In a recent thread about couples where the less well known partner ended up the better known partner someone mentioned Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. I thought this was pretty silly since even non-Americans know who he was.
I also realized that they are the only married couple I can think of that have both been used in the lyrics of popular songs:
Goodbye Norma Jean
From the young man in the 22nd row
Who sees you as something more than sexual
More than just our Marilyn Monroe
from Candle in the Wind
and
*Where have you gone, **Joe DiMaggio **
A nation turns it’s lonely eyes to you (Woo, woo, woo) *
John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy Onassis have been mentioned in different songs.
John was mentioned in (among others) Dion’s “Abraham, Martin and John” and Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” ( JFK blown awway, what more do I have to say?").
Meanwhile, Jackie was mentioned in Rod Stewart’s “You Wear it Well” (“Madam Onassis got nothing on you”).
“Beyonces, and Lucy Lius, and baby dolls, get on the floor”
Miley Cyrus - ‘Party In The USA’
“And the Jay-Z song was on”
That’s the first example that came to mind (and the first songs I could think of that mentioned those two), I’m sure there are others even for that couple, and certainly examples for other couples.
Edit: what about if one of the songs is by the other half of the couple? Guy Ritchie is mentioned in a roundabout way in Madonna’s ‘I Deserve It’, while Madonna is mentioned in at least ‘Do It With Madonna’ by the Androids and ‘She’s Madonna’ by Robbie Williams. Is Sean Penn mentioned in any pop songs, I wonder?
Kevin Federline is mentioned in Eminem’s ‘We Made You’ and Britney Spears is mentioned in, funnily enough, two songs from my previous post, ‘Party In The USA’ and ‘Do It With Madonna’, plus Pink’s ‘Don’t Let Me Get Me’, Timbaland/Dr. Dre/Justin Timberlake/Missy Elliott’s ‘Bounce’ and most likely some others too.
Lennon is arguably mentioned in ‘American Pie’ and definitely mentioned in George Michael’s ‘John And Elvis Are Dead’ (and approximately 10 billion other songs) while Yoko is mentioned in Barenaked Ladies’ ‘Be My Yoko Ono’.
It’d be interesting to find out which couple had the most mentions in seperate songs, as we’ve established that this is not a unique thing - I’d say John & Yoko would have to be contenders.
Well, yeah, but for those of us from non-baseball playing countries (the majority), he’s “one of MM’s husbands”. Compared with a woman who’s among the most marketable names in history, that definitely qualifies as “less well known”.
A fine example, if I do say so myself: Linda was written for the then-5 year old daughter of attorney Lee Eastman.
“And here’s another clue for you all/The Walrus was Paul” was writtenn much later.
Tom Paxton’s Crazy John is about Lennon, and was writen in 1976.
Barenaked Ladies has Be My Yoko Ono
Brad Pitt is mentioned in the Shania Twain song “You Don’t Impress Me Much.” Angelina Jolie is probably mentioned in various songs, but the only one that I could come up in a hurry is “Celebrity Sanctum” by the group Dogs Die in Hot Cars.
John and Michi (Michelle) [Phillips] are mentioned in “Creeque Alley.” But I don’t recall (and don’t feel like looking it up) whether they were married at the time the song was written.
The Grateful Dead sang Don’t Bogart That Joint with the obvious allusion to Humphrey Bogart’s style of smoking a cigarette.
His wife, Lauren Bacall, is mentioned in the sexy line-up in Madonna’s Vogue;
They had style, they had grace
Rita Hayworth gave good face
Lauren, Katherine, Lana too
Bette Davis, we love you
Edited to comment that ArchiveGuy and I were typing at the same time with a similar sentiment!