# Actual people named in songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 21, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289 "2011-06-21T14:34:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/81 "2011-06-22T15:57:14Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Weird Al Yankovic trots out Elvis (his ghost) and Hitler (his brain) to take a bow in _Midnight Star_. Not to mention his song _CNR_, which is about Charles Nelson Reilly. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/82 "2011-06-22T18:16:13Z")
> [@JoelUpchurch](#): > > James Dean - American Pie > [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > David Essex’s _Rock On_ too. Also, a song by the Eagles from _On the Border._ ---
**Author:** ![osme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/df788c/32.png) [@osme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/osme)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/83 "2011-06-22T19:14:54Z")
The worn out tape of CHRIS LEDOUX lonely women and bad booze.- Garth Brooks (Much Too Young) ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/84 "2011-06-23T00:35:04Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > That was “Sweet Home Alabama,” which **Dio** eventually quotes from in Post #58. Both of those songs sound the same to me. I hate that band. But thanks for the correction. I should have known it. Has anyone mentioned “Vogue” by Madonna? She mentions (right off the top of my head): Greta Garbo, Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean (I assume she means James Dean, and not the sausage king), Grace Kelly, Jean Harlow, Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Bette Davis, and Rita Hayworth. Well, she mentions more, but only by one name. As much as I hate to admit that I know the song, Nickleback’s “Rock Star” mentions “somewhere between Cher and James Dean.” I’m sure I’ll think of more. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/85 "2011-06-23T00:43:29Z")
Simon and Garfunkel’s _Dangling Conversation_ mentions Emily Dickenson and Robert Frost. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/86 "2011-06-23T00:48:50Z")
Whatever Happened to Randolph Scott? - Statler Brothers Tex Ritter Disney Randolph Scott Durango Kid Alan Rocky Lane Lash LaRue Smiley Burnette Tim Holt Gene Autry Plus a few more by first names or roles. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/87 "2011-06-23T01:09:28Z")
Weird Al’s “Frank’s 2000-inch TV” mentions Robert DeNiro’s mole. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/88 "2011-06-23T01:26:56Z")
Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” mentions both Norma Jean (omitting her surname) _and_ Marilyn Munroe. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/89 "2011-06-23T01:57:10Z")
The Clash’s _The Right Profile_ is all about Montgomery Clift, and mentions him several times. ---
**Author:** ![LaurenIpsum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@LaurenIpsum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LaurenIpsum)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/90 "2011-06-23T02:25:08Z")
“They say Ms. J’s big butt is boss Kate Moss can’t find a job” “You learn cool from magazines You learned love from Charlie Sheen” -Jewel, “Intuition” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/91 "2011-06-23T02:42:47Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” mentions both Norma Jean (omitting her surname) _and_ Marilyn Munroe. 😉 [Wrap her up!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RaMkpJGOz8) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/92 "2011-06-23T12:10:33Z")
Woody Guthrie—“Miss Pavlichenko” (Soviet sniper who took out 309 Nazis) Beatles—B.B. King and Doris Day in “Dig It” and Peter Brown in “The Ballad of John and Yoko” Plastic Ono Band—Angela Davis Bob Dylan—George Jackson Indigo Girls—Fay Tucker ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/93 "2011-06-23T12:38:55Z")
[Candy Darling](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_Darling) is the subject of The Velvet Underground’s song “Candy Says”. Lou Reed mentioned her again in Walk on the Wild Side, along with a bunch of other Warhol/Factory people. That song _also_ mentions James Dean, who must be mentioned in more songs than anyone else that ever lived. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/94 "2011-06-23T12:54:09Z")
Waylon Jennings sings “Bob Wills is Still the King” James Taylor sang about his friend Suzanne Schnerr in “Fire and Rain” ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/95 "2011-06-23T13:03:02Z")
_Science Fiction Double Feature_ mentions: Michael Rennie Claude Rains Fay Wray Anne Francis Leo G. Carroll Janette Scott Dana Andrews George Pal Anne Francis Is Jud Fry real? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/96 "2011-06-23T14:29:19Z")
Jonathon Coulton has a few; there’s a novelty song where he lists off all the presidents in order and gives each of them a one liner (he’s probably added a verse for Obama now); there’s also _Tom Cruise Crazy_ and _Mandelbrot Set_ and probably others I haven’t thought of. Paul & Storm have a song in honor of Robert C. Baker, the man who invented the chicken nugget. ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/97 "2011-06-23T14:42:51Z")
Michael Caine by Madness… ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/98 "2011-06-23T15:32:41Z")
\*\*They Might Be Giants’ \*\*“James K. Polk.” Besides Polk, they also name check Martin Van Buren, James Buchanan, and Louis Cass. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/99 "2011-06-23T15:58:11Z")
Joey Ramone wrote a [song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYckn1gplnc) about his favorite CNN financial reporter, [Maria Bartiromo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Bartiromo). ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289/100 "2011-06-23T17:51:19Z")
Carol Burnett first rose to prominence in the 1950s singing a novelty song, “I Made a Fool of Myself Over John Foster Dulles”, who was then US Secretary of State. More recently, Gil Scott Heron commented “John Foster Dulles ain’t nothing but the name of an airport now” in the song “B-Movie.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actual-people-named-in-songs/586289.md?page=6)