# Songs about real people **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-real-people/376712 "2006-10-17T00:34:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-real-people/376712/81 "2006-10-17T21:35:16Z")
[QUOTE=Suburban Plankton] or possibly… Mick Jagger (who sang backing vocals on the song), Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson, or James Taylor (her ex-husband). [/QUOTE] No, you must be mistaken. That songs about me. ---
**Author:** ![Suse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Suse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suse)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-real-people/376712/82 "2006-10-17T22:02:01Z")
_Jennifer Juniper_ about Jenny Boyd, sister to George Harrison’s then-wife Pattie. _Angie_ about Angela Bowie who was at the time married to David Bowie. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-real-people/376712/83 "2006-10-17T22:41:35Z")
[QUOTE=Sonia Montdore] Isn’t _Baby You’re a Rich Man_ about Brian Epstein? A lot of people swear that Lennon sings “Baby you’re a rich, fat Jew” near the end of it. [/QUOTE] Actually, the way it’s mostly reported is “ruch _fag_ Jew”. In any case, the idea that Lennon’s singing that has been pretty thoroughly discredited, by the man himself as well as various biographers/discographers and, I believe, in William Poundstone’s **Big Secrets** (can’t remember if it’s Vol. 2 or not). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-real-people/376712/84 "2006-10-17T23:17:29Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Since two people have now mentioned Roberta Flack, and _Killing Me Softly_ being about Don McLean, I thought I’d pop in with the following fun fact: The song was written by tunesmiths Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel, also responsible for many other classic tunes, including the theme song for “Love, American Style”. [/QUOTE] We should also note that it was first recorded by [Lori Lieberman](http://www.lorilieberman.com/discography.html), on her self-titled album. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2006, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-real-people/376712/85 "2006-10-18T01:30:30Z")
“Sweet Gene Vincent” by Ian Dury & the Blockheads (or solo?). ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-real-people/376712/86 "2006-10-21T02:29:47Z")
OK, so who was Dylan singing about in “Positively 4th Street”? Because it was pretty obviously somebody. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2006, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-real-people/376712/87 "2006-10-21T03:26:02Z")
“Comin’ Back for More” by C. W. McCall is about cannibal Alferd Packer. “Blackjack Guillotine” by Savatage is about Veronica Guerin, a murdered Irish reporter The whole concept album “Beethoven’s Last Night” by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Savatage, really, only wearing tuxes 🙂 ) is about…uh…I forget. 🙂 “Sweet Miracle” by Rush is about Neil Peart’s second wife, Carrie Nuttall. “Hello” by Evanescence is about Amy Lee’s little sister, who died when both were children (I think she drowned). “Empty Garden” by Elton John is about John Lennon. More musicals with songs about real people (all by Eric Woolfson, formerly of the Alan Parsons Project): “Freudiana,” “Poe,” and “Gaudi” “Jerry Springer” by Weird Al Yankovic [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-real-people/376712.md?page=4)