Artists who reference their own songs?

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How about a list of songs where artists reference previous songs they've done? Like the end of "All You Need Is Love" where the Beatles start singing "She Loves You". Doesn't have to be a verbal reference either, it can be a musical one!

Thompson Twins' "Love on Your Side" > "In the Name of Love"
Steely Dan's "Showbiz Kids" > "Reelin' in the Years"

How about some more?

― Vinnie, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

madonna references 'vogue' at the end of 'deeper and deeper'...

and veruca salt tried to re-cash in on 'seether' in 'volcano girls'

― minna, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Spacemen 3 do that a lot with thier guitar melodies.

― A Nairn, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'rap'.

― ethan, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Beatles Glass Onion references a couple of Beatles songs. I think Strawberry Fields Forever, I am the Walrus, Lady Madonna, Fool on the Hill.

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

U2's "Zooropa" has a lyrical reference to U2's "Acrobat".

"she's gonna dream up the world she wants to live in. she's gonna dream out loud."

"you can dream, so dream out loud."

― Lew Zealand, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

David Bowie: "Ashes to Ashes" ---> "Space Oddity"

― Joe, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

On Kelis' new record she mentions playing 'Truth or Dare' - like the track she cut with the Neptunes on N.E.R.D.

Also on 'Truth or Dare', Kelis mentions the risk of being 'Caught Out There'.

I'm sure that the Neptunes have more, they seem to like that sort of mythology.

― mdieter, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

NIN samples "Down In It" in "Kinda I Want To." Both on the same album, just three tracks later. (Of course "Down In It" steals from Puppy's "Dig It"...)

― bnw, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Cure's 'Last Dance' has a 'Cold' reference. You can hear Rob whisper "Your name like ice into my heart".

Doesn't The Rut's 'It was cold' end with them singing bits from 'In a rut' too? I always found that a bit random.

― Paz, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Felt on Declaration: I will have as my epitaph the second line of "Black Ship in the Harbour."

― Flowersdie, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

PWEI sampled their own songs. sampled/recycled/whatever

― Alan Trewartha, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Felt reference a couple on 'Ballad of the Band' too.

Two more Beatles: 'Ob-la-di-ob-la-da' on 'Savoy Truffle' and 'She Loves You' on the outro of 'All You Need Is Love'

Belle & Sebastian - 'The State I Am In' on 'Mary Jo'

― N., Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Kylie sings "Is the world still 'Spinning Around' " on "In Your Eyes", and Madonna tells us to " 'Express Yourself', don't repress yourself" on "Human Nature". R&B/hip hop have too many to mention.

― Tim, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'She Loves You' on the outro of 'All You Need Is Love'

And the Rutles do it too -> "Hold My Hand" on the outro of "Love Life"

Zappa - Camarillo Brillo recalls "Is that a real poncho, I mean, is that a mexican poncho or a sears poncho?" - from Cosmic Debris. (Actually, they were probably written at the same time.)
Also, "Dirty Love" & "Stinkfoot" contain "The Poodle Bites.. The Poodle Chews it."

― Dave225, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Isn't there an Oasis B-side which features part of 'Morning Glory' at the end of it. A band referencing themselves with a song which references ooh, many other songs. Who can deny their cleverness?

― Snotty Moore, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Nirvana's teen spirit intro vamp on "Rape Me"

― fritz, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Do I have to tell the story of a thousand rainy days since we first met?

Do I have to tell it on EVERY SONG STING EVER RELEASES????

― Colin Meeder, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Wings - Band on the Run has several bits near the end where it goes into previous tracks from the album

― michael, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Acetone connects a few of their albums together. First EP has a song 'Cindy' and the next LP is titled Cindy. On the 'I Guess I Would' LP, on the title track, one lyric is '... if you only knew' which is the title of their next LP. I thought there was a lyric 'I guess I would' somewhere on Cindy, but I can't find it.

― Ron Hudson, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Mansun, intro on "The Chad.." (1st track on album) and outro on "Dark Mavis" (last song on album)

― dark mavis, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

sebadoh's gimmie indie rock. shamelessly self-referent story of lou barlow's musical development via name-dropping various post-punk icons.

― fields of salmon, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This used to happen all the time in a more direct, literal fashion in song sequels, "answer songs", etc.

Chuck Berry, "Bye Bye Johnny" --> "Johnny B. Goode"
Buddy Holly, "Peggy Sue Got Married" --> "Peggy Sue"
Leslie Gore, "Judy's Turn to Cry" --> "It's My Party"

― Curt, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Momus 'Shoesize of the Angel' -----> Momus 'Hairstyle of the Devil'

Momus 'I Love Music' --------> Momus music

― Momus, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"i wrote sad-eyed momus of the lowlands for you"

― fritz, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Spiritualized - "On Fire" > "I Think I'm In Love"

― thom west, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Rufus Thomas was surely the God of Self-Reference with his witty Dog series...
"Somebody Stole My Dog" --> "Can Your Monkey Do the Dog" --> "Walking the Dog" --> "The Dog"

...and his post-dog commands to... "Do the Funky Chicken" <-- "Do the Funky Penguin" <-- "Do the Funky Somethin'"

― Curt, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Beatles' "She Loves You" on the fade to "All You Need Is Love".

XTC's album titles: "Oranges and Lemons" references a track from Skylarking ("Ballet For A Rainy Day" I think), "Nonsuch" is a line from somewhere on Oranges and Lemons, and "Apple Venus" was mentioned somewhere on Nonsuch. Not sure of the sense of that, but I like it in a rather silly conceptual way.

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Sly Stone refers to several of his songs in "Thankyou...": "Everyday people, sing a simple song..."

Frank Zappa's "conceptual continuity" idea led to endless self- references, especially in later works.

― brian.ia, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Daniel Johnston has claimed that every song he's ever wrote is based upon the first song he ever wrote, 'Grievances', and it's true that a lot of the images from that song are referred to in countless others.

― Jamie Morrison, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The KLF's Last Train to Trancentral samples one of the tracks from Chill Out.

― Nik, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The KLF were "justified and ancient [a reference to their previous incarnation] and they know what time is love". Tammy of course had no idea what she was on about.

Then there is Otis Redding's Happy Song, a tiny modification of his own Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song).

― Martin Skidmore, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I forgot a couple: Smokey Robinson made a late, weak sequel to Shop Around called It's Time To Stop Shopping Around, and Wynonie Harris apologised in Bad News Baby (There'll Be No Rockin' Tonite).

― Martin Skidmore, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Beatles, "I Am the Walrus" - 'See how they fly like Lucy in the sky...'
D. Bowie, "Ashes to Ashes" - 'We know Major Tom's a junkie.....You better not mess with Major Tom'
B. Eno, "Tie Your Own Shoe, Dillweed" - 'Don't wait for me to come running. I'm father of all things ambient now." (Just kidding.)

― Curt, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Rod Stewart alludes to (the ace) "Maggie May" on (the v. poor) "Hotlegs".

― Robin Carmody, Monday, 11 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Since Momus reminded me, Shopping by BV3K uses an Eeek A Mouse sample then this voice throughout does it not?
Public Enemy had to be the worst offenders though, Sophiscated Bitch pops up on Revolutionary Generation, Right Starter was referenced on one of the later albums too but I cant remeber the track for the life of me.

― Mr Noodles, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I don't know if this counts since it is a music video but Alicia Keys uses her past single to introduce her new single. It's like she has to remind us-Oh yea, I ALMOST forgot about you for a minute, shame shame. I think she has done that for every video of hers. Yuck.

― Lindsey B, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

at the end of all you need is love I'm sure there's another song mentioned as well as she loves you, can't for the life of me think what it is now though.

― chris, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ben Folds Five- the beggining few seconds of "Regrets" are nearly identical to the end of "Army".

― Judd Nelson, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Lest we forget The Smiths' "Paint A Vulgar Picture", which references a previous lyric and title: "Well, maybe. You just haven't earned it yet, baby."

― Rob, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Actually, them Smiffs had already done something with "Hand in glove..." at the end of "Pretty Girls Make Graves."

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There's a track on New Order's "Brotherhood" - can't remember the title - which reprises the (at the time considered by many raincoated geeks to be sacrosanct) instantly recognisable "duh-duh-duh" drumbeat that runs through "Love Will Tear Us Apart".

The two Felt songs mentioned in "Ballad of the Band" are "Crystal Ball" and "Dismantled King".

― Darren, Tuesday, 12 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

there's that Fall song where he goes, "should have listened to New Face In Hell" (earlier Fall paranoia-man classic). can't remember which one, but he's right

― kieron, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

oh yes, and there's the last ever blueboy song at the end of their "bank of england" album which reprises the opening chords to their first ever song, the feycore standard "clearer"... nice way 2 go.

― kieron, Wednesday, 13 March 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two years pass...

"Lighten up baby, I'm in love with you! Hey, hey Mama!" - Robert Plant

There's this little half of a reprise of "Allentown" at the end of "Where's the Orchaestra?", both of which appeared on The Nylon Curtain by Billy Joel. I knew that I would be the first one on here to mention that.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Saturday, 28 August 2004 02:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Does it count that JCM has brought up the characters of Jack and Diane periodically since 1982?

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Saturday, 28 August 2004 02:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Dylan sings about "writing Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands For You" in "Sara."

― Slim Pickens (Slim Pickens), Saturday, 28 August 2004 02:42 (twenty-one years ago)

The Kinks' "Destroyer" references both "All Day and All of the Night" and "Lola".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 28 August 2004 02:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Firewater's "Mr.Cardiac" makes an allusion to "Chameleon Man," which was a song by Cop Shoot Cop (both bands led by Tod [A]shley)

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 28 August 2004 02:44 (twenty-one years ago)

PRINCE TO THREAD, PLEASE.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Saturday, 28 August 2004 04:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh good, no one's mentioned what I was going to mention.

Um, that group I go on and on about -- in their 1982 song "New Religion" they sing, "I get along fine with them friends of mine but you have to make a choice". One of the songs they released in their 1981 debut album is "Friends of Mine".

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Saturday, 28 August 2004 05:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Ignition Remix > Fiesta

― djdee2005, Saturday, 28 August 2004 05:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Spoon's "Lines in the Suit" references "Mountain to Sound" off the band's Soft Effects EP, saying "the way it's panned is cool."

― Bruce S. Urquhart (BanjoMania), Saturday, 28 August 2004 05:59 (twenty-one years ago)

John Coltrane's "Offering" begins with the exact same 4-note arpeggio as in "A Love Supreme: Acknowledgement", possibly his most famous four notes ever. (Don't know if it was intended as a self-parody; but if so, then it's the only itty-bitty speck of humour the man ever recorded. Not that I don't still love the guy.)

Sly And the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" references a full five:

Dance to the music
All nite long
Everyday people
Sing a simple song

Mama's so happy
Mama start to cry
Papa still singin'
You can make it if you try

And to top it off, you could say that "Thank You For Talking To Me Africa" references SIX songs: The five already mentioned, plus "Falettinme" itself!

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Saturday, 28 August 2004 06:05 (twenty-one years ago)

On Outkast's Love Below, Dre goes on about his formative years and earlier albums in a narrative near the end

Tom Waits has snuck in melodic references to "Innocent when you Dream" on Blood Money and another one if memory serves me correctly(Black Rider?). I'd like to think he wrote the original melody on a post-it and keeps forgetting to label it and thereby recycles it unwittingly, and I'm sure he'd concoct a similiar story if he were to be asked about it. Me and him, we're here: "V"(Martin Lawrence symbol aaaaHHHHHH forget it)

― tremendoidorangeblazer, Saturday, 28 August 2004 06:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Luke Haines references his own "New Wave" and "After Murder Park" records in "Future Generation".

― Diego Valladolid (dvalladt), Saturday, 28 August 2004 07:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Seal sings the bridge to "Crazy" ("in a sky full of people / only some want to fly") on the outro to his remake of "Fly Like An Eagle".

CANUCK BONUS: David Usher has been rewriting "Silver" for over a decade now.

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Saturday, 28 August 2004 15:35 (twenty-one years ago)

ALL BO DIDDLEY

― sexyDancer, Saturday, 28 August 2004 16:43 (twenty-one years ago)

In Roy Ayres' "Dangerous" there is the lyric...

"Last time I was this dangerous, I was running away"

"Running Away" being the title of a previous release.....

― JTS, Saturday, 28 August 2004 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Saint Etienne started "Sound of Water" with basically the same tune they ended the "Places to visit" EP.

― daavid (daavid), Saturday, 28 August 2004 23:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Big Audio Dynamite samples 'Rock the Casbah' in 'the globe' and uses a riff from 'the bottom line' in 'innocent child' I think there are other self-sampling tricks by them but I haven't listened to it in a long time.

― tylero (tylero), Sunday, 29 August 2004 17:47 (twenty-one years ago)

On Digable Planets' "Escapism (Gettin' Free)," Ladybug asks at the end of a verse, "Remember this?" which then cues the all-too-familiar bass line from "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" before jumping into the next verse.

― jaymc (jaymc), Sunday, 29 August 2004 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Um...this isn't exactly a cool reference or anything, but at the start of 'Faith' by George Michael the organs are playing 'Freedom' by Wham!.

― Jamie Fake (the pirate king), Sunday, 29 August 2004 22:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Bon Jovi "It's My Life" - "This is for the ones who stood their ground
/ For Tommy and Gina who never backed down"

― dave q, Sunday, 29 August 2004 22:34 (twenty-one years ago)

re: Digable Planets "Escapism" et al

does anyone else find it absurdly presumptuous(therefore classic, btw) to namecheck another song from the SAME album, especially if that album is a debut? Say "Cool Like Dat" was a total flop or was even somewhat marginal and barely registered(even with the requisite payola radio saturation they knew they were getting) that line in "Escapism", while not a total non-sequitur, would have come off collossaly lame. This is all assuming there's no lag between releasing the single and finishing the album. I can't think of any other examples but I know there are some, hip-hop ones too.
and if you think it's presumptuous and dud for a relative newbie to start slinging local jargon around(say, classic or dud...), you're, uh, wrong.

― tremendoid, Monday, 30 August 2004 02:25 (twenty-one years ago)

jandek (lyrically)

electric six (lyrically and musically, see 'danger high voltage' intro riff in 'dance commander')

― purple patch (electricsound), Monday, 30 August 2004 03:33 (twenty-one years ago)

scatman john in scatman's world.

or does that just come under the heading of 'flogging a (very) dead horse"?

― Daz, Monday, 30 August 2004 03:51 (twenty-one years ago)

the oasis song that starts with an acoustic version of morning glory (which is ace) is acquiesce, a b-side from one of the definitely maybe singles.

― Daz, Monday, 30 August 2004 03:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Quoting a line from a previous hit is a time-honored tradition in soul and country music, like when Phillip Wynne says "I'll be around" on The Spinners' "Could It Be Im Falling in Love." More often in country, a singer will reference somebody else's song as in Jerry Lee Lewis drawling "behind those swangin' doors" in "What Made Milwaukee Famous." That's a nod to Merle Haggard's "Swinging Doors," young folks....

― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Monday, 30 August 2004 11:02 (twenty-one years ago)

On R. Kelly's "Love Street", just before he gives the directions to said street, the backup singers softly harmonize "toot toot, beep beep".

― frankE (frankE), Monday, 30 August 2004 12:08 (twenty-one years ago)

(tremendoid, by the time the album came out "Cool Like Dat" was already a massive hit; I'm sure that "Escapism" was recorded after the sales figures came in)

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 30 August 2004 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Big Audio Dynamite samples 'Rock the Casbah' in 'the globe'
I thought they sampled should I stay or should i go. they hack the riff to pieces and paste it together for the main riff.

Also, The Ramones have an obscure tune called "The Return of Jackie and Judy" whic is a direct reference to theri earlier classic "Judy is is a Punk."

― cw28 (cw28), Monday, 30 August 2004 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Metallica references 'Enter sandman' at the end of 'King Nothing' James sings "off to never never land ..."

― cw28 (cw28), Monday, 30 August 2004 13:02 (twenty-one years ago)

The Chemical Brother's b-side with Justin Warfield, 'Not Another Drugstore' has a voice going "Exit Pllllaaanetttt Dussstttttt" in the intro, the intro to the LP version of 'Block Rockin' Beats' at the end of 'NAD's intro and Justin raps "Ain't no man Alive Alone enough", 'Alive Alone' being the closer on Exit Planet Dust.

Andy Votel has done 3 tracks about a 'Spooky Driver', all of which seem to be each other in different styles.

Cornelius samples himself a lot and on Fight Club, the Dust Brothers sample 'Chemical Burn' during 'Who Is Tyler Durden?', which occurs in the film as the Narrator flashes back to his chemical burn during Tyler's big reveal.

And here's a famous one: "Billie Jean is always talkin'/when nobody else is talkin'"

― R.I.M.A. (Barima), Monday, 30 August 2004 13:12 (twenty-one years ago)

railroad jerk!

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Monday, 30 August 2004 14:00 (twenty-one years ago)

thirteen years pass...

kendrick does this a lot

on pimp a butterfly he says fuck your feelings which became a lyric on DAMN

on black panther there is a line where it says yeah yeah becomes blah blah, also a reference to DAMN

― Ross, Friday, 3 August 2018 16:00 (seven years ago)

Dirty Projectors - "Up in Hudson"

Then I knew: maybe I could be with you
Do the things that lovers do
Slightly domesticate the truth
And write you "Stillness Is the Move"

― flappy bird, Friday, 3 August 2018 17:31 (seven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTo3N73hpPg

― Things To Do For Dinner When You're Dad (Old Lunch), Friday, 3 August 2018 18:20 (seven years ago)

Nirvana's teen spirit intro vamp on "Rape Me"

― fritz, Sunday, March 10, 2002 8:00 PM (sixteen years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

OK, this one I have never understood or heard. He doesn't do the vamp on the studio version of SLTS, and he didn't do it live iirc. the songs don't even have the same chords. It's the same tempo and I know Cobain intended it as a SLTS reference, but why did everyone instantly pick up on it? he talks about it in an interview from the summer of 1993. what am I missing?

― flappy bird, Friday, 3 August 2018 18:49 (seven years ago)

The fact that it's a cycle of four chords in near enough the same rhythm and the same tempo?

Anyway, The 1975 did this a few times on their second LP.

― Le Baton Rose (Turrican), Friday, 3 August 2018 20:21 (seven years ago)

I didn't see it mentioned above, but Steve Miller does this twice in the first lines of "Space Cowboy": "I told you bout living in the US of A / Don't you know that I'm a gangster of love."

I think the "I told you bout..." opening formula is a ref to "Glass Onion" ("I told you bout Strawberry Fields"), and is probably also an old-timey blues convention maybe?

― devil's avocado (Ye Mad Puffin), Friday, 3 August 2018 20:37 (seven years ago)

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