Have you ever thought about songs that have personal names in them? How many are there? Most importantly, which are the best ones? They come in all genres of music – rock, country, folk, etc. I thought this would be an easy task to list the top 20 songs with personal names, but it was a lot more difficult than I realized. There are a lot of them!
My thoroughly researched analysis (about 20 minutes) suggests that some names lend themselves to being included in more songs than others. Some examples are:
- Ann, Annie, Annette or some form of the name Angela (John Denver, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dyllan, etc)
- Cecelia (Simon & Garfunkel, Trembling Blue Stars, and the Pixies)
- Jane (The Clash, Bare Naked Ladies, Aerosmith, etc.)
- Mary or Marie (Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morrisett, Credence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, etc)
- Sally (The Beatles, Rufus Wainright, Eric Clapton, etc)
- Carol or Caroline (Neil Sedaka, Neil Diamond, the Beach Boys, etc)
- Sue, Suzie, or Suzanne (The Everly Brothers, Aimee Mann, Leonard Cohen, etc)
So, without any further adieu, here is my top 20 list of songs with personal names (listed in no particular order):
- Roxeanne by The Police
- Buddy Holly by Weezer
- Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds by the Beatles
- Mandy by Barry Manilow
- Beth by Kiss
- Layla by Eric Clapton
- Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac
- Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
- Jack and Diane by John Cougar Mellencamp
- Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls
- Bad, Bad Leroy Brown by Jim Croce
- Daniel by Elton John
- Allison by Elvis Costello
- Amie by Pure Prairie League
- Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
- Janie’s Got a Gun by Aerosmith
- Proud Mary by Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Good Golly Miss Molly by Little Richard
- Help Me Rhonda by The Beach Boys (I had to list this one in honor of my good friend, Rhondda…she helps me a lot!)
- St. Jimmy by Green Day
That’s my top 20 list. Did I miss any that you think should be included?
Gloria by Van Morrison
Kate by Ben Folds
Amelia by Joni Mitchell (about Amelia Earhart)
Zak and Sara by Ben Folds
Libby by Carly Simon
Annie Waits by Ben Folds
Georgia on My Mind,sung by Lou Rawls
Cecelia by Simon & Garfunkel is still one of my favorites. (Does Mrs. Robinson count, too?)
And, yes, I have a thing for Ben Folds.
June 17, 2010
9:36 am
I love Van Morrison!! Gloria is a great song. These are all great songs and definitely Mrs. Robinson counts too! Did I tell you I saw Ben Folds in concert? Wow – some impressive talent there!
Why aren’t there any songs with Trisha? I think someone is missing out on a big opportunity.
June 17, 2010
3:33 pm
PS: Would it be wrong to say “Mary Jane” by Tom Petty.
June 17, 2010
9:43 am
Definitely Mary Jane should be on the list. Here’s the rough start to my song about Trisha! Do you think we should contact Ben Folds to see if he wants to sing it?
Oh my Trisha
She’s such a lovely dish-yeah
She’s the only who’ll do
She’s so sweet and kind and true
She won’t every dys yuh
June 17, 2010
3:44 pm
Sweet Adeline by Elliot Smith
What a fun post, Marly!
June 17, 2010
11:28 am
Monet – Another good one. I’m glad you like it too!
AJ – I don’t think I know this one, but I’m gonna check it out. Tell your sister I think she’s got a beautiful name!
June 17, 2010
3:45 pm
Leah by Donnie Iris (I probably only know this because my sister’s name is Leah)
June 17, 2010
1:56 pm
Ah yes. I do remember this one. Hilarious video posted on youtube. Anyone else want to check it out? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyTu_ZdcBCo
June 17, 2010
3:47 pm
Peggy Sue
June 17, 2010
10:14 pm
can’t forget Martha My Dear (The Beatles)
June 18, 2010
11:21 am
Looks like that one is of particular interest to you. The Beatles had several good name songs – Lucy in the Sky, Martha My Dear, Michelle, and I think there were a few more too…
June 23, 2010
11:55 am