Songs that mention important historical figures...

We Didn't Start the Fire-Billy Joel

Tom Sawyer-Rush

God Save the Queen-Sex Pistols

Land of Confusion-Genesis(Superman)

Jesus Christ Pose-Sound Garden

The Devil Went Down To Georgia-Charlie Daniels Band

A Fifth of Beethoven-Walter Murphy

Vogue-Madonna

Rasputin-Boney M

Closing Time-Leonard Cohen(Jesus and the Devil)

Don't fear the Reaper-Blue Oyster Cult

For the Love of God-Steve Vai

Frankenstein-Edgar Winter Group

Cadillac Ranch-Nitty Gritty Dirt Band(James Dean)

Just Like Jesse James-Cher

My Sweet Lord-George Harrison

Belle and Sebastian also have a song called Marx and Engels (good song too)

Aimee Mann - Pavlov's Bell (maybe a bit of a stretch)

Simon and Garfunkel - A Simple Desultory Phillipic (or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission) - lots in there

the Pogues - Young Ned Of the Hill - I don't know much about Irish/English history, but this song let me in on the fact that the Irish have no love for Oliver Cromwell.

Elvis Costello - Poor Napoleon

Elvis Costello - Oliver's Army (another Cromwell)

the Pope - Mao Mao Mao

this doesn't really count, but I guess originally when Paul Simon wrote Mrs. Robinson, it was Mrs. Roosevelt and it made the words a bit different. He played a bit of it on some interview show I saw a clip of. Side note: you couldn't get more high in an airplane.

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My favorite S&G song Shades! Great tune!

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Totally agree. I'm not sure how the timeline plays out exactly. I always figured them to be contemporaries, but you can just tell that Dylan was a huge influence on Simon.

While one the subject. I'm amazed with all the love that Dylan and Lennon and McCartney get on this board that no one ever acknowledges Paul Simon. I think he's definitely in that class of talent.

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Man on the Moon - REM - about Andy Kaufman (a stretch, but he is a huge figure of comedy. Elvis is in there too).

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Definitely At the Zoo. Bookends in general is a record that I'll go a year or so without hearing and just forget how amazing it is. At The Zoo is a great song. I get pissed at Banarama over the whole Hazy Shade of Winter thing. It's just not right that their version is more popular.

Washington is a large and all know city and is certainly worthwhile deliver a vacation or just visit that city. with hotelbye you will find more. Among the designs of Washington and the entire America may be the famous White House, the official residence of the President of the United States. The home of each and every leader except George Washington, it had been originally created by James Hoban in 1792, and after being burnt down by British forces in 1814 was renewed in 1818. While trips of the inside including the East, Blue, Green, and Red Rooms; the Ballroom; and the State Dining Room must certanly be reserved well beforehand, every tourist to Washington may wish to see this legendary developing, at the least from the outside. Next door to the White House are the intricate 1833 Greek Revival Treasury Building and the 1871 Executive Office Building, one of the very most impressive old government buildings in Washington.

OMG! I just got a Simon and Garfunkel box set and hadn't heard this song in years....

A Simple Desultory Philippic (Or How I Was Robert McNamara'd Into Submission)

I been Norman Mailered, Maxwell Taylored.

I been John O'Hara'd, McNamara'd.

I been Rolling Stoned and Beatled till I'm blind.

I been Ayn Randed, nearly branded

Communist, 'cause I'm left-handed.

That's the hand I use, well, never mind!

I been Phil Spectored, resurrected.

I been Lou Adlered, Barry Sadlered.

Well, I paid all the dues I want to pay.

And I learned the truth from Lenny Bruce,

And all my wealth won't buy me health,

So I smoke a pint of tea a day.

I knew a man, his brain was so small,

He couldn't think of nothing at all.

He's not the same as you and me.

He doesn't dig poetry. He's so unhip that

When you say Dylan, he thinks you're talking about Dylan Thomas,

Whoever he was.

The man ain't got no culture,

But it's alright, ma,

Everybody must get stoned.

I been Mick Jaggered, silver daggered.

Andy Warhol, won't you please come home?

I been mothered, fathered, aunt and uncled,

Been Roy Haleed and Art Garfunkeled.

I just discovered somebody's tapped my phone.

I lost my harmonica, Albert.

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I know, Prof!! I think I hit replay 3 times when it came on ~ I really hadn't heard it in *decades* and this time I could hear the roasting of Bob Dylan in his voice :-D I think there was a little jealousy there..

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After getting that box set and rediscovering how great they were and how many songs I TOTALLY knew from my childhood, I have to agree. They were solid heavyweights / ALL OVER the radio / killer albums/music/lyrics.... Yeah, they don't get their due today, do they?

Another song that took me by surprise was At the Zoo ~ *what* a sweet song!! (and I knew it well :-)

**edit3**

Hazy Shade of Winter is *such* a beautiful song ~ I'm gonna have to go get that CD out of my car during lunch!! :-D

1985 by Bowling For Soup

Mentions:

White Snake

Bruce Springsteen

Madonna

Nirvana

U2

Blondie

Wham

Limp Bizkit

Duran Duran

Van Halen

Motley Crue

Ozzy Osbourne

In that order.

LET THE MUSIC LIVE! SINGERS AND BANDS ARE IMPORTANT HISTORICAL FIGURES!

Alexander The Great-Iron Maiden

We Didn't Start the Fire-Billy Joel

(Richard Nixon, JFK etc)

James Dean-Hilary Duff

~x~Special Agent M~x~

Woodrow Wilson - Vic Chesnutt

James K. Polk - They Might Be Giants

In The Name of Love - (Martin Luther King Jr.) - U2

The Magnificent Seven - (Marx, Engles, Gandhi, Richard Nixon) - The Clash

Washington Bullets - (Salvadore Allende, Fidel Castro, the Dalai Lama) - The Clash

White Man In Hammersmith Palais - (Adolf Hitler) - The Clash

Talking World War III Blues - (Abraham Lincoln) - Bob Dylan

I Shall Be Free - (JFK) - Bob Dylan

Mexican Guy - (Dr. Phil) - The Stooges ;)

Stand Down Margaret - (Thatcher) - The English Beat

For starters...

BTW...Don McClean sang American Pie

Cortez The Killer, By Neil Young, about Hernan Cortes, Spanish conquistador

Pocahontas by Neil Young, about the infamous native American

Alec Eiffel, by Pixies about Alexandre Eiffel, designer of the tower that bears his name

Holland, 1945, by Neutral Milk Hotel - about Ann Frank

(also Oh Comely, Ghosts, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea all reference Ann Frank)

Some more Jesus References appear in Heroin by The Velvet underground and Walking with Jesus by Spacemen 3

Haiti by Arcade Fire mentions Papa Doc Duvalier

CSNY - Ohio

Mentions Nixon.

Prince - Ronnie, Talk To Russia

Sting - Russians

Mentions Reagan and Khruschev

The Specials - Free Nelson Mandela

Peter Gabriel - Biko

Steve Biko

I'm So Tired by The Beatles mentions Sir Walter Raleigh.

No More Heroes by The Stranglers (Leon Trotsky, William Shakespeare and The Great Almyra)

Durham Kitsch by Our Imaginary Friends (Sid Vicious and Che Guevarra)

God Save The Queen by The Sex Pistols (The Queen)

Edit - Warsaw by Joy Division doesn't mention Rudolf Hess specifically but is a cryptic reference to him. "350125 Go!" 350125 was Hess' POW number.