Songs directly addressed to someone non-famous (a friend or lover or half-brother, perhaps) who is named in the song but not in the title

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in these examples, the lyricist probably just could've penciled in "baby," but chose a name instead

was thinking earlier about the way Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey" moves backwards and forwards between using the title word as a generic endearment and an actual name

which rules it out of this thread but made me think

coombespair gaz prices (Noodle Vague), Thursday, 11 January 2018 16:21 (eight years ago)

I suspect "So Like Candy" does the same thing, NV.

mime kampf (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 11 January 2018 16:28 (eight years ago)

"Death at One's Elbow" by the Smiths

mahb, Thursday, 11 January 2018 16:34 (eight years ago)

The Kings, "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide"

Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, 11 January 2018 16:38 (eight years ago)

Outkast, "Roses" is a confusing one since the opening "Caroline" turns out to be third-person but then we shift into direct address for most of the lyric.

Newb Sybok (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 11 January 2018 16:43 (eight years ago)

If only T. Swift had dropped a specific music writer's name into "Mean" we'd be getting somewhere.

Monster fatberg (Phil D.), Thursday, 11 January 2018 16:59 (eight years ago)

Oh, per my original post and the mention of 'Caroline' I just remembered that Charlotte Hatherley also does this in 'Paragon'.

the smartest persin in the room (Old Lunch), Thursday, 11 January 2018 17:00 (eight years ago)

Actually if we're going Springsteen, "Born to Run" is a better example

or "meeting across the river" ("hey eddie...")

fact checking cuz, Thursday, 11 January 2018 17:46 (eight years ago)

not a second-person address, but seems to fit here:

the kinks "rock and roll fantasy" ("dan is a fan and he lives for our music / it's the only thing that gets him by / he's watched us grow and he's seen all our shows / he's seen us low and he's seen us high")

fact checking cuz, Thursday, 11 January 2018 17:50 (eight years ago)

billy joel "sleeping with the television on" ("i've been watching you waltz all night, diane...")

fact checking cuz, Thursday, 11 January 2018 17:53 (eight years ago)

So many Steely Dan songs. But those are like 90% fictional characters.

flappy bird, Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:13 (eight years ago)

Fictional characters are total fair game.

the smartest persin in the room (Old Lunch), Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:17 (eight years ago)

Todd Rundgren - We Gotta Get You A Woman

“Leroy boy, is that you?”

faust apes (NickB), Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:20 (eight years ago)

"Get Back" - Jojo and Loretta are both given direct instructions.

Newb Sybok (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:40 (eight years ago)

Interpol - "Evil"

"Rosemary / Heaven restores you in life" and "Sandy, why can't we look the other way?"

flappy bird, Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:45 (eight years ago)

Kid Creole:

Oh Annie - I'm not your daddy
See if I was in your blood then you wouldn't be so ugly

new noise, Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:46 (eight years ago)

argh named in the title... sorry.

new noise, Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:47 (eight years ago)

probably a ton of Madness songs fit this as they always sang about characters.
without even thinking, off their debut album, In The Middle of the Night : "Nice Man George, newsagent on the corner. Dirty old George ... "

mark e, Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:47 (eight years ago)

a whole bunch of Spoon songs do this ("Black Like Me," "Eddie's Ragga," "They Want My Soul" off the top of my head)

Simon H., Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:51 (eight years ago)

"Eddie's Ragga" (which never mentions anyone named Eddie) takes the unusual step of invoking some's full name:

You can break my legs, you can kick me downstairs
But there ain't no getting over Joanie Hale-Maier

Simon H., Thursday, 11 January 2018 19:55 (eight years ago)

"Venus in Furs" by VU

Josefa, Thursday, 11 January 2018 20:05 (eight years ago)

this thread made me realize that 8 out of 11 songs on "music for big pink" are either entirely in the second person or have at least a verse / chorus in the second person.

the only one that might belong here is "the weight" for the "take a load of, fanny" lyric

budo jeru, Thursday, 11 January 2018 20:06 (eight years ago)

Seasons in the Sun, but only in the last verse ("Goodbye Michelle...").

gjoon1, Friday, 12 January 2018 01:36 (eight years ago)

Maybe Fire and Rain (Suzanne directly addressed in 1st verse).

gjoon1, Friday, 12 January 2018 01:45 (eight years ago)

Bobby Conn "Angels" largely concerns someone named "Richard" who has a bad trip at a party. it's in third person but the chorus is pretty much addressed to them.

AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 12 January 2018 01:59 (eight years ago)

"Ballad of a Thin Man"

Newb Sybok (Doctor Casino), Friday, 12 January 2018 02:49 (eight years ago)

good one

flappy bird, Friday, 12 January 2018 02:49 (eight years ago)

Mr. Marks in McCartney's "Temporary Secretary." I feel like Paul has soooo many of these but I'm spacing beyond that one and "Get Back" which was already mentioned.

flappy bird, Friday, 12 January 2018 02:51 (eight years ago)

how about Laurie Anderson "O Superman"? is the military industrial complex a person? feel like 'o judge' counts. at the very least there's always mom (hi mom!)

flappy bird, Friday, 12 January 2018 02:53 (eight years ago)

"Stacy's Mom" is just outside the ring, as the song is addressed to Stacy, not the mom, but her name is there nonetheless.

Newb Sybok (Doctor Casino), Friday, 12 January 2018 02:56 (eight years ago)

The Cure - 'The Drowning Man': "Oh Fushia, you leave me breathing like the drowning man".

LeRooLeRoo, Friday, 12 January 2018 16:44 (eight years ago)

Laura Nyro - "Wedding Bell Blues" is addressed to Bill

justfanoe (Greg Fanoe), Friday, 12 January 2018 16:54 (eight years ago)

Mansion - Stripper Vicar

“Dear Mavis, I'm compelled to write this letter...”

faust apes (NickB), Friday, 12 January 2018 16:59 (eight years ago)

lol autocorrect, that should be Mansun obv

faust apes (NickB), Friday, 12 January 2018 17:00 (eight years ago)

This is a song for Karen!

JoeStork, Friday, 12 January 2018 17:13 (eight years ago)

Don't Look Back In Anger?

Colonel Poo, Friday, 12 January 2018 17:17 (eight years ago)

or does that not count because it just mentions a random name?

Colonel Poo, Friday, 12 January 2018 17:18 (eight years ago)

"This bottle, of Stephen's" - from Weezer's 'Say It Ain't So' (Rivers' Cuomo's stepfather)

PaulTMA, Friday, 12 January 2018 17:18 (eight years ago)

yeah I think that's the same, doesn't really count because it's not addressed to Stephen?

Colonel Poo, Friday, 12 January 2018 17:19 (eight years ago)

Kurt Cobain's father in 'Serve the Servants.' Although his name isn't mentioned: "I tried hard to have a father but instead I had a dad / I just want you to know that I don't hate you anymore / There is nothing I could say that I haven't thought before."

flappy bird, Friday, 12 January 2018 18:45 (eight years ago)

on that note see "Grandma take me home" in Nirvana's "Silver".

AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 12 January 2018 19:00 (eight years ago)

Future of the Left "Arming Eritrea" is directed, angrily, to someone named "Rick." I remember it getting hyped on ILM and me being totally baffled as it seemed to be the whiny screechings of a teenaged lout, grounded by his stepdad.

Righteous wax chaperone, rotating Wingdings (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 18 January 2018 16:01 (eight years ago)


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