Great songs about real people

Another famous Edie wrote a song about her, too.

Vincent Van Gogh

R2 And Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” is about Don McLean.

"Rosanna," arguably based on Rosanna Arquette.

Nico

Sedgwick

Nico

Sedgwick

You're So Vain about someone famous

Eric Clapton when he was in Derek and the Dominoes: LAYLA. Written about Pattie Boyd, George Harrison's then wife, later to become Clapton's wife.

Eric Clapton Part Deux: Tears In Heaven. Written for his recently deceased four-year-old son Conor.

This thread just took a sad turn.

Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot about the sleazy groupie who wound up speedballing John Belushi to death. 💀

Annie’s Song by John Denver concerning his wife who he ended up divorcing.

Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel concerning his wife who he ended up divorcing.

I know OP said great songs, but the best I can do right now is submit Obsessed, which is about Mariah's obsession with Eminem's Mariah Carey obsession.

Tom Lehrer's homage to Alma Mahler!

Me too OP. If you haven’t Jean Stein’s bio started it for me.

I had no idea that Cult song was about Edie Sedgwick.

"Kiss Them for Me" by Siouxsee & The Banshees, about Jayne Mansfield.

I thought this was great when it first came out, but heard it too many times...

This ditty about one of our former Presidents has a catchy tune and a fun beat...

R14 That’s about Jayne Mansfield? Wow.

"Bela Lugosi's Dead" - Bauhaus

"Kiss Them for Me" movie poster.

R7, If we're going to mention Pattie Boyd, arguably the greatest Muse of Rock and Roll:

R15 Oh I still love that song! Alan, baby, why so jaded? Have the boys all grown up and their beauty faded? that line screams Bryan Singer.

This song, about Brenda Spencer and in my neighborhood in San Diego.

Robert DeNiro's Waiting by Bananarama.

My entire generation sang about Davy Crockett!

One of the greatest Folk songs: "Lizzie Borden"!

Give it to me, I still love this song.

Timbaland’s toward Scott Storch JT towards Prince Nelly towards Fergie

Candle in the Wind by Elton John is about Marilyn Monroe.

Meta, R27.

Dylan's "Just Like A Woman" is about Edie Sedgwick. As is "Like A Rolling Stone".

And Rock and Roll's 2nd-Greatest Muse: Linda McCartney.

Jude Cole, “It Comes Around”, written and recorded about Julia Roberts after she dumped Kiefer Sutherland.

“You were such a pretty woman, those were the days. One thing’s for sure in this town baby, being pretty pays”.

Abraham, Martin and John.

Rasputin by the Boney M.

The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde by Georgie Fame.

John Lennon wrote 2 songs about Yoko - Oh Yoko, and Dear Yoko.

Lana Del Rey’s Cola about Harvey Weinstein and Georgina Chapman.

Heart's "Barracuda" about the sleazy record promoter.

Midnight Oil's "Read About It" is about Rupert Murdoch and his evil media empire.

The Beatles' "Let It Be" is about Paul's mother having come to him in a dream.

Papa John Phillips wrote his best songs about his second wife, Michelle.

Simon told Howard Stern who the song is about but he's never announced it. Rosanna Arquette must've had some BOMB pussy to have two great songs written about her.

"Joey" by Concrete Blonde is about Joey Buttafuoco.

John Lennon's song about Paul Mccartney How do you Sleep?"

Not my favourite Prefab Sprout song, but…

I’ll tell you like it is, I’ve just got to wait for Liz. (Elizabeth Taylor obvs)

REM – ‘Man on the Moon’ about Andy Kaufman

"Dusty Springfield, that's a pretty name."

Blossom Dearie

r14 I love "Kiss Them For Me". Here are the lyrics, referencing Jayne Mansfield's fatal car crash:

It glittered and it gleamed For the arriving beauty queen A ring and a car Now you're the prettiest by far No party she'd not attend No invitation she wouldn't send Transfixed by the inner sound Of your promise to be found "Nothing or no one will ever Make me let you down" Kiss them for me, I may be delayed Kiss them for me if I am delayed It's divoon, oh it's serene In the fountains pink champagne Someone carving their devotion In the heart-shaped pool of fame "Nothing or no one will ever Make me let you down" Kiss them for me, I may be delayed Kiss, kiss them for me, I may find myself delayed On the road to New Orleans A spray of stars hit the screen As the tenth impact shimmered The forbidden candles beamed Kiss them for me, I may be delayed Kiss them for me, I may find myself delayed Kiss them for me, kiss them for me Kiss them for me, I may find myself delayed Kiss them for me, kiss them for me

Oscar Wilde, who is gay, unlike Moz.

"The Right Profile" by The Clash, about Montgomery Clift.

This beautiful song, which always makes me cry. I've heard it's about Prince.

Bonnie and Clyde by Serge Gainsbourg.

"Uptown Girl" was about Christie Brinkley.

"Just the Way You Are" and "Only a Woman" are about Elizabeth Weber, another wife he divorced.

Sting's An Englishman In New York is about Quentin Crisp.

"Ruby Tuesday" by the Rolling Stones is about Keith Richards' ex-girlfriend, model Linda Keith.

The Beatles: HEY JUDE. Written by Paul originally called Hey Jules. A song for Julian Lennon after John deserted the family for you-know-who.

Others claim it was a song backing Lennon's decision to leave his family for Yoko and the lyrics seem to back up that theory.

Not a Beatles aficionado but I'm sure others can shed some light on the song's origins.

Here Today by Paul about John.

Ma Baker by Boney M about Ma Barker.

Peter Allen's Quiet please, there's a lady on stage is said to be about Judy Garland or Julie Wilson.

R44 I do like that song, but like this later one even more, one of several PS songs that has an implied reference to Elvis.....

"Oh Sherrie"---By Steve Perry of Journey, about his GF Sherrie Swafford.

Another Elvis-themed song

The most interesting thing bland queen Sarah McLachlan ever did was write a song using the words her stalker wrote to her in a letter.

GURL!

Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" was inspired by Priscilla Presley's book ("Elvis and Me") wherein she uses the phrase to describe her relationship with Elvis. Martin Gore explains:

[quote] It's a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care. It's about how Elvis Presley was her man and her mentor and how often that happens in love relationships; how everybody's heart is like a god in some way, and that's not a very balanced view of someone, is it?

You could fill 300 replies with discussions of the various real people Joni Mitchell wrote about, but this one is a great song, and it's about Leonard Cohen.

This one is James Taylor. (The other one on the album is about him shooting up so I kept it a little more lighthearted)

Black Velvet by Alannah Myles is about Elvis...

Jackie's Strength by Tori Amos is about Jackie On Assistance

Professional Widow is (allegedly) about Courtney Love

Sugar Finney - about the Kennedy brothers and Marilyn Monroe

Dear Prudence (Beatles) is about Mia Farrow's sister, Prudence.

Speaking of stalkers R63, Blondie's song "One Way or Another" is about an ex-boyfriend who began stalking Debbie Harry after they broke up. From wiki:

[quote] "One Way or Another" was inspired by one of Harry's ex-boyfriends who stalked her after their breakup According to Harry, the boyfriend's constant calling and persistent stalking forced her to move out of New Jersey. The stalking had taken place in 1973, when Harry was a member of The Stilettos. Harry's former bandmate Elda Gentile recalled, "It was freaking us all out, especially Chris (Stein."

Hey Jude - Paul McCartney wrote it about and for John Lennon's son.

R61 If I’m not mistaken, the girl in the video is the real Sherrie.

This thread inspired a new one about news events.

Swans - Celebrity Lifestyle, about Madonna who Michael Gira dated very shortly before she became famous and he despised her.

Man Called Czar, a song by Frank Black about John Denver trying to go to outer space.

From Lyric Genius:

[quote]Frank Black, VOX Issue 30, March 1993:

[quote] "John Denver is an accomplished pilot, and he offered ten million dollars to the NASA agency, and also ten million dollars to what was then the Soviet space agency, just so that they would take him up into space. He was denied by both, and I kind of feel bad for him because, even though the money may have been better used for charitable purposes, I sort of admire a really wealthy person like that who tries to go out an do something really weird with his money."

[quote] Some say Denver found the price of US$10 million set by the Soviet Space Agency to take him there a bit too steep, and tried to negotiate but failed. Others (like Black) say the agency was the one that denied the offer.

This Monkees song about

MARY!

I second R14 with "Kiss Them for Me."

An all-time great. Loved it in the '90s when it came out; it's still in my most-played Spotify songs.

California Uber Alles about Gov Jerry Brown, who nailed DL fave Linda Ronstadt. Also, DK are great.