24 Best Songs With Names In the Title
Musicians take inspiration from a wide range of sources when it comes to writing music. It could be a life event, a casual encounter, or an interaction with their significant other. Many incredible songs with names in the title are influenced by a muse, be that a friend, a lover, a family member, or even a stranger.
Sometimes the artist will use the real name of a person in their life, while other times it’s an alias or fake name that suits the song. Other names are metaphors used to describe what the song is about. Whatever the case, musos love nothing more than singing about someone who has impacted their life.
We’ve rounded up 24 of the greatest songs that use real names in the title from artists as varied as Dolly Parton, Plain White T’s, and Jay-Z and Beyoncé for you to enjoy below.
1. Fleetwood Mac – Rhiannon
Taken from Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled tenth-long player, “Rhiannon” is about a witch from a novel called Triad by Mary Bartlet Leader. Released in 1976, it was another smash hit for Fleetwood Mac, although it never made the top ten of the Billboard Top 100, only reaching as high as 11.
Fun fact: Stevie Nicks, who wrote the song, planned on creating an entire project around the Rhiannon character but it never eventuated.
2. Michael Jackson – “Billie Jean”
The “Billie Jean” in question isn’t just one person but a representation of all the women who claimed to have slept with Michael Jackson and his brothers and got pregnant. It seems this was a common occurrence during Jackson’s time in the spotlight during the 80s.
It’s something he discussed several times in interviews and his own memoir, Moonwalk, where he explained that “there never was a real Billie Jean. The girl in the song is a composite of people my brothers have been plagued with over the years. I could never understand how these girls could say they were carrying someone’s child when it wasn’t true.”
A number-one hit in 12 countries around the world, the Quincy Jones-produced track is a stand-out from Jackson’s Thriller album that still gets dancefloors moving today.
3. Vance Joy – “Georgia”
One of Aussie singer-songwriter Vance Joy’s favorite songs he’s ever written, “Georgia” is a simple guitar number with several different meanings. Some say it’s Joy singing about a lost love while others see it as a song about vulnerability. It’s also said to be a nod to the Ray Charles classic “Georgia on My Mind.” Whatever the true meaning of the song is, it’s a bloody ripper.
4. Neil Diamond – “Sweet Caroline”
This is the song that will forever be linked with American crooner Neil Diamond. Released in 1969, Diamond has given several explanations behind the meaning of the song, and not all of them are to do with a woman named Caroline.
The strangest thing about this track is how it has turned into a victory song for sports teams across the globe, with both the MLB’s Boston Red Sox and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers playing the song on the loudspeakers after wins.
5. Dolly Parton – “Jolene”
One of Dolly Parton’s biggest hits is about a woman, “Jolene,” attempting to steal her man. The song is inspired by real-life events, with a Parton telling NPR that there are two women who the song is named after. One is a redheaded fan Parton met at a show whose name is Jolene, while the other is a redheaded bank teller who used to flirt with her husband.
Parton believes the song’s success lies in its simplicity, saying; “It’s a great chord progression – people love that ‘Jolene’ lick. It’s as much a part of the song almost as the song. And because it’s just the same word over and over, even a first-grader or a baby can sing, ‘Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene.’ It’s like, how hard can that be?”
The song continues to resonate today, with dozens of artists covering the track, including The White Stripes, Olivia Newton-John, Lil Nas X, and Mindy Smith, who is responsible for Parton’s favorite “Jolene” cover.
6. The Rolling Stones – “Angie”
Written by Keith Richards with assistance from Mick Jagger, “Angie” was the lead single from The Rolling Stones’ classic Goats Head Soup album. A stripped-back piano ballad, the song has several different inspirations, with Richard’s claiming it was about his daughter Dandelion Angela and Jagger saying it’s to do with his breakup from Marianne Faithful.
7. ABBA – “Fernando”
There are two versions of this ABBA classic: one sung in Swedish and the other in English. Both have very different meanings, with the Swedish original about the narrator consoling the heartbroken Fernando, while the English version is about two Mexican freedom fighters looking back on a battle they both fought decades ago.
While both are great, we lean towards the English “Fernando” as we can actually understand what ABBA are singing about.
8. Erykah Badu – “Tyrone”
A favorite of Erykah Badu fans, “Tyrone” finds the talented singer discussing her deadbeat boyfriend who she wants to get rid of. The Tyrone in question is actually the boyfriend’s mate, with Badu telling him to call up Tyrone to help him move his stuff out of her house.
9. Plain White T’s – “Hey There Delilah”
The Delilah in question is American cross-country runner Delilah DiCrescenzo. After Plain White T’s frontman Tom Higgenson met DiCrescenzo through a mutual friend, he was mesmerized by her beauty and told her he had written a song about her. At the time DiCrescenzo was already in a relationship, and about a year later Higgenson finished the song.
“Hey There Delilah” became the band’s biggest song in the summer of 2004, topping the Billboard Hot 100 charts and turning Plain White T’s into international rock stars.
10. Elton John – “Daniel”
Nobody does a ballad quite like the great Elton John. “Daniel” is another top-ten hit sung by John (and written by Bernie Taupin) about a Vietnam Vet who returns to his small town and wants to escape the scrutiny that comes with being a war veteran and go back to his old life.
11. Jay Z feat. Beyoncé – “03 Bonnie & Clyde”
Teaming up on a song for the first time, newly minted couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé flipped 2Pac’s “Me and My Girlfriend” into a song about how much they need each other. The title and film clip is inspired by the legend of Bonnie and Clyde, while the song itself was a massive hit for the duo and lived up to expectations.
12. Goo Goo Dolls – “Iris”
Originally written for the soundtrack to the Nicolas Cage movie City of Angels, “Iris” went on to become the Goo Goo Dolls’ biggest hit. Named after country folk singer-songwriter Iris DeMent, whose name Goo Goo Dolls frontman John Rzeznik saw in a concert listing in the LA Weekly newspaper, the song is a power ballad about a person who would give everything up to be with the person they love.
13. The Police – “Roxanne”
Staying in Paris near the red light district, The Police frontman Sting was inspired to write this song about the ladies of the night. The name Roxanne is a reference to a character from the play Cyrano de Bergerac.
Although the band wasn’t overly thrilled with the song, Miles Copeland III, drummer Stewart Copeland’s brother and the group’s soon-to-be manager, loved it, and the song was released as their debut single after signing with A&M Records. Although not a huge hit, it charted well enough to set The Police on their way to superstardom.
14. Amy Winehouse – “Valerie”
Although a cover of a Zutons song, Amy Winehouse turned “Valerie” into something magical that is easily on par with the original version. The Valerie in question is celebrity makeup artist Valerie Star, with the song about a drunk driving charge she received and her wish to visit Zutons frontman Dave McCabe and escape her troubles for a while.
15. The Beatles – “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds”
“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” takes its name from a picture drawn by Julian Lennon, the son of The Beatles John Lennon. He named it “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” after his classmate Lucy O’Donnell. The lyrics are inspired by Alice in Wonderland.
16. Little Richard – “Lucille”
The “Architect of Rock and Roll” is wondering where his lover is on the 50s rocker “Lucille.” Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, “Lucille” is one of Little Richards’ best songs that really showcases the screaming style of singing he perfected.
17. The Beach Boys – Barbra Ann
Originally written by Fred Fassert and inspired by his sister Barbra Ann, the song of the same name was first recorded by the Regents and released in 1961. The best-known version of “Barbra Ann” is the one The Beach Boys put out in 1965. Featuring the boy band’s pristine harmonies and Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean on lead vocals, it was another big hit for the Californian act.
18. Boston – “Amanda”
Unlike most of the songs on this list, the title of Boston’s “Amanda” isn’t inspired by an actual person or real-life event. It’s not even a metaphor for something deeper. The band choose the name because it fitted in well with the structure of the song. It certainly worked, with “Amanda” Boston’s highest charting single of all time, topping the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986.
19. Tom Jones – “Delilah”
Somewhat controversial when released in 1968, “Delilah” tells the story of a man who catches his girlfriend cheating. When he confronts her, she laughs in his face, so he stabs her to death. Nice fella. Despite the lyrical content, “Delilah” was another hit for Jones and is a song he still performs live.
20. Elvis Costello – “Veronica”
Sounding upbeat and fun, “Veronica” is actually a sad song about an elderly lady in a nursing home losing her mind. It’s inspired by Elvis Costello’s grandmother, who sadly suffered from the disease Alzheimer’s.
Written in collaboration with Paul McCartney, Costello said this about the song in his 2015 autobiography Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink: “I’d brought an early version of ‘Veronica’ that you would have recognized… All the words I’d already written were about my paternal grandmother, Molly, or more formally, Mabel Josephine Jackson. In fact, her Catholic confirmation name, Veronica, provided the very title of the song.”
21. Nirvana – “Polly”
“Polly” is based on the harrowing true story of a 14-year-old girl who was kidnapped, tortured, and raped by Gerald Arthur Friend in 1987. In an interesting twist, the song was written from the point of view of the perpetrator, with the girl in the song tricking her kidnapper into thinking she likes him and escaping.
It’s quite a depressing song and one that Kurt Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, doesn’t think would exist in today’s current climate. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2021, she said “you can’t write that song today, from the point of view of the perpetrator. Kurt would definitely not be allowed to sing ‘Polly’ today, and I think that’s pretty sad”
22. Taylor Swift – “Marjorie”
“Majorie” is a song about Taylor Swift’s grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who passed away while the singer was quite young. An opera singer who helped encourage Swift to follow her musical dreams, the singer reminisces about their time together on the track, singing about how her grandmother still visits her in her dreams.
23. The Killers – “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine”
Although never released as a single, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” is one of The Killers’ most popular songs. It’s the story of a young man being questioned about the murder of a girl named Jenny. Based on the confession of murderer Robert Chambers, who killed Jennifer Levin in 1986, it’s a great piece of new-wave indie pop with a sinister backstory.
24. Bruce Springsteen – “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)”
“I wrote it as a kiss-off to everybody who counted you out, put you down, or decided you weren’t good enough,” Springsteen said of live favorite “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).” It’s believed the Roaslita in question was a girl Springsteen was taking out as a youngster whose parents disapproved of his rock star lifestyle.
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