What songs by major artists are autobiographical–not in a veiled or metaphoric way, but rather a very explicit recounting of historical incidents?
Two that I can think of about the origin of a group: “Creeque Alley” by The Mamas and the Papas, and “Who Are We?” by the Dixie Hummingbirds
Two that are autobiographical anecdotes of specific events in the artists’ lives: “The Ballad of John & Yoko” by the Beatles and “Singin’ in Vietnam Talkin’ Blues” by Johnny Cash.
Any others?
“Rockin’ the Bronx” by Black 47. Actually, they tend to put a “what we’ve been doing lately” song on at least every other album.
“Rock and Roll Band”, by Boston
“We” by the Roches (they’ve updated it a bit over the years).
“Alice’s Restaurant” by Arlo Guthrie (though exaggerated).
“Westchester County” by Loudon Wainwright III
“Lakeside Park” by Rush
“Ballad of John and Yoko” by The Beatles
“Alice’s Restaurant” by Arlo Guthrie
Just about everything by Joni Mitchell, but especially The Last Time I Saw Richard about her ex-husband, Little Green about giving her baby up for adoption and Troubled Child about her stay in a rubber room.
‘Me And A Gun’ by Tori Amos
There’s Janis Ian’s "Society’s Child and “At Seventeen”.
“Smoke on the Water” – Deep Purple
“Family Portrait” – Pink.
“London Dungeon” - The Misfits.
“Workin for MCA” - Lynyrd Skynyrd
“Diamonds and Rust” by Joan Baez about her relationship with Bob Dylan.
‘Mother And Father’, a polarising track from Madonna’s American Life. She has a few others that are mostly told through metaphor, but ‘Mother And Father’ is very straightforward.
‘Hello’ by Prince & The Revolution, which is about how Prince didn’t want to participate in ‘We Are The World’ but would write a seperate song for the project instead, and the reaction to that.
‘Your Funny Uncle’, by Pet Shop Boys, which recounts a friend’s funeral and his out of place uncle who was coming to terms with the fact that his nephew died of AIDS and that all the nephew’s friends at the funeral were gay. ‘Being Boring’ and ‘This Must Be The Place I Waited Years To Leave’ are other PSB songs taken from their real lives, but they’re a bit like montages of different scenes rather than one incident.
I’m trying to think of others, I’m sure I’ll think of a hundred more as soon as I click “post”.
“Life’s Been Good”, Joe Walsh going on about being a rock 'n roll singer in the 70s.
Sugar Mountain by Neil Young - and the Circle Game, by Joni Mitchell, is about the same event.
How did I forget one of the most famous?! ‘Coat Of Many Colors’ by Dolly Parton.
“A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request” by Steve Goodman.
However Much I Booze by The Who. So autobiographic, in fact, that Roger refused to sing it.