# People who are the subject of multiple songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589 "2009-05-25T18:11:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/21 "2009-05-26T07:58:07Z")
Soul singer Claudia Lennear inspired both The Rolling Stones “Brown Sugar” and David Bowie’s “Lady Grinning Soul”. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/22 "2009-05-26T08:16:08Z")
If we are including biblical figures, then the devil is mentioned a hell of a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Peanut\_Gallery](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/838e76/32.png) [@Peanut\_Gallery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanut_Gallery)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/23 "2009-05-26T13:36:24Z")
[Duke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Ellington#Tributes)? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/24 "2009-05-26T13:41:49Z")
John Lennon must have a few, including Tom Paxton’s Crazy John, George Harrison’s All Those Years Ago & Elton John’s Empty Garden, ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/25 "2009-05-26T14:30:35Z")
Rosanna Arquette is the subject of Toto’s “Rosanna,” and Peter Gabriel’s ["In Your Eyes] (don’t recall the exact title). ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/26 "2009-05-26T15:18:37Z")
George W. Bush is highlighted in at least two songs: Neil Young’s “Let’s Impeach the President” Pearl Jam’s “Bush Leaguer” (which has the great line _born on third, thinks he got a triple_) ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/27 "2009-05-26T17:45:50Z")
Billy the Kid and Jesse James both come up in a lot of country/folk/Americana songs. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/28 "2009-05-27T02:34:28Z")
Gloria? ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/29 "2009-05-27T02:40:23Z")
River Phoenix is the subject of two songs that I can think of. One by Natalie Merchant and I think the other is by R.E. M. but I don’t remember, so if it’s no REM then it’s a similar band and the song is of mid- to late 90s vintage. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/30 "2009-05-27T02:51:54Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > George W. Bush is highlighted in at least two songs: > Neil Young’s “Let’s Impeach the President” > Pearl Jam’s “Bush Leaguer” (which has the great line _born on third, thinks he got a triple_) Also Firewater’s [Hey Clown](http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858687211/). ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/31 "2009-05-27T03:03:11Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > George W. Bush is highlighted in … > Pearl Jam’s “Bush Leaguer” (which has the great line _born on third, thinks he got a triple_) Just for the record, Pearl Jam didn’t originate that great line. Jim Hightower said it about George H.W. Bush at the 1988 Democratic convention, and he probably stole it from someone else. [Link](http://books.google.com/books?id=d6JZryGvfxYC&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=hightower+born+on+third+thinks+he+hit+triple&source=bl&ots=-GIK9bat9T&sig=y4vQkqUGrNVhjCKWnQABEqPzXfc&hl=en&ei=n6wcSsbdINe7twekxJWfCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/32 "2009-05-27T03:08:45Z")
According to the wikipedia article, [Marilyn Monroe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Monroe_in_popular_culture) has the following songs about her… Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind” on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road The Misfits’ “Who Killed Marilyn?” and “Die Monster Die”. The band takes its name from The Misfits Los Prisioneros’ “¿Quién mató a Marilyn?” Ray Anthony’s “My Marilyn” Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” The Distillers’ “Gypsy Rose Lee” Tori Amos’s “Father Lucifer” Madonna’s “Vogue” Suede’s “Heroine” on Dog Man Star Jennifer Lopez’s “I’m Gonna be Alright” Robbie Williams’s “The Actor” The Kinks’ “Celluloid Heroes” Def Leppard’s “Photograph” Stereophonics’ “She Takes Her Clothes Off” Blood Brothers has two songs called “Marylin Monroe” The Spice Girls’ “The Lady is a Vamp” Jay-Z’s “Hollywood” Dan Bern’s “Marilyn” Though I’m not sure I agree with all of the listings. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/33 "2009-05-27T03:09:49Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > River Phoenix is the subject of two songs that I can think of. One by Natalie Merchant and I think the other is by R.E. M. but I don’t remember, so if it’s no REM then it’s a similar band and the song is of mid- to late 90s vintage. Aussie band TISM had a song called “I’m On The Drug That Killed River Phoenix”. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/34 "2009-05-27T03:15:54Z")
Elvis Lotsa songs about Elvis, most of them reportedly pretty awful. A staple seems to be working song titles into the song itself, and singing about Elvis up there in Rock’n Roll Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/35 "2009-05-27T03:41:50Z")
David Allen Coe mentions Johnny Cash in at least 2 different songs, and I’m sure the Man in Black gets a nod in many others. ---
**Author:** ![maplekiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a4c791/32.png) [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/36 "2009-05-27T04:03:31Z")
Marianne Faithfull inspired/was the subject of a few Rolling Stones songs. & Carrie Ann by the Hollies was supposedly written about her, but the group was “too shy” to use her name. > **[Carrie Anne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Anne_(song))** > > "Carrie Anne" is a song written by Allan Clarke, Graham Nash, and Tony Hicks and released by British pop rock group the Hollies. It was recorded on 1 May 1967 and was released as a single in the same month by Parlophone Records in the United Kingdom and Epic Records in the United States. It became a hit in 1967, reaching No.3 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also a hit in the US and Canada, peaking at No.9 on both pop charts. It also reached No.4 in the Irish charts. > According to Allan Clark... ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/37 "2009-05-27T06:10:47Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > River Phoenix is the subject of two songs that I can think of. One by Natalie Merchant and I think the other is by R.E. M. but I don’t remember, so if it’s no REM then it’s a similar band and the song is of mid- to late 90s vintage. I think some of the songs on the _Monster_ album were about, at least in part, River Phoenix. The album is dedicated to him. Speaking of R.E.M., they sure like Andy Kaufman: “Man on the Moon” and “The Great Beyond” are both about him. Martin Luther King, Jr. has a few as well: U2’s “Pride (In the Name of Love)” and “MLK,” and Ben Harper’s “Like a King,” to name three. Margaret Thatcher was an object of derision in tons of songs: “Celebrate (The Day After You),” by The Blow Monkeys, “Margaret on the Guillotine,” by Morrissey, and “Stand Down Margaret” by The Beat. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/38 "2009-05-27T07:02:25Z")
Peggy Sue ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/39 "2009-05-27T14:22:44Z")
> [@zamboniracer](#): > > Just for the record, Pearl Jam didn’t originate that great line. Jim Hightower said it about George H.W. Bush at the 1988 Democratic convention, and he probably stole it from someone else. [Link](http://books.google.com/books?id=d6JZryGvfxYC&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=hightower+born+on+third+thinks+he+hit+triple&source=bl&ots=-GIK9bat9T&sig=y4vQkqUGrNVhjCKWnQABEqPzXfc&hl=en&ei=n6wcSsbdINe7twekxJWfCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2)🙂 thanks… didn’t know that… ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589/40 "2009-05-27T14:24:22Z")
Perhaps surprisingly, Geronimo has inspired a whole slew of songs from '50’s instrumental rock to Modern Talking (I have a friend who collects them!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-are-the-subject-of-multiple-songs/497589.md?page=3)