# Song lyrics that mention famous people in passing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [August 2, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065 "2019-08-02T15:40:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [August 2, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/1 "2019-08-02T15:40:12Z")
The Annoying Drummer Boy: But here we are at 3 a.m. With Ringo Starr of Bethlehem Frank Mills: He resembles George Harrison Of The Beatles American Pie: When the jester sang for the king and queen In a coat he borrowed from James Dean ---
**Author:** ![FastDan1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fastdan1/32/427_2.png) [@FastDan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FastDan1)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/2 "2019-08-02T15:42:48Z")
Sweet Home Alabama: I hope Neil Young will remember, Southern Man don’t need him around anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/3 "2019-08-02T15:44:07Z")
Al Stewart, Flying sorcery: With your photographs of Kitty Hawk And the biplanes on your wall You were always Amy Johnson From the time that you were small Al Stewart, Year of the cat: On a morning from a Bogart movie In a country where they turn back time You go strolling through the crowd like Peter Lorre Contemplating a crime ---
**Author:** ![Oglomott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oglomott/32/3543_2.png) [@Oglomott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oglomott)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/4 "2019-08-02T15:44:56Z")
Long Tall Glasses by Leo Sayer: Before you can eat you gotta dance like Fred Astaire. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/5 "2019-08-02T15:48:15Z")
Simon and Garfunkel - Mrs. Robinson: _Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you, uh uh uh_ ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/6 "2019-08-02T15:52:13Z")
Are we including songs that are almost _nothing but_ mentioning famous people in passing, like The Beatles’ “Dig It” and Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire”? ---
**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:** [August 2, 2019, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/7 "2019-08-02T15:55:51Z")
I was looking for mentions in passing, not lists of people. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/8 "2019-08-02T16:03:11Z")
Freeze Tag by Suzanne Vega: _You stand With your hand In your pocket And lean against the wall You will be Bogart And I will be Bacall_ The Friends of Mr. Cairo: _She came, as in the book, Mickey Spillane_ and _Media became television Give me Cagney anyday Or Jimmy Stewart for President Or Edward ‘G’ and all those guys Who always shoot between the eyes_ ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/9 "2019-08-02T16:13:53Z")
Killer Queen has three in the first verse. She keeps her Moet et Chandon In her pretty cabinet “Let them eat cake”, she says Just like Marie Antoinette A built-in remedy For Kruschev and Kennedy At anytime an invitation You can’t decline ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/10 "2019-08-02T16:15:06Z")
The Grateful Dead’s “Ramble On Rose” namechecks a bunch of people, both real and fictional. Billy Sunday, Mary Shelley, Wolfman Jack, Jack the Ripper, Frankenstein… ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/11 "2019-08-02T16:19:43Z")
“Hey Nineteen, that’s Aretha Franklin…” ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/12 "2019-08-02T16:25:43Z")
> [@Royal\_Nonesutch](#): > > The Grateful Dead’s “Ramble On Rose” namechecks a bunch of people, both real and fictional. > > Billy Sunday, Mary Shelley, Wolfman Jack, Jack the Ripper, Frankenstein… Argh, that’s the one I was going to mention. Ok then, _US Blues_: Shake the hand That shook the hand Of P.T. Barnum And Charlie Chan. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/13 "2019-08-02T16:27:34Z")
McCartney & Wings : “Rock Show” “Who’s that man up upon the stage? It looks a like the one used by Jimmy Page!” ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/14 "2019-08-02T16:34:20Z")
Coincidentally, I’m listening to Pink Floyd today. _Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn?_ ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/15 "2019-08-02T16:35:42Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Argh, that’s the one I was going to mention. > Ok then, _US Blues_: > > Shake the hand > That shook the hand > Of P.T. Barnum > And Charlie Chan. Well, if Biblical figures count, the Dead also have “Greatest Story Ever Told” which mentions Moses and “My Brother Esau” which includes Jacob. (Robert Hunter is an incredibly literate guy, but again far too many people assume that a 1960’s band called the “Grateful Dead” can’t have insightful, brilliantly crafted lyrics. Garcia was right, the moniker Grateful Dead was a non-starter for a lot of people) ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/16 "2019-08-02T16:39:16Z")
The opening line of Van Morrison’s haunting “St. Dominic’s Preview” “Chamois cleaning all the windows, singing songs about Edith Piaf’s soul…” ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/17 "2019-08-02T16:39:40Z")
From _Tonight, Tonight_ by Hot Chelle Rae\*: I woke up with a strange tattoo Not sure how I got it, not a dollar in my pocket And it kinda looks just like you Mixed with Zach Galifianakis \*Technically, I’m only familiar with the song via the Kidz Bop version ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/18 "2019-08-02T16:44:23Z")
Eminem’s Lose Yourself: “Cause man, these goddamn food stamps don’t buy diapers And there’s no movie, there’s no Mekhi Phifer, this is my life.” ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/19 "2019-08-02T16:46:00Z")
We went searching through thrift store jungles Found Geronimo’s rifle, Marilyn’s shampoo And Benny Goodman’s corset and pen Well, okay, I made this up Sheryl Crow - If it Makes You Happy ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065/20 "2019-08-02T16:47:44Z")
“Come on Eileen” - Dexys Midnight Runners Poor old Johnnie Ray Sounded sad upon the radio But he moved a million hearts in mono Our mothers cried, sang along, who’d blame them [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-lyrics-that-mention-famous-people-in-passing/838065.md?page=2)