Jul 172014
How about a simple LMS to try and stir some activity during the doldrums of summer? How many songs that reference the Beatles, individually or severally, can we name? Self-referential songs count and I’ll start with my favorite of those, Ringo’s “Early 1970”.
One at a time please!
“Glass Onion” by the Beatles
“And here’s a clue for you all. The walrus is Paul.”
That line from Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes” about the narrator’s brother being “home with his Beatles and Stones…”
The Dream Academy—”Life in a Northern Town”:
“In winter 1963, it felt like the world would freeze
“With John F Kennedy and the Beatles”
I always thought the line would be vastly improved if it were “UNTIL the Beatles,” although it doesn’t scan quite as well.
“Do You Remember Rock ‘n’ Roll Radio?” – Ramones
“Will you remember Jerry Lee /
John Lennon, T Rex and Ol’ Moulty?”
It’s Brendan Benson’s song, “Folk Singer”
“You’re not John Lennon”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8CfaBiRPUM
John Lennon—”God”
“I don’t believe in Beatles.”
Also sorta kinda but not as much as the title would have you expect: George Harrison—”When We Was Fab”
Interesting that in the first four responses, two of the songs also mention T. Rex (All The Young Dudes’ “I need TV when I got T. Rex”).
“No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones … in 1977”
“1977” – Clash
Just threw in one that also mentions the Stones…..
Jellyfish – All I Want is Everything
“I think I’d like to play guitar and be a Beatle…”
“I asked bobby dylan
I asked the beatles
I asked timothy leary
But he couldn’t help me either”
“The Seeker” by the Who
The Clash – London Calling
Phony Beatlemania….
“American Pie” — Don McLean
“And while Lennon read a book on Max
the quartet practiced in the park”
Also, the line “while the sergeants played a marching tune” is seen as a reference to the Beatles.
“There’s three of us but we’re not the Beatles”
“King of Rock” – Run-DMC
This reminds me, Al, we need to open up our annual exploration of why you think T. Rex is great and why I think they’re a 2-trick pony. More on that later, I hope!
“The Beatles and the Stones” by House of Love
The Police – Born In the 50’s
“they screamed when the Beatles sang…”
George Harrison, “Living in the Material World”
Met them all there in the material world
John and Paul here in the material world
Though we started out quite poor
We got Richie on a tour
Got caught up in the material world
Sloan, “The Lines You Amend”:
“The one about photographs
Sung by Ringo Starr”
“The Beatles Got to Go” – Keith and Ken
Here’s the one that got me thinking about this thread – The Records’ “Liverpool 6512”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXTnezkBgJg
[Sorry, couldn’t find the original.]
Any Kevin Gilbert fans here? Here’s his song “Joytown.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l63rY-3Gtwk
“And Lennon never has to sing a Paul McCartney song…”
“We Love You Beatles” — The Carefrees
A variation of “We Love You Conrad” from the musical “Bye Bye Birdie.”
It charted at the height of Beatlemania in early 1964.
What’s that early Beefheart song, “Beatle Bones and Smoking Stones”?
“Beatle Bones N’ Smokin’ Stones” from Mirror Man
A Noun Is A Person, Place, Or Thing – Grammar Rock (certainly would be referred to as Granny Rock by John)
The “I put a dime in the drugstore record machine” verse has the line “the Beatles and the Monkees, it goes like this”.
Does a reference to a Beatles song count? If so, “Summer Rain” by Johnny Rivers. “And the jukebox kept on playin’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
I say “They count!”
MC5 – “One of the Guys”
You’re digging Stones and the Beatles too…
For some reason a string of comments have dropped. Hopefully they will reappear once some behind-the-scenes upgrade action is accomplished. Thanks for your patience.
Frank Mills, the song from “Hair” —
“He was last seen with his friend, a drummer.
He resembles George Harrison of the Beatles,
But he wears his hair tied in a small bow at the back.”
I only know this song because the Lemonheads covered it on “It’s a Shame About Ray.”
Metric’s “Gimme Sympathy”
“After all this is gone who would you rather be
The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?”
Ready Steady Go – Generation X “I was in love with the Beatles…”
Robyn Hitchcock – Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)
Only reference is in the title, I think.
Barclay James Harvest — “John Lennon’s Guitar”
Harry Nilsson’s version of “You Can’t Do That” ends with him singing “Strawberry Beatles forever.” I guess that counts?
Sugarloaf, Don’t Call Us, We’ll Call You. The part where they’re waiting to hear about their tape and the guy says he’s heard it all before, sounds kinda like John, Paul and George. Dunno why Ringo doesn’t get mentioned, but that’s the way it is.
I apologize in advance, but Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”: “Lawrence of Arabia, British Beatlemania…”
C’mon, sing along!
I don’t think you’re allowed to use Billy Joel songs. For anything. the entire world is collectively trying to forget that ever happened.
I object! Sugarloaf only have one song, it’s called “green eyed lady.” They have another one?
David Bowie, Life on Mars.
“All I Want for Christmas Is A Beatle” — Dora Bryan
Elton John wrote a tribute song to John Lennon, called “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny).
By the way, “Early 1970” doesn’t actually explicitly mention any of the Beatles by name or as a whole. Just sayin’. But if that counts, then surely “How Do You Sleep?” also counts?
In The Shazam’s song Everything, Hans sings about a cool kinda girl that I guess either is “like beer and the Beatles” or “likes beer and the Beatles”. I can’t quite figure it out, but either way she is kinda cool.
“The Boy with the Beatle Hair” — The Swans
“I Just Shot John Lennon” — The Cranberries
“Saint Paul” by Terry Knight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGCo8c-BN1g
and
“Brother Paul” by Billy Shears and the All-Americans
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPUycDF-ypg
Both are elegies for the late Paul McCartney who passed away forty-five years ago.
“I Dig Rock and Roll Music” by Peter Paul and Mary
And when the Beatles tell you/They’ve got a word ‘love’ to sell you/They mean exactly what they say
They even do a bit of a “Yellow Submarine” type Beatles imitation when they sing the above lines.
This was one of PP and M’s biggest hits going to #9 on Billboard. It’s awful.
“Ringo Beat” by Ella Fitzgerald
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffi4nltt-DM
“The Beatle’s new record’s a gas”
Ball of Confusion by the Temptations.
“1500 Miles Through the Eyes of A Beatle” by The Frost
Worth a listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8gt5DirTBQ
“Thick Girls Knock Me Out (Richard Starkey)” by The Dandy Warhols. Paul McCartney also gets mentioned.
“Pop Hates the Beatles” by Allan Sherman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_wDWh661iM