Three from John Hiatt:
"Slow Turning": "I'm yellin' at the kids in the back seat 'cause they're bangin' like Charlie Watts."
"Memphis in the Meantime": "But I don't think Ronnie Milsap's gonna ever record this song."
"Tennessee Plates" (about stealing a Cadillac from Graceland): "Anyway he wouldn't care, hell he gave 'em to his friends." |
I love Randy Newman's little story of how "a young man named Bruce Springsteen" says to him, "Rand, I'm tired... how would you like to be the Boss for a while." Blow, Big Man, blow. (My Life Is Good, on Trouble In Paradise) |
Donald Fagen refers to Dave Brubeck in "New Frontier" on the Nightfly LP.
"Have you got a steady boyfriend
Cause honey I've been watching you
I hear you're mad about Brubeck
I like your eyes, I like him too
He's an artist, a pioneer
We've got to have some music on the new frontier"
Not exactly rock-exclusive, though! :-) |
The Beatles (Harrison I think) "Elmore James got nothin' on this babe." |
Eddie Money - Take Me Home Tonight
"Just like Ronnie (The Ronettes) said, Be My Little Baby." |
From Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road"-- "Put on ZZ Top and turn it up real loud", and George Thorogood's reference on his "Anthology" to Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" as the "R&R National Anthem". Also, Cowboy Junkies "Townes is in the back room......" re: Townes Van Zandt. Good thread '61. Cheers. Craig |
How about "How Do You Sleep" by John Lennon? Doesn't mention McCartney by name, but definitely refers to him! |
Rock and Roll Heaven - The Rightous Brothers
Monterey - Eric Burden and The Animals
Woodstock - Joni Mitchell also CSNY |
I know your thread title refers to other rock groups, but I give you Barbara Keith's "Death of the American Song" - on the Stone Coyotes cd called "Born To Howl":
"So beat the drum slowly as they carry her away
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay
I see Tammy and Patsy with their long black dresses on
Mourning the death of the American song"
Every line in "Death of the American Song" is a tribute to a classic old song (more country than anything).
The Stone Coyotes are a little family rock band consisting of Barbara, her husband Doug Tibbles and his son.
Also from Born To Howl, the song "American Child":
"He's a little bit bored
And a litle bit wild
I'm looking for
An American child
Give me Jerry Lee Lewis
Give me Joey Ramone" |
Of course there is Neil Young in "My my, Hey hey":
"The king is gone but he's not forgotten. This is the story of Johnny Rotten" |
"i need t.v. but i've got t.rex" .....from ALL THE YOUNG DUDES by david bowie/mott the hoople. |
To add to the above: Deep Purple / Smoke on the Water (fire in the sky) -- the song is ABOUT a fire during a F. Zappa concert in Switzerland. The lyrics describe that event. |
Right, Onhwy61 - they are everywhere! So, if I had to randomly pick one fav name-drop, I suppose it'd be Bowie's lines from Mott's "All the Young Dudes": 'Oh man I need TV when I got T. Rex' and 'Brother's back at home, with his Beatles and his Stones'. Why? They just always stick out in my mind whenever I hear the song, that's all (it's a great song, too). And prolly 'cuz I like T. Rex, The Beatles, and The Stones...(Second choice: Golden Earring's "Radar Love", with 'The radio's playing some forgotten song, Brenda Lee's "Coming on Strong"' - not just name-checking an artist, but also one of her tunes!) |
Lennon self parodied the Beatles par excellence in glass onion...
Old fleetwood mac tune silver heals
"If I could sing like Paul McCartney or get funky like Etta James... I'd never change" |
Simon & Garfunkel "...I've been rolling stoned and beatled till I'm blind..." |
Sean - Life in the Foodchain is indeed a great album. Picked it up when it first came out around 1978 (I went and checked the album cover to confirm the date). Finally found a CD version of it about 3 or 4 years ago. Still enjoy listening to it from time to time though usually in the car as my wife doesn't appreciate it as much as I do. Timeless :) |
Wstritt, that Tonio K cut comes off of what i think is a truly GREAT and very overlooked album. Glad someone else recognizes that : ) Sean
> |
Another Bob Dylan tune ... "You Aint Goin' Nowhere" complete with a playful tap at Roger (Jim) McGuinn
Bob sang it as ...
Pick up your money
And pack up your tent McGuinn
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
When the Byrds originally released the song, McGuinn reversed the order of pick & pack and sang ...
Pack up your money
And pick up your tent
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere |
Tonio K - "I wish I could be mellow, like for instance Jackson Browne, but Fountain of Sorrows my ***, ****** ******, I hope you wind up in the ground" in "H-A-T-R-E-D"
Steely Dan reference to Aretha Franklin in "Hey Nineteen"
Peter, Paul & Mary - Mamas & Papas, Donovan, Beatles, in "I dig Rock and Roll Music" |
And then of course, the completely re-ferential (is that a word?)
"American Pie" Don McLean
"Garden Party" Rick Nelson |
Bob Dylan's song "Highlands" includes this line:
"I'm listening to Neil Young, I gotta turn up the sound" |
Just a few off the top of my head......
Dylan on Blind Willie McTell...
Cheap Trick on Surrender mentions Kiss...
Bowie's All The Young Dudes mentions T-Rex so does Better You Bet by The Who.....
Springsteen on Thunder Road.."Roy Orbison's singing for the lonely"
Paul Simon on The Late Great Johnny Ace...mentions John Lennon and Johnny Ace...on the same album(Hearts and Bones) he mentions a selection..of doo wop groups on Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War..
Dexy's Midnight Runners mentions poor old Johnny Ray on Come On Eileen..
Ian Dury- Sweet Gene Vincent
I'm sure there's a pile of others Van Morrison has a habit of doing it usually old Blues artists and I'm sure there's a lot of Punk stuff that mentions other bands-especially jokey stuff like Half Man Half Biscuit.....oh just remembered a terrible one by UK pop band ABC-When Smokey Sings-a crap tribute to Smokey Robinson--from the same era Life In A Nothertn Town by Dream Academy mentions The Beatles and Pray Like Aretha Franklin by Scritti Politti and of course Song For Bob Dylan by Bowie....there's thousands of them probably........... oh and the famous put-down of Springsteen by Paddy MacAloon on Prefab Sprouts Cars And Girls... |
How about Creek Alley by the Mamas and the Papas, going way back for you 60's rockers, with references to the Byrds ( Jim-now Roger-McGuinn), Barry Maguire, the Lovin' Spoonful (John Sebastian), the Beach Boys (Good Vibrations) and I'm sure others I've forgotten? |
Lynyrd Skynyrd in "Sweet home Alabama" mentions Neil Young
"I heard old Neil put her down"."I hope Neil Young will remember a Southern man don't need him around anyhow". |
