# Songs that take a swipe at other artists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810 "2015-11-06T15:26:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/81 "2015-11-07T01:45:02Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Moving away from Pop/Rock for a moment… > > P.D.Q. Bach (Peter Schickele) composed and recorded a hilarious “homage” to his former classmate Philip Glass. As someone who’s never been able to take Mr. Glass seriously, I was floored when Glass’s _Koyaanisqatsi_ was mimicked by PDQB’s equally pretentious _Koyahatsitatsi_. And, before this, _Einstein on the Fritz_. 😝 ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/82 "2015-11-07T01:45:34Z")
Alan Jackson has taken swipes at rockers in general (“Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” which name-checks the Rolling Stones) and at pop artists and writers trying their hand at country music (“Gone Country”). George Harrison’s cover of “Bye Bye Love” was understood to be a swipe at Eric Clapton for stealing his wife. Every third song Taylor Swift writes is a scold of someone. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/83 "2015-11-07T01:48:51Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > And Paul played mean drums on it. Paul played _technically proficient_ drums on it. Paul’s boring-ass drumming is exhibit A when some idiot needs to be schooled on Ringo’s immeasurable value to the group. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/84 "2015-11-07T01:50:30Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > “Where’s the Dress” by Mo Bandy and Joe Stampley was a feature-length poke at Boy George, at the time the new hot thing on the block. It was my impression that so was one verse of Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing.” I grew up with Dire Straits, i owned all of their albums, went to see them in concert, and read a lot about them. I have never heard anything about Boy George as the inspiration for “Money for Nothing.” In fact, Mark Knopfler himself was always very clear that the inspiration for the song was not a musical artist at all. The whole song is written from the point of view of a working-class furniture-store worker who is both admiring and also jealous of the music stars who appear on MTV. Knopfler said that some of the lines in the song are copied directly from conversation he overheard among the workers in a New York City store. The only time i have ever heard anyone make a connection between the song and a specific musical act, it was the former Motley Crue member Nikki Sixx. Sixx claimed that Motley Crue was playing on the TVs in the NYC store when Knopfler got his inspiration, and that Motley Crue was therefore part of the inspiration for the song. As far as i know, though, the only evidence for this is Sixx’s own imagination; Knopfler himself has never, to my knowledge, even addressed the claim, let alone confirmed it. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/85 "2015-11-07T01:56:31Z")
“Belleville Rendez-vous” was kind of a silly song from **The Triplets of Belleville** , but the animation that went with the song made fun of lots of celebrities in Paris in the 1930s, especially Josephine Baker and Django Reinhardt. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/86 "2015-11-07T02:20:13Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > “Had It With You,” on the Stones album _Dirty Work,_ is a pretty obvious swipe at Mick Jagger, courtesy of Keith Richards. Richards also recorded “You Don’t Move Me” on his album _Talk Is Cheap_ in 1988, which came out during his highly public feud with Jagger. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/87 "2015-11-07T03:41:13Z")
[Robbie Fulks’ “Fuck This Town”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7e9D9NcGis) includes a dig at 80s pop-country singer Ronnie Milsap. [An obscure band from Denver put out this profane, juvenile, and very funny dig at Morrisey.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z20UYhP8vIQ) ---
**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:** [November 7, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/88 "2015-11-07T04:05:10Z")
Ben Folds’ song “Brainwascht” is a swipe back at his (ex?) friends Fleming McWilliams and John Mark Painter. Aka Fleming & John. I guess they wrote a not-too-nice song about him and his latest divorce. Ben’d song: [Google Play Music is no longer available](https://play.google.com/music/preview/Taxzcfdc2pufzebyracdjzc6l54?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-songlyrics) Fleming & John’s song: [http://songmeanings.com/m/songs/view/3530822107859478544/](http://songmeanings.com/m/songs/view/3530822107859478544/) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/89 "2015-11-07T06:39:47Z")
A band called Local H put out a song about 20 years ago called “If I Was Eddie Vedder, Would You Like Me Better?” Not exactly a dig, but… ---
**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:** [November 7, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/90 "2015-11-07T14:56:33Z")
[I Dig Rock & Roll Music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqY35SYsyfQ), by Peter, Paul and Mary, takes a swipe at the entire rock music genre of the time, with credible impressions of The Mama and The Papas, The Beatles and Donovan. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/91 "2015-11-07T15:14:28Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > [I Dig Rock & Roll Music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqY35SYsyfQ), by Peter, Paul and Mary, takes a swipe at the entire rock music genre of the time, with credible impressions of The Mama and The Papas, The Beatles and Donovan. Psssst…post #32. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/92 "2015-11-07T17:17:44Z")
John Cale’s lively [Chickenshit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0KeJ4KBUNo) was a slam at his former bassist and drummer ( the very interesting [Joe Stefko](http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20130221/CURR04/702219967) ) over their walking out over the [Croyden Chicken Incident](http://werksman.home.xs4all.nl/cale/bio/bio_chicken.html). ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/93 "2015-11-07T17:42:31Z")
Eminem’s “Without Me” has a few: Chris Kirkpatrick you can get your ass kicked Worse than them little Limp Bizkit bastards, and Moby You can get stomped by Obie You 36 year old bald headed fag blow me You don’t know me, you’re too old, let go, its over Nobody listens to techno ---
**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:** [November 7, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/94 "2015-11-07T19:35:18Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Psssst…post #32. 😉 :smack: Missed it somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/95 "2015-11-07T19:58:59Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > The Beatles “Back in the USSR” is a swipe at the Beach Boys. I never thought it was a particularly nasty swipe. It always seemed about half playful to me. > > It usually takes me at least ten to twenty minutes to convince people that it is a swipe and I no longer have much patience for that. If you need convincing, it’s mostly in the sound of the music. If you compare that song to the Beach Boys’ … > > ## I’m just surprised that so few people seem to share that opinion. It seems so obvious to me. > > ## Well East coast girls are hip I really dig those styles they wear And the Southern girls with the way they talk They knock me out when I’m down there … > > [http://www.metrolyrics.com/california-girls-lyrics-beach-boys.html](http://www.metrolyrics.com/california-girls-lyrics-beach-boys.html) > > * * * > > ## Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out They leave the West behind And Moscow girls make me sing and shout That Georgia’s always on my mind … > > [The Beatles - Back In The U.S.S.R. Lyrics | AZLyrics.com](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beatles/backintheussr.html) I think they meant the country, not the state. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/96 "2015-11-07T22:15:08Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Paul played _technically proficient_ drums on it. > Paul’s boring-ass drumming is exhibit A when some idiot needs to be schooled on Ringo’s immeasurable value to the group. Exactly. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/97 "2015-11-07T22:18:05Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > And, before this, _Einstein on the Fritz_. 😝 It’s been a very long time since I last heard it, but I think the “KoyaHotsyTotsy” dig was part of EOTF. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/98 "2015-11-07T23:16:03Z")
If Back in the USSR is a swipe the its a swipe at Chuck Berrys Back in the USA. Not the Beach Boys. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/99 "2015-11-07T23:17:22Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > The Beatles “Back in the USSR” is a swipe at the Beach Boys. I never thought it was a particularly nasty swipe. It always seemed about half playful to me. > > It usually takes me at least ten to twenty minutes to convince people that it is a swipe and I no longer have much patience for that. If you need convincing, it’s mostly in the sound of the music. If you compare that song to the Beach Boys’ … > > ## I’m just surprised that so few people seem to share that opinion. It seems so obvious to me. > > ## Well East coast girls are hip I really dig those styles they wear And the Southern girls with the way they talk They knock me out when I’m down there … > > [http://www.metrolyrics.com/california-girls-lyrics-beach-boys.html](http://www.metrolyrics.com/california-girls-lyrics-beach-boys.html) > > * * * > > ## Well the Ukraine girls really knock me out They leave the West behind And Moscow girls make me sing and shout That Georgia’s always on my mind … > > [The Beatles - Back In The U.S.S.R. Lyrics | AZLyrics.com](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/beatles/backintheussr.html) > > You may be able to convince yourself from these lyrics. But the proof is really in the sound of the music and the similar instruments used. > > I always got the impression that John was sending a message to Brian that goes something like this: > > “You Americans are always tooting your own horn and you just have no idea how the rest of the world views you. Mostly, you are viewed as buffoons who drive stupid cars and think you are better than anyone else and think your women are better than anyone else’s women. But beautiful women are to be found all over the world - even in the USSR”. > > * * * > > That is what I think John is trying to say. Not me. Personally, I really like American Women just fine (which leads into The Guess Who’s song, “American Woman”). > > Interesting though that the OP was also about John taking a swipe at someone. I don’t think his taking a swipe at Paul was at all playful. I think he went to his grave hating on Paul and I can sure understand that. Who are you talking to, and how, that you take 20 minutes to tell them that this song is a Beach Boys reference? It is really well known that it is an homage to the Beach Boys doing Chuck Berry, very specifically. (Back in the USA?) Do the people not believe that it is referring to the Beach Boys, or do they disagree that it is a take down, and that John wrote it? Because it isn’t a take down and john obviously didn’t write it. And I’m pretty sure that John loved Paul and the rest of the guys. You wouldn’t bother to write How do you sleep about someone you had contempt for. The other stories are just selling newspapers. Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810/100 "2015-11-07T23:41:56Z")
The one that came to mind was the Foo Fighter’s “[I’ll Stick Around](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtsgN6Ms6xo)”, which was obviously about Courtney Love. (Dave was pretty, “maybe, maybe not” about it for years and then eventually admitted that yeah, it’s about Courtney.) > [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I guess I just assumed it was John because Paul always seemed to have less social opinions than John did and John always seemed to have plenty of them. [Guess again](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Ireland_Back_to_the_Irish) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-that-take-a-swipe-at-other-artists/736810.md?page=6)