An Essentials occasional one-off feature, this one responding to our readers’ input.
We ran a previous Essentials list which covered the top ten songs that name-drop other artists. As the title suggests, an artist mentions another artist in the lyrics. You can check it out here. Your response, dear readers, was incredible and proved there is so much more out there that we missed. We have included another ten here, all taken from the songs you suggested. We also give a big shout-out to everyone who responded and added their own to the list. A few notable ones were just outside the list: The Gaslight Anthem, High Lonesome, from their 2008 album The ’59 Sound, which steals a Counting Crows line and mentions Elvis. Ben Lee with Catch My Disease from Awake Is The New Sleep, which manages to shoehorn in Good Charlotte and Beyoncé. The Mountain Goats’ A Picture of My Dress from Getting Into Knives with the fabulous lyric “I’m in the bathroom, Of a Dallas, Texas Burger King, And Mr Steven Tyler, Is on the overhead speakers, He doesn’t want to miss a thing”. Apologies to The Band’s Robbie Robertson, as there wasn’t enough room in the ten for the wonderful Somewhere Down The Lazy River. Enjoy the reader’s list, and we look forward to more suggestions.
Number 10: Lucinda Williams Ventura from World Without Tears (2003)
From Williams’ seventh studio album released in 2003, this slow-building story song is about someone wishing to be somewhere else. This one name-drops Neil Young with the lyric “Take the long way home so I can ride around /Put Neil Young on and turn up the sound Drive up the coastline Maybe Ventura…” The aching beauty of the pedal steel adds to the raw, emotional vocals, a delivery style Williams uses throughout Ventura.
Number 9: The National Eucalyptus from The First Two Pages Of Frankenstein (2023)
New Order T-Shirt was number 2 in the original list from one of the best albums of 2023. It came at a time when the band were struggling internally, and in particular, singer Matt Berninger was finding it difficult to come up with song ideas and melodies. Eucalyptus could be about a broken relationship with a couple deciding who takes what. It could also be about the band’s potential breakup, as the lyrics ask, “What about the instruments?” As often happens, the record collection becomes the focus of any split, and it is in verse three where Berninger implores, “What about the Cowboy Junkies? / What about the Afghan Wigs?” Track two, after the plaintive beauty of the opener Once Upon A Poolside, The National treat us to another fine piece of musical theatre.
Number 8: Guy Clark Dublin Blues from Dublin Blues (1995)
From the album of the same name, Clark delivers the title track in his own unique style. He name-checks the Mona Lisa, but it is not the enigmatic subject of the Leonardo Da Vinci painting; it’s Doc Watson, the musical artist, who is called out. “I have seen the David, I’ve seen the Mona Lisa too / I have heard Doc Watson play, Columbus Stockade Blues”. Fellow Texan Nanci Griffith provides the backing vocals, and although he isn’t credited, Clark can be heard calling into action, “Jerry,” which suggests his good friend Jerry Douglas jumped in on dobro. A striking story of missing someone close, with such longing in his voice. When Clark sings “I wish I was in Austin in the Chili Parlor Bar”, there is no doubt it is heartfelt, and he is ready for the legendary Mad Dog Margarita and a bowl of Texas Red Chilli. Steve Earle opened his tribute album to Clark, simply called Guy, with his version of the track. This nicely leads us into number 7.
Number 7: Lydia Loveless Steve Earle from Indestructible Machine (2011)
Loveless’s imagery of a stalker named Steve Earle feels playful; however, it also hints at the serious danger of potentially overzealous fans. The song used Steve Earle as the target, but it could have been anyone. Her first release on Bloodshot Records, the home of Earle’s son Justin Townes Earle for his first five records, the album Indestructible Machine was an impressive, explosive collection. Many tracks were recorded as live takes at Grove City, Ohio’s Sonic Lounge Recording Studio. Justin Townes Earle almost gets a mention too, as Loveless sings “And I keep asking Steve, would you introduce me to your son / Because he read an article that said, oh gee, I guess I drink a lot”. That would have been a musical duo to behold.
Number 6: First Aid Kit Emmylou from The Lion’s Roar (2012)
Now, you could argue they don’t actually name-drop Emmylou Harris, but in our world, there is only one Emmylou it could be. Similarly, if you mention Dolly, we all know who you mean. The name-dropping doesn’t stop at Emmylou. We also hear June, Gram, and Johnny. The Swedish duo wrote the song about singing with someone you love, knowing any time may be the last. Cash and Carter were together for a long time, and although Harris and Parsons worked together, they were never officially romantically linked. They made some excellent music together. Sisters Johanna and Klara Söderberg have no doubt had their own issues as siblings working closely; however, they have overcome them to produce some exquisite music of their own, Emmylou a fine example.
Number 5: Amy Rigby Dancing With Joey Ramone from Little Fugitive (2005)
Amy Rigby’s music blends old-fashioned humour that cuts through country music with her own take on punk rock. Dancing With Joey Ramone is an excellent example of her craft. Her fifth studio album includes the song, and it is blessed with extremely clever, funny, and interwoven wordplay. At times, there’s more than just dancing going on. Not only does Rigby name-drop everyone’s favourite Ramones, but cleverly throws in so many song titles that it is hard to keep pace with it all. “They played The Worst That Could Happen by the Brooklyn Bridge / He Hit Me, and It Felt Like A Kiss / Glad All Over Needles and Pins / Be My Baby again and again.” In those two lines alone, we have a Jimmy Webb song, a nod to The Crystals, Dave Clark Five and The Searchers. Breathtaking stuff from Rigby.
Number 4: Eric Church Springsteen from Chief (2011)
Church made the original list, but this track from his 2011 collection Chief was so obvious we missed it. A simple premise: summers long past, and how “A melody sounds like a memory.” We all have moments when we hear a song and remember exactly where we were or what we were doing the first time we heard it. Church has always celebrated pioneers of the genre and other songs that name-drop artists, giving us plenty to go at.
Number 3: Bruce Springsteen Thunder Road from Born To Run (1975)
As if we planned it, we follow Church’s homage to The Boss with one from the man himself. With Roy Orbison mentioned early in the track, this is a quality cut from his Born To Run record from the mid-seventies. Just another song about cars and girls, but done so the story unfolds between your ears with each piano fill and rises to a crescendo, as much of Springsteen’s early work does. Fair to say that the subject of the song, Mary, may have considered slamming the door even on Springsteen when he proclaims, “Well, show a little faith, there’s magic in the night / You ain’t a beauty, but hey, you’re alright”, not the best chat-up line you are ever going to hear, but the rest is splendid poetry.
Number 2: Drive By Truckers Danko/Manuel from The Dirty South (2004)
From the exquisite, near-perfect concept album The Dirty South, this Jason Isbell-written classic could have been the number 1 on this list. The rhythmic drumming at the beginning draws you in as the guitar joins; Isbell’s vocal delivery is special. Often an encore in his solo live shows, the band sends Chad Gamble out first on drums, giving the rest a longer breather. That first chorus so poignant and melancholy: “Can you hear that singing? Sounds like gold / Maybe I can hear it in my head / Fifteen years ago they owned that road / Now it’s rolling over us instead / Richard Manuel is dead.” Here we are at number 2, a song from the same album that gave us the last number 1. Is that the last of the Drive By Truckers we are going to hear from?
Number 1: Jerry Joseph Sugar Smacks from The Beautiful Madness (2020)
As fellow writer and video editor Andrew Frolish put it, “The latest single from Jerry Joseph is seven minutes of controlled aggression and a charged political assessment of the world around him.” Joseph’s words and raw emotion stand on their own, so take a listen and prepare for lyrical bombardment and a host of Amen’s. The artists name-checked in this one are many, with hidden ones among the words. Johnny Thunders, David Bowie and Joe Strummer are the main three, but look out for The New York Dolls, Drive By Truckers aka The Stiff Boys and a personal shout-out to Patterson (Hood) from the Truckers. The Truckers play on the song, so once again have a hand in the number 1 spot, but the words are all Joseph, Amen.
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