Reuben “Hurricane” Carter, murderer.
I’ve never heard that before - the story I heard was that it was just about a weird experience Paul had.
Dear Mr. Gable (You Made Me Love You) by Judy Garland – Clark Gable
Sub Rosa Subway by Klaatu – Alfred Beach, developer of the first Manhattan subway.
George Murphy by Tom Lehrer
Werner Von Braun by Tom Lehrer
All Gall by Flanders and Swan – Charles de Gaulle
Liza by Loudon Wainwright III – Liza Minelli
Tonya’s Twirls by Loudon Wainwright III – Tonya Harding (and not what you might expect)
Rosanna Arquette, by Electric Bonsai Band.
The more I think about it, Woody and Arlo Guthrie have done a lot of these. Woody did a whole album called “Ballads of Sacco and Vanzetti” about the lives and trials of those two.
Another Ozzy tune came to mind as well: “Mr. Crowley” (Alistair Crowley).
Neil Young’s “Cortez the Killer” is about Hernando Cortes.
It’s been too long since I heard “Marie Leveau” by Dr. Hook to remember if it’s actually about her…anyone else remember?
I guess “Vlad the Impaler” by Gwar counts too.
I recall reading an interview with Anthrax when “Persistence of Time” came out, in which it was claimed that “Discharge” was written about Sam Kinison (and “people like him”, whatever that meant). It was in the East Coast Rocker magazine, and of course I no longer have the copy.
“Family Snapshot” by Peter Gabriel (scroll to end of lyrics in link) is based on notes by Arthur Bremmer, who shot and crippled Governor George Wallace of Alabama in 1972.
great song!
Tom Paxton’s done a bunch of these, my favorites being “Lyndon Johnson told the nation” and the mastepiece about Ron Kovic “Born on the Fourth of July:”
Now I wheel myself down
To the crossroads of town
To watch the young girls and their lovers.
And my mind is afire.
It’s alive with desire.
Christ, I’d barely begun; now it’s over.
In my wheelchair for life
My mechanical wife.
I’m suppose to be cheerful and stoic.
I’m your old tried-and-true
Yankee Doodle to you.
Clean cut, paralysed and heroic.
Wikipedia has no mention of my version. I must be wrong, for all these years. :smack:
“The Ballad of Charles Guiteau” is about the assassin of President Garfield. Apparently there is no agreement on who actually wrote the thing, but it’s been recorded by a number of folk artists.
Railroad engineer Casey Jones is the subject, at least partly, of a lot of songs–he gets mentioned in the Grateful Dead version, though the song doesn’t seem to really be too much about him specifically. But Jerry Garcia also did a song called “The Ballad of Casey Jones”.
Motorhead’s “Ramones” is about the Ramones, and the Ramones themselves have done the song.
Man On The Moon
The Ballad Of John And Yoko
Oh and “Rosanna” by Toto was sposed to be about Rosanna Arquette.
"You Haven’t Done Nothin’ " by Stevie Wonder is a thinly-veiled jab at Richard Nixon.
Barenaked Ladies - “Brian Wilson” (which Winamp eerily shuffled to as I opened this thread)
And there’s that damn “You Had Me At Hello” song Kenny Chesney wrote for Renee Zellweger…
“Alice Childress” by Ben Folds Five. About the playright.
“Boxing” by Ben Folds Five, which is about Muhammad Ali.
“Avery M. Powers Memorial Beltway” By Ben Folds Five
“Walt Whitman’s Niece” by Billy Bragg and Wilco
“Ingrid Bergman” by Billy Bragg and Wilco
“Time” by Ben Folds, which is about Elliot Smith
“Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” by Counting Crows, which is about actress Monica Potter.
“All My Love (Richard Manuel is Dead)” by Counting Crows. Richard Manuel was the singer, pianist and drummer for The Band.
Stuffin Martha’s Muffin by Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper (about Martha Quinn).
Meet James Ensor by They Might Be Giants (about Belgium’s famous painter).
Hell, if we’re talking Mojo Nixon, how about “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child.”
“Winona” by Matthew Sweet is about Winona Ryder, or so it seems.
On a darker note (pun intended) “Nebraska” by Bruce Springsteen is about Charles Starkweather’s killing spree way back when.
“Top Jimmy” by Van Halen is about the LA guitarist by the same name.
“Goin’ to California” by Led Zeppelin is supposedly about Page and Plant’s obsession with Joni Mitchell.
Joni again? DAMN?
Kinky Friedman wrote “The Ballad of Charles ‘Texas Tower’ Whitman” about his old college friend.
Joan Baez’s “Diamond & Rust” is about Bob Dylan.
Joan’s late brother-in-law Richard Farina wrote “V” about his old college roommate Thomas Pynchon.