Your favourite song that comments on another song

LennyLowrent · December 21

May have been done before, but it's Monday…

My one is (familiar territory) Only A fool would say that by Steely Dan, on Imagine by John Lennon.

https://youtu.be/fvNLopcggFk?si=Bpf_Ka7wMlodFSu3

Stig · December 22

I always liked that the line in The Thompson Twins' Love on your Side, "I played you all my favourite records" was followed by a keyboard playing the melody to their previous single In The Name Of Love.

Similarly I always liked Smiley Culture's self reference in Police Officer:

Me say "you can't do that ca' me name Smiley Culture"
"You what? Did you do that record Cockney Translator?"
In the reggae charts number one was it's number
"My kids love it and so does my mother!

Blancmange's little Coronation Street refrain after the line, "There's not, I think a single episode of Dallas that I didn't see" in The Day Before You Came was a master stroke.

Best of all though has to be the exchange between Half Man Half Biscuit and American songwriter Dean Friedman. In 1978 Friedman had a surprise UK hit with the song Lucky Stars about a couple having an argument because the guy (Friedman, as it's written in the first person) had had lunch with an ex-girlfriend. HMHB's Nigel Blackwell thought there was more to the story than Friedman's lyrics let on, so he penned the song The Bastard Son of Dean Friedman in which he suggested that he (Blackwell) was the result of a dalliance between Friedman and the lady in the song. Unsurprisingly, Friedman was quite concerned when he heard the Half Man Half Biscuit Song. Whilst he was sure that he wasn't Blackwell's secret dad, he wasn't sure how his wife, heavily pregnant with their first child, would take it. He said he only relaxed after calculating that he'd have been just seven years old when Blackwell was born. Friedman's response was to pen the very witty A Baker's Tale in which he claimed Blackwell was "A baker's son born of a bun, half a man half a biscuit". Friedman has since appeared on stage with Half Man Half Biscuit and confessed that Blackwell was correct that there was more to his story than made it into the lyrics of Lucky Stars.

lordromford · December 22

I enjoy the mention of “In the air tonight” by Phil Collins in “Stan” by Eminem.

Partly because of the rumour about the song being complete bullshit.

golfaddick · December 22

Ashes to Ashes - reference to Major Tom from Space Oddity.

Karim_myBagheri · December 22

Not exactly a song but a band.

CSS - let's make love and listen to "death from above"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7agPOt1XZz8&list=RD7agPOt1XZz8&start_radio=1&pp=ygUpY3NzIGxldCdzIG1ha2UgbG92ZSBhbmQgbGlzdGVuIGRlYXRoIGZyb22gBwE%3D

Karim_myBagheri · December 22

Bit tenuous but he does say about Roy Orbison singing for the lonely.

Thunder road - Bruce Springsteen.

LennyLowrent · December 22

Some great references here,
And yes, many songs do quote other song lines etc'. The Steely Dan actually answers Imagine. I know there are other examples of songs digging at each other. I'm sure some good ones will emerge...

stoneroses19 · December 22

Not a good song, but always remember the lyric "Like Frankie said, I did it my way" in Bon Jovi's It's My Life.

The Wombats - Let's Dance to Joy Division. This was always decent live at a gig or festival.

SuedeAdidas · December 22

Writing to Reach You by Travis…..
” The radio is playing all the usual
And what's a wonderwall anyway?”

jimmymelrose · December 22

Slide Show by Travis references three songs:
A Design for Life by The Manic Street Preachers
Wonderwall by Oasis
Devil’s Haircut by Beck

“”Slide Show” is about songs and about how those three songs in particular remind me of points in my life. Songs are like bookmarks in a book of your life and whenever you hear it again it takes you right back to that page. “Design for Life” reminds me of going up to Dougie’s house and sitting when we were on the dole. We were listening to that song, that album. “Wonderwall” reminds me of writing “To Reach You” and being back in Glasgow in that horrible, cold flat. That’s what those songs to do to me. The only thing I could think of when you close your eyes is a slideshow.”

Fran Healy

Stig · December 22

stoneroses19 said:

Not a good song, but always remember the lyric "Like Frankie said, I did it my way" in Bon Jovi's It's My Life.

The Wombats - Let's Dance to Joy Division. This was always decent live at a gig or festival.

Another HMHB, their Joy Division Oven Gloves contains a little pastiche of Transmission, "Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance in my Joy Division Oven Gloves".

Henry Irving · December 22

Sara by Bob Dylan references one of his old songs

"Sat up all night in the Chelsea Hotel
Writing Sad Eyed Lady of the low lands for you"

Henry Irving · December 22

Orange Juice's "Rip It Up," has the line "my favourite song's entitled 'Boredom' follow by the solo from Buzzcocks classic "Boredom"

Henry Irving · December 22

Not a song but Sly Stone's response to Marvin Gaye's album "What's going on" was to call his album "There's a riot going on".

Algarveaddick · December 22

Radar Love - Golden Earring, " Radio's playing some forgotten song, Brenda Lee's "Coming on Strong" "

aliwibble · December 22

I'm amazed no-one's mentioned "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd being specifically written to call out Neil Young and his song "Southern Man"

Algarveaddick · December 22

Etta James' - "The Wallflower" (AKA Roll with me Henry) was an answer song to Hank Ballard and the Midnighters "Work with me Annie". The Midnighters also had their own follow up/response to their own song called "Annie had a baby".

And of course Buddy Holly did the same with "Peggy Sue" and "Peggy Sue got married".

Stig · December 22

Camera Obscura's 'Hey Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken' is a response to Lloyd Cole and the Commotions', 'Are You Ready to be Heartbroken?'

North Lower Neil · December 22

Not.the best song but Postcards From Paradise by Ringo Starr references a load of Beatles songs.

DaveMehmet · December 22

5:15 by The Who mentions My Generation

AddicksAddict · December 22

Stig said:

stoneroses19 said:

Not a good song, but always remember the lyric "Like Frankie said, I did it my way" in Bon Jovi's It's My Life.

The Wombats - Let's Dance to Joy Division. This was always decent live at a gig or festival.

Another HMHB, their Joy Division Oven Gloves contains a little pastiche of Transmission, "Dance, Dance, Dance, Dance in my Joy Division Oven Gloves".

HMHB have some of the best song titles. As for the songs themselves, if you can’t hear the words, they can be unlistenable.

iainment · December 22

There’s a whole Country sub genre of songs replying to songs.

Classic Examples

"The Wild Side of Life" (Hank Thompson) & "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" (Kitty Wells): A foundational example, with Kitty Wells defending women against the original's portrayal of wayward women.
"He'll Have to Go" (Jim Reeves) & "He'll Have to Stay" (Jeanne Black): A direct response from a woman telling her lover he can't leave her for another.
"Ballad of a Teenage Queen"(Johnny Cash) & "The Return of the Teenage Queen" (Tommy Tucker): A male perspective on the classic teen romance story.

Modern & Notable Examples

"Jolene" (Dolly Parton) & "Diane"(Cam): A poignant response from the perspective of the woman Jolene was warned about.

And so on.

letthegoodtimesroll · December 22

In American Pie, the good ole boys were singing a ditty with the words ‘this will be the day that I die’ apparently…

Pedro45 · December 22

Barclay James Harvest wrote a song where the lyrics were all titles of Beatles songs (apparently!).

Henry Irving · December 22

Arctic Mondays

"He told Roxanne to put on her red light"

Your favourite song that comments on another song

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