The Manhattan Transfer’s signature piece “Birdland” was about Charlie Parker
I don’t know it as a fact, but I strongly suspect that Country Joe and the Fish’s “Sweet Lorraine” was about somebody in particular.
Joey Ramone wrote “Maria Bartiromo” about the CNBC news reporter.
LA Style had a song titled “James Brown Is Dead,” about hearing a (mistaken) news report about the singer’s death.
They Might Be Giants
Meet James Ensor
James K. Polk
The Day Marvin Gaye and Phil Ochs Got Married
Warren Zevon
Boom-Boom Mancini
Bill Lee
Monty Python
Henry Kissenger
Loquillo’s El Fantasma de Elvis (The ghost of Elvis)
Loquillo’s Me convertí en hombre lobo por culpa de los Rebeldes (I became a wolfman and it was Rebeldes’ fault; Rebeldes is another Spanish RnR band and one of their first songs was El rock del hombre lobo, Wolfman’s Rock)
Sabina’s Yo quiero ser una chica Almodóvar (I want to be one of Almodovar’s leading ladies)
Sabina’s Y nos dieron las diez (And the clock struck ten; it was written for Rocío Durcal and talks about “a cat-eyed woman”, which she was)
Not-sure-who’s (maybe La oreja de Van Gogh) Como Nicholas Cage (… like Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas… is not the song’s proper name but it’s how it’s known).
That’s without thinking much. One of the songs in the radio today as I came to work talked about “more blood than in a movie by Quentin” (Tarantino, of course).
All the English songs I can think of have been mentioned already… oh wait… “Midnight in Montgomery” is about visiting the grave of Hank Williams Sr. Don’t ask how come I know country songs, I do.
And definitely Clapton’s lamest effort…possibly the worst song ever written. Love turned him into such a sap.
My Sharona, by the Knack.
Its easily recognizable riff that is the core of the song was written by the band’s guitarist, Berton Averre, long before he ever joined The Knack. According to lead singer/guitarist Doug Fieger, he met a girl named Sharona (who was 17 at the time), and fell in love with her. Whenever he thought about her, he would think of Averre’s riff. The two worked out the structure and melody from there. The girl who inspired the song is Sharona Alperin, now a real estate agent in Los Angeles, California. [1]
That paragraph was supposed to be in quotes. I copped it off Wiki.
Let’s not forget the Monty Python song about Kant, Heidigger and all the other thinkers and drinkers.
There’s a gadzillion songs about Jesus–everything from Jesus Loves Me to Jesus Christ Superstar
Evita about Eva Peron
Blondel about Blondel, King John and Richard the Lionhearted. London Dopers can go see it next month. This is my absolutely most favorite musical that nobody has heard about.
Bony M, IIRC
That’s what you probably think.
Walk Away Renee by the Left Banke was about one of the band member’s girlfriend, written by another member who was in love with her, too. Even after the song came out, Renee didn’t realize that.
Broadway musicals with songs about real people include Fiorello! (Fiorello LaGuardia), Barnum, A Chorus Line (the songs and characters were based on the stories of real Broadway dancers), The King and I (Anna Leonowens was governess to the King of Siam), The Sound of Music (The Trapp Family Singers), 1776 (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Richard H. Lee, Benjamin Franklin, and the others at the Continental Congress).
There’s also Hymn for a Sunday Evening (Ed Sullivan) from Bye Bye Birdie
Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side is about several of Andy Warhol’s “superstars”: Holly Woodlawn in the first verse, Candy Darling in the second, Joe Delssandro in the third.
Boney M
[nitpick]Actually, Photograph wasn’t about John Lennon at all: it’s from Ringo’s first solo album, which came out in 1970, IIRC. Ringo and John were still very much in contact at the time. I’m sure it’s taken on a new meaning for him since then, and even more so now that George (who sang backup on the song) is also gone.[/nitpick]
Be My Yoko Ono by the Barenaked Ladies is about John and Yoko.
Christopher Lydon by the Dresden Dolls is about Christopher Lydon, who has a show on NPR in Boston.
Toto’s Rosana is about acress Rosanna Arquette.
Dylan’s Hurrican Cater is about Reuben “Hurricane” Carter.
Todd Snider’s song entitled “D.B. Cooper” is about… D. B. Cooper, that guy who hijacked an airplane in 1971 and jumped out of the plane with a pile of ransom money and was never found.
R.E.M.- Man in the Moon about Andy Kaufman
U2- Angel of Harlem about Billie Holliday I believe.
Does a movie character count as a real person? Or did you mean the line about Joe DiMaggio?
Anyway, also by Simon and Garfunkel: So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright (about the famed architect).
As mentioned before, folk songs are rife with tales of real people.
John Henry (the steel-drivin’ man)
Tom Dooley (the murderer or accomplice to murder)**
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot. No single person is mentioned, but it’s an homage to the deaths of the 29 men aboard.
Lindy Comes to Town - Charles Lindburgh
Marion the Chatelaine - Marion Davis, girlfriend of William Randolf Hearst
Joe the Georgian - Joseph Stalin
Peter on the White Sea - Peter the Great
Charlotte Corday - French revolutionary, killed Paul Marat
Josephine Baker - exotic dancer
Helen and Cassandra - Helen of Troy
Merlin’s Time - Merlin, scottish warrior-poet
Lord Grenville - Lord Grenville
Waren Harding - 29th President
Nortradamus - Michel de Nostredame
all by Al Stewart. And that is just a slection.
Thanks. That’s what i get for posting something I’m not 100% certain of…
The Two of Us by the Beatles is ostensibly about Linda McCartney, and Paul’s experience when they first started dating, but quite frankly, I think it’s more about him and John.
She Said, She Said was inspired by Peter Fonda.
From the Mermaid Avenue (lyrics by Woody Guthrie, vocals and music by Billy Bragg and Wilco) albums, we have
Eisler on the Go– was about Hanz Eisler.
Stetson Kennedy was about, well, Stetson Kennedy.
Ingrad Bergman
If songs about Jesus count there’s Christ for President and The Ruling Class.
Jeff Tweedy wrote Far, Far Away and I’m the Man Who Loves You about his wife (and probably others, but those are the ones he’s actually talked about…)
Robyn Hitchcock - “I Saw Nick Drake” and “Gene Hackman” (and, if you’re feeling generous, “Raymond Chandler Evening”).