Songs that are aware of themselves

I always hear "Deacon Blues" as a sort of joke on that.

"This song will hold you in its arms
This song will fill you with its charms"

Judy Is Punk - Ramones

There was time in winter
There was parsley on my plate
I couldn't leave The Restaurant
So I left the middle 8

It's kinda clever.

In this kind of song
Middle bits are so predictable
But you came along
You were not at all predictable

"Michelle" by The Beatles is arguable.

Aaah yes, "It's short and sweet and to the point...."(?). Good call Jody ("Can't say that I blame you...."), I'm going to have to dig that one out and blow the dust off it when I get home now!

lyrics:

"there's only two songs in me, and I just wrote the third
don't know where I got the inspiration or how I wrote the words
spent my whole life just digging up my music's shallow grave
for the two songs in me and the third one I just made"

go little record go
it is named by
some guy named joe
and the words
are the letters of the words
said
electrically played
for outer space and those of they who paid
this song is twice ocurred
and now its time to go
away on holiday.

Soft Machine - "Moon in June"
"Just before we go on to the next part of our song
Let's all make sure we've got the time"

Also: King Crimson "Happy with What You Have to Be Happy With"

And are we going to count all of the songs that start out with someone saying "This one is for all the [ladies/guys/whathaveyou]"?

This is a love song to John and Leisha's mother /
This isn't easy I might not write another

He says at the start that he's listening to a familiar song on the radio, and then later on that he's 'hiding in his music' so the big swelling notes that follow are like the dream he has when he 'closes his eyes and he drifts away.' And it's 'More Than a feeling' because it's a feeling manifested in the actuality of the song. And if you think it's pretentious that he says 'hide in my music' well you have to suspend that idea.

have no doubt, Marcello: "Feel" is rivalling "Strong" in my mental chamber of horrors. hearing the album might reduce me to a floating skull off Chesil Beach.

Shame on us.

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord,
but you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
the minor fall, the major lift;
the baffled king composing Hallelujah!

And "The Fear" as well - "And the chorus goes like this" - not Jarvis's finest lyrical hour, admittedly, but it's there.

"Why do I find it hard to write the next line..."

rather, cherchez la ghost

The Monkees: Pleasant Valley Sunday

"The local rock group down the street is trying hard to learn this song"

That is such an underrated line.

which is the worst, as he keeps going SAYING THAT!!!

(Spandau Ballet, True, for the USA bods)

Mekons: Empire of the Senseless

"They took away our films and tapes and notebooks but it's OK, we self-censored this song. But these lines are all individuals! And there's no such thing as this song."

"This song promotes homosexuality. It's in a pretended family relationship with the others on this record. And on the charts and on the jukebox. And in the radio."

That is such an underrated song.

And, of course, Weird Al to thread, cf. "This song is just six words long."

Also Squirrel song ("This is a sad fucking song! We'll be lucky if I don't bust out crying") and Song Against Itself, both by Shellac.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B21qhoKbmNE

well, i wrote this song
with a vamp in the middle
and i knew when i wrote it
that i'd written it for the fiddle

Songs that get all meta and mention 'this song' in the lyrics

This is the first verse
This is the first verse
This is the first verse, the first, the first
And this is the first verse, verse, first verse
And this is the first verse, verse
This is the first verse

And this is the chorus
Or perhaps it's a bridge
Or just another part of the song that I'm singing

And this is the second verse
It could be the last verse
This is the second verse, second verse, second verse
It could be the last verse, last verse
And this is the second verse
But it's probably the last one

And this is the chorus
Or perhaps it's a bridge
Or just another key change
Never mind, it doesn't hurt
It only means that I lost faith in this song
'Cause it won't help me reach you

Yes sir, already told you in the first verse and in the chorus,
But I will give you one more chance...

songs that are about themselves

There's something about THIS song ... Songs that reference themselves.

Now hear this Robert Zimmerman, I wrote a song for you...

another from john hartford:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBZFebgYU_I

Love a tune that boasts about repeating the first verse, eg:

Violent Femmes - Prove My Love / The Ramones - Judy is a Punk / Herman’s Hermits - I’m Henry the VII I am

^otm

You criticize our method of how we make records
You said it wasn't art, so now we're gonna rip you apart
Stop, check it out my man
This is the music of a hip-hop band
Jazz, well you can call it that
But this jazz retains a new format
Point, where you misjudged us
Speculated, created a fuss
You've made the same mistake politicians have
Talkin' all that jazz

#onethread

Radio stations I question their blackness, they call themselves black, but we'll see if they'll play this

Smudge - I Don’t Want To Be Grant McLennan