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Author Topic: Self referential songs  (Read 12126 times)
John From Austin
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« Reply #20 on: August 04, 2022, 04:40:22 PM »

I stand corrected on Long Live Rock: "[Irish] Jack is in the alley selling tickets made in Hong Kong..."

Point remains that it's a self-reference to the band's experiences.

Here's Irish Jack saying the song is referencing him: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/cork-man-who-inspired-the-who-there-s-no-quadrophenia-pension-life-s-not-like-that-1.1413768
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« Reply #21 on: August 04, 2022, 07:11:17 PM »

How about Queen with Let Me Entertain You, Was It All Worth It?, Death On Two Legs.
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PJayBe
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« Reply #22 on: August 04, 2022, 10:40:20 PM »


Ian McNabb should get a mention......"Fire Inside My Soul".


An autobiographical piece to get Crazy Horse to record with him.....
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Adam
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« Reply #23 on: August 08, 2022, 12:44:47 AM »

Off the top of my head:
We’re the wainwrights - Loudon Wainwright and family
Wacky Women - Sparks (“Hello, everybody, this is Russel”)
Disco King - Wonderstuff (“I’m just two legs of the groove machine”)
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Poor Will (Bill)
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« Reply #24 on: August 08, 2022, 07:49:14 AM »

Al Stewart.
Many of his songs are autobiographical, but he gives himself a mention on “ You Should Have Listened To Al”
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« Reply #25 on: August 08, 2022, 08:30:21 AM »

Possibly my favourite 10CC song 'Old Wild Men' .. they wrote it in their 20's imagining what they would be like performing in their 50's.

Also 'Uncle John's Band' by the Grateful Dead.  Uncle John was thought to be Jerry Garcia.
 
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Jules Gray
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« Reply #26 on: August 08, 2022, 02:47:37 PM »


Also 'Uncle John's Band' by the Grateful Dead.  Uncle John was thought to be Jerry Garcia.


Much more obviously self-referential is Truckin' which details a series of events in the band's life on the road.

Jules
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Yorkshire Chris
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« Reply #27 on: August 08, 2022, 04:20:58 PM »

Minutemen - 'History Lesson Pt.II' is one which springs to mind.

Our band could be your life
Real names be proof
Me and Mike Watt played for years
Punk rock changed our lives

We learned punk rock in Hollywood
Drove up from Pedro
We were ******g corn dogs
We'd go drink and pogo

Mr. Narrator
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My story could be his songs
I'm his soldier child

Our band is scientist rock
But I was E. Bloom and Richard Hell
Joe Strummer, and John Doe
Me and Mike Watt, playing guitar

And their 'Tour Spiel' too come to think of it...!
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« Reply #28 on: August 08, 2022, 04:46:49 PM »

We - The Roches
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« Reply #29 on: August 08, 2022, 08:41:01 PM »

Does Lynrd Skynrd’s “Workin’ for MCA” count? Certainly “What’s Your Name?”. Different times… Grin
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John From Austin
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« Reply #30 on: August 08, 2022, 09:04:45 PM »


Does Lynrd Skynrd’s “Workin’ for MCA” count? Certainly “What’s Your Name?”. Different times… Grin


Not to mention "That Smell" (a warning to the whole band after Gary Rossington crashed his car while drunk and high) and "Gimme Back My Bullets" (referencing not literal bullets, but the band's failure to score a follow-up Billboard hit after "Sweet Home Alabama").
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Jules Gray
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« Reply #31 on: August 08, 2022, 09:12:42 PM »


Minutemen - 'History Lesson Pt.II' is one which springs to mind.

Our band could be your life
Real names be proof
Me and Mike Watt played for years
Punk rock changed our lives

We learned punk rock in Hollywood
Drove up from Pedro
We were ******g corn dogs
We'd go drink and pogo

Mr. Narrator
This is Bob Dylan to me
My story could be his songs
I'm his soldier child

Our band is scientist rock
But I was E. Bloom and Richard Hell
Joe Strummer, and John Doe
Me and Mike Watt, playing guitar

And their 'Tour Spiel' too come to think of it...!


I was going to mention Mike Watt, but thought it would be under most people's radar. He is the king of self reference. He did a whole concept album combining his dad's navy career with the history of Minutemen, his old band. Once wrote a song with the opening line "what could be romantic to Mike Watt?".

Jules
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GubGub (Al)
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« Reply #32 on: August 09, 2022, 11:18:21 AM »

Isn't every song by Craig David about Craig David, to the extent of him repeatedly singing the words "Craig David"?
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« Reply #33 on: August 09, 2022, 11:21:40 AM »


Isn't every song by Craig David about Craig David, to the extent of him repeatedly singing the words "Craig David"?


Rotflmao  Grin
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« Reply #34 on: August 09, 2022, 02:21:43 PM »

My favourite would have to be Creeque Alley by Mamas & the Papas which details not just them but the whole Californian scene ... can't see anyone beating that one Grin
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Yorkshire Chris
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« Reply #35 on: August 09, 2022, 03:17:32 PM »



Minutemen - 'History Lesson Pt.II' is one which springs to mind.


I was going to mention Mike Watt, but thought it would be under most people's radar. He is the king of self reference. He did a whole concept album combining his dad's navy career with the history of Minutemen, his old band. Once wrote a song with the opening line "what could be romantic to Mike Watt?".

Jules


Haha! Yeah, that line is from 'One Reporter's Opinion' and I read recently that D.Boon didn't like the song as it mentioned Mike's name in it...!!

Link to the interview here: https://larecord.com/interviews/2009/08/03/the-minutemen-mike-watt-interview-double-nickels-on-the-dime-the-glory-hole-of-man - enjoy mate!
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Jules Gray
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« Reply #36 on: August 09, 2022, 04:30:32 PM »




Minutemen - 'History Lesson Pt.II' is one which springs to mind.


I was going to mention Mike Watt, but thought it would be under most people's radar. He is the king of self reference. He did a whole concept album combining his dad's navy career with the history of Minutemen, his old band. Once wrote a song with the opening line "what could be romantic to Mike Watt?".

Jules


Haha! Yeah, that line is from 'One Reporter's Opinion' and I read recently that D.Boon didn't like the song as it mentioned Mike's name in it...!!

Link to the interview here: https://larecord.com/interviews/2009/08/03/the-minutemen-mike-watt-interview-double-nickels-on-the-dime-the-glory-hole-of-man - enjoy mate!


Thanks.

d. boon wanted to use songs to put across politics and talk about injustice, but watt was always more inward looking, more into exploring personal politics. Of course, there was room for both.

Jules
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Chris from Fieldtown
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« Reply #37 on: August 09, 2022, 08:38:27 PM »

John Lennon's Mother is one of the most harrowing personal songs. The whole Plastic Ono Band album is his story at the time.
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Jules Gray
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« Reply #38 on: August 09, 2022, 09:16:15 PM »


John Lennon's Mother is one of the most harrowing personal songs. The whole Plastic Ono Band album is his story at the time.


Again, though, there's a distinction between the autobiographical song, which would be probably more than half of the songs ever written, and the self-referential song, which would be more typically refer to an artist's public life rather than their private life.  The best example I can think of would be band songs about the band.

Jules
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« Reply #39 on: August 10, 2022, 10:31:00 AM »

Sweet - Brian Connolly shouting at the beginning of Ballroom Blitz and the others answering "Are you ready, Steve? aha. Andy? yeah! Mick? ok. Alright fellas, let's go!" That's the only self-referential bit I'm aware of from them, but very silly and great fun
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