# Songs about being a fan **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 9, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271 "2022-09-09T14:46:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/1 "2022-09-09T14:46:12Z")
Inspired by the [Meta-songs: Songs about being a musician](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meta-songs-songs-about-being-a-musician/971057) thread, my brain went on a tangent and started thinking about songs that are about other musicians, from the point of a fan. First up for me was Jonathan Richman’s “Velvet Underground”, a tribute to one of his big inspirations. [Jonathan Richman - Velvet Underground - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHTyUHOYxSQ) 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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlaSMhZ3hMI) Anyone else have favorites? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/2 "2022-09-09T14:53:01Z")
“Drift Away” by Dobie Gray doesn’t name any specific artists, but it is from the point of view of a fan. “American Pie” by Don McLean doesn’t specifically name anyone, but drops a lot of hints. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/3 "2022-09-09T14:54:53Z")
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…? > [@mbh](#): > > “American Pie” by Don McLean doesn’t specifically name anyone, but drops a lot of hints. This is a great one. ---
**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:** [September 9, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/4 "2022-09-09T14:59:36Z")
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](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-other-musicians/959255). 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). ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/5 "2022-09-09T15:04:35Z")
There’s “Meg White” by Ray Lamontagne, but it sounds more like he [has a stalkery crush on her](https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858740857/) than is a fan of her drumming skills… [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2HXsdodYvp8/hqdefault.jpg "Ray Lamontagne - Meg White") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HXsdodYvp8) ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/6 "2022-09-09T15:05:29Z")
“Killing Me Softly” was composed in part based on one of the composer’s reactions to a Don McLean performance. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/7 "2022-09-09T15:07:56Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > There are plenty of examples from this thread from February: [Songs About Other Musicians](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-other-musicians/959255). Damn, I didn’t spot that thread…used the wrong keywords in a quick search. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/8 "2022-09-09T15:11:07Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/9 "2022-09-09T15:19:58Z")
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: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/CTHpfZhfQbk/hqdefault.jpg "Sleater-Kinney - I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTHpfZhfQbk) 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. The Replacements “Alex Chilton”: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sTSJYZyouek/hqdefault.jpg "The Replacements - Alex Chilton") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTSJYZyouek) That’s more direct fanboying. MGMT’s “Brian Eno”: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/XRiBrWY3NB4/hqdefault.jpg "MGMT - Brian Eno") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRiBrWY3NB4) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/10 "2022-09-09T15:25:53Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/11 "2022-09-09T16:51:04Z")
Does “Please Come To Boston” count? Where the singer tell us the girl he is courting says she is his number one fan? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/12 "2022-09-09T16:52:55Z")
**Wilco** - “The Lonely 1” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wufSnDYj3zk/maxresdefault.jpg "The Lonely 1") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wufSnDYj3zk) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/13 "2022-09-09T16:54:37Z")
ABC’s **When Smokey Sings** [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BTV5FvNCbhk/maxresdefault.jpg "ABC - When Smokey Sings") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTV5FvNCbhk) ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/14 "2022-09-09T17:10:30Z")
The answer is always **Geno** by **Dexys Midnight Runners** which is a tribute to **Geno Washington** [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z5KgMUgvtig/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHUBoAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgXChPMA8=&rs=AOn4CLC8iLG17lQHQ74do8vo8hKWS-rlPA "Dexy s Midnight Runners Geno TOTP 1980 HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5KgMUgvtig) TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/15 "2022-09-09T17:19:39Z")
Unless the answer is **The Prince** by **Madness**. A tribute to **Prince Buster** who’s song **Madness** gave the band their name. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mJsUblCxuJY/maxresdefault.jpg "Madness - The Prince (One Step Beyond Track 6)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJsUblCxuJY) TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/16 "2022-09-09T17:40:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Aw, that’s kind of a cute song. Who knows, maybe it resulted in a real-life romance…? ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/17 "2022-09-09T17:42:38Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone” by Sleater-Kinney, a total banger of a tune: That’s such a great one. IMHO much better than U2’s “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone).” And I’m so ticked I didn’t think of “Alex Chilton,” especially since I’ve been on a Big Star kick lately. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2022, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/18 "2022-09-09T19:38:10Z")
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. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zhl-Cs1-sG4/maxresdefault.jpg "Daft Punk - Giorgio by Moroder (Official Audio)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhl-Cs1-sG4) ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2022, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/19 "2022-09-10T11:15:50Z")
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**. https://www.youtube.com/embed/PhmCKkRae7o?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque&list=RDPhmCKkRae7o TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2022, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271/20 "2022-09-10T11:31:11Z")
Richard Thompson’s “Don’t Sit On My Jimmy Shands” would fit, I think. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_eNbmcVXtRM/maxresdefault.jpg "Don't Sit On My Jimmy Shands") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eNbmcVXtRM) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-being-a-fan/971271.md?page=2)