# Songs That Mention a Famous Person But Are Not About That Person **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386 "2013-01-26T01:09:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/121 "2013-02-08T21:10:43Z")
^^^ My favorite line of “Crazy Town” from Jason Aldean is “Bend them strings till the Hank comes out!” 🙂 🙂 🙂 God bless you and Jason always!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Holly ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/122 "2013-02-08T22:00:01Z")
Garfunkle and Oates’ “This Party Took a Turn For the Douche”: Ed Hardy Bernie Madoff Mr. T Dennis Quaid Ice Cube Truman Capote Norman Mailer George Custer John Donne Jeff Goldblum LL Cool J Margaret Sanger ---
**Author:** ![BuzzSaw101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a3d4f5/32.png) [@BuzzSaw101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuzzSaw101)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/123 "2013-02-09T03:19:58Z")
A couple more Bob Dylan songs. In Brownsville Girl co-written with Sam Shepard - “Well, there was this movie I seen one time, about a man riding 'cross the desert and it starred Gregory Peck He was shot down by a hungry kid trying to make a name for himself The townspeople wanted to crush that kid down and string him up by the neck.” In the Dylan song “Thunder on the Mountain” from Modern Times – “I was thinkin’ 'bout Alicia Keys, couldn’t keep from crying When she was born in Hell’s Kitchen, I was living down the line I’m wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/124 "2013-02-10T18:54:36Z")
No mention of one the most famous ones of all time? Everybody’s talking about John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper, Derek Taylor, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna, Hare, Hare Krishna All we are saying is give peace a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Othersider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/cab0a1/32.png) [@Othersider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Othersider)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/125 "2013-02-10T20:06:48Z")
Sheryl Crow has several. Besides “Steve McQueen” (mentioned earlier, and although his name is the title, it’s not about him), there’s: “Run, Baby, Run” - Aldous Huxley “Maybe Angels” - Elvis, Jesus, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain “If It Makes You Happy” - Geronimo, Marilyn (Monroe, I presume), Benny Goodman “There Goes The Neighborhood” - Peter Ustinov “Chances Are” - Terence McKenna There might be others, too. Offhand I remembered a few of these, but I thought there were more, so I looked 'em up. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Girlfriend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.girlfriend/32/193_2.png) [@Dr.Girlfriend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Girlfriend)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/126 "2013-02-10T20:18:12Z")
Wham!'s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” has the line “You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day”. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/127 "2013-02-10T20:26:42Z")
> [@Dr.Girlfriend](#): > > Wham!'s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” has the line “You make the sun shine brighter than Doris Day”. Whoa! I always thought that line was “You make the sun shine brighter on the darkest day”. Which doesn’t really make much sense, I realize now… ETA: And on reviewing the video, I really have to wonder how anyone EVER thought that George Michael might be straight… ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/128 "2013-02-10T20:35:16Z")
“Poor Old Johnny Ray” _Come On Eileen_, Dexy’s Midnight Runners. “Whatever happened to Faye Wray” _Don’t Dream It, Be It_, Rocky Horror Show. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/129 "2013-02-10T20:41:53Z")
> [@maggenpye](#): > > “Whatever happened to Faye Wray” _Don’t Dream It, Be It_, Rocky Horror Show. Also “God bless [Lili St. Cyr](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili_St._Cyr)!”. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/130 "2013-02-10T20:55:14Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Also “God bless [Lili St. Cyr](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili_St._Cyr)!”. Good catch. It’s been years. My kid’s almost 14 … she saw the Time Warp on a clip show and loved it. Perhaps it’s time to introduce her. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/131 "2013-02-10T21:46:05Z")
“Roses Grow” by Concrete Blonde. _Well, Johnny’s all right if you buy him a gin He’ll tell you his stories about Errol Flynn He even danced with Marilyn_ ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386/132 "2013-02-10T22:05:23Z")
More from **Rocky Horror**. “Science Fiction/Double Feature” Michael Rennie Claude Rains Fay Wray Anne Francis Leo G. Carroll Janette Scott Dana Andrews George Pal [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-mention-a-famous-person-but-are-not-about-that-person/648386.md?page=6)