SONGS WHERE/SONGS THAT/SONGS WITH/SONGS IN WHICH

“Hamilton” would work well today.

Songs in which the artist refers (by name) to a manager or other non-performing member of their “team”

Enya - Orinoco Flow (Rob Dickins)
Beastie Boys - Intergalactic (Mario C)

And ofc Blur now have an an album named after Smoggy

Funkadelic, "Cholly (Funk Gettin' Ready to Roll)" (Cholly Bassoline, George Clinton's manager)

Always sounded like a made up name to me but he appears to be real:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cholly-bassoline-b0987885

Songs in which the artist refers (by name) to a manager or other non-performing member of their “team”

BA Robertson - Bang Bang

“Life was in a ruin, she loved Johnny Fruin”; John Fruin was the head of WEA Records in 1979. Very inclusive reference from BA.

Same thinking as Enya!

I never knew the lyrics of “Orinoco Flow” (beyond the chorus), but flabbergasted that it name-checks a guy named “Rob Dickins”!

Songs in which different verses are an octave apart. Either with the same singer or different singers.

(Correct me if I am wrong, which happens frequently.)

Bill Withers starts Lean on Me low, with "some times in our lives, we all have pain" etc. The other verses are up from there, e.g., "if there is a load" etc.

So Blink-182 starts I Miss You low, with "Hello there, the angel from my nightmare" etc. The other verse is up from there "Where are you" etc.

Note: NOT a key change, just the same melody an octave up.

i know this happens a lot but can't for the life of me think of any examples rn

it definitely makes sense from an arrangement standpoint, in terms of adding variation without really doing anything new

I believe Geddy Lee does this on the last pre-chorus of "Freewill" by Rush.

Songs which have amazing intros and slowly drop in quality until the end is either mediocre or actually bad.

Obvious example of this = Love Is The Drug. Maybe also Pyjamarma.

Xp Probably some male/female duets work this way also, but I am having trouble thinking of which. "Up Where We Belong"?

Idk if this counts but Another One Bites the Dust has a similar idea ?

Cat Stevens’ Father and Son

Not an answer but the q makes me think of “1999”

Peter Hammill does the octave jump on the chorus of "Lemmings" and probably in other songs. Bowie does it twice in the opening verse(s) of "Sweet Thing".

Pop songs that make hooks out of pauses

The Beach Boys - The Little Girl I Once Knew
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)
Garbage - Supervixen
Madonna - Don't Tell Me

Funny how a song you haven't heard in maybe 30 years can sometime be the first to pop into your head after a prompt like this:

The Colorblind James Experience - A Different Bob

Maybe the whole thing is too stop-start to count, but:
Television - Prove It

Antici

pation

The Breeders – Cannonball

English Beat - Rankin Fullstop

Fugazi - Waiting Room

Songs which announce individual sections

From the Viz magazine single "Bags of Fun with Buster" by Johnny Japes & His Jesticles (who are certainly not John Otway, Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory):

Oh Buster, why do you let your sac swing so low? / Sax swing solo? Yes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugIShP1qgKk

Songs that mention unsent letters:

R.E.M. - Letter Never Sent
The Folk Implosion - Burning Paper
Lana Del Rey - Sweet

Top Ten Songs Titles Improved by Replacing the Word "Walk" with "Wank"

Walk Like an Egyptian
Walk a Mile in My Shoes
Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)
I Walk on Gilded Splinters
Walk Away Renee
Walking in Rhythm
These Boots Are Made for Walking
Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast
You'll Never Walk Alone
Walkin' the Dog

Walking to New Orleans
Walking in Memphis

But I would wank 500 miles, and I would wank 500 more...

Alternatively, how about songs improved by changing "Walkin'" to "Walken"?

https://ministryofbollockscouk.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/boots_walken.jpg

60s UK toytown pop songs which contain the phrase “all fingers and thumbs”:

Manfred Mann - Ha! Ha! Said the Clown
World of Oz - The Muffin Man

Baggy-type songs by (ahem) non-baggy artists. Whether intentional or not (almost always intentional).

Bon Jovi - Keep the Faith
George Michael - Freedom '90
Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
Siouxsie & the Banshees - Kiss Them for Me
The Cure - Never Enough, Harold & Joe
U2 - Mysterious Ways
The Fall - Telephone Thing
The Jesus & Mary Chain - Far Gone and Out, Reverence, etc
Julian Cope - Poet Is Priest...
Fatboy Slim - Praise You
The Beautiful South - Hooligans Don't Fall in Love
Manic Street Preachers - La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall

Can - I'm So Green

songs about getting around l.a. without a car

missing persons - "walking in l.a."
juan wauters - "millionaire"

Hit singles that begin really dissonant and/or atonal

OMD - Maid of Orleans
Adam & the Ants - Prince Charming
The Cure - The Caterpillar
Family - In My Own Time

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 25 January 2023 05:27 (eleven months ago) bookmarkflaglink

I suppose Purple Haze

― you can see me from westbury white horse, Wednesday, 25 January 2023 05:28 (eleven months ago) bookmarkflaglink

The Human Beinz - Nobody But Me

(which I guess is just following the example of The Beatles - I Feel Fine)

― got it in the blood, the kid's a pelican (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 25 January 2023 12:37 (eleven months ago) bookmarkflaglink

The Wedding Present - No Christmas. Which was a hit...

The Cure - Strange Attraction. Which wasn't, unless apparently getting to no. 145 in Oz counts.

Songs that have a conspicuous exhale
Janet Jackson - All For You

Albums whose best songs are the first and final tracks (yes, I know this is subjective):

Pinback - Summer in Abaddon
The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth

The best songs on Summer in A are in the middle, “red book,” “3x0,” etc

My favorite track in the middle is “Bloods on Fire”… I love the It's not in the spark that's not in your eye /
Like we used to talk… part.

(But “Non-Photo Blue” and “AFK” are just all-time jams)

songs which list a geographical region that doesn't exist or at least isn't a place that's remarkable like they made it out to be

"Don't Stop Believin'" - South Detroit
"The Night Chicago Died" - the East Side of Chicago

"Kids in America" - East California

Artists, not songs, but seems as good a thread as any...

Albert Ayler
Billy Bragg
Charlie Christian
Delia Derbyshire
Eazy E
Freddy Fender
Grant Green
Holly Herndon
II
Janis Joplin
Kerry King
Lyle Lovett
Marissa Marchant
NN
Ozzy Osborne
Patti Page
QQ
Rick Ross
Sly Stone
Tanya Tucker
UU
Vinny Vincent
Wesley Willis
Xiu Xiu
YY
ZZ Hill

It's Immaterial

Nina Nastasia

or Nervous Norvus

Yin and Yan

Zig & Zag

Quando Quango

nappy nina, rapper from the bay

quickly, quickly

deadpan 90s dance covers of rock songs with Meaning

jam tronik - another day in paradise
a.d.a.m. feat. amy - zombie
atlantis - d'you know what i mean

songs which are on all early 2001 dance compilations and were hit singles but no one remembers them now

santos - camels
hatiras - spaced invader