Songs in which the singer mentions him/herself by name

[electrogirl]

Dodgers will be annoyed that I got that one.

 

[Dirty Martini]

There's the Simply Red cover where the last line reads

There's a patient by the name of Mikey

Truly fucking dreadful

Good grief, that's a burning offence.

I love the Gregory self-reference in the original. Rhyming your own name with 'emergency' ...

 

[sim667]

im sure the beatnuts have done a few.....

or eminem, he always twits on about himself.

 

[skyscraper101]

Bob The Builder..Can We Fix It? Yes we can!

 

[Sunspots]

"-Hello, I'm Terry, and I'm going to enjoy myself first..."
The Specials ~ Enjoy Yourself

"Hey Mark... -you're spoiling all the paintwork!"
The Fall ~ Paintwork

"And all my friends just might ask me
They say, '-Martin, maybe one day you'll find true love'..."
ABC ~ The Look Of Love

 

[Sunspots]

"I remember,
Not too long ago,
I went to a theatre,
And I saw the Kool & The Gang show..."
Kool & The Gang ~ Hollywood Swinging

"Sometimes I clown,
Back up, and do The James Brown!"
James Brown ~ There Was A Time/Cold Sweat (live)

"-What else is in the teaches of Peaches?
Like sex on the beaches..."
Peaches ~ Fuck The Pain Away

 

[Orang Utan]

The Psalms

 

[Sunspots]

"-Hi, I'm David Candy. Don't worry, I will look after you..."
David Candy ~ Incomprehensively Yours

"-Marco, Merrick, Terry Lee,
Gary Tibbs, and yours truly..."
Adam & The Ants ~ Ant Rap

"Sebastian and Zol formed the Spoonful
Michelle, John, and Denny gettin' very tuneful
McGuinn and McGuire just a-catchin' fire
In L.A., you know where that's at
And everybody's gettin' fat except Mama Cass"
The Mamas & The Papas ~ Creque Alley (-triple band whammy!)

There must be loads more!? Self-referencing in hip hop is almost a given, of course. (-And Jon Spencer too, probably... )

 

[ericjarvis]

I Love to Boogie by Marc Bolan and T Rex.

"We love to boogie, we love to boogie,
Jitterbug boogie, Bolan pretty boogie,
We love to boogie, on a Saturday night."

 

[spanglechick]

"I am not Jesus, though I have the same initials"

Dishes - Pulp.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Hmmmm.

 

[atitlan]

"And all my friends just might ask me
They say, '-Martin, maybe one day you'll find true love'..."
ABC ~ The Look Of Love

Martin Fry again in "A to Z" from "How to be a Zillionaire" where each member of the band gets to namecheck themselves ... including an invitation from Eden.

My name is Martin Fry, F-R-Y
Who needs the moon, when we got the stars?

(A-B-C, A-B-C)

Mark White (That's right)
Mark White
Mark White (That's right)
Mark White (Right, right)

(A-B-C, A-B-C)

Hi, I'm Eden
I want you to kiss my snatch

(A-B-C, A-B-C)

Howdy disco citizens
I'm David Yarritu
I may be tiny (tiny), but I'm strong

(A-B-C, A-B-C)

(A-B-C)

(That's all)

 

[Sunspots]

My name is Martin Fry, F-R-Y

That's reminded me of:

"-My name is Prince and I am funky..."

 

[matt m]

"ya ma busted in and said 'what's that noise?'
aw, ma, ya just jealous, it's the BEA-STIE BOYs!"

fight for your right to party - beastie boys

but I guess you could pick pretty much every hip-hop track ever.

"There's just one thing, make Mr Johnson drink..."
Robert Johnson, "Kind Hearted Woman"
(and quite a few references to 'Poor Bob" in other Robert Johnson songs)

again, you could pick hundreds of blues songs...
Whenever blues singers refer to themselves, it always sounds very self-deprecating and tongue-in-cheek, as if they're aware of the ridiculousness of referring to themselves so self-importantly.

Probably best example is Ken Colyer's cover of "Sporting Life Blues"

"Mama used to fall on her knees and pray,
these are the words, she used to say
She'd say "Colyer, oh, Colyer please change your ways"

I love the stupid idea that Ken Colyer's mum would have called him by his surname like that. He sings it in a deadpan English accent too. Cos he was a dude.

(original is "Brownie" of course, cos it was written by Brownie McGee)

 

[BlackArab]

You're right about Hip-Hop tracks, I'm wondering though, do rappers still make records about their DJ's ie Terminator X to the Edge of Panic, Eric B Is President

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Can we include tracks which have recordings from conversations and stuff?

"Providence" on Daydream Nation has a phone conversation between Thurston Moore and someone else about smoking too much weed or something

 

[Combustible]

"In my place I escape
Up into my hideout
Hiding from everyone
My friends all say
Dave you're mental any way hey!"

Megadeth - Lucretia

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Can we include tracks which have recordings from conversations and stuff?

"Providence" on Daydream Nation has a phone conversation between Thurston Moore and someone else about smoking too much weed or something

I think I recall a Pink Floyd track where somebody tells "Roger" there's somebody on the phone, but I can't be more specific than that. (Actually maybe it's not a track as such, maybe it's just before the needle lifts at the end of the side, which tells you how long ago I heard it.)

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Yeah - that's what I mean; do incidental bits between tracks count?

There's a bit on Surfer Rosa which features a conversation between Kim Deal and Frank Black, where Frank Black says "I was just talking to Kim"...

 

[Madusa]

''Shonna Paul'' Sean Paul says this on every record.

Dr Dre - ''Dre putting it down for Californ-I-A.''. Also has a song entitled Dre Day

M.E.T.H.O.D Man. By Method Man

''She didnt hesitate to call Ice Cube the top gun'' Ice Cube - Today was a good day

Actually, rappers mention their own names a helluva lot.

 

[Madusa]

Yeah - that's what I mean; do incidental bits between tracks count?

There's a bit on Surfer Rosa which features a conversation between Kim Deal and Frank Black, where Frank Black says "I was just talking to Kim"...

Yeah but he's called Frank.

 

[Sunspots]

Can we include tracks which have recordings from conversations and stuff?

"Providence" on Daydream Nation has a phone conversation between Thurston Moore and someone else about smoking too much weed or something

Love that track.

I think it's all just Mike Watt (-leaving a message on Thurston's answer phone).

For years, I thought it was a two-way conversation; I thought it was Thurston responding with "-What?...". Then I watched that Minutemen documentary and noticed that Watt's usual gambit on the phone is to ID himself by abruptly declaring: "-Watt."

How very pedantic of me...

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Love that track.

I think it's all just Mike Watt (-leaving a message on Thurston's answer phone).

For years, I thought it was a two-way conversation; I thought it was Thurston responding with "-What?...". Then I watched that Minutemen documentary and noticed that Watt's usual gambit on the phone is to ID himself by abruptly declaring: "-Watt."

How very pedantic of me...

Yeah; I looked it up afterwards. It was indeed an answerphone message. So it's really someone else who was not at all in the band mentioning a person from the band's name.

But it's a cool enough track to be worth mentioning.

I once had a dream in which that track was playing ' in the background', as it were, and I was wandering around these eerie roman ruins, like pompeii or somewhere.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Yeah but he's called Frank.

Alright, mentions another band member

 

[clandestino]

Another for the "mentions another band member" file...


When the needle's picked up, the volume's kicked up
She's gonna fix up anything that's mixed up
When the record gets cut the crowd is lift up
You might think it is but...

Spinderella's not a fella - what you say?
Spinderella's not a fella - that's ok
Spinderella's not a fella - watch her play
Spinderella's not a fella - but a girl DJ

? spins you won't get
And flip the vocal style, rip the instrumental
Nice on a slice, swift on a mix
Those who dis will then be dismissed
Like a fever she'll heat up, burn, and feed her
If you can't put up then shut the hell up
All you mixmasters and cutmasters
True grandmasters even jammasters
Listen to what I'm sayin' on the mic
She's hard as a man, too sexy for a dyke
So let your ears hear what your mind can't conceive
Got a cut for your butt on the mix y'all she's no joke
With the microphone you're toast
Get ya hyped and excite, mysterious as a ghost
Check the style plus the swiftness
Don't take my word for it, you be the witness
No one lies when the truth is starin' them in the mouth
The needle won't stick, it's the record they hug
No alibis cuz the proof is in the puddin'
Mistakes on hip-hop breaks? She's just wouldn't
Make believe what she can do indeed
You're dealing with the Queen of Speed
Cuttin' the beats with ease, makin' the record bleed
Now then, you know what I mean...

[CHORUS]

She's the inch long on the mixboard
Put your tape on pause and press record
Never does the same cut twice in one night
She'll go solo toe-to-toe like a vice
Grip the turntable and flip the record over
Heat up the party like a supernova
Because it's a girl don't mean jack
If Jill tried to get ill, she'd get slapped
Wanna know her name and why she came?
Not to cause trouble but to entertain
I'm-a tell ya don't mistake her for a fella
The mix empress...Spinderella!

Yeah, that's her title
The God of Speed is her DJ idol
Cuttin' like a maniac, clever as a brainiac
Only when the scene's packed will she react to
Anyone who dares to compare
The comp will be too much too bear
But this chick is big on tricks
With her wrist she'll flip within a spilt
Second, she's flexin' and checkin'
The level of the power meter will not be less than
Ten degrees, her sound won't distort
Mixin' ain't a job to her it's a sport
When the turntable speaks, take your advice
My homegirl is nicer than nice
She's a ?, a slave to the rhythm
If the crowd wants action then she'll give 'em
More than they can handle, this ain't a scandal
If the mix is mangled she'll untangle
It with a scratch on it, ain't that a bit?
The way she can switch from groove to groove
With no room to improve [yeah, I'm telling you]

[CHORUS]

Cuts are made to be played not fade
Spin won't behave if she ain't paid
To get down, no let down
Put your bets down and just check how
She moves with the grace of a cat being pat
The wax hits hard as a bat
Automated just like automation
Imitation causes irritation
You owe it to yourself to see her
Go backstage and meet her
Get her autograph, take a photograph
I know that's too much to ask
Word, but don't give up hope
Spinderella's not a fella, Spinderella's dope

 

[Sunspots]

Yeah; I looked it up afterwards. It was indeed an answerphone message. So it's really someone else who was not at all in the band mentioning a person from the band's name.

I think you've stumbled across a another potential thread:

'Songs in which the singer's mentioned on their own song, but not by anyone actually in the band.'

I once had a dream in which that track was playing ' in the background', as it were, and I was wandering around these eerie roman ruins, like pompeii or somewhere.

'Tis a reverie indeed...

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

I think you've stumbled across a another potential thread:

'Songs in which the singer's mentioned on their own song, but not by anyone actually in the band.'

I don't think it would get many responses

 

[bluestreak]

Love that track.

I think it's all just Mike Watt (-leaving a message on Thurston's answer phone).

For years, I thought it was a two-way conversation; I thought it was Thurston responding with "-What?...". Then I watched that Minutemen documentary and noticed that Watt's usual gambit on the phone is to ID himself by abruptly declaring: "-Watt."

How very pedantic of me...

Interestingly, on Mike Watt's "solo" album Ballhog or Tugboat? there is a track that is a long answerphone message to him from Kathleen Hanna. I wonder if it's a conscious reference?

 

[Sunspots]

Interestingly, on Mike Watt's "solo" album Ballhog or Tugboat? there is a track that is a long answerphone message to him from Kathleen Hanna. I wonder if it's a conscious reference?

Hmmm, could be?... I dunno. Tbh, all I can really remember is the track Against The 70's, and that practically everybody ever EVER does a guest spot on that 'solo' album.

 

[alsoknownas]

"My name isn't baby, it's Janet,
Ms Jackson if you're nasty"
- Janet Jackson, Nasty

"There was a dame from London,
Who insisted that he love her,
Then left him 4 a real prince from Arabia"
- Prince, Condition of the Heart
(kind of works in the context of the song)