I have to say, I really appreciated this thread I found a lot of really great stuff in there, most of it new to me.
I wanted to make a CD for a friend and I realized I was well on the way to making a CD mix with all girl names for song titles!
Jenny - Mountain Goats
Jezebel - Iron and Wine
O Valencia - The Decemberists
Lily 2 - Matt Pond PA
Ramona - Guster
Hey There Delilah - Plain White Tees
String Bean Jean - Belle & Sebastian
Any other suggestions? Big thanks to everyone in the other thread, I am really liking the recommended songs!
Alison - Elvis Costello.
Denise - Randy and the Rainbows
Gloria - Laura Branigan
Gloria - Van Morrison
Jamie - Weezer
Dawn (Go Away) - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Sherry - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Ronnie - Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Mary Jo - Belle & Sebastian
Rhoda - Belle & Sebastian (hard to find)
Photo Jenny - Belle & Sebastian
Lazy Line Painter Jane - Belle & Sebastian
Kate - Ben Folds Five
Zak and Sara - Ben Folds
Gracie - Ben Folds
Jessica - Allman Brothers (not really lo-fi)
These are awesome, thanks! I had completely forgotten Jamie by Weezer! I also got Margaret vs. Pauline by Neko Case. I am now on looking for Lucy and some of the songs by Ben Folds Five!
Thanks, that’s beautiful I love it! I was tempted to add Glory Box by Portishead but I don’t think my friend would “get” it (considering she knows me as Jennifer!).
In June, I did fill-in for the DJ hosting a singer-songwriter show on a local radio station. When I fill in for him, I do theme shows. It’s a two-hour slot with only live ad-lib commercials for the show sponsors. This last one, “Ladies of Song,” was entirely composed of songs with girl’s names in the title.
The rule is on the show, that whoever sings the song must have written it - or at least a member of the group, when a group is used. So many of these won’t be quite as familiar, but the show went over well.
Here’s the playlist:
Hey Paula - Paul & Paula (the guy in the group really did write the song)
Maria - Louise Taylor
Bonnie & Avery - Eric Taylor (no relation to Louise)
When Rita Leaves - Delbert McClinton
To Ramona - Bob Dylan
Angelina - Michael Jerling
Jolene - Janis Ian (NOT the Dolly Parton song of the same name)
Oh, Carrie - Dwight Twilley
Nellie Kane - Hot Rize
Betty Was Black - Todd Snider
Betty’s Being Bad - Marshall Chapman (wrote the song for Sawyer Brown) but did a nice live version herself)
Pamela Brown - Tom T. Hall
Donna Rice - The Diptones (an a capella group - this one sung to the tune of Barbara Ann)
Annabelle - Kate Power and Steve Einhorn
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
Josephine Baker - Al Stewart
Polk Salad Annie - Tony joe White
Elenore - The Turtles
Julia - Chris Rea
Julie - Michael Shellie
Mrs. Whitney - Don Conoscenti
Nadine - Chuck Berry
Peg - Steely Dan
Rita Ballou - Guy Clark
Sweet Melinda - Peter Rowan
Jessica - The Allman Brothers
Backup songs I didn’t have time to play:
Sweet Mary - The Byrds
Sweet Suzanne - Buzzin’ Cousins
Valerie - Jerry Garcia
Valerie - Quarterflash (not the same as Garcia’s)
Debbie’s Song - Rebecca Scott (Instrumental)
Other songs that didn’t meet the songwriter test or that I left out on purpose
Amphetamine Annie - Canned Heat
Angel & Delilah - Eliza Kilkyson
Are You Sleepin’, Maggie? - Aopife Clancy
Bonnie Mae - Solas
Daisy Simone - Rockapella
Emma Jean - Teh Amazing Rhythm Aces
Josephine - Paul Kamm & Eleanore MacDonald
Lay Down, Sally - Eric Clapton
Lily, Rosemary & the Jack of Hearts
Lisa, I Love You - Rockapella
Miss Fritchie - Eddie from Ohio
Satisfy Suzi - Lonnie Mack
Sweet Mary - Big Brother and the Holding Company
Thoughts About Roxanne - John Mayall
Hope that helps. A fair amount of obscure stuff there, but well worth looking up.
Note that 2 of those songs are Ben Folds solo stuff, not Ben Folds Five. I think one is located under B and the other under F
I remembered some more songs, including more B&S and Ben Folds - they like to sing songs about people!
B&S:
Judy and the Dream of Horses
Consuelo (kind of doesn’t count, as it’s an instrumental named for a character in a movie for which they did a soundtrack)
Judy is a Dickslap (also an instrumental)
Ben Folds:
Give Judy My Notice
Carrying Cathy
Annie Waits
Losing Lisa
Chuck Berry - Maybellene
Little Richard - Lucille
Little Richard / The Beatles - Long Tall Sally
Little Richard - Jenny Jenny
Little Richard - Miss Ann
The Jodimars - Clarabella
The Nutmegs - Betty Lou
The Valentines - Lily Maebelle
Pat Boone - Anastasia
Pat Boone - Bernardine
Larry Williams / Elvis Presley - Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Claudia)
Debbie Reynolds - Tammy
Paul Anka - Diana
The Charts - Deserie
Terry Gilkyson & The Easy Riders - Marianne
Brian Hyland / Leonard Cohen - So Long Marianne
Dale Hawkins - Susie Q
Buddy Holly - Peggy Sue
The Paragons - Florence
The Vipers Skiffle Group / The Beatles - Maggie Mae
Rod Stewart - Maggie May (different from above)
Chuck Berry - Carol
The Charts - My Diane
The Crescendos - Oh Julie
The Del Vikings - Willette
The Everly Brothers - Claudette
The Mello-Kings - Valerie
Ritchie Valens - Donna
The Big Bopper - It’s The Truth, Ruth
Johnny Cash - Katy Too
Ronnie Hawkins - Mary Lou
Duane Eddy & The Rebels - Bonnie Came Back
The Everly Brothers - Take A Message To Mary
Buster Brown / Robbie Lane & The Disciples - Fannie Mae
Fats Domino - My Girl Josephine
The Olympics - Shimmy Like Kate
The Mello-Kings - Penny
Elvis Presley - (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame
Arthur Alexander / The Beatles - Anna (Go To Him)
Johnny Crawford - Cindy’s Birthday
Roy Orbison - Leah
Dion - Ruby Baby
The Four Seasons - Marlena
Lesley Gore - Judy’s Turn To Cry
The Jaynetts - Sally Go 'Round The Roses
Richie Knight & The Mid-Knights - Charlena
Louis Armstrong - Hello Dolly
Chuck Berry - Nadine
Freddy Cannon - Abigail Beecher
Davie Jones (Bowie) & The King Bees - Liza Jane
The Beach Boys - Help Me Rhonda
The Beach Boys - Barbara Ann
The Beach Boys - Wendy
Them - Gloria
The Association - Along Comes Mary
The Beach Boys - Caroline, No
The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby
The Chambers Brothers - Dinah
The Left Banke - Walk Away Renee
The Hollies - Carrie Anne
The Kinks (Dave Davies) - Susannah’s Still Alive
Pink Floyd - See Emily Play
Elvis Presley - Judy
The Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday
The Cortinas - Phoebe’s Flower Shop
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Wreck Of The Antoinette
Donovan - Jennifer Juniper
The Monkees - Valleri
The Turtles - Elenore
The Beatles - Dear Prudence
Glen Campbell - Where’s The Playground Susie
Cat Mother & The All Night Newsboys - Marie
Crosby, Stills & Nash - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Oliver - Jean
Tommy Roe - Heather Honey
Tony Joe White - Polk Salad Annie
Blood, Sweat & Tears - Lucretia Mac Evil
Dawn - Candida
Andy Kim - Tricia, Tell Your Daddy
The Kinks - Victoria
The Kinks - Lola
Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
Sugar ‘n’ Spice - Angeline
Chilliwack - Lonesome Mary
Chilliwack - Arms Of Mary
Five Man Electrical Band - Hello Melinda Goodbye
Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds - Daisy Mae
Jimi Hendrix - Dolly Dagger
Stephen Stills - Marianne
R. Dean Taylor - Gotta See Jane
Wadsworth Mansion - Sweet Mary
The Beach Boys - Marcella
Derek & The Dominoes - Layla
…that pretty much covers the prehistoric era! Someone else can do modern civilization.
Going through my music collection, and that of my parents (I swear to GOD, I do not listen to Kenny Rogers or Rod Stewart)…
Billie Jean - Micheal Jackson
Mary Ann - Alice Cooper
Nurse Rosetta - Alice Cooper
Michelle - The Beatles
Polyethylene Pam - The Beatles
Elenore Rigby - The Beatles
Dear Prudence - The Beatles
Lovely Rita - The Beatles
Maggie Mae - The Beatles
Martha My Dear - The Beatles
Sexy Sadie - The Beatles
Maggie Mae - Rod Stewart
Jenny (867-5309) - Tommy TuTone
Lucile - Kenny Rogers
Ruby - Kenny Rogers
Mary - Oingo Boingo
Minnie the Moocher - Cab Calloway
Suzy is a Headbanger - Ramones
Sheena is a Punk Rocker - Ramones
Judy is a Punk - Ramones
Janine - David Bowie
Roxanne - The Police
Marylin, My Bitterness - The Cruxshadows
Eurydice - The Cruxshadows
Cassandra - The Cruxshadows
Mary Anne With the Shaky Hand - The Who
Melanie - Weird Al Yankovic
Airline Amy - Weird Al
And there’s more, but this is already insane, so I’ll stop here…
Suzanne - Leonard Cohen Marcie - Joni Mitchell Bernadette - The Four Tops Suzie-Q - Creedence Clearwater Revival Your Auntie Grizelda - The Monkees Sara - Bob Dylan Come Away Melinda - Uriah Heep Sweet Jane - Lou Reed Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine - Country Joe & The Fish
A couple others that don’t seem to be mentioned. (Mostly “novelty” records, though.)
Laura, by Spike Jones and His City Slickers*
Lydia, the Tattooed Lady, specifically the version by Kermit the Frog*
Chloe, by Spike Jones and His City Slickers*
Wake Up, Little Suzie
Jenny Brown, by The Smothers Brothers
*‘straight’ versions of these songs do exist, but I really only know them because of the versions I’d mentioned.
I’m surprised fishbicycle remembered “So Long, Marianne” but forgot this one. It’s from the same album, and it’s one of his better-known ones. Great song.
Others:
The Smiths- Sheila Take A Bow
Nick Lowe- Maureen
The Pogues- Sally Maclennane
Tom Waits- Georgia Lee
I’ll look for more, but right now I need to get some sleep.
I love it! I was tempted to add Glory Box by Portishead but I don’t think my friend would “get” it (considering she knows me as Jennifer!).