Acts that had pre-fame songs written about them

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Annie, Kim Wilde and Natalie Cole all belong in this category.

The Lennons may also belong to some extent, although Sean didn't really have much of a career while the song written to Julian was rewritten before its release.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 7 October 2004 10:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Chuck E. Weiss

― pfeffernuesse (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 7 October 2004 10:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Linda McCartney, "Linda" by Jan and Dean
Nancy Sinatra, "Nancy with the laughing face" (or is it eyes?) Frank Sinatra / Bilko

Rosanna Arquette wasn't famous at the time of the Toto song, ay?

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 7 October 2004 11:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Juliana Hatfield wrote a song about Nirvana right around they time they were becoming famous.

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 7 October 2004 11:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Alex Chilton, sorta

― pfeffernuesse (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 7 October 2004 11:34 (twenty-one years ago)

"I'm so glad I'm not dead" she sang.

If she'd sung "I'm so glad they're not dead", she wouldn't be able to sing it anymore.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 7 October 2004 11:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Van Halen wrote a song about Top Jimmy & the Rhythm Pigs....but, alas, they never really became famous, did they.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 7 October 2004 12:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Loudon Wainwright III, "Rufus Is a Tit Man."

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 7 October 2004 13:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Todd Rundgren dedicated a song on Something/Anything? to "Patti Lee Smith," about 5 years before Horses.

Does "Hey Jude" count? McCartney wrote it for Julian Lennon, who was "famous" as Lennon's son but not as an, ahem, recording artist.

― mike a, Thursday, 7 October 2004 13:08 (twenty-one years ago)

The Fall, "Two Steps Back" - Well, it wasn't really 'about' him, but the lyric "Julian says 'How was the gear?'" refers to Julian Cope, the Fall's roadie at the time.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Thursday, 7 October 2004 13:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Julian what the Fall's roadie at the when?

― kit brash (kit brash), Thursday, 7 October 2004 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't think he was the roadie but just a huge fan. In his book he says he saw them 28 times before they even released a record.

― everything, Thursday, 7 October 2004 17:25 (twenty-one years ago)

k records recording artists Courtney Love to thread... I think they name-dropped their namesake in song at some point.

― autovac (autovac), Thursday, 7 October 2004 17:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Does "Hey Jude" count?

Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, I made a reference to it in the original post of the thread.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 7 October 2004 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

If I ever become famous I'll own this thread!

― Danger Whore (kate), Friday, 8 October 2004 07:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Loudon Wainwright III, "Rufus Is a Tit Man."

Oh, the irony.

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Friday, 8 October 2004 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Does Belle and Sebastian writing a song about Arab Strap count?
Surely Arab Strap became much more well known in indie circles after that.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Friday, 8 October 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

different arab strap.

― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 8 October 2004 19:03 (twenty-one years ago)

what's the Kim Wilde tune?

― lawrence kansas (lawrence kansas), Friday, 8 October 2004 19:04 (twenty-one years ago)

different arab strap.
Is it? I thought I heard it said at the time they wrote it for Aidan Moffat & co.

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Friday, 8 October 2004 19:12 (twenty-one years ago)

k records recording artists Courtney Love to thread... I think they name-dropped their namesake in song at some point.

-- autovac (mrichards2...), October 7th, 2004.
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if they were to thread, they'd probably tell you about how courtney love ripped off their band name and took it as her nom de plum, or however the story of their old timey beef goes

― andrew m. (andrewmorgan), Friday, 8 October 2004 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

peter that song is totally about Aidan Moffat. Tell me what you heard different.

"[Belle and Sebastian are] bastards," says Moffat. "And weird bastards. Stuart Murdoch followed me around Glasgow one day, trailing me on the bus."
- MAGNET NOV/DEC 98

― AaronHz (AaronHz), Friday, 8 October 2004 20:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Btw. Julian Lennon did have a couple of Top 10 hits in the UK. I guess that counts as a career of sorts. "Too Late For Goodbyes" and "Saltwater" were even great singles both of them.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Friday, 8 October 2004 22:26 (twenty-one years ago)

"great"

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Saturday, 9 October 2004 07:50 (twenty-one years ago)

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