“They’ll sing of you in song”
Which real person alive today is the most referenced name in song?
Can you name the song that contains:
-Mick Jagger
-Mekhi Pfeiffer
-Larry Bird
(feel free to add other names to the list)
James Dean.
edit - oops, you said “alive today,” so I guess he doesn’t quite qualify.
Mekhi Pfeiffer is “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. He was in the movie 8 Mile with Eminem as was this song.
Easy one. Paul Simon’s A Simple Desultory Philippic
Alive today? I’m gonna guess maybe Bob Dylan.
Teenage Fanclub referred to Jagger et al. in “When I Still Have Thee”:
Well The Rolling Stones wrote a song for me
It’s a minor song, in a major key
Although…Margaret Thatcher sure inspired a lot of verse:
Stand Down Margaret - The (English) Beat
Margaret on the Guillotine - Morrissey
Tramp the Dirt Down - Elvis Costello
Bob DYlan is mentioned in quite a few songs, including:
Billy Joel- “We Didn’t Start the Fire”
John Lennon - “God”
Jesus Jones - “Right Here, Right Now”
Hootie & the Blowfish - “I Only Wanna Be With You”
Til Tuesday - “Coming Up Close”
Ricky Nelson - “Garden Party”
Simon & Garfunkel - “A Simple Desultory Philippic”
Counting Crows - “Mr. Jones”
PROBABLY Don McLean - “American Pie” (if you assume the Jester is Dylan)
And there are loads of songs that mention Elvis Presley (what, he’s alive in Michigan, isn’t he? The Enquirer said so!)
REM - “Man on the Moon”
Don Henley - “If Dirt Were Dollars”
Marc Cohn - “Walking in Memphis”
Tom Petty - “Free Falling”
John Lennon - “God” (again!)
Mojo Nixon - “Elvis Is Everywhere”
George Jones -“Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?”
Dire Straits - “Calling Elvis”
U2 - “Elvis Presley and America”
Eminem - “Without Me”
Public Enemy - “Fight the Power” (hey, they’re not ALL positive references!)
Steely Dan - “FM”
Billy Joel- “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (again)
There are also loads of songs that allude to Elvis indirectly, or that are ABOUT Elvis without ever mentioning him. Such as…
Paul Simon - “Graceland”
Alannah Myles - “Black Velvet”
PROBABLY Don McLean - “American Pie” (if you assume the King is Elvis)
Elvis is dead. Or so some claim. The OP asked about references to living people.
Yes, living people referenced by their correct, full first and last names. So a lyric mentioning “The King” is invalid for multiple reasons. “Norma Jean” or “Marilyn Monroe” is also not valid.
Why living? Cause dead folk can’t hear their own name in song.
Also the Beatles “Yer Blues” - “Feel so suicidal, just like Dylan’s Mr. Jones.”
Songs that mention Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali:
LL Cool J - “Mama Said Knock You Out”
Johnny Wakelin - “Black Superman”
Billy Joel - “Zanzibar”
Fabulous Thunderbirds - “Tuff Enuff”
Bob Dylan - “I Shall Be Free #10”
Tori Amos - “Professional Widow”
Skeeter Davis - "“I’m a Lover (Not a Fighter)”
50 Cent - “Many Men”
There are two being played on the radio right now: Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” and Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger.”
DiMaggio showed up all over the place.
If we must have first and last names mentioned together, well, i can think of two songs that mention Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page by his full name:
Paul McCartney & Wings - “Venus & Mars/ Rock Show” ("What’s that man moving cross the stage? It looks a lot like the one used by Jimmy Page ")
Beastie Boys - “The New Style” (“If I played guitar I’d be Jimmy Page- the girlies I like are under age”)
By your own definition, Mick Jagger is also ineligible.
His “correct, full first and last names” are Michael Jagger.
Christina Applegate- “Seat Adrift On Memory Bliss” -PM Dawn
Also dead.
Whaaaa? Good luck with that one.
Brenda Lee is still around, as is mentioned by her full name in…
- Chuck Berry - “Brenda Lee”
- Golden Earring - “Radar Love” (“Brenda Lee’s coming on strong”)
- Marshall Crenshaw - “I’m Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)”
- Burton Cummings - “Dream of a Child”