Lou Reed and co. have been referenced elsewhere…Pierce Turner had an album that was, if memory serves, produced by longtime Velvets acolyte and Lou Reed guitarist Robert Quine, and one song had the lyrics “It felt so good to hear the coloured girls sing” as a callback to “Walk on the Wild Side.” I haven’t heard the album in years, so I’m blanking on the title of that specific song.
So I’m not talking about cover songs, or songs that nick the melody by sampling or otherwise. So not “Hope” by R.E.M., the melody of which is an electronic version of Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” but Bryn Fôn’s (Welsh language) “Y Bardd o Montreal” which is about Cohen (and uses a Cohen melody to boot). Y Bardd o Montreal - Bryn Fon (geiriau / lyrics) - YouTube
Interesting thread idea. My first thought was “Hats Off to (Roy) Harper” by Led Zeppelin, but other than the name-check in the title, the song itself is not about being a fan of Harper’s music.
And in fact, the song is a cover, but of a Bukka White song apparently, so it might not count…?
When I saw the thread title, I thought you meant songs that were about the band/singer’s own fans, or about being a fan of that artist, and I thought of The Kinks’ “Rock and Roll Fantasy” (“Dan is a fan and he lives for our music / It’s the only thing that gets him by”).
Reading the OP, I see you’re asking for “songs that are about other musicians, from the point of a fan.”
There are plenty of examples from this thread from February: Songs About Other Musicians. But that thread is broader in scope than this one (some, but certainly not all, songs about other musicians are from the point of view of a fan).
Does “Luckenbach, Texas” count? Although sung by Waylon with a guest appearance by Willie, it was written by Chips Moman & Bobby Emmons from the point of view of a couple – fans of Waylon, Willie, Hank Williams, Mickey Newbury, and Jerry Jeff Walker – whose relationship is on the rocks.
Aw, that’s kind of a cute song. I read the lyrics first, so it’s always interesting how often such juvenille-sounding lyrics when put to paper sound in the context of a song.
For me, a number come to mind that I think fit the OP.
“I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone” by Sleater-Kinney, a total banger of a tune:
Thurston Moore gets name-checked in the second chorus, too. Now, this song isn’t directly about Ramone or Moore, but obviously are using them for their symbolism as idols.
Songs about musicians being fans of other musicians? Because the first thing I thought of was Eminem’s Stan but now I think that’s not quite what you mean, no?
Oh, shit, what about “Giorgio by Moroder” by Daft Punk? It’s mostly an instrumental interspersed with bits from an interview they did with Giorgio Moroder. I’m not sure it makes it a song about being a fan, but it’s an (auto)biographical tribute to him and his music. A bit of a surprise to me, but my 6- and 8-year-old daughters love this tune.
I am not 100% certain this fits the OP but I’ll throw it out.
Billy Bragg (probably better known for A New England) did Levi Stubbs’ Tears. The lyrics describe a woman who married far too young to the wrong man and in a ruined life finds solace in the music of Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops.
