# Metasongs! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 3, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761 "2006-02-03T01:03:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/41 "2006-02-09T13:51:37Z")
Monty Python’s “I Bet You They Won’t Play This Song on the Radio?” refers to itself. And Harry Chapin’s “Dance Band of the Titanic” refers to “Nearer My God to Thee”. ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/42 "2006-02-09T14:03:04Z")
While not strictly in keeping with the OP, I just had to mention “The Radio” by Dr. Hook. The song not only refers to an external song - that external song is embedded as this song’s chorus. While the title doesn’t refer to the song by name, it does refer to what that external song is playing on. Come on, that’s gotta fit somehow… And for a perfectly self-referential song, how 'bout “This song’s just six words long” by Weird Al Yankovic. The title contains the entirety of the song’s lyrics! ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/43 "2006-02-09T14:10:53Z")
Just thought of another: “Straw Hat and Old Dirty Hank” by Barenaked Ladies. The song itself is a tribute to the plight of the farmer. The words in the title are not sung in the song. They are an allusion to “The Farmer Song” by Murray Mclaughlin, whose chorus begins “Straw hat and old dirty hankie.” ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/44 "2006-02-09T14:27:38Z")
> [@Darth Nader](#): > > Uhh… Just wanted to post 'cause my real name showed up in this thread. Freaky. > > How about PiL’s “This is Not a Love Song”? Bruce? Bruce Springsteen? Is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/45 "2006-02-09T16:01:31Z")
“Ant Music.” ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/46 "2006-02-09T22:21:53Z")
> [@Tarrsk](#): > > [Title of the Song](http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~mdebowsk/old/titleofthesong.html), by Da Vinci’s Notebook. Doesn’t actually refer to another song by name, but… well, here’s a sampling of the lyrics. You’ll get the idea. 😉 Damn! As soon as I saw the thread title, I wanted to come post that one. Purely a metasong. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/47 "2006-02-09T22:51:59Z")
“A Praise Chorus” by Jimmy Eat World has a couple levels of meta. – The middle of the song is basically a string of lines that all reference other songs. Right after that, though, there is a line “Davey, sing me something that I know”. The singer who sang those song references IS a guest singer called Davey (vanBohlen), who obviously just did sing something that he knew. – One of the lines in that list of song references is “Why did we ever meet?” Davey’s band, the Promise Ring, had a song called “Why Did we Ever Meet?” – The bassline to A Praise Chorus sounds immensely like the bassline to “Why Did We Ever Meet?” ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/48 "2006-02-09T23:33:14Z")
Does “Killing Me Softly” count? ---
**Author:** ![Talon\_Karrde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Talon\_Karrde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Talon_Karrde)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/49 "2006-02-10T06:25:39Z")
Hold On by Tom Waits: > [@](#): > > By a 99 cent store she closed her eyes > And started swaying > But it’s so hard to dance that way > When it’s cold and there’s no music > Well your old hometown is so far away > But, inside your head there’s a record > That’s playing, a song called > > Hold on, hold on > You really got to hold on > Take my hand, I’m standing right here > And just hold on. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/50 "2006-02-10T14:01:00Z")
Well I thought [The Strange Case of Frank Cash and the Morning Pap](http://www.lyricsdownload.com/burnett-tbone-the-strange-case-of-frank-cash-and-the-morning-pap-lyrics.html) would have been mentioned already. > [@](#): > > and frank says: > > your honour and ladies and gentlemen of the jury > all this has been happening to me because of this guy > named t bone burnett. he’s been making all this up > and i just want to say i don’t believe in him > in fact i don’t even think he exists ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/51 "2006-02-10T15:19:39Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs What’s wrong with that? ---
**Author:** ![Nature\_s\_Call](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nature_s_call/32/19006_2.png) [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/52 "2006-02-10T15:45:30Z")
> [@Tarrsk](#): > > [Title of the Song](http://www.emba.uvm.edu/~mdebowsk/old/titleofthesong.html), by Da Vinci’s Notebook. Doesn’t actually refer to another song by name, but… well, here’s a sampling of the lyrics. You’ll get the idea. 😉 A couple more in this vein… **"[Here is the Chorus](http://www.cathymarcy.com/postcard_lyrics.htm#here_is_the_chorus)" - Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer** \*I have a line of a song, it sets the mood it sets the time I color it with images, and maybe it will rhyme Now it gains momentum, getting stronger on the way The chorus is approaching and it’s what I want to say CHORUS: Here is the chorus, it’s the title of the song Here is the chorus, and it’s taking you along It sums up all the verses and the themes that it contains Here is the chorus, and I’m singing it again\* **"Grunge Song" - [Radio Free Vestibule](http://www.thevestibules.com/Vestibules%20CD.htm)** _This is the part of the song that’s really quiet We play very soft, it sounds like a ballad And this is the part where we play real hard It’s must louder than at the beginning And we go back to the quiet part - again_ ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/53 "2006-02-10T18:31:43Z")
“I Beg Your Pardon” by KonKan–not exactly referencing a title, but a lyric from Lynn Anderson’s “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden”, a line from which is prominently sampled in the song. One of my favorite '80s songs! ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/54 "2006-02-10T22:03:58Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Got one! > > I had to work at it, but Coldplay’s “Yellow.” > > Yes? Maybe? Validate meeeee! Yes, that is a very good one. You get a gold star for the day. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/55 "2006-02-11T00:01:39Z")
_Roy Orbison’s singin’ for the lonely …_ —“Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/56 "2006-02-11T00:03:12Z")
“Let’s Twist Again”—Chubby Checker ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/57 "2006-02-11T00:53:02Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > Yes, that is a very good one. You get a gold star for the day. Woooo! Gosh, now I’m all glowy. ---
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761/58 "2006-02-11T00:59:23Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Woooo! > > Gosh, now I’m all glowy. Glowy, glowy Hallelujah. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metasongs/342761.md?page=2)