The 1990 Jesus Jones song “Right Here, Right Now” opens with the lines “A woman on the radio talks about revolution, when’s it’s already passed her by. Bob Dylan didn’t have this to sing about.” The former seems to be a jab at Tracy Chapman and her 1988 song “Talkin’ 'bout a Revolution”. The line “if anything that’s your sign…of the times” appears later in the song, and may be a reference to Prince’s 1987 “Sign O the Times”. While not particularly brutal, in the context of the song all of this seems to suggest that Chapman, Dylan, and Prince are no longer relevant.
In “It’s a Miracle” Roger Waters refers to Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “awful stuff” and wishes that he’d break his fingers.
I don’t know if it’s been addressed before here on the SDMB, but was there ever any definitive answer as to whether or not Jackson Browne actually beat up Daryl Hannah?
Seems to me that it came out that Ms. Hannah was bi-polar (or suffered from some other form of mental illness) and had made some similar claims about other boyfriends that were proven to be false.
Now quite possibly she is drawn to abusive men, or maybe she is a lying sack of pig shitt—Anyone know the Dope?
Local H had a modest hit in 1997 with a song called “Eddie Vedder”. The bulk of the song has nothing to do with Eddie Vedder – as far as I can tell it’s about being broken up with and wanting nothing more to do with your ex ever – but it does contain the line “If I was Eddie Vedder, would you like me any better?”
I’ve never been clear as to whether this was meant as a compliment or an insult towards Vedder. At face value it seems to mean that the narrator considers Vedder a more attractive man who wouldn’t be getting ditched like this, but since the narrator is feeling pretty bitter about his now-ex girlfriend it might mean that he thinks Eddie Vedder is just the sort of stupid rock star that someone with her terrible taste would prefer.
Now, every time I see him, well, he looks so grim
I guess it really must suck to be a rock star like him
What a pain in the butt to have so much success
Spending all his time moping and avoiding the press
But my girl can’t get enough of his sullen demeanor
Like he’s some big tortured genious and I’m some kinda wiener
Ray Davies of The Kinks produced Tom Robinson’s album in the late 1970s. They had a falling out when Robinson, tired of Davies’s chronic lateness, sarcastically performed the Kinks “Tired of Waiting for You”. Davies retaliated by writing “Prince of the Punks”.
In the world of pop, after Tears for Fears broke up Roland Orzabal, still recording under the band name, recorded “Fish out of Water” as a jab against Curt Smith. I really like the song and didn’t know what it meant till years after I heard it.
I think I heard Curt wrote a song in response, but since no-one listened to his solo work I have no idea how it was.
Todd Rundgren and John Lennon hada slagging contest in the pages of Melody Maker. Todd objected to John being a drunken buffoon during his long lost weekend period in LA, and Lennon replied in a similarly snarky fashion.
Had not read that before, (in fact I don’t think I’ve ever read a Rundgren interview before.) Both parties come off greasy; Lennon seems torn between being Mr. Acidic and Mr. LoveIsAllYouNeed.
I don’t know this for sure, but the Kinks’ “Session Man” always seemed to me like a poke at Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, who claimed to have played various solos on Kinks records that Ray Davies insisted were really played by his brother Dave.
I suppose American Pie should be disqualified on general principles.
But the rather pointed lyrics regarding the Stones and (most probably) the Altamont concert are more potshot-y than most of the song’s general comments on music and bands of the era in general.
Blur vs. Oasis was a great example - they weren’t actually writing lyrics about each other that I’m aware of (the notorious “he’s got morning glory and life’s a different story” was actually about pitching a tent in the morning), but that was an epic battle. Then again, Oasis were starting shit with everybody from the moment they got famous.
Also, I saw Dig!. Not a lot of mainstream exposure on that one, though.
Who can forget Pavement jabbing at STP and Smashing Pumpkins in “Range Life”?
Out on tour with the smashing pumpkins
Nature kids, they don’t have no function
I don’t understand what they mean
And I could really give a fuck.
The stone temple pilots,
They’re elegant bachelors
They’re foxy to me are they foxy to you?
I will agree there isn’t absolutely nothing
Nothing more than me
The Clash did this twice to The Beatles - the aforementioned line in “London Calling” and earlier in “1977”:
“No Elvis, Beatles, or the Rolling Stones…”
XTC (specifically, Andy Partridge) and Todd Rundgren did not get on well at all, though I don’t know if this is referenced in any of their songs, and Partridge has since praised Rundgren’s production on Skylarking.
The Smiths chose their name specifically to needle the New Romantic bands with flowery names like Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark and Spandau Ballet.
Oasis has been mentioned before vs. everybody, but here’s one that spurred a song. Oasis presented an award to INXS, and one of the Gallaghers said something to the effect of “great bands shouldn’t be presenting for has beens.” So the chorus of their 1997 song “Elegantly Wasted” can be sung “I’m elegantly wasted” or “I’m better than Oasis.”
No songs to cite, but Elvis Costello famously once said that he wished that Sting would stop singing in “a stupid Jamaican accent.” Paul Weller also hates Sting, supposedly.
The Folk Implosion chose their name because it was the exact opposite of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Does that count? Also Ryan Adams and Courtney Love had a little online spat over a one night stand gone awry…
Also, can’t ignore the little fabricated feud between Green Day and the Network, who were pretty much the same people.
