The Murder of Gonzago
August 5, 2010 11:41 AM Subscribe
What songs include bits and pieces of other songs?
I'm trying to locate songs that include chunks of lyrics from other songs. I've read this and this but I am looking for songs in which the lyrics are actually sung. I'm not looking for songs with sampling.
Examples:
Okkervil River's John Allyn Smith Sails, includes the chorus from Sloop John B.
In Moxy Fruvous' The Drinking Song,they sing some lines of Goodnight, Irene.
Jump, Little Children's Pink Lemonade includes some lines from You are My Sunshine.
I'm trying to locate songs that include chunks of lyrics from other songs. I've read this and this but I am looking for songs in which the lyrics are actually sung. I'm not looking for songs with sampling.
Examples:
Okkervil River's John Allyn Smith Sails, includes the chorus from Sloop John B.
In Moxy Fruvous' The Drinking Song,they sing some lines of Goodnight, Irene.
Jump, Little Children's Pink Lemonade includes some lines from You are My Sunshine.
You Were Right by Built To Spill does this for a bunch of songs.
posted by burnmp3s at 11:47 AM on August 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by burnmp3s at 11:47 AM on August 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
O My God by The Police includes lyrics from Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.
posted by suki at 11:47 AM on August 5, 2010
posted by suki at 11:47 AM on August 5, 2010
The Dresden Dolls' song "Perfect Fit" contains part of "Hello, I Love You" by The Doors.
posted by Thin Lizzy at 11:48 AM on August 5, 2010
posted by Thin Lizzy at 11:48 AM on August 5, 2010
"Gone Daddy Gone" by The Violent Femmes, contains lyrics from Willie Dixon's "I Just Wanna Make Love To You."
posted by sourwookie at 11:52 AM on August 5, 2010
posted by sourwookie at 11:52 AM on August 5, 2010
Apparently the Beach Boys are suing some young pop star for including "I wish they all could be California girls" in her song.
posted by sanko at 11:56 AM on August 5, 2010
posted by sanko at 11:56 AM on August 5, 2010
Tainted Love, as performed by Soft Cell, contains a snippet of Where Did Our Love Go? by the Supremes. Although this might be considered more of a medley than "including lyrics from other songs."
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:57 AM on August 5, 2010
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:57 AM on August 5, 2010
Prince - "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" - quotes Joni Mitchell's "Help Me (I Think I'm Falling)" ("you know it's Joni singing, 'Help me I think I'm falling'")
The Beatles - "All You Need Is Love" - in the fadeout, John Lennon sings their own "She Loves You" ("She loves you, yeah yeah yeah...")
The Beatles - "Glass Onion" - John alludes to several Beatles songs, e.g. "I told you 'bout Strawberry Fields, you know that place where nothing is real" (the italicized parts are quotes from "Strawberry Fields Forever")
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:57 AM on August 5, 2010
The Beatles - "All You Need Is Love" - in the fadeout, John Lennon sings their own "She Loves You" ("She loves you, yeah yeah yeah...")
The Beatles - "Glass Onion" - John alludes to several Beatles songs, e.g. "I told you 'bout Strawberry Fields, you know that place where nothing is real" (the italicized parts are quotes from "Strawberry Fields Forever")
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:57 AM on August 5, 2010
There was an Oasis song that included the opening piano riff to Imagine.
"Don't Look Back in Anger"? That's not really a quote, just a similar playing style. And I don't think this question is about instrumental quotes, only vocal/lyrical quotes: "I am looking for songs in which the lyrics are actually sung."
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:59 AM on August 5, 2010
"Don't Look Back in Anger"? That's not really a quote, just a similar playing style. And I don't think this question is about instrumental quotes, only vocal/lyrical quotes: "I am looking for songs in which the lyrics are actually sung."
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:59 AM on August 5, 2010
I don't know if you're including rap and electronic music in this, but "Forever Young" by Jay Z. includes some of the lyrics from the original Forever Young in the verses that he raps:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h_vMoEmT2s
posted by codacorolla at 12:01 PM on August 5, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h_vMoEmT2s
posted by codacorolla at 12:01 PM on August 5, 2010
The Travis song "Slide Show" alludes to Beck's "Devil's Haircut" and minorly to Oasis's "Wonderwall".
posted by muddgirl at 12:02 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by muddgirl at 12:02 PM on August 5, 2010
Also: the song that Sanko mentions is the ridiculously stupid and fun California Gurls by Katy Perry,
http://www.metrolyrics.com/california-gurls-lyrics-katy-perry.html
posted by codacorolla at 12:03 PM on August 5, 2010
http://www.metrolyrics.com/california-gurls-lyrics-katy-perry.html
posted by codacorolla at 12:03 PM on August 5, 2010
Dirty Projectors' "Two Doves" includes the "Please don't confront me with my failures" line from Jackson Browne's/Nico's "These Days."
posted by oinopaponton at 12:03 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by oinopaponton at 12:03 PM on August 5, 2010
Jet's "Look What You've Done" uses some lines from the Beatles' "Sexy Sadie" ("look what you've done, you've made a fool of everyone" vs. "what have you done, you made a fool of everyone"). They also both have a similar downbeat feel and piano-driven instrumentation. (Wikipedia.) I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for: to me, it sits uncomfortably on the borderline between affectionate allusion and shameless rip-off.
posted by Jaltcoh at 12:05 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by Jaltcoh at 12:05 PM on August 5, 2010
Joni Mitchell's "Chinese Cafe" includes a verse of "Unchained Melody."
posted by tommyD at 12:07 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by tommyD at 12:07 PM on August 5, 2010
Back in the U.S.S.R. by the Beatles contains an homage/parody of California Girls by the Beach Boys.
posted by Manjusri at 12:07 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by Manjusri at 12:07 PM on August 5, 2010
Also: the song that Sanko mentions is the ridiculously stupid and fun California Gurls by Katy Perry
Seriously? They're suing over the phrase "California girls"? Are they suing Stephin Merritt too? Because Magnetic Fields had a song on Distortion with that very title. Though his lyrics signify much different sentiments: the chorus ends "I hate California girls."
posted by Skot at 12:10 PM on August 5, 2010
Seriously? They're suing over the phrase "California girls"? Are they suing Stephin Merritt too? Because Magnetic Fields had a song on Distortion with that very title. Though his lyrics signify much different sentiments: the chorus ends "I hate California girls."
posted by Skot at 12:10 PM on August 5, 2010
The last 10 seconds of Paul Weller's song "Bull Rush" morph into The Who's "Magic Bus."
posted by applemeat at 12:10 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by applemeat at 12:10 PM on August 5, 2010
Jay-Z's song, 99 Problems, uses lyrics from both Ice-T's song by the same name and UGK's song, Touched.
posted by milarepa at 12:13 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by milarepa at 12:13 PM on August 5, 2010
Back in the U.S.S.R. by the Beatles contains an homage/parody of California Girls by the Beach Boys.
It's a parody but not a quote. I think the OP is looking for direct quotes.
posted by Jaltcoh at 12:14 PM on August 5, 2010
It's a parody but not a quote. I think the OP is looking for direct quotes.
posted by Jaltcoh at 12:14 PM on August 5, 2010
Dire Straits - Callin' Elvis:
"Let me leave my number
Heartbreak hotel
Oh love me tender
Baby don't be cruel
Return to sender
Treat me like a fool"
posted by Lorin at 12:18 PM on August 5, 2010
"Let me leave my number
Heartbreak hotel
Oh love me tender
Baby don't be cruel
Return to sender
Treat me like a fool"
posted by Lorin at 12:18 PM on August 5, 2010
At the end of Nellie McKay's "Waiter" she sings a bit of "Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning."
posted by hermitosis at 12:19 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by hermitosis at 12:19 PM on August 5, 2010
Destroyer often lifts/contorts lyrics from other artists (and sometimes his own songs), like:
"You've got the spirit/Don't lose that feeling" in The Bad Arts (from "Disorder", by Joy Division)
"This phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust" in The Sublimation Hour (from "London Calling", by the Clash)
More here.
posted by activitystory at 12:20 PM on August 5, 2010
"You've got the spirit/Don't lose that feeling" in The Bad Arts (from "Disorder", by Joy Division)
"This phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust" in The Sublimation Hour (from "London Calling", by the Clash)
More here.
posted by activitystory at 12:20 PM on August 5, 2010
Barenaked Ladies "Hello City" uses some lines from the Housemartins' "Happy Hour" near the end of the song.
posted by dlugoczaj at 12:22 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by dlugoczaj at 12:22 PM on August 5, 2010
Maybe not exactly what you are looking for, but how about the music of House Of The Rising Sun and the lyrics to "Amazing Grace"? Not bits and pieces, 100%.
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 12:24 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by BozoBurgerBonanza at 12:24 PM on August 5, 2010
This was going to be my MeFiSwap theme. A couple of good examples: The Blow's Come on Petunia uses the entire chorus of The police's Everything She Does is Magic but replaces all of the verses with their own material. Coyote Shivers Secretly Jealous approriates the intro, background vocals and the "and the colored girls sing" line from Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side. and while not quite vocals, Dan Deacon overlays almost his entire Woody Woodpecker track with that annoying laugh and somehow makes it listenable and even catchy.
posted by rtimmel at 12:25 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by rtimmel at 12:25 PM on August 5, 2010
Rap songs do this all the time. For example:
- Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique" albums has tons of lyrical samples from (for example) Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" ("Now they got me in a cell" from "Eggman") and Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" ("I'm going back to New York City/ I do believe I had enough" in "Finger Licking Good). They quote Bob Dylan in "Johnny Ryall" ("He ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more")
- "Officer" by the Pharcyde starts just like Public Enemy's "Black Steel In the Hour of Chaos" ("I got a letter from the government the other day/ I opened and read it, they said they were suckas")
- Black Star's "Children's Story" is a direct riff on Slick Rick's "Children's Story." I fact a lot of songs start just like "Children's Story," with the narrator tucking in kids and saying "Heeeere we go..."
And on and on- this happens all the time.
posted by Clambone at 12:26 PM on August 5, 2010
- Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique" albums has tons of lyrical samples from (for example) Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" ("Now they got me in a cell" from "Eggman") and Bob Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" ("I'm going back to New York City/ I do believe I had enough" in "Finger Licking Good). They quote Bob Dylan in "Johnny Ryall" ("He ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more")
- "Officer" by the Pharcyde starts just like Public Enemy's "Black Steel In the Hour of Chaos" ("I got a letter from the government the other day/ I opened and read it, they said they were suckas")
- Black Star's "Children's Story" is a direct riff on Slick Rick's "Children's Story." I fact a lot of songs start just like "Children's Story," with the narrator tucking in kids and saying "Heeeere we go..."
And on and on- this happens all the time.
posted by Clambone at 12:26 PM on August 5, 2010
Bad, as performed by US in 'Rattle and Hum' does this to "Ruby Tuesday". And they did Them's version of "Gloria" (not to be confused with their own "Gloria") as a part of "Exit" on the same album/movie.
posted by norm at 12:27 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by norm at 12:27 PM on August 5, 2010
Possibly not what you are looking for, but It's Not Too Beautiful by the Beta Band pulls a huge chunk from the soundtrack of The Black Hole.
posted by Artw at 12:30 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by Artw at 12:30 PM on August 5, 2010
There's all kinds of cross-pollination in old-time fiddle tunes... lyrical fragments often find their way into multiple tunes, for example I've heard the line
In comes Sally with her big boots on
in both 'Give the Fiddler a Dram' and 'Old Jawbone', and
Wish I was an apple, hanging on a tree
And every time that gal walked by
She'd take a bite of me
In 'June Apple', 'Shady Grove', and 'Cindy'.
posted by usonian at 12:33 PM on August 5, 2010
In comes Sally with her big boots on
in both 'Give the Fiddler a Dram' and 'Old Jawbone', and
Wish I was an apple, hanging on a tree
And every time that gal walked by
She'd take a bite of me
In 'June Apple', 'Shady Grove', and 'Cindy'.
posted by usonian at 12:33 PM on August 5, 2010
"Young Americans" by David Bowie has the background singers chant "I heard the news today, oh boy."
posted by infinitewindow at 12:35 PM on August 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by infinitewindow at 12:35 PM on August 5, 2010 [3 favorites]
In "Romeo and Juliet", there's this lyric: (I like the Dire Straits version)
Juliet says, "Hey, it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack"
He's underneath the window, she's singing
Hey, la, my boyfriend's back"
You shouldn't come around here, singing up at people like that
Anyway what you gonna do about it?
Which is a reference to The Angel's "My Boyfriend's Back":
My boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
You see him comin' better cut out on the double
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
You been spreading lies that I was untrue
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
So look out now cause he's comin' after you
posted by chatongriffes at 12:40 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
Juliet says, "Hey, it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack"
He's underneath the window, she's singing
Hey, la, my boyfriend's back"
You shouldn't come around here, singing up at people like that
Anyway what you gonna do about it?
Which is a reference to The Angel's "My Boyfriend's Back":
My boyfriend's back and you're gonna be in trouble
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
You see him comin' better cut out on the double
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
You been spreading lies that I was untrue
(Hey-la-day-la my boyfriend's back)
So look out now cause he's comin' after you
posted by chatongriffes at 12:40 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
In the Beatles' "It's All Too Much," George sings "With your long blonde hair and your eyes of blue," a line from "Sorrow" by The McCoys (and The Merseys, which is probably the version he knew).
posted by Devoidoid at 12:42 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by Devoidoid at 12:42 PM on August 5, 2010
Peter Schickele (of PDQ Bach fame) wrote Quodlibet for Small Orchestra and the Unbegun Syphony, both of which made up entirely of "quotes" from other famous pieces of music. They are sublime and hilarious.
posted by The Bellman at 12:42 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by The Bellman at 12:42 PM on August 5, 2010
Hootie and the Blowfish's "Only Wanna Be With You" contains a number of lines from Bob Dylan's "Idiot Wind."
posted by valkyryn at 12:43 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by valkyryn at 12:43 PM on August 5, 2010
In the song Hello City (timecode 3:24), the Barenaked Ladies sing "Oh what a good place to be; Don't believe them, cause they speak in every language and it's never happy hour again", which is a little snippet of Happy Hour (timecode 1:26) by The Housemartins. The Barenaked Ladies actually do this a fair bit in other songs, too, although I can't think of any others at the moment.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 12:43 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by pseudostrabismus at 12:43 PM on August 5, 2010
Jay-Z's "Bonnie & Clyde '03" has Beyonce singing these lyrics from Prince's "If I Was Your Girlfriend":
"If I was your girlfriend
I'll be there for you, if somebody hurts you
Even if that somebody was me
Yeah-hee
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be"
When I Googled the lyrics to the song, Wikipedia said that Jay-Z also incorporated elements from Tupac's song "Me and My Girlfriend." I am not that up on hip-hop to tell you what they were.
posted by princesspathos at 12:49 PM on August 5, 2010
"If I was your girlfriend
I'll be there for you, if somebody hurts you
Even if that somebody was me
Yeah-hee
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be"
When I Googled the lyrics to the song, Wikipedia said that Jay-Z also incorporated elements from Tupac's song "Me and My Girlfriend." I am not that up on hip-hop to tell you what they were.
posted by princesspathos at 12:49 PM on August 5, 2010
Buffalo Springfield's Broken Arrow Starts with a snippet of Dewey Martin (not Neil Young!) singing Mr. Soul.
Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama has backup singers singing Neil Young's Southern Man
posted by rocket88 at 12:54 PM on August 5, 2010
Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama has backup singers singing Neil Young's Southern Man
posted by rocket88 at 12:54 PM on August 5, 2010
Tori Amos' "Springtime of his Voodoo" (Boys for Pele) "standing on a corner in winslow arizona" which I believe is from some Eagles' song???
posted by supermedusa at 12:55 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by supermedusa at 12:55 PM on August 5, 2010
the best part of that tori amos line is the next one "and i'm quite sure i'm in the wrong song". made me laugh for years and years now (ack! apparently 14 years. damn i feel old).
posted by nadawi at 12:58 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by nadawi at 12:58 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
I came in to say 'Wellington's Wednesdays' which Greg Nog has already pointed out, and this one, which I hope counts.
On David Bowie's 'Kooks' he sings, "And if the homework brings you down/Then we'll throw it on the fire."
Then on the Smiths' 'Sheila Take a Bow' Morrissey sings, 'Throw your homework onto the fire' as an allusion to 'Kooks' I believe.
Giving credit where credit's due: embarrassingly, I'd listened both of these songs loads & loads of times and never realized this until a boyfriend pointed it out to me.
posted by Put the kettle on at 1:02 PM on August 5, 2010
On David Bowie's 'Kooks' he sings, "And if the homework brings you down/Then we'll throw it on the fire."
Then on the Smiths' 'Sheila Take a Bow' Morrissey sings, 'Throw your homework onto the fire' as an allusion to 'Kooks' I believe.
Giving credit where credit's due: embarrassingly, I'd listened both of these songs loads & loads of times and never realized this until a boyfriend pointed it out to me.
posted by Put the kettle on at 1:02 PM on August 5, 2010
Everlast's "Black Jesus" has a few lines from "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen
posted by xena at 1:07 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by xena at 1:07 PM on August 5, 2010
I recommended Sarah Jones' Your Revolution in a previous thread asking for answer/response songs. Some of the other recommendations there might also work. She quotes and mimics a handful of other rappers while critiquing the misogyny in mainstream hiphop.
posted by twoporedomain at 1:19 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by twoporedomain at 1:19 PM on August 5, 2010
The Yes song "All Good People" has them singing lyrics from "Give Peace a Chance" in the background at the end of the first part.
posted by TedW at 1:25 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by TedW at 1:25 PM on August 5, 2010
Added bonus to "Romeo and Juliet":
Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry
I said, "I love you like the stars above, "I love you till I die"
And there's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
Which is from "There's a Place for Us" from West Side Story, which is, of course, itself a story about Romeo and Juliet. So meta!
posted by chatongriffes at 1:26 PM on August 5, 2010
Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry
I said, "I love you like the stars above, "I love you till I die"
And there's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
Which is from "There's a Place for Us" from West Side Story, which is, of course, itself a story about Romeo and Juliet. So meta!
posted by chatongriffes at 1:26 PM on August 5, 2010
Mike Doughty likes to do this. The chorus of "Fort Hood" borrows "Let the Sunshine In" from Hair. "His Truth is Marching On" references the hymn of the same name. "I Just Want the Girl In the Blue Dress" intersperses the "barumpadumbum" from "The Little Drummer Boy" throughout the verse.
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:50 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by EvaDestruction at 1:50 PM on August 5, 2010
there's a mudhoney song that begins with the guitar outro to neil young's "cinnamon girl"
there's a nirvana song that starts with kurt yelling the "c'mon people, smile on your brother..." lyrics from the youngbloods' "get together.
posted by AJaffe at 2:05 PM on August 5, 2010
there's a nirvana song that starts with kurt yelling the "c'mon people, smile on your brother..." lyrics from the youngbloods' "get together.
posted by AJaffe at 2:05 PM on August 5, 2010
Quoting other songs is super-common in jazz, of course. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of specifically lyrical quoting, but one that comes to mind is Ella Fitzgerald breaking into: "they asked me how I knew / my true love was true / I of course replied / something inside / sweat gets in my eyes" near the end of a hectic and 5-minute-long scat solo in "How High the Moon" on Complete Ella in Berlin.
posted by aka burlap at 2:06 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by aka burlap at 2:06 PM on August 5, 2010
Kenny White's In My Recurring Dream contains the lines "wake up, you sleepy head – get up, get out of bed cheer up, the sun is straight overhead" which comes from When the Red, Red Robin comes Bob, Bob, Bobbing Along.
Also, traditional folk and blues songs borrow lyrics from each other all the time. You could fill a book with traditional lyrics that have migrated from one song to the next.
posted by tdismukes at 2:28 PM on August 5, 2010
Also, traditional folk and blues songs borrow lyrics from each other all the time. You could fill a book with traditional lyrics that have migrated from one song to the next.
posted by tdismukes at 2:28 PM on August 5, 2010
Neil Young's "Cripple Creek Ferry" lyrically referrences and includes the melody line from the old-timey folk song "Cripple Creek"
"Starfuckers Inc" by Nine Inch Nails drops in the chorus of "You're So Vain"
posted by K.P. at 2:37 PM on August 5, 2010
"Starfuckers Inc" by Nine Inch Nails drops in the chorus of "You're So Vain"
posted by K.P. at 2:37 PM on August 5, 2010
Neil Young's 'Long May You Run' mentions the Beach Boys song 'Caroline, No', and includes a few of the lyrics.
posted by Catseye at 2:38 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by Catseye at 2:38 PM on August 5, 2010
"Tut Tut," by p:ano uses the chorus of The Jackson Five's "I want you back" as a verse.
posted by god hates math at 2:42 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by god hates math at 2:42 PM on August 5, 2010
The Gaslight Anthem's "High Lonesome" includes lyrics from both Counting Crows's "Round Here" and Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire".
posted by epj at 2:45 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by epj at 2:45 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
Pere Ubu's Goodnite Irene quotes from the chorus of Leadbelly's Goodnight Irene halfway through.
Billy Bragg's A New England borrows its opening lines from Paul Simon's Leaves That Are Green.
posted by maudlin at 2:46 PM on August 5, 2010
Billy Bragg's A New England borrows its opening lines from Paul Simon's Leaves That Are Green.
posted by maudlin at 2:46 PM on August 5, 2010
Pete Townshend's "Jools and Jim" (from "Empty Glass") ends with a quote from "Oklahoma!"
posted by Crane Shot at 2:47 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by Crane Shot at 2:47 PM on August 5, 2010
"All Summer Long" by Kid Rock includes a bit of Lynard Skinnard's "Sweet Home Alabama".
posted by HollyAnn at 2:51 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by HollyAnn at 2:51 PM on August 5, 2010
Barclay James Harvest - Titles
Upon relistening actually a great song, with, you know, all those titles.
posted by ouke at 3:05 PM on August 5, 2010
Upon relistening actually a great song, with, you know, all those titles.
posted by ouke at 3:05 PM on August 5, 2010
Sparklehorse's Maria's Little Elbows has (paraphrased) lines from Velvet Underground's Candy Says and Tom Waits' Gun Street Girl:
she said I've really come to hate my body [Candy Says]
and all the things that it requires in this world
I bet you're out there getting drunk with all your friends
and it'll get you in the bathroom of a Texaco [Gun Street Girl]
posted by Kafkaesque at 3:14 PM on August 5, 2010
she said I've really come to hate my body [Candy Says]
and all the things that it requires in this world
I bet you're out there getting drunk with all your friends
and it'll get you in the bathroom of a Texaco [Gun Street Girl]
posted by Kafkaesque at 3:14 PM on August 5, 2010
The Pogues' version of Eric Bogle's "And the Band Played 'Waltzing Matilda'" quotes "Waltzing Matilda."
posted by kirkaracha at 3:22 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by kirkaracha at 3:22 PM on August 5, 2010
Interpreting your question broadly, both Smon & Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair" and Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" drew from Martin Carthy's arrangement of the traditional "Scarborough Fair."
posted by TedW at 3:37 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by TedW at 3:37 PM on August 5, 2010
The Tom Waits song "Tom Traubert's Blues" uses "Waltzing Matilda" as its chorus.
posted by pete_22 at 4:16 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by pete_22 at 4:16 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
In the Van Morrison song "Real Real Gone," near the fadeout at the end, he quotes "In the Midnight Hour" -- "Wilson Picket sang 'in the midnight hour / that's when my love comes tumbling down' " -- and then Solomon Burke and James Brown and something else I can't hear.
posted by pete_22 at 4:26 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by pete_22 at 4:26 PM on August 5, 2010
George Harrison's Something takes its opening line from a James Taylor song.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:26 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:26 PM on August 5, 2010
The Nirvana song is Territorial Pissings, and that bit is sung (sorta) by bassist Krist Novoselic. Doesn't really "fit" into the rest of the song though.
Jimmy Eat World's A Praise Chorus has a part where single lines from six songs are strung together, while another singer sings "Crimson and clover, over and over..." over and over. Can't paste it, but it's on Wikipedia.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 4:28 PM on August 5, 2010
Jimmy Eat World's A Praise Chorus has a part where single lines from six songs are strung together, while another singer sings "Crimson and clover, over and over..." over and over. Can't paste it, but it's on Wikipedia.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 4:28 PM on August 5, 2010
U2's God Part II contains the lines,
Heard a singer on the radio late last night
He says he's gonna kick the darkness
'til it bleeds daylight
The singer would Bruce Cockburn, and the song, Lovers In A Dangerous Time.
Incidentally, Bruce Cockburn released a book a sheet music called "All The Diamonds" and for each song he wrote a short introductory note about the circumstances of its composition -- "This was written in 1981 during my second trip to Guatemala..." or what-have-you. For "Lovers In A Dangerous Time," he merely wrote, "Aren't we all and isn't it always?"
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:35 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
Heard a singer on the radio late last night
He says he's gonna kick the darkness
'til it bleeds daylight
The singer would Bruce Cockburn, and the song, Lovers In A Dangerous Time.
Incidentally, Bruce Cockburn released a book a sheet music called "All The Diamonds" and for each song he wrote a short introductory note about the circumstances of its composition -- "This was written in 1981 during my second trip to Guatemala..." or what-have-you. For "Lovers In A Dangerous Time," he merely wrote, "Aren't we all and isn't it always?"
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:35 PM on August 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
The first few lines of each verse in the Guy Clark song "Desperados Waiting For a Train" quote the melody of "Red River Valley" and the first verse references it in the lyrics. In the David Allan Coe version there's a quick fiddle intro with the same melody.
(And of course the title is probably a Jimmie Rodgers allusion, but that's not what you're looking for.)
posted by pete_22 at 4:37 PM on August 5, 2010
(And of course the title is probably a Jimmie Rodgers allusion, but that's not what you're looking for.)
posted by pete_22 at 4:37 PM on August 5, 2010
Jonathan Richman's tribute to the Velvet Underground includes a breakdown into "Sister Ray".
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 5:01 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 5:01 PM on August 5, 2010
The song "Vacation" by the Unlovables (sorry can't find a link) includes the chorus from "Vacation" by the Go-Gos
posted by pete_22 at 5:13 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by pete_22 at 5:13 PM on August 5, 2010
"Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)" - Reunion: Besides the snippets in the main lyrics, the backup singers sing a sort of medley of "Baby I Need Your Loving" by The Four Tops, "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" by Stevie Wonder, "Celebrate" by Three Dog Night, and "I Want to Take You Higher" by Sly & the Family Stone at the very end of the song.
The second verse of "What Girls Want" by Material Issue contains the lines "So I took her back home to my studio apartment/and that's where I told her exactly what my heart meant," a slightly adapted version of lyrics in "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart.
posted by SisterHavana at 5:27 PM on August 5, 2010
The second verse of "What Girls Want" by Material Issue contains the lines "So I took her back home to my studio apartment/and that's where I told her exactly what my heart meant," a slightly adapted version of lyrics in "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart.
posted by SisterHavana at 5:27 PM on August 5, 2010
Elvis Costello: Heathen Town include a phrase from (I think) "Sit Down You're Rockin' the Boat" from Guys and Dolls: "cause the devil will drag you under, by the short tail fin of your checker cab."
posted by acanthous at 6:04 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by acanthous at 6:04 PM on August 5, 2010
Number One Blind by Veruca Salt borrows "It is time It is time" from Stormy Weather by the Pixies.
posted by Bruce H. at 6:32 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by Bruce H. at 6:32 PM on August 5, 2010
Joni Mitchell's River starts and ends with a few seconds of "Jingle Bells"
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:36 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:36 PM on August 5, 2010
allo darlin's "kiss your lips" works a couplet from weezer's "el scorcho" in.
posted by noloveforned at 7:47 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by noloveforned at 7:47 PM on August 5, 2010
Jethro Tull's "Christmas Song" starts with a few seconds of the carol "Once in Royal David's City", and uses the same first three lines.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:55 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 7:55 PM on August 5, 2010
Response by poster: Thank you everyone. I wish I could mark everyone as best...
posted by samsarah at 7:59 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by samsarah at 7:59 PM on August 5, 2010
Julie Doiron and Wheat both have songs where toward the end they just randomly start singing "Me and Gulio Down by the Schoolyard." Can't remember song titles, will return if they come to me...
posted by ifjuly at 9:11 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 9:11 PM on August 5, 2010
Oh, and Cat Power singing for Handsome Boy Modeling School's "I've Been Thinkin'" includes a brief bit of "you can slide, slide, slippity slide, you can hip hop and don't stop," more of a nod really.
posted by ifjuly at 9:14 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 9:14 PM on August 5, 2010
They Might Be Giants' "Memo To Human Resources" quotes "No Time" by The Monkees.
posted by mintcake! at 9:35 PM on August 5, 2010
posted by mintcake! at 9:35 PM on August 5, 2010
Mumford and Sons has this song- Thistle and Weeds- that uses the line "It's getting dark, too dark to see" from Knockin' on Heaven's Door, by Dylan.
Alone in the wind and the rain you left me
It's getting dark darling, too dark to see
And I'm on my knees, and your faith in shreds, it seems
Also, at the end of Joe Purdy's song, Ode to Sad Clown, he re-uses the lyrics/melody (and reworks them in a fantastic way) from the song Sad Clown, by Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies.
posted by ckk88 at 11:42 PM on August 5, 2010
Alone in the wind and the rain you left me
It's getting dark darling, too dark to see
And I'm on my knees, and your faith in shreds, it seems
Also, at the end of Joe Purdy's song, Ode to Sad Clown, he re-uses the lyrics/melody (and reworks them in a fantastic way) from the song Sad Clown, by Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies.
posted by ckk88 at 11:42 PM on August 5, 2010
Elliott Smith's "Clementine" has lyrics from "Oh My Darling, Clementine."
posted by giraffe at 7:28 AM on August 6, 2010
posted by giraffe at 7:28 AM on August 6, 2010
At the end of the live version of "Joytown", Kevin Gilbert sings a line from Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World."
Also, obscure semi-self-referential tidbit: at the end of Wonderboy's cover of "Build Me Up Buttercup," Robbie Rist sings a line from "Crimson and Clover." (And we paid for the use of that line. I suspect that most musical quoting flies under the radar of the music industry lawyers - and personally, I think that's a good thing.) ( ... semi-self-referential because Wonderboy's 3 released albums were on my little indie record label.)
Also, of course, this happens ALL THE TIME in jazz.
posted by kristi at 11:06 AM on August 6, 2010
Also, obscure semi-self-referential tidbit: at the end of Wonderboy's cover of "Build Me Up Buttercup," Robbie Rist sings a line from "Crimson and Clover." (And we paid for the use of that line. I suspect that most musical quoting flies under the radar of the music industry lawyers - and personally, I think that's a good thing.) ( ... semi-self-referential because Wonderboy's 3 released albums were on my little indie record label.)
Also, of course, this happens ALL THE TIME in jazz.
posted by kristi at 11:06 AM on August 6, 2010
Elvis Costello's When I was Cruel includes a few lines of ABBA's Dancing Queen.
posted by rocket88 at 1:28 PM on August 6, 2010
posted by rocket88 at 1:28 PM on August 6, 2010
Back in to clarify from before as promise: the Wheat song is "Body Talk (Part 2)" off Hope and Adams. Ah, high school WBER broadcast memories.
posted by ifjuly at 8:06 PM on August 6, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 8:06 PM on August 6, 2010
Can't believe I forgot this one! Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Deep Kick" off the excellent One Hot Minute
I rememberposted by muddgirl at 9:17 PM on August 6, 2010
ten years ago in hollywood
we did some good
And we did some real bad stuff
But the butthole surfers said
it's better to regret something you did
than something you didn't do
Killer Mike adapts the chorus of Biggie's Kick in the Door (Kick in the door, wavin the four-four/
All you heard was, 'Poppa, don't hit me no more') in the first verse of Get Em Shawty (When I kick in the door, grippin the forty-four/All you heard was, 'Killer, don't shoot me no more').
posted by Dim Siawns at 8:19 AM on August 8, 2010
All you heard was, 'Poppa, don't hit me no more') in the first verse of Get Em Shawty (When I kick in the door, grippin the forty-four/All you heard was, 'Killer, don't shoot me no more').
posted by Dim Siawns at 8:19 AM on August 8, 2010
On David Gray's album White Ladder, the last track is "Say Hello Wave Goodbye," a folky acoustic cover of the Soft Cell song. Gray's version adds in a final section where he sings some lines from two Van Morrison songs. He starts the section with the opening line from "Into the Mystic" ("We were born before the wind") and also works in some of the ending lyrics from "Madame George" ("say goodbye," "the rain, hail, sleet and snow" and "get on the train").
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 4:20 PM on August 8, 2010
posted by rangefinder 1.4 at 4:20 PM on August 8, 2010
Couple more:
Weezer alluding to Public Enemy, of course
La Lengua Asesina (a Two Dollar Guitar side work) has a song with the same name ("La Lengua Asesina") where he sings a line from Leonard Cohen's "Winter Lady" ("I'm just a station on your way/I know I'm not your lover"). As a plus, it's a great song.
posted by ifjuly at 6:27 PM on August 14, 2010
Weezer alluding to Public Enemy, of course
La Lengua Asesina (a Two Dollar Guitar side work) has a song with the same name ("La Lengua Asesina") where he sings a line from Leonard Cohen's "Winter Lady" ("I'm just a station on your way/I know I'm not your lover"). As a plus, it's a great song.
posted by ifjuly at 6:27 PM on August 14, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Skot at 11:47 AM on August 5, 2010