What songs can you think of where the band name-checks themselves in the lyrics?

"Hollywood Swinging" - Kool & the Gang
"Everybody Have Fun Tonight" - Wang Chung
"Love Store" - The Kings

Those are just three off the top of my head. (James Brown does this in multiple songs. A lot of rappers do it too.) Any others?

I'm not talking about songs like "Talk Talk" or "Bad Company." I'm talking about songs where the lyrics don't just include the band's name, but actually reference the band itself by name.

Most of Bo Diddley's songs
"Smart Patrol/Mr DNA" - Devo
the They Might Be Giants song about They Might Be Giants got lost driving around
there's a Bonzo Dog Band song about their being on tour, but can't recall the title...

MrFab wrote:


> "Smart Patrol/Mr DNA" - Devo

Several DEVO songs
Time Out For Fun
Super Thing
Jocko Homo
DEVO Has Feelings Too
DEVO Corporate Anthem (I know, it's an instrumental but I imagine the words have us pledging allegiance to DEVO)



Post Edited (03-13-19 16:32)

Here's that Bonzo Dog song:

The Bride Stripped Bare (By Batchelors)

Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band

So the boys got together and formed a band...uh, fate played the
Straight man, and since then they've never looked back...
You, lads, welcome to t'Club be , I've seen you on t'telly with your long
Hair and pimples. (pop pop)
We arrived at the gig looking rough
Not happy, we'd all had enough
Of eight hours on the road (honk!)
Legs Larry said, eeh, "It's the boozer for me, dear boy."
Yup, yup, yes indeedy
And the hotel reception was empty and cold
With horrid red wallpaper forty years old
It stank like a rhino house!
Mr. Slater said, "Pooh, I can smell Vindaloo."
"Oh, really?" "No, Sir, O'Reilly!"
Hobnob
And we wave to the people who frown
At our hair as we ride into town
And Chalky and Nozz had set up the gear
At the club where the "Dohl Pal Show" would appear
In person as themselves (oarf! oarf!)
In person as themselves
"Then Neil, Fred, and I played darts for awhile."
"Before we switched on our theatrical smiles!"
"Hey, you remember!"
Hot dogs on sale in the foyer
Hey...
You can have a drink in your dressing rooms, lads, but you can't come
Into club looking like that. We can't oblige. Thank you.
Hey, Redneck!
We've had 'em all here, you know, Tommy Ray.
Oh, aye?
That's a brand new scratch on the piano, cost you seventy-five quid to put that
Right.
Whoa, who did that?
Aye, remember Frank Fesher
And and Buddy Greece!
Aye!
Put off thought really, here, doesn't it?
Whoa, what?
Will you take your empty glasses back the bar?
Any artiste mentioning football will be paid off immediately.
Hoover
It's not for meself, lads, it's for me daughter.
Five pints of lager, and one Coke!
It's not me, lads, it's the manager what makes the rules.

Songwriters: Neil James Innes / Vivian Stanshall

The Bride Stripped Bare (By the Batchelors) [2007 Remaster] lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Shonen Knife - "Shonen Knife"
KMFDM - "A Drug Against War"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Baby Appeal"
T Bone Burnett - "The Strange Case of Frank Cash and the Morning Paper"
The Clash - "We Are the Clash"
Wilco - "Wilco"
Danni Leigh - "Somebody Ought To Do Something About That Girl"
Madonna - "Bitch, I'm Madonna"
The Monkees - "Hey Hey We're the Monkees"
The Escape Club- "Wild Wild West" (yuck)
Prince - "My Name Is Prince"


Related, but probably not technically on topic:

The Who - "You Better, You Bet"

They name drop Who's Next, so by extension themselves, but not really a direct reference to their own damn selves.


Likely on topic, but can't really say for sure:

"Henry's In Love" - Henry Badowski

He never directly states that the lovestruck Henry is himself, but the implication is there.


NOT actually eligible:

Mott the Hoople - "Ballad of Mott the Hoople"

Their name's in the title, and all the members get named in the song, but the name Mott the Hoople is never mentioned in the lyrics.



Post Edited (03-13-19 22:37)

off the top of my head "the Return of Jackie and Judy" from the Ramones' End of the Century album

At the end of their cover of Slade's Gudbye T'Jane (bonus track Don't Tell A Soul) Westerberg sings in parody of Monkey Gone To Heaven "if the Pixies are 7, then the 'Mats are 8!"

Some more...

Young Fresh Fellows - "Two Brothers"
Velvet Monkeys - "Velvet Monkey Theme Song"#
Tubes - "Tubes World Tour"
Too Much Joy - "Theme Song"
Pizzicato 5 - "Arrigato We Love You"
Jonathan Richman - "The Neighbors"*
KMFDM - "Light"
KMFDM - "Sucks"
Funkadelic - "Mommy, What's a Funkadelic?"
Fear - "Have a Beer With FEAR"
Fleshtones - "Take a Walk With the Fleshtones"
Fleshtones - "Jet Set Fleshtones"
Thomas Dolby - "May the Cube Be With You"
Bootsy Collins - "Ahh...the Name is Bootsy, Baby"
Bootsy Collins - "Bootsy, What's the Name of This Town?"
Blue Oyster Cult - Blue Oyster Cult
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath ^
Atom and His Package - "Dear Atom, You Do Not Want Children, Love Atom"
Aquabats - "Aquabat March"
Anti-Nowhere League - We're the League"
Descendents - "Descendents"

* - this may not count, because Jojo is having a conversation with someone and she keeps calling him Jonathan
^ - not really about the band unless they are practicing devil worship.
# - on that same Monkeys album, there is a 10 minute remix of this song; it kills brain cells, it's so repetitive.

Just about every track on The Death Set's album Worldwide has the line "the muthfuckin' death set"

Quote

"Henry's In Love" - Henry Badowski

He never directly states that the lovestruck Henry is himself, but the implication is there.

The Birthday Party "Nick The Stripper"?

Quote

Mott the Hoople - "Ballad of Mott the Hoople"

Their name's in the title, and all the members get named in the song, but the name Mott the Hoople is never mentioned in the lyrics.

Hey, if I'm including the Bonzo's 'Bride Stripped Bare," than we can include this. And "the Ballad of John And Yoko" for that matter.