# Tribute songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 16, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677 "2006-11-16T14:18:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/1 "2006-11-16T14:18:19Z")
Last night at the bowling alley, “[One Sweet Day](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Sweet_Day)” by Mariah Carey & Boys II Men came on the video system. I hadn’t heard this song in years, and I’d never known whom the subject of the song was before I looked it up. This morning, while I was in the shower, I found myself humming the tune to “[Nightshift](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightshift),” a song performed by The Commodores as tribute to the murdered Marvin Gaye and to Jackie Wilson. This song has always been a favorite of mine. So I started trying to think of other songs that were written as tributes to other fallen musicians (or to anyone who had died, for that matter). The only other song I could think of was the Puff Daddy dedication to Notorious B.I.G.: “[I’ll Be Missing You](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27ll_Be_Missing_You).” But surely there must be others. Educate me, Dopers! What other tribute songs are out there? Are there any that were considered bad songs? Many thanks! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/2 "2006-11-16T14:22:55Z")
“Rock and Roll Heaven” by the Righteous Brothers “Abraham, Martin, and John” by Dion ---
**Author:** ![ThreadPirateRoberts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@ThreadPirateRoberts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThreadPirateRoberts)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/3 "2006-11-16T14:42:23Z")
_When Smokey Sings_, a tribute to Smokey Robinson by the one-hit-wonders (I think) ABC. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/4 "2006-11-16T14:46:00Z")
“Let Me In” - R.E.M. (Kurt Cobain) “Monty Got a Raw Deal” - R.E.M. (Montgomery Clift) “Man on the Moon” - R.E.M. (Andy Kaufman) ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/5 "2006-11-16T14:50:08Z")
“Tribute” - Tenacious D ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/6 "2006-11-16T14:54:43Z")
A Praise Chorus by Jimmy Eat World, partially a tribute to every rock n roller, partially a tribute to the Promise Ring. The Mighty KC, a tribute to Kurt Cobain by For Squirrels. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/7 "2006-11-16T15:25:31Z")
Paul McCartney - Here Today (John Lennon) George Harrison - Pure Smokey (Smokey Robinson) James Taylor - Fire And Rain (to his friend Suzanne, from the mental institution, who died) Are we counting only dead people? Because if not, four of the best tributes to anyone are: Billy Joel - Uptown Girl (about Christie Brinkley while paying the ultimate homage to The Four Seasons) The Tubes - Don’t Touch Me There (tribute to the production style of Phil Spector, arranged by Jack Nitzche) Electric Light Orchestra - Hello My Old Friend (a tribute to the 1967 period of The Beatles and George Martin, based on “I Am The Walrus”) Todd Rundgren - Good Vibrations (an exact replica of the Beach Boys record) and there’s this one: Michael Jackson - Ben (a rat) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/8 "2006-11-16T15:35:05Z")
Elvis tributes: “Big Train From Memphis” - John Fogerty “Black Velvet” Alannah Myles “Sean” - The Proclaimers “The King Is Gone (So Are You)” - George Jones “The King Is Gone” - Ronnie McDowell “Epitaph” - Blue Mountain ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/9 "2006-11-16T15:39:54Z")
“American Pie” -Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper Didn’t “I’ll See You at the Crossroads” have Eazy E in the video, or was that a different song? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/10 "2006-11-16T15:43:23Z")
[Tha Crossroads](http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/bonethugsnharmony/thacrossroads.html) mentions “Darris, Wally, Eazy, Terry, Boo”. I only know who “Eazy” is. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/11 "2006-11-16T15:52:06Z")
Hank Williams, Sr.: “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” - Waylon Jennings “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” - Hank Williams, Jr. “Family Tradition” - Hank Williams, Jr. “200 More Miles” - Cowboy Junkies (contains some references) “Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?” - The Waterboys “Midnight in Montgomery” - Alan Jackson ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/12 "2006-11-16T16:19:43Z")
“Rebel to Rebel” - 38 Special. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/13 "2006-11-16T16:51:55Z")
Do they have to be dead at the time the song was written? Joaquín Sabina “Y nos dieron las diez” (covered by Secretos as “Ojos de gata”, she-cat’s eyes) was a ranchera written for cat-eyed ranchera singer Rocío Durcal. They originally sang it as a duet. Loquillo y los Trogloditas have, among others, “El fantasma de Elvis” (Elvis’ ghost) and “En Dino’s a las diez” ((meet you) in Dino’s at ten) ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/14 "2006-11-16T16:59:20Z")
“Ft. Worth Blues” by Steve Earle is a tribute to Townes Van Zandt. ---
**Author:** ![Sassy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Sassy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassy)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/15 "2006-11-16T17:00:29Z")
**Riding With The King** - John Hiatt ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/16 "2006-11-16T17:00:54Z")
“I. C. Water” by Psychic TV is a tribute to Ian Curtis. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/17 "2006-11-16T17:04:41Z")
“Empty Garden,” Elton John (John Lennon) “All Those Years Ago,” George Harrison (John Lennon) “Cole, Cooke and Redding,” Wilson Pickett (Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke & Otis Redding) “Under a Raging Moon,” Roger Daltrey (Keith Moon) ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/18 "2006-11-16T17:09:38Z")
**Maria Bartiromo** - Joey Ramone (Maria Batiromo) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/19 "2006-11-16T17:25:17Z")
“Reach Down” and “Hunger Strike” for Andrew Wood, by Temple of the Dog. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677/20 "2006-11-16T18:03:29Z")
[QUOTE=42fish] “Empty Garden,” Elton John (John Lennon) “All Those Years Ago,” George Harrison (John Lennon) [/QUOTE] “Not John” - Loudon Wainwright III “My Dear Mr. Gaye” - Teena Marie [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tribute-songs/380677.md?page=2)