# Topic Playlist (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [January 26, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687 "2024-01-26T15:37:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 331
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6601 "2026-02-24T16:15:39Z")
**Fictional people in Beatles’ songs** _(Use full names)_ 1. Billy Shears - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2. Desmond Jones - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 3. Maxwell Edison - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 4. Eleanor Rigby - Eleanor Rigby ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6602 "2026-02-24T16:23:25Z")
**Fictional people in Beatles’ songs** _(Use full names)_ 1. Billy Shears - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2. Desmond Jones - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 3. Maxwell Edison - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 4. Eleanor Rigby - Eleanor Rigby 5. Rocky Raccoon - Rocky Racoon ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6603 "2026-02-24T16:30:16Z")
**Fictional people in Beatles’ songs** _(Use full names)_ 1. Billy Shears - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2. Desmond Jones - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 3. Maxwell Edison - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 4. Eleanor Rigby - Eleanor Rigby 5. Rocky Raccoon - Rocky Raccoon 6. Loretta Martin - Get Back ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6604 "2026-02-24T17:44:01Z")
**Fictional people in Beatles’ songs** _(Use full names)_ 1. Billy Shears - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2. Desmond Jones - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 3. Maxwell Edison - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 4. Eleanor Rigby - Eleanor Rigby 5. Rocky Raccoon - Rocky Raccoon 6. Loretta Martin - Get Back 7. Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath - Taxman ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6605 "2026-02-24T17:46:19Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Mr. Wilson and Mr. Heath - Taxman Both were actually references to real people: British politicians Harold Wilson and Edward Heath. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6606 "2026-02-24T17:49:21Z")
**Fictional people in Beatles’ songs** _(Use full names)_ 1. Billy Shears - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2. Desmond Jones - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 3. Maxwell Edison - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 4. Eleanor Rigby - Eleanor Rigby 5. Rocky Raccoon - Rocky Raccoon 6. Loretta Martin - Get Back 7. Lady Madonna - Lady Madonna ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6607 "2026-02-24T17:51:35Z")
Not in play, I was going to post Pablo Fanque, “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”, but TIL that he was a real person ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6608 "2026-02-24T18:29:42Z")
**Fictional people in Beatles’ songs** _(Use full names)_ 1. Billy Shears - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2. Desmond Jones - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 3. Maxwell Edison - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 4. Eleanor Rigby - Eleanor Rigby 5. Rocky Raccoon - Rocky Raccoon 6. Loretta Martin - Get Back 7. Lady Madonna - Lady Madonna 8. Bungalow Bill - The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill A fictitious person, based on a real person named Richard Cooke, whom the Beatles met while in India. Reportedly shot and killed a tiger while traveling with his mother, then posed for pictures with his trophy. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6609 "2026-02-24T22:23:49Z")
**Fictional people in Beatles’ songs** _(Use full names)_ 1. Billy Shears - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2. Desmond Jones - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 3. Maxwell Edison - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 4. Eleanor Rigby - Eleanor Rigby 5. Rocky Raccoon - Rocky Raccoon 6. Loretta Martin - Get Back 7. Lady Madonna - Lady Madonna 8. Bungalow Bill - The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill 9. Mary Jane - What’s the New Mary Jane ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6610 "2026-02-25T20:45:00Z")
**Fictional people in Beatles’ songs** _(Use full names)_ 1. Billy Shears - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band 2. Desmond Jones - Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 3. Maxwell Edison - Maxwell’s Silver Hammer 4. Eleanor Rigby - Eleanor Rigby 5. Rocky Raccoon - Rocky Raccoon 6. Loretta Martin - Get Back 7. Lady Madonna - Lady Madonna 8. Bungalow Bill - The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill 9. Mary Jane - What’s the New Mary Jane 10. Sergeant Pepper - Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Next: Literary references in songs 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6611 "2026-02-25T21:00:30Z")
Next: Literary references in songs 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “Circumstances” - Rush; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) is a French idiom ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6612 "2026-02-25T21:01:43Z")
**Literary references in songs** 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “[Telly-Taley Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9HLxcQ6qrc)” by Tom Smith - tells Poe’s famed short story to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit. Tom’s version of “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” is about Frank Herbert’s _Dune_. ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6613 "2026-02-25T21:03:46Z")
Next: Literary references in songs 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “Circumstances” - Rush; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) is a French idiom. The phrase was coined by French critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal _Les Guêpes_ (“The Wasps”). 3. “[Telly-Taley Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9HLxcQ6qrc)” by Tom Smith - tells Poe’s famed short story to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit. housekeeping ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6614 "2026-02-25T21:07:29Z")
Next: Literary references in songs 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “Circumstances” - Rush; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) is a French idiom. The phrase was coined by French critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal _Les Guêpes_ (“The Wasps”). 3. “[Telly-Taley Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9HLxcQ6qrc)” by Tom Smith - tells Poe’s famed short story to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit. 4. “William Blake” - Daniel Amos; starts out with “Tyger, Tyger, burning bright” and pulls in plenty more quotes from the eponymous poet. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6615 "2026-02-25T21:09:04Z")
Next: Literary references in songs 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “Circumstances” - Rush; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) is a French idiom. The phrase was coined by French critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal _Les Guêpes_ (“The Wasps”). 3. “[Telly-Taley Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9HLxcQ6qrc)” by Tom Smith - tells Poe’s famed short story to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit. 4. “The Raven” by The Allen Parson’s Project, a musical adaptation of Poe’s _The Raven._ ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6616 "2026-02-25T21:23:10Z")
**Literary references in songs** 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “Circumstances” - Rush; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) is a French idiom. The phrase was coined by French critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal _Les Guêpes_ (“The Wasps”). 3. “[Telly-Taley Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9HLxcQ6qrc)” by Tom Smith - tells Poe’s famed short story to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit. 4. “The Raven” by The Allen Parson’s Project, a musical adaptation of Poe’s _The Raven._ 5. “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” - Electric Light Orchestra; name-drops four rebellious/conflicted heroes from European fiction and legend: “Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot; they don’t envy me.” ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6617 "2026-02-25T21:33:02Z")
**Literary references in songs** 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “Circumstances” - Rush; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) is a French idiom. The phrase was coined by French critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal _Les Guêpes_ (“The Wasps”). 3. “[Telly-Taley Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9HLxcQ6qrc)” by Tom Smith - tells Poe’s famed short story to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit. 4. “William Blake” - Daniel Amos; starts out with “Tyger, Tyger, burning bright” and pulls in plenty more quotes from the eponymous poet. 5. “The Raven” by The Allen Parson’s Project, a musical adaptation of Poe’s _The Raven._ 6. “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” - Electric Light Orchestra; name-drops four rebellious/conflicted heroes from European fiction and legend: “Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot; they don’t envy me.” more housekeeping ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6618 "2026-02-25T21:49:15Z")
**Literary references in songs** 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “Circumstances” - Rush; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) is a French idiom. The phrase was coined by French critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal _Les Guêpes_ (“The Wasps”). 3. “[Telly-Taley Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9HLxcQ6qrc)” by Tom Smith - tells Poe’s famed short story to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit. 4. “William Blake” - Daniel Amos; starts out with “Tyger, Tyger, burning bright” and pulls in plenty more quotes from the eponymous poet. 5. “The Raven” by The Allen Parson’s Project, a musical adaptation of Poe’s _The Raven._ 6. “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” - Electric Light Orchestra; name-drops four rebellious/conflicted heroes from European fiction and legend: “Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot; they don’t envy me.” 7. “Tales of Brave Ulysses” - Cream; references Homer’s _The Odyssey_ ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6619 "2026-02-25T22:56:07Z")
[quote=“Dr.Winston\_OBoogie, post:6618, topic:996687, full:true”] **Literary references in songs** 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “Circumstances” - Rush; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) is a French idiom. The phrase was coined by French critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal _Les Guêpes_ (“The Wasps”). 3. “[Telly-Taley Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9HLxcQ6qrc)” by Tom Smith - tells Poe’s famed short story to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit. 4. “William Blake” - Daniel Amos; starts out with “Tyger, Tyger, burning bright” and pulls in plenty more quotes from the eponymous poet. 5. “The Raven” by The Allen Parson’s Project, a musical adaptation of Poe’s _The Raven._ 6. “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” - Electric Light Orchestra; name-drops four rebellious/conflicted heroes from European fiction and legend: “Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot; they don’t envy me.” 7. “Tales of Brave Ulysses” - Cream; references Homer’s _The Odyssey_ 8. “What’s a Few Men” – Hunters & Collectors; reference in A B Facey’s “A Fortunate Life”. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687/6620 "2026-02-25T23:47:14Z")
**Literary references in songs** 1. “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop - mentions Johnny Yen as well as other references to William S. Burroughs’ _The Ticket that Exploded_. 2. “Circumstances” - Rush; “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” (the more things change, the more they stay the same) is a French idiom. The phrase was coined by French critic Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in the January 1849 issue of his journal _Les Guêpes_ (“The Wasps”). 3. “[Telly-Taley Heart](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9HLxcQ6qrc)” by Tom Smith - tells Poe’s famed short story to the tune of Billy Ray Cyrus’s hit. 4. “William Blake” - Daniel Amos; starts out with “Tyger, Tyger, burning bright” and pulls in plenty more quotes from the eponymous poet. 5. “The Raven” by The Allen Parson’s Project, a musical adaptation of Poe’s _The Raven._ 6. “Can’t Get It Out of My Head” - Electric Light Orchestra; name-drops four rebellious/conflicted heroes from European fiction and legend: “Robin Hood and William Tell and Ivanhoe and Lancelot; they don’t envy me.” 7. “Tales of Brave Ulysses” - Cream; references Homer’s _The Odyssey_ 8. “What’s a Few Men” – Hunters & Collectors; reference in A B Facey’s “A Fortunate Life”. 9. “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Iron Maiden - based on the Samuel Coleridge poem. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687.md?page=330) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/topic-playlist-part-3/996687.md?page=332)