# Songs that specifically reference other songs in their lyrics **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953 "2013-06-02T15:32:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/1 "2013-06-02T15:32:41Z")
Bonus points if the lyrics cite both title and artist. I can think of three off the top of my head, but I’ll start with just one: **_Shooting Star_, by Bad Company:** > [@](#): > > Johnny was an school boy > When he heard his first Beatles song > Love Me Do, I think it was > And from there it didn’t take him long mmm ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/2 "2013-06-02T15:47:47Z")
_Glass Onion_ by the Beatles refers to five other Beatles songs in the lyrics: Strawberry Fields, I am the Walrus, Lady Madonna, Fool on the Hill, and Fixing a Hole. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/3 "2013-06-02T16:54:17Z")
_Rock and Roll Heaven_, The Righteous Brothers, mentions six songs. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/4 "2013-06-02T17:25:24Z")
Johnny Winters’ “Summer Rain” mentions “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/5 "2013-06-02T17:31:31Z")
Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Only Wanna Be With You” not only references Dylan’s “Tangled Up In Blue” but lifts an entire verse from Dylan’s “Idiot Wind” off the same album. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/6 "2013-06-02T17:32:42Z")
**_Thunder Road_ by Bruce Springsteen:** > [@](#): > > The screen door slams > Mary’s dress waves > Like a vision she dances across the porch > As the radio plays > Roy Orbison singing for the lonely… mmm ---
**Author:** ![Roadfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/7 "2013-06-02T17:36:56Z")
I thought this would be one of the first mentioned, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”: “Well I heard mister Young sing about her, Well, I heard ole Neil put her down. Well, I hope Neil Young will remember, A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow.” Ok, it doesn’t specifically include the lyrics or title, but it’s still a clear reference. My personal favorite is way more obscure. The band Saga did an eight chapter, well, saga, spread across their first four albums (and yes, I know that there have subsequently been more chapters on later albums). The last (at that time) chapter, “No Stranger (Chapter VIII)” featured actual cuts from the previous seven songs. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/8 "2013-06-02T17:38:17Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > _Glass Onion_ by the Beatles refers to five other Beatles songs in the lyrics: Strawberry Fields, I am the Walrus, Lady Madonna, Fool on the Hill, and Fixing a Hole. For that matter, Lennon’s anti-McCartney rant “How Do You Sleep” has the line “The only thing you done was yesterday/And since you’ve gone you’re just another day”–a reference to the Beatles’ “Yesterday” and McCartney’s “Another Day”. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/9 "2013-06-02T17:41:10Z")
> [@Roadfood](#): > > I thought this would be one of the first mentioned, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”: Which was mentioned in Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long.” ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/10 "2013-06-02T17:44:41Z")
Dire Straits’ Romeo and Juliet: “There’s a place - for us. You know, the movie song.” Refers to a song from _West Side Story_ ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/11 "2013-06-02T17:46:33Z")
_American Pie_ and _Garden Party_ probably have multiple references each, but offhand I remember the first mentioning _8 Miles High_ and _Helter Skelter_, and the second _Johnny B Goode_. But they are incorporated into the lyrics, not mentioned as songs per se, so I’m not sure if that’s what the OP is looking for. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2013, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/12 "2013-06-02T17:49:46Z")
“The Band Played Waltzing Matilde” by The Pogues. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/13 "2013-06-02T17:58:05Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > _Rock and Roll Heaven_, The Righteous Brothers, mentions six songs. A similar song (theme wise, anyway), _Night Shift_, mentions _Higher and Higher_ by Jackie Wilson. Another semi-mention (obvious reference, but not specifically as a song) is _Georgia on My Mind_ in _Back to the USSR_. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/14 "2013-06-02T18:01:26Z")
One of my favorites is Tom Paxton’s [When Annie Took Me Home](http://www.elyrics.net/read/t/tom-paxton-lyrics/when-annie-took-me-home-lyrics.html) Rafters rung, songs were sung Like Spanish is the loving tongue Ribbons on my life were hung When Annie took me home “Spanish is the Loving Tongue” is a Dylan song. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/15 "2013-06-02T18:05:58Z")
> [@Roadfood](#): > > I thought this would be one of the first mentioned, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”: > > “Well I heard mister Young sing about her, > Well, I heard ole Neil put her down. > Well, I hope Neil Young will remember, > A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow.” > > Ok, it doesn’t specifically include the lyrics or title, but it’s still a clear reference. Actually, it does specifically include the title. The reference is to Neil Young’s song _Southern Man_. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/16 "2013-06-02T18:18:29Z")
“The Spirit of Radio” by Rush references “The Sound of Silence.” ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/17 "2013-06-02T19:14:04Z")
“Yer Blues” by the Beatles has the line, “Feel so suicidal, just like Dylan’s Mr. Jones.” Which is a reference to Bob Dylan’s song “Ballad of a Thin Man.” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/18 "2013-06-02T19:27:07Z")
> [@Wolf333](#): > > “The Band Played Waltzing Matilde” by The Pogues. [Fairy Tale of New York](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pogues/fairytale+of+new+york_20109730.html) by the Pogues mentions 2.5 songs: > [@Pogues](#): > > It was christmas eve babe > In the drunk tank > An old man said to me: won’t see another one > And then they sang a song > The rare old mountain dew > … > Sinatra was swinging all the drunks they were singing > … > And the boys from the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/19 "2013-06-02T19:35:06Z")
Ben Folds Five’s song “Kate” says “She plays ‘Wipeout’ on the drums” ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953/20 "2013-06-02T19:56:16Z")
The Musical Box by Genesis “Old King Cole was a merry old soul And a merry old soul was he; He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl And he called for his fiddlers three.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-specifically-reference-other-songs-in-their-lyrics/659953.md?page=2)