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Songwriters occasionally write songs that make overt references to real musicians and bands. This list excludes hip hop songs because overt references to real musicians are more common than not. Hip hop arose as an informal accompaniment to dance music, when performers spoke over percussion breaks. Over time, these performers began speaking more and more in sync with the beat, and thus was born rapping. Eschewing traditional song structure, most of these early rappers told simple stories, jokes and teased their friends and enemies. As a result, modern hip hop musicians traditionally mention performers that inspired them, performers who they consider untalented, or other simple references to real musicians.
One song that does not quite fit this category is American Pie by Don McLean. Although it is clearly about Buddy Holly and many other rockers from the 1950s and 1960s, the lyrics are composed largely of metaphors and plays on words. The only unambiguously identifiable performer in the song is actor James Dean.
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List
Entries are listed with the following syntax: "Song Title" by musical artist(s) most associated with song references musicians and/or bands referred to.
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"1985" by Bowling For Soup references Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Nirvana, U2, Blondie, Limp Bizkit, Duran Duran, Van Halen, Wham!, Whitesnake, Mötley Crüe and Ozzy Osbourne.
"29x The Pain" by The Wildhearts references The Beatles, Blue Öyster Cult, Kurt Cobain, The Damned, Heart. Hüsker Dü, KISS, The Ramones, The Replacements, The Rolling Stones, The Sex Pistols, and Stiff Little Fingers
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"Achy Breaky Song" by "Weird Al" Yankovic references Donny and Marie Osmond, Barry Manilow, New Kids on the Block, The Village People, Vanilla Ice, The BeeGees, Billy Ray Cyrus, Debby Boone, ABBA, Slim Whitman, Zamfir, Yoko Ono and Tiffany.
"American Bad Ass" by Kid Rock references AC/DC, ZZ Top, Hank Williams Jr. (as "Bocephus"), Beastie Boys, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Segar, Limp Bizkit, Korn, Rolling Stones, David Allan Coe, George Jones (as "No Show" Jones), Liberace, Johnny Cash, Grandmaster Flash and himself.
"American Hair Band" by Tuff references Kurt Cobain, Van Halen, Hanoi Rocks, Black N' Blue, Britny Fox, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Skid Row, Ratt, Vandenberg, Judas Priest, Dokken, Kix, Faster Pussycat, L.A. Guns, Dangerous Toys, Quiet Riot, Bang Tango, Bullet Boys, Johnny Crash, C.C. DeVille, Mick Mars, Slash, Twisted Sister, Pretty Boy Floyd, David Lee Roth, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder, Weezer, the Screaming Trees, White Lion, the Sleeze Beez, and KISS (and also covertly references AC/DC, Warrant, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, and Poison).
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"Battery Brides (Andy Paints Brian) " by XTC references Brian Eno (in its title only).
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"Dead Rock N Roll Stars" by Wally Pleasant references Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Janis Joplin, Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Keith Moon, Sid Vicious, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Randy Rhoads, Eddie Cochran, Bob Marley, Roy Orbison, John Lennon, Brian Jones, Karen Carpenter, and Wally Pleasant.
"Destroy Rock And Roll" by Mylo references Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, David Bowie, Van Halen, Madonna, Huey Lewis and The News, The Cars, Herbie Hancock, Bonnie Tyler, Stevie Nicks, Men At Work, ZZ Top, Paul McCartney, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Cyndi Lauper, Pink Floyd, The Pretenders, Billy Joel, Billy Idol, Elton John, Neil Young, Sheena Easton, Patty Smyth and Scandal, Fashion, Big Country, Morris Day and The Time, John Lennon, Apollonia 6, REO Speedwagon, David Gilmour, The Rolling Stones, Pat Benatar, Hall and Oates, Wham!, Rebbie Jackson, Adam Ant, Bananarama, Christine McVie, Queen, John Cougar Mellencamp, U2, Fleetwood Mac, The Alan Parsons Project, Rick Springfield, The Thompson Twins, Missing Persons, Duran Duran, The Police, Eurythmics, Culture Club including Boy George, Band Aid, Relax and Stevie Wonder.
"Don't Let Me Get Me" by Pink references Britney Spears and LaFace Records co-founder L.A. Reid.
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"Endless Art" by A House references Jimi Hendrix, Sid Vicious, Brian Jones, Otis Redding, Elvis Presley, Johnnie Ray, John Lennon, Keith Moon, Ian Curtis, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Strauß and Richard Strauss (and a lot more writers and artists)
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"The Hop" by Aerosmith references themselves.
"Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock" by MC Lars references Evanesence, Guns N' Roses, Rob Zombie, Slipknot, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Sex Pistols, Insane Clown Posse,Tupac Shakur,Misfits, Elvis Presley, Mudvayne, and GG Allin.
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"I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night" by Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson references Joe Hill.
"I Keed" by Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog references 'N Sync, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Fred Durst, possibly 50 Cent, Hilary Duff (indirectly), Mandy Moore, R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, The Strokes, The White Stripes, Coldplay, U2, Pink, Nelly, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Billy Joel, P. Diddy, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Elton John, Avril Lavigne, Celine Dion, Philip Glass, Eminem, Mariah Carey
"If It Makes You Happy" by Sheryl Crow references John Coltrane.
"In Love with the 80s (Pink Tux to the Prom)" by Relient K references Tears for Fears ("...and my favourite band will always be Tears for Fears")
"It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett references Jimmy Buffett.
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"The Joint is Really Jumpin' in Carnegie Hall" by Judy Garland and Jose Iturbi from the film Thousands Cheer references Frédéric Chopin, Strauss (which one is not specified), Irving Berlin, Johannes Brahms, Cole Porter (indirectly), Dmitri Shostakovich, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Joseph Haydn, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, as well a self-reference to Garland. The film version also includes a self-reference to Iturbi, though the original lyrics refer to Arturo Toscanini instead.
"Jung Talent Time" by TISM references Vanilla Ice, Bros, Fairlie Arrow, Jeanne Little, Brian Mannix, Jade Hurley, Skyhooks, Racey, The Archies, Gary Numan, The Alan Parsons Project, Peter Frampton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Klaatu, |