Suggestions for a playlist of songs that specifically mention another band or artist. Explicitly like “Dance to Joy Division” or in passing like “Teenage Dirtbag”…
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McCartney isn’t mentioned by name in Lennon’s supremely bitchy ‘How Do You Sleep?’, but he does namedrop Sgt. Pepper and ‘Yesterday’. Paul’s more mature reply song ‘Too Many People’ has the terrific line “You took your lucky break / and broke it in two”.
‘We’re the Pet Shop Boys’ by My Robot Friend (later covered by Robbie Williams and the PSB on the same album as ‘She’s Madonna’, so a namecheck twofer):
‘Rockstar’ by Momma (mentioning a track, not a band, but still amusing):
“Still need a drummer / The last one quit the band / His favourite song was ‘Hummer’ / Soundtrack in the minivan”
Spose "Alternative Radio". It's full of references - Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan, Weezer, Pixies, Eddie Vedder, and Tool (and probably others that I've forgotten).
RHCP Californication: 'Cobain can you hear The Spheres sing songs from Station to Station". 3 in one there. Cobain (obviously), The Spheres = Foo Fighters and finally Station to Station is a Bowie album.
I think that’s ok because the song has a reference (even if chronologically they didn’t exist) even if the intent wasn’t a direct reference…I did let Tom Waits Fall of Troy in even though it was literally about the Fall of Troy, not the band
Weezer - Buddy Holly
Ooh-wee-hoo, I look just like Buddy Holly
Oh-oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore
I don't care what they say about us anyway
I don't care about that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kemivUKb4f4
A Simple Desultory Philippic (or how I was Robert McNamara'd into submission) by Simon & Garfunkel is wall-to-wall this. It's an overall Dylan parody that references the Stones, Beatles, Phil Spector, Lou Adler, Barry Sadler, Art Garfunkel, Roy Halee.
And the original version on a Paul Simon solo album has its own set of references. In a very different mode (and a better tho less funny song), Lorde's song Ribs references a Broken Social Scene song: "Lover's Spit left on repeat."
Alex Chilton by the Replacements "And children by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round..."
Range Life by Pavement "Out on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins / Nature kids ... The Stone Temple Pilots, they're elegant bachelors / They're foxy to me, are they foxy to you?"
Toby Keith ... I'll Never Smoke Weed With Willie Again
Jimmy Barnes ... Driving Wheels
The Clash ... London Calling (does phony Beatlemania count?)
Paul Kelly ... How to Make Gravy
Ben Lee ... Catch My Disease
Pop Will Eat Itself - Can U Dig It (AC/DC, Madonna, Spinderella...)
Dire Straits - Calling Elvis
Transvision Vamp - Andy Warhol's Dead
Beastie Boys - The New Style (Jimmy Page)
Tacocat - Surfing the Crimson Wave (The Cramps, lol)
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“Still need a drummer / The last one quit the band / His favourite song was ‘Hummer’ / Soundtrack in the minivan”
Back to Düsseldorf City
Meet Iggy Pop and David Bowie”
Golden Oldies, Rolling Stones we don't want them back. I'd rather jack than Fleetwood Mac. (The Reynolds Girls and it includes many bands)
Rod Stewart - The Motown Song - mentions the Miracles
Shania - don't impress me much mentions Elvis
https://youtu.be/cXLuSHx1fR0?si=d9xlnb2-kXIKC8mf
Not to mention Elvis is Everywhere
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2L8z5cDHO2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nvpRkn_R5g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj8JrQ9w5jY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7agPOt1XZz8
Ooh-wee-hoo, I look just like Buddy Holly
Oh-oh, and you're Mary Tyler Moore
I don't care what they say about us anyway
I don't care about that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kemivUKb4f4
Put Sufjan Stevens on
And we'll play your favourite song
"Chicago" bursts to life and your
Sweet smile remembers you🎶🎵
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LYkGxD8XTs
https://youtu.be/0Y1wm7CFRCQ?si=cTwWVlg9PE8r7h9_
Ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain't fair, you know//
Range Life by Pavement "Out on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins / Nature kids ... The Stone Temple Pilots, they're elegant bachelors / They're foxy to me, are they foxy to you?"
"I'm tired of being compared,
to damn Britney Spears.
She's so pretty,
and that just ain't me."
Alex Chilton by The Replacements
Maybe Gloria by Patti Smith is a little too much of a remake?
Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder
Jimmy Barnes ... Driving Wheels
The Clash ... London Calling (does phony Beatlemania count?)
Paul Kelly ... How to Make Gravy
Ben Lee ... Catch My Disease
Haley's Comet
Johnny Ace is Dead
Dire Straits - Calling Elvis
Transvision Vamp - Andy Warhol's Dead
Beastie Boys - The New Style (Jimmy Page)
Tacocat - Surfing the Crimson Wave (The Cramps, lol)
Right there in the band name...
Black Flag or Grateful Dead, depending on if you're listening to Don Henley or The Ataris
Jerry Lee Lewis, John Lennon, T-Rex and more
Elvis again
About Ronnie James Dio and how awesome the Elf of Metal was
https://youtu.be/jroiEx0A2ho
Falco's 'Rock Me Amadeus'
It's in the title
References Bono and the Edge