Key Largo-Bertie Higgins
We had it all
Just like Bogie and Bacall
Starring in our old late, late show
Sailing away to Key Largo
Nothing to add other than I’m listening to my playlist and this exact lyric played in my ear just as I scrolled to your post.
Speaking of Pink Floyd, “The Fletcher Memorial Home.”
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Reagan and Haig,
Mr. Begin and friend, Mrs. Thatcher, and Paisly,
Hello Maggie!
Mr. Brezhnev and party.
Who’s the bald chap?
The ghost of McCarthy,
The memories of Nixon.
Kind of obscure, but it got radio play in the late 80s
Red Blue Jeans by John Kilzer
“She got Stalin on the wall, Beatles in her box
flags in the hall, Lennon in a locket.”
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!
You make the day shine brighter than Doris Day
It is actually Brenda Lee.
I saw Matt Dillon in black and white, there ain’t no colour in memories
He rode his brother’s Harley across the TV while I was laughing at Dom DeLuise…
–After The Fire by Roger Daltrey
Shut Up by Joe Walsh mentions his fellow Eagles.
*Hey Joe, how ya doin’, how’s your album, how’s your tour
How’s Don Henley, how’s Glenn Frey,
And who, what where and when and why *
The Beatles “Taxman” mentions “Mr. [Harold] Wilson” and “Mr. [Edward] Heath”, the British party leaders of the day.
Bertie Higgins’ soft rock masterpiece “Key Largo” ?
We had it all
just like Bogie and Bacall**
starring in out own late late show
sailing away to Key Largo*
*Humphrey Bogart
** Lauren Bacall
Written by Pete Townshend. I only mention it because I like to think that Pete especially wrote this for song for his old bandmate and friend. I hope that it’s true. I love this song, if sung by Roger or by Pete.
“Style” by Taylor Swift. “You got that James Dean daydream look in your eyes”
“The Night they Drove Old Dixie Down”. “Virgil quick come see, there goes Robert E. Lee”
A dinosaur Victrola
Listening to Buck Owens;
Doo, doo, doo,
Lookin’ out my back door.
CCR, I assume written by John Fogarty
Kathleen Edwards - “I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory”
You’re cool cred like Fogerty
I’m Elvis Presley in the 70’s
You’re the Great One
I’m Marty McSorley
Several from The Kinks’ “Mr. Churchill Says”
*Well Mr. Montgomery says
And Mr. Mountbatten says
We gotta fight the bloody battle to the very end
As Vera Lynn would say
We’ll meet again someday
But all the sacrifices we must make before the end *
songfacts.com has a page about this topic: https://www.songfacts.com/category/songs-that-mention-other-musicians-in-the-lyrics as well as songs that mention other bands, places, etc. Sorry if I spoiled anyone’s fun.
These are the ones I knew about before checking the site:
*Garden Party *- Rick (Don’t call me Ricky!) Nelson contained thinly veiled references to celebrities
Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air - Yoko Ono and John Lennon
‘n’ over in the corner, much to my surprise
Mr. Hughes hid in dylan’s shoes wearing his disguise - Bob Dylan
Someone opened up a closet door and out stepped johnny b. goode - Chuck Berry
I said hello to “mary lou”, she belongs to me - I’m sure this is reference to someone, not just his song
When i sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave
Creeque Alley - The Mamas and the Papas. Singers and bands of the time mentioned
John and Mitchy were gettin’ kind of itchy - Papa John Philips and pretty sure Joni MItchell
McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin’ higher - The Byrds Roger McGuinn and can’t remember who McGuire is and where he’s from\
Sebastian and Zal formed the Spoonful - Loving Spoonful - John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky
Mugwumps, high jumps, low slumps, big bumps -The Mugwumps
Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
Frank Zappa and the Mothers [of Invention]
Funky Claude was running in and out - Claude Nobs, founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival
But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside - Rolling Stones
We’re An American Band
Up all night with Freddie King
Sweet, sweet Connie, doin’ her act - Connie Hamzy, superstar groupie best known for her 1995 tell all book: Rock Groupie: The Intimate Adventures of “Sweet Connie” from Little Rock
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynard Skynard
Now Muscle Shoals has got the swampers - Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. A few members are fairly well know in the industry, but the had a number of player changes over the years
In Birmingham they love the Gov’nor, boo hoo ooo - Indirect references to Governor George Wallace and President Richard Nixon
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth
David Bowie apparently feels tragic just like Marlon Brando when he looks at his China Girl.
[my bold]
Are you sure it wasn’t about George Harrison? I remember having read sometime ago that it was a reference to George, who of course at the time of the concert this song was about had a big thing going with Dylan.
The Wiki article states it’s Harrison:
“One more reference in the lyrics pertains to a particularly mysterious and legendary audience member: “Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan’s shoes, wearing his disguise”. The Mr. Hughes in question was ex-Beatle George Harrison, who was a next-door neighbor and good friend of Nelson’s. Harrison used “Hughes” as his traveling alias, and “hid in Dylan’s shoes” most likely refers to an album of Bob Dylan covers that Harrison was planning but never recorded. “Wearing his disguise” also suggests that Harrison traveled incognito.”
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_Party_(Rick_Nelson_song)
But I’ve also read, just recently, but can’t find the page again, that this was a reference to Dylan going electric to try to gain a larger audience. However, since there are far more cites that it was Harrison, I’ll accept that as a correction to my post. TY!
Likely Barry McGuire, best known for his song “Eve of Destruction.”