# Any bands have "signature" songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070 "2004-07-20T21:43:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/1 "2004-07-20T21:43:25Z")
Besides “Hey,hey, we’re the Monkees”? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/2 "2004-07-20T21:50:31Z")
Chicago? ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/3 "2004-07-20T22:03:49Z")
By signature, I assume we’re including any song that makes direct reference to members of the band or the band itself. If that’s the case, Eminem’s “My Name Is.” ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/4 "2004-07-20T22:45:07Z")
‘stick em up punk it’s the …’ Fun Lovin’ Criminals ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/5 "2004-07-20T22:45:18Z")
“Bad Company” by Bad Company from the _Bad Company_ album. A real creative bunch, I’m told. ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/6 "2004-07-20T22:51:06Z")
By “signature” song do you mean a song that explains the band as a whole, or can it just represent a particular time in their existence. If the latter, you could get quite a few songs that just mention “we went here” or “we did this”. My contributions: **The Ballad of John and Yoko** : _John Lennon_ **We’re an American Band** : _Grand Funk Railroad_ ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/7 "2004-07-20T23:23:57Z")
Mothers of Invention: “Motherly Love” Iron Butterfly: “Iron Butterfly Theme” Black Sabbath: “Black Sabbath” King Crimson: “In the Court of the Crimson King” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/8 "2004-07-20T23:55:05Z")
Escape Club mentions themselves in “Wild, Wild West”. ---
**Author:** ![Arch\_Trout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@Arch\_Trout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arch_Trout)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/9 "2004-07-21T00:01:00Z")
Iron Maiden’s “Iron Maiden” Bo Diddley - “Hey Bo Diddley” (I think) The Beatles - Glass Onion had lots of self referential stuff in it as regards their other songs. I think Motorhead may have an eponymous track as well. ---
**Author:** ![Wartime\_Consigliori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@Wartime\_Consigliori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wartime_Consigliori)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/10 "2004-07-21T00:08:06Z")
How about : **Cowboy Junkies Lament** -written by Townes Van Zandt, performed by Cowboy Junkies, and; **Townes’ Blues** - written and performed by the Cowboy Junkies, to return the favor. To my knowledge, the only artistically inbred “Signature/ Self-Referential” two-fer ever to be found on back-to-back album tracks, the tracks being #10 and #11 on the Cowboy Junkies seminal album **Black Eyed Man** - if you don’t own this album, go to [www.amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com) , or your friendly neighborhood \*\* locally owned and operated \*\* music retailer (if one still exists in your neck or the woods) **NOW** and get it. It’ll cure what ails ya! ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/11 "2004-07-21T00:09:00Z")
D.O.A. Blue Oyster Cult Rotary Connection ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/12 "2004-07-21T00:57:34Z")
In a Big Country by Big Country ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/13 "2004-07-21T00:58:34Z")
Tenacious D - The History of tenacious D Thanks to Gravity - Thanks to Gravity They Might be Giants - They Might be Giants ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/14 "2004-07-21T01:00:00Z")
“Everybody Wang Chung tonight…” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/15 "2004-07-21T01:12:09Z")
Metallica’s song “Whiplash” contains the lyric “We’ll never quit/ We’ll never stop/Cuz we’re Metallica.” ---
**Author:** ![Live\_Better\_Electrically](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@Live\_Better\_Electrically](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Live_Better_Electrically)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/16 "2004-07-21T02:44:01Z")
Mamas and the Papas “Creeque Alley” Meat Puppets “Meat Puppets” Felt “Ballad of the Band” Not a band, but: Hank Williams Jr. “Family Tradition” ---
**Author:** ![chukhung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e79b87/32.png) [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/17 "2004-07-21T02:56:49Z")
_Jocko Homo_ by **Devo**. Are we not men? We are Devo! ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/18 "2004-07-21T03:01:12Z")
I’ll never forgive myself for knowing this, but the Plain White T’s reference themselves in their song “Kitty Kat Shirt”: _She says, “By the way, who we gonna see?” He says, “Don’t you know? It’s the Plain White T’s”_ ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/19 "2004-07-21T03:08:49Z")
[We’ve covered this ground before.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=196537&highlight=Kool+and+the+Gang+show) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2004, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070/20 "2004-07-21T03:11:58Z")
It took me a long time to realize that 311 mentions itself in “Down.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-bands-have-signature-songs/256070.md?page=2)