After aimlessly wandering Wikipedia last night and finding out there exists “The Ballad of Jill Hennessy” by Mollycuddle, I was wondering what other songs are about or to celebrities, as they amuse me greatly. I also know of Bree Sharp’s “David Duchovny” and the All Girl Summer Fun Band’s “Jason Lee.” What else is out there?
“Killing Me Softly With His Song” is about Don McLean
“You’re So Vain” is rumoured to be about Wrren Beatty.
“American Pie”–well, duh!
Erica Kane by Urge Overkill
Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes
Pablo Picasso by The Modern Lovers
To keep the topic manageable, you’d really have to limit it to non-musician celebrities. There are an awful lot of songs about other musicians.
Molly Ringwald has been the subject of a few song tributes, but unfortunately I’m blanking on the specifics.
“TV Star” by the Butthole Surfers is about a late-80s/early-90s TV star named Christina. I don’t know who, though.
No cites, but from what I remember:
Joni Mitchell’s Rainy Night House is about Leonard Cohen
Neil Young’s Cinnamon Girl is about Joni Mitchell,
so is Jackson Browne’s Fountain of Sorrow
and Graham Nash’s Our House
and Guinevere by David Crosby
and Love Has Broght Me Around by James Taylor
she was, um, quite popular.
“What Would Brian Boitano Do?”
“Robert DeNiro’s Waiting” by Bananarama
“Houdini” by Kate Bush
“Cloudbusting” by Kate Bush
The Ballad of Chasey Lain - Bloodhound Gang
Martin Scorsese - King Missile
Do It With Madonna - The Androids
“Ingrid Bergman,” lyrics by Woody Guthrie, music/recording by Billy Bragg and Wilco. In which the narrator daydreams about getting a handjob from Ingrid Bergman.
I’m Stuck In A Closet With Vanna White - Weird Al Yankovic
There’s a song called “William Shatner” by… I think it’s the Scofflaws. Long Island apparently has kind of a tradition of celebrity ska ballads, but that’s the only example I can think of off the top of my head.
Bob Dylan’s “Sara” was dedicated, as I understand it, to Sara Lownds.
“The Right Profile” by the Clash, about Montgomery Clift
“Andy Warhol” by David Bowie
Lucky Man, by ELP(?) - about JFK.
Henry Darger by Natalie Merchant is about artist Henry Darger
Don McClean did a song about **Vincent ** Van Gogh.
Fool on the Hill - Beatles - about LBJ, I believe
Stand Down Margaret - by English Beat, is asking Margaret Thatcher to quit.
B Movie - Gil Scott Heron is about Ronald Reagan, really good song/rap about Ronnie.
and didn’t Joey Ramone write a song about Maria Bartiromo…
“Abraham, Martin and John”–Dion
"Pride (In the Name of Love)–U2; about MLK
“Suite Judy Blue Eyes”–Crosby, Stills and Nash; about Judy Collins
“Kiss Them For Me”–Siouxsie and the Banshees ; about Jayne Mansfield
“Candle in the Wind”–Elton John; originally about Marilyn Monroe
“Margaret Cho” by Skankin Pickle
Which reminds me of Margaret on the Guillotine by Morrissey, and Tramp the Dirt Down by Elvis Costello (about dancing on the grave of the Iron Lady).
10,000 Maniacs did Hey Jack Kerouac
“Hurricane” by Bob Dylan is about a boxer whose name escapes me right now, but they made a movie about him by that same name not too long ago.
“Victor Jara” by Arlo Guthrie is about Victor Jara (of course).
“James K. Polk” by They Might Be Giants about the President by that name.
“Pretty Boy Floyd” by Woody Guthrie
“Bloodbath in Paradise” by Ozzy is apparently about Charlie Manson. In fact, heavy metal is full of songs about famous killers:
“The Ripper” (Judas Priest)
“The Ripper” Motorhead (I don’t recall if that’s the title or if it was actually called “Jack the Ripper”)
“Angel of Death” by Slayer (about Josef Mengele)
Death Angel did a song about Charlie Manson too, but I can’t remember the name now.
King Diamond claimed in an interview that I still have on tape back in 1990 that most of the characters on “The Eye” album were real people as well, but I never bothered to try and verify.
I almost forgot my favorite celebrity tribute song:
"Michael Kane" by Madness