# Bands who recycle or call back lyrics from previous songs
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [June 3, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030 "2013-06-03T13:32:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/1 "2013-06-03T13:32:11Z")
In reading the obscure rock songs thread, [**Grestarian**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16330838&postcount=51) mentioned the song _ **When the Bullet Hits the Bone** _ by **Golden Earring**.
Not being a huge **Golden Earring** fan, I figured he was referring to the song, _ **Twilight Zone** _, which has the line “Soon you will come to know / When the bullet hits the bone.” Nope different song completely.
In the song _ **Fonder and Blonder** _, **Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers** refer back to their song (when known as **The Refreshments** ), _ **Down Together** _, with the line “Cars break down and people break down / And other things break down too”
What other bands recycle lyrics for completely unrelated songs?
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/2 "2013-06-03T13:39:50Z")
Sly and the Family Stone: “Thank You (Forlettenme be Mice Elf Agin)”
“Dance to the music
All night long
Everyday people
Sing a simple song.”
Lines 1, 3, and 4 are song titles by the group.
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/3 "2013-06-03T13:42:14Z")
Paul McCartney and Wings
The very end of the song 1985 (at least, it did on my old 45) has a snippet of Band on the Run. Maybe not quite what you’re looking for.
Didn’t Sting do something solo with some older Police song? Not the unplugged Roxanne, but some tongue in cheek stuff.
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### Author:  [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/4 "2013-06-03T13:54:37Z")
Steve Miller did this…a lot.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/5 "2013-06-03T13:56:31Z")
In “The Punk and the Godfather” by the Who, the lyrics go: “I’m the punk with the stutter. My my my my my mmmm my my my GGGGG-g-g-g-g generation.” It is, of course, a reference to their “My Generation.”
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### Author:  [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/6 "2013-06-03T13:58:11Z")
The Ramones did _Judie is a Punk_ then they did _the Return of Jackie and Judie_.
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### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/7 "2013-06-03T14:02:52Z")
Zep does this.
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### Author:  [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/8 "2013-06-03T14:34:51Z")
Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” mentions Tommy and Gina from “Living on a Prayer”.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/9 "2013-06-03T15:17:47Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#):
>
> Didn’t Sting do something solo with some older Police song? Not the unplugged Roxanne, but some tongue in cheek stuff.
Could you be thinking of him singing “every breath you take” (along with “every move you make” and “every cake you bake”) at the end of “Love Is the Seventh Wave” (from his first solo album)?
The Police song “Oh My God” reuses the lyric “It’s a big enough umbrella, but it’s always me who ends up getting wet” from the earlier “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” (Hope I’m remembering that right.)
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### Author:  [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/10 "2013-06-03T15:44:23Z")
Jethro Tull’s “Cross-Eyed Mary” mentions the the “Aqualung” character, which preceded it on the _Aqualung_ album.
One of my favorite references to a previous lyric is Veruca Salt’s “Volcano Girls” who addressed questions about their previous hit “The Seether” with the verse:
_I told you 'bout the Seether before_
_You know, the one that’s neither or nor_
_Well, here’s another clue if you please_
_The Seether’s Louise_ ( last name Post, Veruca Salt guitarist and vocalist)
which of course is a play on The Beatles’ song “Glass Onion” which contains the verse:
_I told you about the walrus and me, man_
_You know that we’re as close as can be, man_
_Well, here’s another clue for you all_
_The walrus was Paul_
which refers to “I am the Walrus” (Koo Koo Ka Choo!)
“Glass Onion” also refers to “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “There’s A Place”, “Within You Without You”, “I’m Looking Through You”, “Lady Madonna”, “The Fool on the Hill” and “Fixing a Hole”.
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### Author:  [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/11 "2013-06-03T15:50:05Z")
How about Dire Straits, Romeo and Juliet:
Juliet says, “Hey, it’s Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack”
He’s underneath the window, she’s singing
“Hey, la, my boyfriend’s back”
> **[My Boyfriend's Back (song)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Boyfriend's_Back_(song))**
>
> "My Boyfriend's Back" is a hit song in 1963 for the Angels, an American girl group. It was written by the songwriting team of Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein and Richard Gottehrer (a.k.a. FGG Productions who later formed the group the Strangeloves). The track was originally intended as a demo for the Shirelles, but ended up being released as recorded. The single spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and reached No. 2 on the R&B Billboard.
> The song is a word of warning to a wo...
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/12 "2013-06-03T16:03:32Z")
Blue Oyster Cult had two different songs with identical lyrics.
Seriously, their song “I’m On the Lamb, But I Ain’t No Sheep” has exactly the same lyrics (all about the Canadian Mounties) as “Heavy Metal: The Red and the Black,” but the two songs have different music.
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/13 "2013-06-03T16:04:42Z")
Deep Purple’s “Hungry Days” alludes to their biggest hit, “Smoke on the Water,” when they sing:
“We all came out to Montreux… but that’s a different song.”
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### Author:  [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/14 "2013-06-03T16:13:39Z")
> [@Clothahump](#):
>
> How about Dire Straits, Romeo and Juliet:
>
> Juliet says, “Hey, it’s Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack”
> He’s underneath the window, she’s singing
> “Hey, la, my boyfriend’s back”
>
> [My Boyfriend's Back (song) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Boyfriend's_Back_(song))
which Dire Straits album is that on? 😃
(I believe the intent of the OP was artists revisiting their own lyrics or songs.)
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/15 "2013-06-03T16:15:29Z")
> [@Sparky812](#):
>
> which Dire Straits album is that on?
The brilliant \*\*\*Making Movies \*\*\*album.
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### Author:  [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/16 "2013-06-03T16:18:34Z")
> [@astorian](#):
>
> The brilliant \*\*\*Making Movies \*\*\*album.
Nope. I have all of them and my copy doesn’t have “My Boyfriend’s Back”, but I agree, the album is brilliant.
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### Author:  [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/17 "2013-06-03T16:35:35Z")
> [@FuriousGeorge](#):
>
> In the song _ **Fonder and Blonder** _, **Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers** refer back to their song (when known as **The Refreshments** ), _ **Down Together** _, with the line “Cars break down and people break down / And other things break down too”
Roger Clyne is a fantastic (comedic) lyricist, even funnier is the reference included in the aforementioned “Down Together”
\*We could all wear ripped up clothes
And pretend that we were Dead Hot Workshop
\*
which was poking fun at another local band they toured with as an opening act and whose guitarist Steve Larson ended up playing with Clyne from 1998-2009 when he retooled the group as Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers.
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/18 "2013-06-03T16:49:09Z")
> [@Sparky812](#):
>
> Nope. I have all of them and my copy doesn’t have “My Boyfriend’s Back”, but I agree, the album is brilliant.
Ah… sorry, I got whooshed. Your point was that the topic was supposed to be bands alluding to their OWN earlier songs.
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### Author:  [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/19 "2013-06-03T16:51:37Z")
Rush’s Prince By-tor (“By-tor and the Snow Dog”) reappears in “The Necromancer Part III: Return of the Prince” but as a hero rather than the evil knight from the previous song.
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### Author:  [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-who-recycle-or-call-back-lyrics-from-previous-songs/660030/20 "2013-06-03T16:55:23Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> Could you be thinking of him singing “every breath you take” (along with “every move you make” and “every cake you bake”) at the end of “Love Is the Seventh Wave” (from his first solo album)?
>
> The Police song “Oh My God” reuses the lyric “It’s a big enough umbrella, but it’s always me who ends up getting wet” from the earlier “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” (Hope I’m remembering that right.)
Yes! 🆒
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