Artists/songs who mention other artists

Jane County's Allstars - "Max's Kansas City" - mentions Lou Reed, Mink Devile, the Heartbreakers, Television, + a bunch more

Destroyer - Virgin With A Memory

mentions The Make Up and No Use For A Name. in the same line!

Cheap Trick - "Surrender" - "Mom & Dad....got my Kiss records out!"

Motorhead - "R.A.M.O.N.E.S" - duh!

Clash - "Complete Control" - mention Bowie, Gary Glitter, Prince Far-I.

the Who - "You Better You Bet" - T.Rex and...er.."Who's Next"

Sex Pistols - "The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle" - Rod Stewart, Chuck Berry, Mick Jagger

the Clash - "1977" - "NO ELVIS, BEATLES OR THE ROLLING STONES!"

Two-sided champ of the thread: "I Had a Dream I Was a Beatle"/"My Boyfriend Got a Beatle Haircut", by Donna Lynn

Pavement - "Range Life"...Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots
Half Japanese - "Always"...Bob Dylan
Television Personalities - "I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives"
Jonathan Richman - "Velvet Underground"
Weezer - "El Scorcho"...Green Day

Isn't there a Grandaddy song where he says he sings funny like Beck?

Mott the Hoople - "All the Young Dudes" - T Rex.

How about "most offensive mention of an artist by an artist"? I nominate Spandau Ballet's "True"--"listening to Marvin all night long".

The Fall: Hey Student - Pearl Jam, Sean Ryder Putta Block - Link Wray Glam Racket - Suede (whatever the Latin is for 'disputed') C n C Mithering - Johnny Rotten Ludd Gang - Shakin Stevens I am Damo Suzuki - Damo Suzuki Shoulder Pads - Lou Reed, Doug Yule Mere Pseud Mag ed - Ramones Idiot Joy Showland - Freddie & the Dreamers Words of Expectation - King Crimson - & many others, can't remember its late - Louis Armstrong, Moody Blues, Lloyd Cole

Too many in hip-hop to mention, of course, but springing to mind:

"Say say say like Paul McCartney" (Fugees, "Ready Or Not")

That Brotherhood one that goes "In the Shadows like Cliff".

"no DeBarges" from the one good track on Chuck D's solo album.

There may be more obvious ones but I remember the off-kilter ...

What am I thinking? That's not from "Ready Or Not", it's from "Fu- Gee-La".

DO NOT FOUL THIS FORUM WITH YOUR FUGEES FLAUNTING.

Merzbow - Punk's Not Dead Kennedys, Anal Cunts - You're Favorite Band is Supertramp, And all of Wesley Willis - Rock 'n' Roll will Never Die.

Hey I don't even much like that McCartney line but IT STICKS IN THE MIND, y'see? That's key.

'teachers' by Daft Punk?

Spandau Ballet were singing about Marvelous Marvin Hagler, former middleweight champ, but the word 'marvelous' (his spelling- it's his official legal name) didn't scan. I mean, how could anyone think they'd ever even heard a Marvin Gaye record, judging by their own efforts.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Midnight Radio

Replacement - Alex Chilton

I assumed they meant Marvin 'The Way We Were' Hamlisch.

Fun Lovin' Criminals - that 'Barry White' thing (ooh, sorry)

hey Robin C. What about the Momus tribute CD "Momusissus" I did and mailed you 10 copies of?

momus name drops squarepusher in my pervert doppelganger

the black watch wrote a song called 'steve albini', its a love song. sample lyrics: "i've never heard big black or rape man, yeah, whatever. and i don't know anything, all i want is steve's ring"

Liz Phair - Stratford-On-Guy : Galaxie 500 Pavement - Stereo : Geddy Lee X - I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts : Minutemen, Flesheaters, D.O.A., Big Boys, Black Flag Nirvana - Pennyroyal Tea : Leonard Cohen Dead Milkmen - Punk Rock Girl : Mojo Nixon

Rivers Cuomo's favorite rock group is Kiss according to "In the Garage". And isn't like every other Wesley Willis song about a musical artist?

Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" mentions another artist.

That B&S song that mentions Roxy Music.Smog - A Hit (Bowie,Eno,Numan).Radiohead - India Rubber (Ramones).Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express (Iggy Pop and David Bowie).Blur - Trailerpark (Rolling Stones).Everclear - AM Radio (Led Zeppelin - why do I know this?).Queen - Now I'm Here (Mott The Hoople)

Graham C - 'I'm Frank' mentions Frank Zappa, but only in the spoken bit.

Probably the most famous one: "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd as a reaction to Neil Young's songs on southern racist attitudes "Southern Man" and "Alabama":
I hope Neil Young will remember, A southern man don't need him around anyhow

The Who - You Better,You Bet (T.Rex).Graham Coxon - I Wish (Nick Drake).Smudge - Scary Cassettes (Sebadoh).Beta Band - Round The Bend (Beach Boys).Jesus Jones - Right Here Right Now (Dylan).Suede - He's Gone (Carpenters).Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Coffee Shop (Iggy Pop).Nazareth - Shanghai'd In Shanghai (Rolling Stones).

Neil Young also gets a namecheck in 'Creme Brulee' by Sonic Youth. Then there's 'Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening to Neu!' by Ciccone Youth.

'Henry Thomas' - The Lovin' Spoonful

'Brian Wilson' - John Cale

'Willie Nelson' - Miles Davis

'P.F. Sloan' - Jimmy Webb

Ben Folds Five: The Cure (Battle of Who Could Care Less) Kool Moe Dee (Your Redneck Past) Billy Idol (Your Redneck Past) Metallica (Satan Is My Master) Axl Rose (Julianne)

Fountains of Wayne: Metallica (Laser Show) KoRn (Red Dragon Tattoo) .38 Special (Red Dragon Tattoo) Puff Daddy (Denise)

Mr T Experience: Dumb Little Band (Green Day)

Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road (Roy Orbison), Robyn Hitchcock - The Wreck Of The Arthur Lee, Wheatus - Teenage Dirtbag (Iron Maiden)

Big Star -- Thirteen (Rolling Stones' Paint It Black)

Saint Etienne - "Mario's Cafe" (KLF) and "London Belongs to Me" (World of Twist)

"rollin' numbers, rock and rollin', got my Kiss records out"

Some nominations, not all serious (unless you believe in pre- tributes): Verdi Cries (10,000 Maniacs), Genesis (4 Hero, Slade), Beatles Under My Carpet (Aphex Twin), Heatwave (Atari Teenage Riot), Devo (Barmy Army), The Move (Beastie Boys), The Fall (Bomb 20), I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night or Levi Stubbs' Tears (Billy Bragg), Public Enemy #1 (James Brown), The Night Hank Williams Came To Town or A Backstage Pass ("...to a Willie Nelson show")(Johnny Cash), Bo Diddley Is A Communist ("Bo Diddley sends his advisors into Angola")(Eugene Chadbourne), Miracles (Coco Steele & Love Bomb), Bill Drummond said (Julian Cope), Julian Cope Is Dead (Bill Drummond), After The Fall (Elvis Costello), Yngwie J Malmsteen (Cube & Sphere), Psalm Of Bob Marley (Culture), Faithless (D Product), On A Chicory Tip or The Osmonds or Middle Of The Road (Denim), Roxette (Dr Feelgood), Ravi Shankar (Dub Syndicate), Sweet Gene Vincent (Ian Dury), Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie or Bessie Smith or Blind Willie McTell (Bob Dylan), Wings (Elegia or the Fall), Yes (Elementz of Noize - am I stretching your patience here?), Black Sabbath or Suicide (Alec Empire), Michael Jackson (Fatboy Slim), Dr Feelgood (Aretha Franklin)(yes, I know), Rush (Freakpower), Iron Maiden (Ghostface Killah), Kemistry (Goldie), Kevin Ayers (Gorky's Zygotic Mynci), Bo Diddley's a Gunslinger (Gun Club), Merle's Farewell To Elvis (Merle Haggard) I Don't Mind Keeping Up With the Joneses As Long As the Jones is George (Gary Lee Hale), I Love You Because (You Look Like Jim Reeves)(Half Man Half Biscuit), Joey Ramoney or Does Your Heart Go Boom (which mentions Bush and Atari Teenage Riot)(Helen Love), Kimwildesongtitle (Hitchers), James Brown Is Still Alive! (Holy Noise), The Howlin' Wolf (Lightnin' Hopkins, Muddy Waters), Louise (Howlin' Wolf), Crystals (Humanoid), Mighty Mighty (Spade & Whitey)(Impressions), Aretha, Sing One For Me (George Jackson), The Birdland Story (Eddie Jefferson), Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry etc.), Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes (George Jones' tribute to lots of old country stars), Elvis on the Radio, Steel Guitar in My Soul or Kylie Said To Jason (KLF), Franz Schubert (Kraftwerk), Blame it on the Stones (Kris Kristofferson - yes, those Stones), Focus (Jonny L), Jimi Hendrix (Christian Marclay), Brilliant Corners (Thelonious Monk), Melodius Thunk (Andrea Parker), Simple Minds (Dag Nasty), Flintlock (Neuro Project), Penetration (Omni Trio), There Goes the Cure (One Dove), Shadows (Orbital), Mr Big (Augustus Pablo), Suicide (Pavlov's Dog), The Real Thing (Peshay), Cole, Cooke and Redding (Wilson Pickett), Faron Young (Prefab Sprout), Charlie Parker (Prince), Claustrophobic Sting (Prodigy), Black Rubber Elvis (Project Dark), Elvis, Gone to Join His Mother (Ralph), Lightnin' Hopkins (REM), Velvet Underground (Jonathan Richman), Billy Eckstein's Shirt Collar (Rip Rig & Panic), Burning Spear (S.O.U.L.), They Died With Their Willie Nelson T-Shirts On (Sewer Zombies), Runaways (Shut Up and Dance), Bambaataa (Shy FX), Tight Fit (Bunny Siegler), Dr Feelgood (Sir Lord Comic), Here Come The Nice (Small Faces), Birdland (Patti Smith), Hearsay (Soul Children), Dubstar (Source Direct), The Mission (SPOOKS), Lee Perry Part One (Spring Heel Jack), Penetration (Stooges), Laibach Session (Stupids), 8th Wonder (Sugarhill Gang), Mad Donna (T. Rex), Deep Purple (Art Tatum does a good version), Neil Jung (Teenage Fanclub), You're Right Ray Charles (Joe Tex), Desmond Dekker Came First (Toots & the Maytals), Squeeze (Total Science), Impressions (Trouble Funk), Faces (Two Unlimited), Therapy (Usual Suspects), Big In Japan (Tom Waits), Jitterbug Boy (Sharing A Curbstone With Chuck E Weiss...)(Waits again), Lulu's Back In Town (Fats Waller), My Bloody Valentine (DJ Wally), Like Frankie Lymon (Weather Prophets), Who (Ben Webster), Oasis (Where's The Beach), Free (Barry White), Sparks (Who), Field Day for the Sundays (Wire), Runaways (XTC), Mantovani's Hits (Yachts), From Hank To Hendrix (Neil Young).

re Neil Young being mentioned on 'Sweet Home Alabama', apparently he's actually played it live a few times. But what does he sing when it gets to his name?

Oh, a VERY stupid example. Billy Bland covers Bobby Bland's (no relation) Little Boy Blue, in which Bobby spells out his first name. You would have thought that adjusting for the cover would have been a modest challenge, but Billy still sings 'B-O-B-B-Y'!

Some artists Mr. Zappa name-dropped at various times (list by no means complete) --

Bobby Sherman; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young; Elton John; and Roger Daltrey ("Do You Like My New Car?"). Vanilla Fudge ("Mudshark"). Joni Mitchell and Zubin Mehta ("Billy the Mountain"). The Grateful Dead ("Teenage Wind"). Bob Dylan ("Flakes"). Igor Stravinsky ("Titties and Beer"). Punky Meadows and Angel ("Punky's Whips"). Yoko Ono ("A Small Eternity with Yoko Ono"). The Doobie Brothers ("Carolina Hardcore Ecstasy"). Elvis Presley ("Elvis Has Just Left the Building"). Michael, Janet, and Jermaine Jackson ("Why Don't You Like Me?"). Toto ("Fembot in a Wet T-Shirt").

Cornelius on God Only Knows does the Jesus & Mary Chain "just like honey" thing.

Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town" - about Drake, mentions Sinatra (in a younger day...)

"Are you ready to be heartbroken?" - Lloyd Cole: "listening to Arthur Lee records..."

"For the singer of REM" - fIREHOSE

Tadeusz you missed Helen Reddy ( Baby Don't Ya Want A Man Like Me?)

Lloyd Cole - "Can't you find me some George Jones on your Radio?" - To the Church

Robert Forster - "Who sings better in the dark? Is it Townes Van Zant or is it Guy Clark?" Dear Black Dream