Non-rap examples of lyrics where the artist refers to him/herself by name

These sort of mentions are obviously a dime a dozen in rap, because lyrics where the subject is the rapper (or his artist persona) are very common there... But I can't think of too many examples in other genres where the vocalist would refer to him/herself by name (either real or artist name). In fact, of the top off my head the only song I can name that does this Freddie Mercury's "Mr. Bad Guy":

Mr. Bad Guy, yes, I'm everybody's Mr. Bad Guy
Can't you see, I'm Mr. Mercury?

I think there was also some recent Madonna song that did this? Any other examples?

it's britney bitch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXj3Oz8kWRU

Oh, how could I've forgotten about that?!

Besides Freddie Mercury, the other examples mentioned seemed to have been inspired by rap music, no? "My Name Is Prince" is practically a rap tune, if you think about it.

But speaking of Prince, I forgot he already did that in 1982 on "Private Joy":

I strangled Valentino
Been mine ever since
If anybody asks you
You belong to Prince

"And all my friends just might ask me, they say 'Martin, one day you'll find true love' . . . I say 'Maybe' . . ."

Which Martin is that?

Hotel rooms and motorways
Life out here is raw
But we'll never stop we'll never quit
Cos we're Metallica

There has to be a lot of these

"You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy"

(... that's Dylan, for Tuomas' information)

"And when I get excited
My little China girl says
"Oh, Jimmy, just you shut your mouth"
She says, "Shh""

(Iggy)

"But this is Phil talking, I want to tell you what I've found to be true"

When I was seventeen (tell us about it Green)
There was a world to know about (check it out)
Everyday she'd call me (what'd she say?)
Is it over yet? Do you love me?

"Sincerely, L. Cohen"

"And no-one's getting fat except Mama Cass"

When I was seventeen (tell us about it Green)

This sounds like the choir/background singers are using the name, not the artist himself?

Also, could you please name the artist and song, not just quote the lyrics? Thanks!

Black Box Recorder - Andrew Ridgeley

This is Sarah Nixey talking...

My three:

Love Action - Human League
Famous Blue Raincoat - Leonard Cohen
Creeque Alley - Mamas & The Papas

it is the background singers, but since Green Gartside (we assume) wrote the lyric, he's effectively calling back to himself - it's Scritti Politti's "Overnite"

Nick Drake used the same trick - backing choir talking back to him about himself - on "Poor Boy"

The Tragically Hip - "New Orleans Is Sinking":
"Sometimes I feel so good I got to scream
She said 'Gordie, baby, I know exactly what you mean'"

Too Much Joy - the Otter Song

I wanna be Tim Otter Quirk

Numerous Bo Diddley tracks. Almost as many Bootsy Collins tracks.

"I'm just a dead boy
You know that I'm just a dead boy
I wanna be a dead boy
I'll die for you, if you want me to"

One of Kevin Rowland's regular moves in Dexy's, eg Kevin Rowland's 13th time ("My name is Kevin Rowland and I'm the leader of this band"), plus a few others where he berates/encourages himself, like Keep It pt.2.

Sly & the Family Stone, "Life"

"You might be scared of something
Look at Mr. Stewart
He's the only person he has to fear"

Another Cohen one, from "Ballad of the Absent Mare":

But my darling says
"Leonard, just let it go by
That old silhouette
on the great western sky"
So I pick out a tune
and they move right along
and they're gone like the smoke
and they're gone like this song

Al Stewart, "You Should Have Listened To Al"

Jens Lekman's "A Postcard to Nina" where he sings "yours truly, Jens Lekman"

"Which Martin is that?"

Martin Fry from ABC, The Look of Love.

it is the background singers, but since Green Gartside (we assume) wrote the lyric, he's effectively calling back to himself - it's Scritti Politti's "Overnite"

Nick Drake used the same trick - backing choir talking back to him about himself - on "Poor Boy"

Conceptually it's still way different, your example clearly is meant to emulate the sort of call-and-response routine that's common on live gigs, the name isn't part of the narrative within the lyrics rather than the context of the live performance (even if the recording isn't really live). This sort of name-calling is common in non-rap music too, but I was more interested in cases where the artist name is part of the lyrical narrative.

"And then my mom came in and I didn't even know she was there she called my name / And I didn't even hear it, and then she started screaming: MIKE! MIKE!"
(Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized)

Not sure you were looking for this either, but it's an example of a subcategory identified in this thread where it's not so much the singers talking about themselves (as in "It's Britney, bitch" or "This is Phil/Sarah Nixey talking") but a second or third person being evoked talking to the singer/writer (as in "they say, Martin..." or "She said, 'Gordie, baby'...") - still both are different from the call-and-response.

That's correct. Here's another:

"Then he showed me his house
It was as big as a star
He said to me, "Patrick
What d'you think so far?""

("The Devil Came A-Calling", Prefab Sprout)

My Life Is Good by Randy Newman:

He said, "Rand, I'm tired
How would *you* like to be the Boss for awhile?"

There has to be a lot of these

"You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy"

(... that's Dylan, for Tuomas' information)

― The Doug Walters of Crime (Tom D.), Wednesday, December 7, 2016 6:17 AM (two hours ago)

disqualified because didn't someone once say that Dylan is a rapper

"She walks up to me, makes the sign of the cross and says, Julian H. Cope, you're a real dead loss"

David Wiffen - Mr. Wiffen (Is Incommunicado Today)

Harry Belafonte's cover of this song is confusing because keeps the original title but changes the lyric to "Mr. Harry".

there's a few Jake Thackray songs where he does this, I guess french chanson style stuff is another genre where it's fairly common?

Your rosebuds are numbered
Gather them now for rosebuds' sake
And if your hands aren't too encumbered
Gather a bud or two for Jake

So let this be understood
That our family name is mud
Our sheep are black, our cheques are dud
But we survive, we're alive so it's up with the Thackrays

Yeah, this sort of division is interesting... Based on these answers I might suggest that these lyrics can be divided into three categories:

1) Lyrics where the vocalist is doing a narrative about his artist persona, so the name-calling refers to that. Typically they are using their artist name (Bootsy, Madonna, Nas, Flavor Flav, Mr. Mercury, etc) if they have one, and not their birth name. These are very common in rap, and also appear in soul, R&B, and funk, but seem to be pretty rare in other genres, and often the examples in other genres ("it's Britney, bitch") seem to be inluenced by rap.

2) Lyrics where the vocalist is doing a first-person narrative, but it isn't about his artist persona rather than something that happened to him as a "regular" person (rather than as a famous musician). Often the name is only referred to when another person in the narrative mentions it (she started screaming, "Mike!"; but my darling says, "Leonard, just let it go by"; she said, "Gordie, baby, I know exactly what you mean"). Type 2 seems to by way more common in rock and pop than type 1.

3) Lyrics that emulate call-and-response in live performances, where the name-calling is outside the context of the lyrical narrative. Can be found in any genres where call-and-response is common in actual live performances.

Of course there's also overlap between these categories, but IMO it's interesting that type 1 is often associated with "black" popular music, and type 2 with "white" popular music. I'm sure there's plenty of studies on differences between the lyrical styles of, say, rap and rock, so I guess this would be a part of a larger difference in how narratives are constructed in these genres?

(xxxxpost)

Go Kart Mozart - Lawrence Takes Over

tMG - Going to Cleveland

I hear the cuyahoga calling, now I know
what was I was born for
and you say 'hey John where are you going?'
but that's not my name anymore

guess french chanson style stuff is another genre where it's fairly common?

Jacques Brel, "Jackie"

Funkadelic - P.E. Squad/Doodoo Chasers

"Which one's George Clinton?"

Habitual with The Fall too, under a variety of names - Mark, Mr Mark Smith, M.E.S., Mr and Mrs Smith

(Prefab Sprout might have more examples too, eg "Paddy Joe… Don't you remember me?" in We Let the Stars Go)

Hey, hey: we're the Monkees.

Now when I start making love to my woman
I don´t stop until I know she´s sas-ified
And I can always tell when she gets sas-ified
´Cause when she gets sas-fied she start calling my name
She´d say: ´Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter
Clarence Carter, ooooh shit, Clarence Carter´
The other night I was strokin´ my woman
And it got so good to her, you know what she told me
Let me tell you what she told me, she said:
´Stroke it Clarence Carter, but don´t stroke so fast
If my stuff ain´t tight enough, you can stick it up my´ woo!

(Haha I knew there were other Sprout things, Woof, but I wanted to get in quick because I was cross that you beat me to the Dexys one.)

haha that ´Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter, Clarence Carter´ part is the only thing that prevents that from being the perfect karaoke song

also still laughing @ the fact that he had to self-censor "ass" but not "shit"

Presumably he censored it because of buttsex taboo, not because ass itself is so strong.

"Sincerely, L. Cohen"

I know, its still funny to me

even worse is "I stroke it to the north, I stroke it to the south, I stroke it everywhere, I even stroke it with my.........ahhhhh!!!"

The Auteurs - "Some Changes"

This kid comes up to me
Says "You've got to raise your game"
This kid is half my age
"Pleased to meet you, Mr Haines"

oh yeah, Ween has a ton of these, especially in their early days

"the letter" and "killing two birds" by kristin hersh

Are you ready Steve? uh-huh
Andy? Yeah
Mick? Okay
Well all right fellas, let's go!

xxpost "What Deener Was Talkin' About" is a good one and their best song imo

Super Furry Animals - Arnofio/Glo in the Dark

I said: "Why do you do what you do?"
"Oh why do you do what you do?"
(Guto glows in the dark)
(Bunfy glows in the dark)
"Why do you do what you do?"
(Dafydd glows in the dark)
(Cian glows in the dark)
"Why do you do what you do?"
(Gruffy glows in the dark)
(Gorwel glows in the dark)

"Sincerely, L. Cohen"

already mentioned

Jerry Lee Lewis is the master of this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b92tpwTCC2I

(We are) The Orange Alabaster Mushroom

"How do you do? I don’t think that we’ve met.
My name is Ian and I’m from Minor Threat."

When I was seventeen (tell us about it Green)
There was a world to know about (check it out)
Everyday she'd call me (what'd she say?)
Is it over yet? Do you love me?

― woke cop, boo! (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, December 7, 2016 4:21 AM (four hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

oh good i was just about to post this one

Doesn't exactly fit the thread, but Dan Bejar has managed to fit the word "Destroyer" into a bunch of songs:

I was a desert in love with extremes
You married well, a gentlewoman of means who
Kept the word "Destroyer" embroidered on her jeans, too

and

I guess the streets will suffice 'til everybody makes nice
But there's a rumor going 'round even Destroyers have a price

+ several other songs

Mandy Moore in "Candy"

old 97's, 'barrier reef'

The Empty Bottle was half empty, tide was low, and I was thirsty
Saw her sitting at the bar, you know how some girls are
Always making eyes, well she wasn't making eyes
So I sidled up beside her, settled down and shouted, "Hi there."
"My name's Stewart Ransom Miller, I'm a serial lady-killer."

John Lennon's "Hold On, John"

Hold on John
John hold on, it's gonna be alright
You're gonna win the fight

Some of those Mark E. Smith examples:

This is Mr. and Mrs. Smith
To whom you are speaking

And sometimes they say
"Hey Mark, you're spoiling all the paintwork"

Watch out makers of fads
It's MES in shoulder pads

Too Much Joy - the Otter Song

I wanna be Tim Otter Quirk

― how's life, Wednesday, December 7, 2016 6:52 AM (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yes! Also, "Theme Song"

"To create, you must destroy /
Smash a glass and cry, Too Much Joy"

Move over, Rover,
And let Jimi take over

Gary Wilson, "Gary's In the Park"

multiple Black Oak Arkansas songs (Hot n Nasty, Jim Dandy, etc.)

I st-st-stuttered when you asked me what I'm thinking about, felt like I couldn't breathe
You asked what's wrong with me, my best friend Lesley said "Oh she's just being Miley"

Roger Waters, "(Everyday) War Crimes, Part III"

Hide your wives, hide your daughters
Here comes the ghost of Roger Waters

Roma, roma-ma
Gaga, oh la la
Want your bad romance

I truly apologize for dredging up traumatic memories that we've all so heroically learned to repress but I just have to ask:

Well

Are you Johnny Ray?
Are you Slim Ray?
Are you Paid Ray?
Who wants to know? Who wants to know?

Are you Sting Ray?
Are you Nick Ray?
Are you Jimmy Ray?
Who wants to know? Who wants to know?

I am not Jesus though I have the same initials - Jarvis Cocker/Pulp - Dishes

One more Leonard Cohen! On Coming Home:

I love to speak with Leonard
He’s a sportsman and a shepherd
He’s a lazy bastard
Living in a suit

Learned about this one from the "You Must Remember This" podcast -- second episode ever! (And this song is not a joke -- I'm only quoting the first part of it, it gets crazier from there.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCCw6gYEeKw

My name is Francis Albert (Francis Albert Sinatra)
And I sing love songs mostly after dark, mostly in saloons
I've had some very good years
I haven't missed a whole lot in those firecracker years
And I don't want to miss a thing when the future appears

I like to sit outside on a summer night with a drink in my hand
And a little moonlit music on the stereo
And look at the stars
Then I get an urge to travel through that fabulous sky
If they can do it in the movies, why can't I?

("Seats are now available on the Satellite Special leaving for Mercury, Venus, Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune.")

What time does the next miracle leave?
I want to be on board
Save me a seat by the window where I can see
All those marvelous things to be seen out there
(Will the trees be green out there, or bare?)

What time does the next miracle leave?
Let's get this show on the road
And when the satellite tours begin
Count me in, count me in , count me in
Count me in, count me in , count me in

Much later in the song -- and again, I swear to god, actual lyrics:

(And then) And then to Uranus (Uranus)
Uranus is heaven
(Heaven, heaven)
(How will you know, Francis, if it's really heaven?)
How will I know?
I will know
If they meet me at the station with a cheese and tomato pizza
Well done (well done), and a little red wine

Forgot the quote -- here we go:

My name is Francis Albert (Francis Albert Sinatra)
And I sing love songs mostly after dark, mostly in saloons
I've had some very good years
I haven't missed a whole lot in those firecracker years
And I don't want to miss a thing when the future appears

I like to sit outside on a summer night with a drink in my hand
And a little moonlit music on the stereo
And look at the stars
Then I get an urge to travel through that fabulous sky
If they can do it in the movies, why can't I?

("Seats are now available on the Satellite Special leaving for Mercury, Venus, Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune.")

What time does the next miracle leave?
I want to be on board
Save me a seat by the window where I can see
All those marvelous things to be seen out there
(Will the trees be green out there, or bare?)

What time does the next miracle leave?
Let's get this show on the road
And when the satellite tours begin
Count me in, count me in , count me in
Count me in, count me in , count me in

And much later in the song -- and swear to god, these are the real lyrics:

(And then) And then to Uranus (Uranus)
Uranus is heaven
(Heaven, heaven)
(How will you know, Francis, if it's really heaven?)
How will I know?
I will know
If they meet me at the station with a cheese and tomato pizza
Well done (well done), and a little red wine

Said podcast episode (worth a listen)

http://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes/youmustrememberthispodcastblog/you-must-remember-this-episode-2-frank-sinatra-in

oh by the way
which one's pink

Ray Charles - "I Believe To My Soul": "Last night you were dreaming and I heard you say/"Oh, Johnny" when you know my name is Ray"

holy shit @ that Sinatra tune

It's something, isn't it.

(BTW, got an email from you, but resend that to ned at kuci dot org if you could.)

We should have a baby
And then I wouldn't feel quite so sad
Then I'd feel like Paul the Saint and not Jack the Lad

Beautiful South - "Have Fun"

I'm gonna put that Sinatra tune in my audition rep

"But that's how it's pronounced!"

Needed: a mashup of Ol' Blue Eyes and the Outhere Brothers

The Chills, "Dream By Dream"

Well they persuaded me I had to leave the band
The reasons given I didn't understand
They said, "Now Martin, if you really cared"
I felt I had to, I'm feeling really scared
They killed my best dream dead

Michael's nervous and the lights are bright

REM - "Strange"

Alice Cooper, "Hard Hearted Alice"

... I'm pretty sure this isn't the only one.

Positive it isn't the only one but I can't think of any specific others atm. 'Under My Wheels', I think?

kind of a grey area there given the confusion between Alice Cooper the BAND and the guy who fired that band and changed his name to Alice Cooper

xp

holy shit @ that Sinatra tune

Sinatra's discography features some very novel corners.

Also think this happens a lot in reggae.

Also add Bohannon to Bo Diddley and Bootsy, and that's just the B's.

Sinatra's discography features some very novel corners.

no doubt - I consider myself a fairly big fan, but my interest hasn't stretched past the mid-60s really. I should probably listen to Watertown...

Watertown is one of my favorite albums of all time (no doubt helped by the fact that it was a total flop)

I remember being surprised to learn there IS an actual Watertown in northern New York.

Sensational Alex Harvey Band, "Framed"

I'm walking down the street mindin' my own affair
when two policemen grabbed me and I'm unaware
They said "Is your name Alexander?" and I said "Why, sure!"
They said "You're the cat that we've been looking for."

Another Alex...

In bed this morning you called me Clyde
Alex is the name that I go by!

Lou Reed, "My Old Man"

When I was a young boy in Brooklyn
Going to public school
During recess in the concrete playground
They lined us up by twos
In alphabetical order, Reagan, Reed and Russo
I still remember the names
And stickball and stoopball were the only games
That we played

similarly: "I'd like to send this one out to Lou and Rachel" in Coney Island Baby

Wacky Women by Sparks

Hello, everybody, this is Russell
Right before I sing I'm gonna make a muscle

Ouija Board, Ouija Board by Morrissey has the "S.T.E.V.E.N P.U.S.H.O. double F" part

"We Love Girls" by Buster has the band all sign off by name at the end:

"With love from Buster"
"With love from Robbie"
"With love from Peter"
"With love from Kevin"
"With love... from Les"

I just looked at their wiki page to check I had their names correct and Les died last month

forgot an obvious one, "B-I-D Spells Bid" by the Monochrome Set

An even more obvious one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVGl4dPzJJM

I truly apologize for dredging up traumatic memories that we've all so heroically learned to repress but I just have to ask:

Well

Are you Johnny Ray?
Are you Slim Ray?
Are you Paid Ray?
Who wants to know? Who wants to know?

Are you Sting Ray?
Are you Nick Ray?
Are you Jimmy Ray?
Who wants to know? Who wants to know?

― i need microsoft installed on my desktop, can you help (Old Lunch)

thank god somebody mentioned jimmy ray; i was beginning to think you'd all gone barmy

in the original version of radiohead's "lift" from 1996 thom works his own name into the lyrics. don't think they ever released that one, though.

A warning from Wikipedia:

A November 2015 announcement on Jimmy Ray's official fan page stated that he is working on material for a comeback record. This was later confirmed in September 2016 on his Record label's website "La Rocka Records was created in 2016 as a launchpad for UK singer Jimmy Ray's 'comeback' album tentatively titled 'Live to Fight Another Day.'"

And now I'm a crushed credit card registered to Smith
Not the name that you call me with

Elliott Smith - The Biggest Lie

Robyn Hitchcock - my wife and my dead wife

My dead wife sits in a chair
Combing her hair
I know she's there
She wanders off to the bed
Shaking her head
"Robyn," she says
"You know I don't take sugar."

Bolan likes to rock now
Yes he does yes he does
Bolan likes to rock now
Yes he does, yes he does

Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band, "The Blimp"

Master master
This is recorded thru uh flies ear
'n you have t' have uh flies eye t' see it
It’s the thing that’s gonna make Captain Beefheart
And his magic band fat
Frank, it's the big hit
It's the blimp
It's the blimp, Frank
It's the blimp

The Roches - they'll tell you their names but they won't give out their phone numbers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ8MdYsgELs

Another Alexander O'Neal one, from In the middle:

Some people are satisfied
Living and loving on borrowed time
But if you can't be my own baby
All you have to do is say
Alex darling (doesn't?) play it that way

The Floaters - Float On

Almost every post-1975 Jonathan Richman song

Lambchop - "Kurt Wagner's Heart Attack"

Always loved this bit from "I Think She Likes Me" by Treat Her Right (Mark Sandman's pre-Morphine band)

"She listens to every word I say
I look at her she don't look away
I tell her that I play for "Treat Her Right"
She asks me if I'm gonna play tonight - Yeah!"

From Jarvis Cocker's lyrics/vocals for Barry Adamson's 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Pelvis'

Ahhh, can't you see what's on offer
Yeah babe it's going cheap today
I enter a room and all the girls say
C'mon Jarv, can I be the first?
Oh you make us so hot we feel we're gonna burst

She said Paul, you better look around
How long you think you can run that body down?
How many nights you think that you can do what you been doin'?
Who you foolin'?

--"Run That Body Down" (P. Simon)

"Boogie down with Davy now" from Bowie's 'John I'm Only Dancing Again'.

Old hat for Bowie, really -- from the mid-sixties, "Can't Help Thinking About Me":

"Now I leave them all in the never never land
The station seems so cold the ticket's in my hand
My girl calls my name, 'Hi Dave.
Drop in, see around, come back
If you're this way again.'"

I feel like this was a common device in old-school indiepop, but I can only think of a couple (non Jonathan Richman) examples:

Heavenly - Escort Crash on Marston Street

Hey now, Robert, you happy with your smashed up car
And your broken neck bone, and your facial wounds?
You've murdered Amelia. Pete can no longer play guitar
And Mathew's brain is damaged. But that's not so different
Could you tell at all?

and All Girl Summer Fun Band - Grizzly Bear

We all know that you can't always do what you feel
But if you know exactly how you feel, you can always come and tell me say,
"Hey Kim, I'm kind of feeling like a grizzly bear
Yeah, I feel like a grizzly bear,
I want to roll on the ground and I want to mess up your hair"

Learned about this one from the "You Must Remember This" podcast -- second episode ever! (And this song is not a joke -- I'm only quoting the first part of it, it gets crazier from there.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCCw6gYEeKw

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, December 7, 2016 12:53 PM (two months ago)

I like the one that goes

I'm Frankie Sinatra
I'm Frank Sinatra
I'm Frankie, me boy, you don't know
I've got the perfect voice to sing calypso

srsly though, thanks for sharing that, it's nuts

My favourite example of this ever: Goddo's "Sweet Thing."

youtube.com/watch?v=-2GK1jxvroE

"You like the fact I'm in the Goddo band / You're aware of a one-night stand."

(Didn't embed the video, so don't complain to me.)

"They call me, Dr. John, The Night Tripper"

Another Bowie, "Teenage Wildlife":

Same old thing in brand new drag comes sweeping into view
As ugly as a teenage millionaire pretending it's a whizz kid world
You'll take me aside, and say
"Well, David, what shall I do? They wait for me in the hallway"
I'll say "don't ask me, I don't know any hallways"
But they move in numbers and they've got me in a corner
I feel like a group of one, no no they can't do this to me
I'm not some piece of teenage wildlife

The Mighty Sparrow - Sparrow Dead

(he probably does this a lot but that's the one that immediately sprung to mind)

Belle & Sebastian - "This Is Just a Modern Rock Song"

Stevie's full of good intentions,
Richards into rock 'n' roll,
Stuart's staying in and he thinks it's a sin,
That he has to leave the house at all.

Electric Light Orchestra - "Shine a Little Love" (cued up: https://youtu.be/GJuTIxwQw0k?t=3m38s)

You shine a little love on my life
(Shiii-iii-iiine)
You shine a little love on my life
(E-L-O)
You shine a little love on my life and let me see

The Floaters - Float On

― MarkoP, Wednesday, December 7, 2016

And the song it inspired, The B-52s - "Song for a Future Generation"

Speaking of whom, also "52 Girls" namechecks Kate and Cindy.

No Bad Religion song can make your life complete ("No Direction")

Alice Cooper - "Be My Lover"

"she asked me why the singer's name was Alice, I said listen baby, you really wouldn't understand"

Jacques Brel, "Jackie"

Another one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAZwnl6UAig

Jacques Brel, "Grand Jacques"

Jerry Lee Lewis is the master of this
― Brad C., Wednesday, 7 December 2016 15:40 (two months ago)

Best example, "Lewis Boogie":

"My name is Jerry Lee Lewis, come from Louisiana
I'm gonna do you a little boogie on this here piano"

Mary J Blige x2

Doesn't matter if you're white or black
Let's get crunk cause Mary's back
(Family Affair)

Deep inside I wish that they could see
That I'm just plain ol' Mary, Mary (and throughout much else of the song)
(Deep Inside)

Anoter Lennon one on "God" :
"I was the Walrus but now I'm John"

oh and also in "Give Peace A Chance" : "Ev'rybody's talking about
John and Yoko"

Beyonce certainly has plenty !

Me and Mike Watt playing the guitar

Another indie-one, from Laakso, led by Markus Krunegård.

A junkie, an addict, a slave for your love
But I'm not in love
I'm just obsessed
With hearing you say "yes please Markus come to me"

"Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy"

Beyonce certainly has plenty !

Kelly, can you handle this?
Michelle, can you handle this?
Beyoncé, can you handle this?
I don't think you can handle this!

http://i.imgur.com/gKPi3cp.jpg, it's me, http://i.imgur.com/zLRm67S.png

(some people say 'Wuthering Heights' is about a really old book, but I don't think that's true...)

'Jesus? This is Iggy.'

(Sorry, from 'Turn Blue'.)

Cheap Trick, "Surrender"

towards the end: "Robin's alright, Tommy's alright, Bun E's alright, Rick's alright"

mandy moore "candy"

There's that one of the fifty-billion versions of "Two Tribes" where they do a roll call before "Mine is the last voice that you will ever hear."

No my first name ain't baby
It's Janet
Miss Jackson if you're nasty

Beatles - Glass Onion

"...the walrus was Paul..."

White Stripes - It's True That We Love One Another

...I love Jack White like a little brother.

There must be more by them, I feel like Jack White talks about himself a lot

Beatles - Glass Onion

"...the walrus was Paul..."

that was John singing, though.

Jonathan Richman thirded. Also came to mention some additional Lou Reed, from "Coney Island Baby," but it was already mentioned on this similar thread: Songs where the singer mentions his own name

Said Captain, said WOT?

although, that's rap, I guess...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_YYC2N_lxY

also: michael chapman - wrecked again... & i seem to recall lee hazlewood did this on occasion

Stevie Wonder - Please Don't Go

so baby please don't leave
don't leave Steve

Pet Shop Boys - Single Bilingual

and after work explain how I feel
"Perdóneme, me llamo Neil"

Kevin Barnes from of Montreal does this a fair bit.

The voice said, "Don't worry, friend
The darkness is just a suggestion
No, don't worry, kid
The darkness is just suggestion
No, don't worry, Kevin"

Serge Gainsbourg has done that a lot (even a whole album : "L'Homme A Tête De Chou" !)

So basically, as this thread proves, it's a common songwriting trick.

Burton to this Taylor

Tori references herself as "T" in the song Twinkle

Yeah, this sort of division is interesting... Based on these answers I might suggest that these lyrics can be divided into three categories:

1) Lyrics where the vocalist is doing a narrative about his artist persona, so the name-calling refers to that. Typically they are using their artist name (Bootsy, Madonna, Nas, Flavor Flav, Mr. Mercury, etc) if they have one, and not their birth name. These are very common in rap, and also appear in soul, R&B, and funk, but seem to be pretty rare in other genres, and often the examples in other genres ("it's Britney, bitch") seem to be inluenced by rap.

2) Lyrics where the vocalist is doing a first-person narrative, but it isn't about his artist persona rather than something that happened to him as a "regular" person (rather than as a famous musician). Often the name is only referred to when another person in the narrative mentions it (she started screaming, "Mike!"; but my darling says, "Leonard, just let it go by"; she said, "Gordie, baby, I know exactly what you mean"). Type 2 seems to by way more common in rock and pop than type 1.

3) Lyrics that emulate call-and-response in live performances, where the name-calling is outside the context of the lyrical narrative. Can be found in any genres where call-and-response is common in actual live performances.

Of course there's also overlap between these categories, but IMO it's interesting that type 1 is often associated with "black" popular music, and type 2 with "white" popular music. I'm sure there's plenty of studies on differences between the lyrical styles of, say, rap and rock, so I guess this would be a part of a larger difference in how narratives are constructed in these genres?

I'd still be interested in discussing these differences.

The table is rumbling
The glass is moving
"No, I was not pushing that time"
It spells : S.T.E.V.E.N

Morrissey, obv.

Freddie Slack of the Will Bradley Trio “Down the Road Apiece”:

“The drummer-man’s a guy they call Eight-Beat Mack
You remember Doc and old ‘Beat Me Daddy’ Slack”

And then later on the Stones updated it for Charlie Watts:

“The drummer's man's a cat they call Charlie McCoy
You know, remember that rubber-legged boy?”

Hideous Lump brought up the B-52s upthread - add "Wig" to their resume for this one, also in the "Ready, Steve? Andy?" genre which should also include the Ramones' "Little Ramona."

Nilsson must have done this a bunch, though examples aren't popping into my mind.

In "Piano Man" we learn of a bartender who addresses the singer as "Bill."

"They Might Be Giants" and "Big Country" are borderline cases, I suppose, since they are just using these phrases in lyrics, not singing about the band.

"We've been trying to reach you, Thom"

Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas
With Waylon and Willie and the boys
This successful life we're livin' got us feudin'
Like the Hatfield and McCoys

Willie Nelson does a duet w/ Kacey Musgraves called "A Willie Nice Christmas"

I cheated on you, you cheated on me
And this is not the way that things supposed to be
So tell me girl, is this for real or just an illusion?
I pinch myself to make sure that Wyclef ain't dreamin'

Wyclef - Cheated (Rock Remix)

There was that one song on Liz Phair’s terrible s/t record where she sings “you don’t even know who Liz Phair is.”

Are you State Phair?
Are you Play Phair?
Are you Trade Phair?
Who wants to know? Who wants to know?

My wife lies down in a chair
And peels a pear
I know she's there
I'm making coffee for two
Just me and you
But I come back in with coffee for three
Coffee for three?

My dead wife sits in a chair
Combing her hair
I know she's there
She wanders off to the bed
Shaking her head
"Robyn," she said
"You know I don't take sugar!"

didn't see my favourite mentioned, from Sly's 'Thankful & Thoughtful':

someone should've come
and taken me away
but the main man thought Syl should be here another day
and that's why I've got to be
thankful/thoughtful

Girlpool - "Dear Nora"

In SF we were driving over bridges
We were singing to "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
Cleo was tired
Harmony was hyper
We switched driving
In the middle of the highway

Blind Willie McTell. So many blues artists did this...

Answer the phone
"Harry, you're no good alone
Why are you sitting at home on the floor?
What kind of pills are you on?"
Ringin' the bell
And nobody's coming to help
Your daddy lives by himself
He just wants to know that you're well

Harry Styles • As It Was