours ago, acidbass said:

Wasn't 'You Make Loving Fun' actually about an affair Christine had with the lighting guy or something?

Was just about to say this

[4000]

9 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Oooh... yes, I think you're right. She deffo wrote a tune about him but I can't remember what it is...!

“Don’t Stop” was for John, IIRC. 

[Dood]

Addicted to Bass by Puretone... errrr, because of course it was all about bass players... 

[Bassfinger]

I always thought Hey Joe was about Joe Osbourn.

[KevB]

Don't know about specific songs but Joni had an album called Mingus so could claim that a bass player has had a whole album dedicated 😉

[atsampson]

Counting Crows' "Mr Jones", after Marty Jones (bassist in The Himalayans, Adam Duritz's previous band).

[KevB]

10 hours ago, wateroftyne said:

Oooh... yes, I think you're right. She deffo wrote a tune about him but I can't remember what it is...!

Lighting man was Curry Grant.... or 'Jammy bast@rd' as I refer to him.

Edited November 2, 2020 by KevB

[PatrickJ]

Incubus did a song Sick, Sad Little World which is speculated to very much be about former bassist Alex Katunich (Dirk Lance).

 

[Mykesbass]

Haunted, by the Pogues is (I think) about Sid Vicious, and is also sung by their then bass player, Cait O'Riordan.

[Nail Soup]

12 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

Haunted, by the Pogues is (I think) about Sid Vicious, and is also sung by their then bass player, Cait O'Riordan.

This was about Sid Vicious - "99% is Sh*t "by The Cash Pussies....... written after his death.

 

[Mykesbass]

11 hours ago, Bassfinger said:

I always thought Hey Joe was about Joe Osbourn.

Highly unlikely. Hey Joe was written late 50s, very probably in Scotland. Joe Osborne started out professionally in 61 with Ricky Nelson. Can't see how he could have been the guilty party!

[Old Man Riva]

31 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

Highly unlikely. Hey Joe was written late 50s, very probably in Scotland. Joe Osborne started out professionally in 61 with Ricky Nelson. Can't see how he could have been the guilty party!

Hey Joe was written about the footballer Joe Jordan after he was spotted chasing Gordon McQueen with a water pistol.

Deacon Blues was written about Queen’s bass player, but Peter Frampton’s Show Me The Way wasn’t written about the UFO bassist.

Though, as with all these things, I may have misunderstood the various stories over the years...

[Woodinblack]

Everything on the first Sixx.AM album, as it is all from Nikki Sixxes diaries about a period in his life..