Songs that are aware of themselves

Were You There for that Session

This Is a Song that Only Has One Chord

Watering Down the Legacy

"I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlour,
drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and waving and looking so fine,
don't think you knew you were in this song..."

David Bowie, 5 Years. But Borrowed Tune comes a close 2nd.

Billy Bragg – New England
I was 21 years when I wrote this song, I’m 22 now but won’t be for long
Nicked from Paul Simon: Leaves That Are Green

Second verse,
Same as th first,
Judy Is Punk - Ramones
Nicked from Herman's Hermits (et al): I'm Henry The Eighth I Am

- True to the Game, Ice Cube

I think this song was top 5 in the USA too.

How does it feel?
Your night light, your curling iron
Lit up by the sweat of others,
For many's the day
But not from November to May

The floor is littered
With woodchips and apple cores
And hulls (holes?) of acorns
There is a chattering sound

Because they were squirrels; real squirrels.
(And there were thousands)
This isn't some kind of metaphor,
Goddamn, this is real

Oh I love her, and I just can't live without her
And I've got the urge to tell the world about her
But our love's a secret and can't see the light of day
But I went and wrote this love song anyway
Her name is [twang]
Her eyes are [twang]
Her hair is just like [twang]
And she measures [twang]
Oh someday, I'll fill in the lines when she and I are free
And we'll walk in the sunshine, [twang] and me

Still fitting (I think) but less awesome, though not by much:

1. "Another Irish Drinking Song," DaVinci's Notebook,
2. "Title of the Song," DVN,
3. "Meaningless Songs In Very High Voices" by Hee Bee Gee Bees, once they sing "The world is very very big and bacon comes from a pig but it's you I really want on my plate,"
4. "The Most Offensive Song Ever" from Kenny and Mr Hankey ("'Cause you can *mmph mmph mmph mmph* and still be a virgin, Mary!"), 5. "Silly Love Songs," Wings, and
6. "That's Evolution!" by Wally Pleasant ("Jesse Pickerel[sp?], why don't you just take it away! [musical interlude] Oh, Jesse, give it back!")

So, "Sunny Days" by Lighthouse: "it was four in the afternoon when I wrote this tune."

This is the song against itself
It's of two minds of its own
The discussion brough to logical conclusion
It follows through
But is not true

We'll just write a song against itself
Why do you act like you don't know
What in the world i'm talking about?
It follows through
You have no clue

"Cause this song has no title/just words and a tune."

Well I can't tell you anything
You don't already know
I keep on trying
I should just let it go

I keep on singing
Your eyes, they just roll
It sounds like someone else's song
From a long time ago

You already know the story
And the chords are just the same
You already know I love you
And I sound like what's his name

But you can't stop me
I want you to know
I know it sounds like someone else's song
From a long time ago

(played like faux-Hank Williams on the record, and like Led Zepplin live)

Also,

Steve Goodman/David Allan Coe, "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" (extended ambiguity about whether it's a song to a rejecting lover or to a rejecting public, then spoken-word interlude about how Goodman told Coe it was the perfect country song, and Coe said it couldn't be the perfect country song if it didn't say anything about getting drunk, or mama, or prison, or trucks, or trains, followed by Goodman's response -- a final verse involving all of the foregoing).

Bright Eyes, "Take It Easy, Love Nothing" (If you stay too long inside my memory / I will put you in a song tied to a melody / And I'll keep you there so you can't bother me)

Shari Lewis, "The Song That Never Ends" (This is the song that ne-ver ends / Yes it goes on and on my friends / Some people started singing it not knowing what it was / And they'll continue singing it forever just because / This is the song that ne-ver ends . . . )

"borrowed tune" ("i'm singing this borrowed tune/i took from the rolling stones..."

The Drugs - Pop Song ("This is our number one pop song choor-us/we're hoping that it makes a million dollars for us")

I believe Chicago's "25 or 6 to 4" is actually about trying to write a song, no?

Maybe I'm waaay offbase...

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