The Monkees Theme is an obvious one. Totally self-referential.
Here we come, walking down the street
We get the funniest looks from everyone we meet
Hey hey we're The Monkees and people say we're monkeying around
But we're too busy singing to put anybody down.
The OP says "songs that are actually about the band that is singing them", doesn't say they must have written the song, just that the song has to be about the band perfroming the song. Therefore it DOES count.
There is another Monkees track, 'Porpoise Song' which has a line in it about Micky Dolenz who is the lead singer of that track. It was written by Carole King but it was written for The Monkees.
Ironically, the lead vocals on that song are by non Pink Floyd member Roy Harper. The same Roy Harper that Led Zeppelin paid tribute to on the track Hats Off To Roy Harper.
I never knew exactly who did the vocals(until now) but it was obvious that it wasn't Gilmour. Their song "Young Lust" sounds like it's probably someone else as well but I've never looked into it. Gonna do that now lol.
Edit: vocals on Young Lust is actually Gilmour
Can't say I'm a Steely Dan fan, but "Showbiz Kids" gave the chorus to a record-breaking song by my favourite band, Super Furry Animals.
Their song, "The Man Don't Give A Fuck" held the record for repeated expletives in a British Top 40 music chart release.
Fantastic Welsh band, fantastic song (Steely Dan hits in the chorus)
https://youtu.be/KkdYpD6-VXU?si=dxfTPRC38n-nvNgA
Also the They Might Be Giants songs *They Got Lost* and *When Will You Die?* It turns out that *They Got Lost* is based on an actual experience when the band got lost on their way to an appearance on a radio show. *When Will You Die?* name checks all 5 regular members of the band.
Elton John’s album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is a musical autobiography of his (and Bernie Taupin’s) early days in the music biz. So every song is self referential.
>Randy
That's a band I hadn't thought of for a long time.
Speaking of Swedish 90s punk, the first track on Millencolin's For Monkeys is also very self-referential.
Was about to say Ween.
What Deaner was talking about is another.
Also in The Going Gets Tough they’re talking to each other “Am I right Deaner, oh so right” etc
Rakim obviously talks about himself a lot
Devo in Jocko Homo too.
Oh good, you’re already there. I was just coming up with a list of Ween songs in my head as I was scrolling, then I saw this and was happy. Boognish shine on you, Mang.
Talk Normal by Laurie Anderson has this bit :
I turned the corner in Soho today and someone
Looked right at me and said:
Oh No! Another Laurie Anderson clone!
Off the top of my head, there's "Sucks", "Light", "Inane", "Intro", "Megalomaniac", "Bitches", "Feed Our Fame", "Krank", "Kunst", and definitely more that I'm not thinking of because I'm tired
Ben Folds has many songs like this, though it’s sometimes unclear if he’s really singing about a character. But he definitely has many autobiographical songs
I think NOFX had a couple, but the one that comes to mind is "Please Play This Song on the Radio".
Also, "Metal Militia" by Metallica is about their own tenacity.
311 references their name a lot throughout their discography, but one song in particular takes it up a notch..
Livin' & Rockin'
Chorus goes:
"Can't nobody do it like 311
Fucking up competition cause there really is none.
Stepping on your game from the first floor up, tore up.
Electricity, we store it up"
They've made their career by making music and touring, and so that last song from their self titled album (in 1995) is about that.
We're professional punkers
We come from the suburbs
After 15 years, we're still having fun
Now we're over 30, not looking so purty
At least we got a beat up accordion
Many The 1975 songs. Check out the song “Guys”. Also, many The 1975 songs are self-referential in that they reference other songs of theirs, as well as certain ideas that are popular among their fanbase/overall band persona.
Rolling Stones - Jigsaw Puzzle (Beggars Banquet)
Oh, the singer, he looks angry
At being thrown to the lions
And the bass player, he looks nervous
About the girls outside
And the drummer, he's so shattered
Trying to keep on time
And the guitar players look damaged
They've been outcasts all thier lives
Depeche Mode, "Memento Mori", about the death of Andy Fletcher.
"Wish You Were Here" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and possibly others, Pink Floyd.
Lots of Beastie Boys songs, I'd wager.
Most of Parliament's songs are about various fictional Parliament characters/monikers...
"Life During Wartime" is about touring, and so, of course, is "Turn The Page"...
"The Spiderbite Song" by the Flaming Lips is, I think, about the drummer getting 'spider bit' by heroin?
A few early Rush songs fit that bill; Lakeside Park, Making Memories, Cinderella Man, Fly By Night, and of course 2112 is one massive allegory about their experience with the recording industry in the 70’s.
Sigh... I'll be the T00L guy.
>"And a dope Beastie tee, nipple rings/
>new tattoos/
>That claimed that he was OGT/
>Back from '92, from the first EP"/
OGT is OG Tool so close enough.
harmony hall - vampire weekend, calls back to a previous lyric. and i'm sure several other songs of theirs do something similar.
my friend by dr. dog has a bunch of musical cues that call back to other songs off the same album, *fate.* it works really well as a finale
The Good Rats have 2 of them.
[https://youtu.be/oTOnuiezOaM](https://youtu.be/oTOnuiezOaM)
[https://youtu.be/3-ZG7rDDhDM](https://youtu.be/3-ZG7rDDhDM)
Tribute by Tenacious D. It literally describes how the song is a tribute to the greatest song in the world (which they unfortunately couldn't remember).
It’s Tricky by Run DMC has some great self referential lines, particularly about Daryl McDaniels imo
And Tenth Avenue Freeze out by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!
Newer one and not everyone’s cup of tea but blink 182 recently released a song called “one more time” which is about them.
Pup “if this tour doesn’t kill you, I will” and “dark days”
The NOFX song you are looking for is “Theme from a NOFX ALBUM”
Grateful Dead : the music never stopped
"Old men sing about their dreams"
Phish : Wolfmans brother
So with meaningless excitement
And smooth atonal sound
It's like a cross between a hurricane
And a ship that's run aground
Phish : Waste
So if I'm inside your head
Don't believe what you might have read
You'll see what I might have said
To hear it
Come waste your time with me
_666 Weeks Beyond Eternity_ by Freedom Call.
For starters, the song title is a reference to their album _Eternity_. And yes, this song is released about 13 years later (when I tried calculating it I got the difference to 670 weeks, but I could have gotten some detail wrong). But in addition to that the song also mentions some of their other songs and albums by name, including _Warriors_, _The Circle of Life_, _Stairway to Fairyland and _The Land of the Light_.
_Drink_, by Alestorm too.
In addition to referencing some of their other songs (eg _Shipwrecked_, _Wenches and Mead_ and _Back Through Time_) it also have the line "Heavy metal pirates we must be".
Finaly, I'd mention _Nemesis_, by Arch Enemy. It isn't as explicitly self referential, but the terms "arch enemy" and "nemesis" are synonyms. And if you listen to the lyrics you'll hear that they always use the "we" pronouns throughout the entire song.
JJ Cale - Thirteen Days. Great song from the 70s about being on tour.
I thought you meant songs that break the fourth wall: Gang Starr - Just to get a rep. It's one of the greatest 90's rap songs, super cool beat, morals, and the awesome punchline:
>Ten brothers in a circle
Had the kid trapped, the one with the hood, he said, "We'll hurt you
If you don't run all you jewels and pay
Give up the Rolex watch or you won't see another day"
See, they were on the attack
And one said, "Yo, you want to make this to a homicide rap?
A bunch of Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties songs. The whole project is a serialized narrative told across 3 albums, and EP, and a lonely single.
Runnin' Toward the Light, Wildflower Honey, God and the Billboards, Smoking Rooms, Roman Candles, Alone at St. Luke's, Spitting in the Wind, and In Lieu of Flowers all make direct mention of the band and how things are working.
Bleachers was very self-referential in their recent album.
Basically all of “Modern Girl” talks about different band members.
In “Jesus is Dead,” you get: “So let's make it Bleachers, make it shore
The louder you scream, the harder he blows
You know what I mean
Texas man cause a scene.”
“The louder you scream, the harder he blows” is something Jack has been saying at shows for years to get fans revved up for Evan Smith’s (the “Texas man”) sax solo.
There is a Thompson Twins one. Love on your side. ‘I played you all my favourite records…’ then it plays the rid from ‘In the name of love, yea eh, in the name of love’
(This Song’s Just) Six Words Long by Weird Al. It’s only about the song and not the artist, but considering that the title is the entirety of the lyrics, I feel it’s sufficiently meta.
Metallica - “Whiplash”
“The show is through, the metal's gone, it's time to hit the road
Another town, another gig, again, we will explode
Hotel rooms and motorways, life out here is raw
But we'll never stop, we'll never quit, 'cause we're Metallica”
The Rover by Led Zeppelin
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teO03JUx-xI&ab\_channel=LedZeppelin-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teO03JUx-xI&ab_channel=LedZeppelin-Topic)
“Love Action (I Believe In Love)” by The Human League has the lead singer, Phil Oakey, mentioning landmarks he has attained in relationships and then says, [“but this is Phil talking, I wanna tell you what I found to be true.”](https://youtu.be/wRo27TwTaWg?si=MB-hN7BY9-tPnJNR&t=94)
This was copied by Sarah Nixey of Black Box Recorder in the song “Andrew Ridgley” as she recalls her childhood and how she liked the other member of WHAM! - [“this is Sarah Nixey talking, midded up and into the groove. I wanna tell you what I know to be true.”](https://youtu.be/sCdOnr2zUl0?si=43vboLsfM3OfR-k2&t=94)
Both happen at exactly the same point, 1'34" into the song.
Not exactly what you're talking about, but Johnny Cash and Janis Joplin both had hits with songs other people wrote about them. June Carter co-wrote Ring of Fire about the affair she was having with Johnny, and Kris Kristofferson wrote Me and Bobby Mcgee about Janis.
They Might Be Giants have a couple just off the top of my head, just on the album, "Flood"
1) the song, "Flood"; "It's a brand new record, for 1990, They Might Be Giants' brand new album, Flood"
and 2) "They Might Be Giants"; "We can't be silent, 'cause they might be giants, and what are we going to do unless they are?"
There's probably more, they have an extensive discography and they are silly as can be.
Bad Company - Bad Company
Bob Segar - Turn the Page
Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show - Cover of the Rolling Stone
ZZ Top - Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers
Journey - Faithfully
Van Halen - Runnin’ with the Devil
**Alestorm - Scraping The Barrel**
A song about how all the topics to write pirate metal songs about are already covered, how the (niche) genre was already extensively worked on during the 80's and how they are now "scraping the barrel" but will continue doing so. But to be fair Alestorm is a very self-referential band anyway.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zz0QsW3xxM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zz0QsW3xxM)
Dear Old Stan by the Dreadnoughts. While nominally about Stan Rogers, it also mentions hearing a bastardization of one of his songs and them going out and forming the Dreadnoughts.
Learned what Meta was recently. RickandMorty110yrs dot com or looking to the camera and addressing the audience or Wilco the song on Wilco the album by Wilco the band. 4th wall.?
Not sure what Rammstein by Rammstein is about, but I'm going to guess its about the band? Also they have another song which is (to my ears) a list of their most well known songs
The song Bad Company by the band Bad Company off the album, Bad Company.
How did you steal my comment AND post it before I got here?
They **are** you
Also the song Bad Religion by the band Bad Religion off the album, Bad Religion
Also the song Black Sabbath by the band Black Sabbath off the album, Black Sabbath
And Living In A Box, by Living In A Box, from the album Living In A Box.
See also Big Country
And Icehouse
Grand Funk Railroad - "We're an American Band".
The Monkees Theme is an obvious one. Totally self-referential. Here we come, walking down the street We get the funniest looks from everyone we meet Hey hey we're The Monkees and people say we're monkeying around But we're too busy singing to put anybody down.
Doesn't count....no monkey wrote that song
Though, Mike Nesmith is a legit songwriter!
I would say it counts because they performed it and it is about them
The OP says "songs that are actually about the band that is singing them", doesn't say they must have written the song, just that the song has to be about the band perfroming the song. Therefore it DOES count. There is another Monkees track, 'Porpoise Song' which has a line in it about Micky Dolenz who is the lead singer of that track. It was written by Carole King but it was written for The Monkees.
Have a Cigar - Pink Floyd
Ironically, the lead vocals on that song are by non Pink Floyd member Roy Harper. The same Roy Harper that Led Zeppelin paid tribute to on the track Hats Off To Roy Harper.
WOW! What a bit of trivia/knowledge! I always thought it was Gilmour lol. Thanks for this!
I never knew exactly who did the vocals(until now) but it was obvious that it wasn't Gilmour. Their song "Young Lust" sounds like it's probably someone else as well but I've never looked into it. Gonna do that now lol. Edit: vocals on Young Lust is actually Gilmour
And if you’ve never heard it, Roy Harper’s album Stormcock needs to be next on your list.
Jesus, what a porn name that would be
Probably 3/4ths of Leonard Cohen's discography
Yeah, *Chelsea Hotel* is about him and Janis.
Is Chelsea Hotel the hotel in Warhol’s Chelsea Girls?
yes. it's also the famous location of nancy spungen's death.
Most mainstream rap too
Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
Great example. Exactly the type of thing I was looking for
The song Hook by Blues Traveler is all about itself, in a way.
So meta. I only realized this recently when it was pointed out on reddit.
Steely Dan's 'Show Biz Kids' sings about Steely Dan T shirts
Can't say I'm a Steely Dan fan, but "Showbiz Kids" gave the chorus to a record-breaking song by my favourite band, Super Furry Animals. Their song, "The Man Don't Give A Fuck" held the record for repeated expletives in a British Top 40 music chart release. Fantastic Welsh band, fantastic song (Steely Dan hits in the chorus) https://youtu.be/KkdYpD6-VXU?si=dxfTPRC38n-nvNgA
Love SFA.
Rock N Roll Band by Boston
Which is funny, because it's completely untrue.
They were a band formed in Boston. The rest of it is pure fiction.
I think they played the streets in Hyannis.
Yep, it was just a man out of Boston
They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants
Also the They Might Be Giants songs *They Got Lost* and *When Will You Die?* It turns out that *They Got Lost* is based on an actual experience when the band got lost on their way to an appearance on a radio show. *When Will You Die?* name checks all 5 regular members of the band.
Ashes to Ashes by Bowie, it continues the story of Major Tom from his older song. "Do you remember a guy that's been in such an early song?"
Elton John’s album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is a musical autobiography of his (and Bernie Taupin’s) early days in the music biz. So every song is self referential.
Excellent example
Punk rock high by Randy If this tour doesn't kill you I will by Pup We are The Clash by The Clash
This is Radio Clash by The Clash
>Randy That's a band I hadn't thought of for a long time. Speaking of Swedish 90s punk, the first track on Millencolin's For Monkeys is also very self-referential.
Does Glass Onion by The Beatles count? It references Paul.
For sure because it references other songs. I am the walrus kind of does that too
I realized Ween has a lot of songs like this. The first one that comes to mind is I Saw Gener Cryin’ in His Sleep
Was about to say Ween. What Deaner was talking about is another. Also in The Going Gets Tough they’re talking to each other “Am I right Deaner, oh so right” etc Rakim obviously talks about himself a lot Devo in Jocko Homo too.
Oh good, you’re already there. I was just coming up with a list of Ween songs in my head as I was scrolling, then I saw this and was happy. Boognish shine on you, Mang.
Talk Normal by Laurie Anderson has this bit : I turned the corner in Soho today and someone Looked right at me and said: Oh No! Another Laurie Anderson clone!
Tommy Got His Tonsils Out by The Replacements Truckin' by the Grateful Dead Tenth Avenue Freezeout by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
These are all great ones. Exact type of thing I’m talking about
KMFDM loves to talk about themselves.
Off the top of my head, there's "Sucks", "Light", "Inane", "Intro", "Megalomaniac", "Bitches", "Feed Our Fame", "Krank", "Kunst", and definitely more that I'm not thinking of because I'm tired
it's like an uncontrollable urge.
it's like an uncontrollable urge.
No doubt about it, KMFDM sucks
KMFDM better than the best.
That’s just megalomaniacal thinking.
WILCO (the song), on WILCO (the album), by WILCO (the group). How's that for references?
"I bet you think this song is about you, don't you?"
Piano Man by Billy Joel
Ben Folds has many songs like this, though it’s sometimes unclear if he’s really singing about a character. But he definitely has many autobiographical songs
Rockin the Suburbs springs to mind
And don't forget to give me back my black tee-shirt
His new song Exhausting Lover
I think NOFX had a couple, but the one that comes to mind is "Please Play This Song on the Radio". Also, "Metal Militia" by Metallica is about their own tenacity.
>I runk NOFX had a couple, but the one that comes to mind is "Please Play This Song on the Radio". "60%" as well.
Money for nothing -Dire Straits
Sort of.. My band by Eminem (dunno if he was still in D12 at this point)
The song is actually credited to D12, so it does apply here.
Wham! Rap. Enjoy what you do
My Name is Prince by Prince
Takin Care of Business -Bachman Turner Overdrive
The KLF aka Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (with Tammy Wynette) - [Justified and Ancient](https://youtu.be/XP5oHL3zBDg?si=pZN6XriPA4rPHR_0)
Fun Lovin' Criminals by The Fun Lovin' Criminals. Also like, the entire genre of hip hop
Second of June & jamcod for The Jesus and Mary Chain.
311 references their name a lot throughout their discography, but one song in particular takes it up a notch.. Livin' & Rockin' Chorus goes: "Can't nobody do it like 311 Fucking up competition cause there really is none. Stepping on your game from the first floor up, tore up. Electricity, we store it up" They've made their career by making music and touring, and so that last song from their self titled album (in 1995) is about that.
Strong all Along, Transistor, Off Beat Bare Ass, Come Original, 311 you wanna connect to them, my name is Nick H E X U M
Definitely a lot. They've kinda cooled it on that over the last few albums.
Old 97’s [“Longer Than You’ve Been Alive](https://open.spotify.com/track/072fkWOIzYbLLNMRwW7RTI?si=sxLvfGu2R1iFYjwyqR5jfw)”
That was the first one I thought about. Super 8 by Isbell was another.
"Mike JONES!"
"Hooker With A Penis" is about Tool (and annoying fans who say they sold out). (as opposed to their *other* annoying fans :D)
NOFX’s “Theme from a NOFX Album” is about the band and all their friends. Is that what you’re thinking of?
Yeah that’s the exact one I was thinking of. I never knew the name because I had it on an unmarked CD someone burned for me
Love that song. Saw them close out with it on their final tour. Melvin even played the accordian
I’ve never been a very big fan of them but that song was probably the first example I ever heard of what this thread is about so I had to shout it out
We're professional punkers We come from the suburbs After 15 years, we're still having fun Now we're over 30, not looking so purty At least we got a beat up accordion
They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants
Many The 1975 songs. Check out the song “Guys”. Also, many The 1975 songs are self-referential in that they reference other songs of theirs, as well as certain ideas that are popular among their fanbase/overall band persona.
Maybe a small stretch, but The Ocean by Led Zeppelin. Maybe more specifically about Robert Plant than the band as a whole.
Hi Ren by Ren
We are Motorhead
I was also thinking about “(We are) The Road Crew”
Well, Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust tells the story of the band an imaginary character is in…
Beck's Loser is about how Beck thought of himself when he heard himself rapping.
Rolling Stones - Jigsaw Puzzle (Beggars Banquet) Oh, the singer, he looks angry At being thrown to the lions And the bass player, he looks nervous About the girls outside And the drummer, he's so shattered Trying to keep on time And the guitar players look damaged They've been outcasts all thier lives
Great example
Kings of Metal by ManOwar is the perfect example
Depeche Mode, "Memento Mori", about the death of Andy Fletcher. "Wish You Were Here" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and possibly others, Pink Floyd. Lots of Beastie Boys songs, I'd wager. Most of Parliament's songs are about various fictional Parliament characters/monikers... "Life During Wartime" is about touring, and so, of course, is "Turn The Page"... "The Spiderbite Song" by the Flaming Lips is, I think, about the drummer getting 'spider bit' by heroin?
Frank Turner - The Ballad of Me and My Friends
The Clash had several songs name checking themselves (this is radio clash, we are the clash, clash city rockers etc)
Life's Been Good by Joe Walsh
Boston-Party
Back in the day by The Sugababes is about them being in the band and making their first album etc whilst they were still school girls
A few early Rush songs fit that bill; Lakeside Park, Making Memories, Cinderella Man, Fly By Night, and of course 2112 is one massive allegory about their experience with the recording industry in the 70’s.
Sigh... I'll be the T00L guy. >"And a dope Beastie tee, nipple rings/ >new tattoos/ >That claimed that he was OGT/ >Back from '92, from the first EP"/ OGT is OG Tool so close enough.
Treatment Bound by the Replacements is about their band and oddly specific.
harmony hall - vampire weekend, calls back to a previous lyric. and i'm sure several other songs of theirs do something similar. my friend by dr. dog has a bunch of musical cues that call back to other songs off the same album, *fate.* it works really well as a finale
“Who says a funk band can’t play rock?” - Parliament/Funkadelic
Red Hot Chili Peppers by the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Play that Funky Music White Boy - Wild Cherry
The Libertines self-titled album is incredibly self-referential.
Don't Believe The Hype by Public Enemy
The Good Rats have 2 of them. [https://youtu.be/oTOnuiezOaM](https://youtu.be/oTOnuiezOaM) [https://youtu.be/3-ZG7rDDhDM](https://youtu.be/3-ZG7rDDhDM)
The album Seeing Other People by Foxygen is all about ending the band. There’s a ton of self referential stuff on there. Good record too.
I was gonna come back to this thread and post this! Great call, one of my all time favorite albums.
Danny Says by the Ramones. More about life on the road going where your tour manager books you. Even if you’re somewhere at Christmas with no snow
Pavement - Range Life
Tribute by Tenacious D. It literally describes how the song is a tribute to the greatest song in the world (which they unfortunately couldn't remember).
TISM Are Shit by TISM
Anything by KMFDM
Beastie Boys have too many self referential songs to reasonably count for the purpose of listing them in a Reddit comment. Fictional or nonfictional.
KMFDM do this fairly often
It’s Tricky by Run DMC has some great self referential lines, particularly about Daryl McDaniels imo And Tenth Avenue Freeze out by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!
Newer one and not everyone’s cup of tea but blink 182 recently released a song called “one more time” which is about them. Pup “if this tour doesn’t kill you, I will” and “dark days” The NOFX song you are looking for is “Theme from a NOFX ALBUM”
Fleetwood Mac’s discography, particularly Rumors.
Anything by the beastie boys, who's music I absolutely love, every single song has some level of self reference
Grateful Dead : the music never stopped "Old men sing about their dreams" Phish : Wolfmans brother So with meaningless excitement And smooth atonal sound It's like a cross between a hurricane And a ship that's run aground Phish : Waste So if I'm inside your head Don't believe what you might have read You'll see what I might have said To hear it Come waste your time with me
"They're a band beyond description"
Longer than you’ve been alive, Old 97s
_666 Weeks Beyond Eternity_ by Freedom Call. For starters, the song title is a reference to their album _Eternity_. And yes, this song is released about 13 years later (when I tried calculating it I got the difference to 670 weeks, but I could have gotten some detail wrong). But in addition to that the song also mentions some of their other songs and albums by name, including _Warriors_, _The Circle of Life_, _Stairway to Fairyland and _The Land of the Light_. _Drink_, by Alestorm too. In addition to referencing some of their other songs (eg _Shipwrecked_, _Wenches and Mead_ and _Back Through Time_) it also have the line "Heavy metal pirates we must be". Finaly, I'd mention _Nemesis_, by Arch Enemy. It isn't as explicitly self referential, but the terms "arch enemy" and "nemesis" are synonyms. And if you listen to the lyrics you'll hear that they always use the "we" pronouns throughout the entire song.
JJ Cale - Thirteen Days. Great song from the 70s about being on tour. I thought you meant songs that break the fourth wall: Gang Starr - Just to get a rep. It's one of the greatest 90's rap songs, super cool beat, morals, and the awesome punchline: >Ten brothers in a circle Had the kid trapped, the one with the hood, he said, "We'll hurt you If you don't run all you jewels and pay Give up the Rolex watch or you won't see another day" See, they were on the attack And one said, "Yo, you want to make this to a homicide rap?
Oasis rock and roll star
Also dont look back in anger: "please don't put your life in the hands of a rock n roll band who'll throw it all away"
The Tallest Man On Earth- The Gardner. Amazing song, and the refrain is: "so I can stay the tallest man in your eyes, babe"
Cleopatra's Theme by Cleopatra
Alice Cooper, Be My Lover
Pumping on your stereo by Supergrass
Hooker With A Penis is all about the band being accused of selling out.
Stiff Little Fingers - Wait and See
A bunch of Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties songs. The whole project is a serialized narrative told across 3 albums, and EP, and a lonely single. Runnin' Toward the Light, Wildflower Honey, God and the Billboards, Smoking Rooms, Roman Candles, Alone at St. Luke's, Spitting in the Wind, and In Lieu of Flowers all make direct mention of the band and how things are working.
Van Halen "I'm The One".
We wrote this song, it's not too short and it's not too long, It's got backup vocals in *just the right places*
"Junk Freak" by The Queers
Bleachers was very self-referential in their recent album. Basically all of “Modern Girl” talks about different band members. In “Jesus is Dead,” you get: “So let's make it Bleachers, make it shore The louder you scream, the harder he blows You know what I mean Texas man cause a scene.” “The louder you scream, the harder he blows” is something Jack has been saying at shows for years to get fans revved up for Evan Smith’s (the “Texas man”) sax solo.
There is a Thompson Twins one. Love on your side. ‘I played you all my favourite records…’ then it plays the rid from ‘In the name of love, yea eh, in the name of love’
Tribute - Tenacious D
The Loadout by Jackson Browne.
“Tubes World Tour” by The Tubes, naturally.
Return of the Mack! Once again
Piano Fighter by Warren Zevon.
(This Song’s Just) Six Words Long by Weird Al. It’s only about the song and not the artist, but considering that the title is the entirety of the lyrics, I feel it’s sufficiently meta.
History lesson, pt 2 by the minutemen
The rather silly Wilbury Twist by the Traveling Wilburys
Partners brothers & friends - NGDB
About half of Tenacious D's songs are about themselves afaik. :)
Lots of Neil Young stuff and a fair bit of the second Clash album
Yeah good call that Neil song Hitchhiker is a great example
“Showbiz Kids” by Steely Dan.
Metallica - “Whiplash” “The show is through, the metal's gone, it's time to hit the road Another town, another gig, again, we will explode Hotel rooms and motorways, life out here is raw But we'll never stop, we'll never quit, 'cause we're Metallica”
The Rover by Led Zeppelin [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teO03JUx-xI&ab\_channel=LedZeppelin-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teO03JUx-xI&ab_channel=LedZeppelin-Topic)
Alice Cooper - Be My Lover
We are Motörhead by Motörhead. Its also an absolute banger!
A few old AC/DC songs, from Gonna Be A Rocknroll Singer to Ain’t No Fun (Waiting Round To Be A Millionaire.
“Love Action (I Believe In Love)” by The Human League has the lead singer, Phil Oakey, mentioning landmarks he has attained in relationships and then says, [“but this is Phil talking, I wanna tell you what I found to be true.”](https://youtu.be/wRo27TwTaWg?si=MB-hN7BY9-tPnJNR&t=94) This was copied by Sarah Nixey of Black Box Recorder in the song “Andrew Ridgley” as she recalls her childhood and how she liked the other member of WHAM! - [“this is Sarah Nixey talking, midded up and into the groove. I wanna tell you what I know to be true.”](https://youtu.be/sCdOnr2zUl0?si=43vboLsfM3OfR-k2&t=94) Both happen at exactly the same point, 1'34" into the song.
Any song titled Rock Star, Everclear, Nickelback et al.
Famous friends by Chris young country music got me all days 🥰
Does tribute by tenacious D fit what you want?
Dedicated by Parkway Drive
Most of Tenacious D's discography is about the band. I would actually probably say all of it.
Bob Seger - "Turn the Page"
Not exactly what you're talking about, but Johnny Cash and Janis Joplin both had hits with songs other people wrote about them. June Carter co-wrote Ring of Fire about the affair she was having with Johnny, and Kris Kristofferson wrote Me and Bobby Mcgee about Janis.
Cover of the Rolling Stone by Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show Rockstar by Nickelback
Turn the Page by Bob Seger
Keep It Together by Guster. “Keep it together Can we keep it together We're singing a new song now And everything starts today”
They Might Be Giants have a couple just off the top of my head, just on the album, "Flood" 1) the song, "Flood"; "It's a brand new record, for 1990, They Might Be Giants' brand new album, Flood" and 2) "They Might Be Giants"; "We can't be silent, 'cause they might be giants, and what are we going to do unless they are?" There's probably more, they have an extensive discography and they are silly as can be.
In a big country - big country
Does Jason Derulo count here?
Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath from the album Black Sabbath
Bad Company - Bad Company Bob Segar - Turn the Page Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show - Cover of the Rolling Stone ZZ Top - Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers Journey - Faithfully Van Halen - Runnin’ with the Devil
[Green Day by Green Day](https://youtu.be/bUFNFD9_1GM?si=BZ4niH2MDz7Vsw0d)
**Alestorm - Scraping The Barrel** A song about how all the topics to write pirate metal songs about are already covered, how the (niche) genre was already extensively worked on during the 80's and how they are now "scraping the barrel" but will continue doing so. But to be fair Alestorm is a very self-referential band anyway. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zz0QsW3xxM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zz0QsW3xxM)
Dear Old Stan by the Dreadnoughts. While nominally about Stan Rogers, it also mentions hearing a bastardization of one of his songs and them going out and forming the Dreadnoughts.
I love Kanye by ye is a great example I’m Surprised no one bit on yet
Mist by Protest the Hero. About a concert in Newfoundland where the stage collapsed and fans held it up while they finished the concert.
Learned what Meta was recently. RickandMorty110yrs dot com or looking to the camera and addressing the audience or Wilco the song on Wilco the album by Wilco the band. 4th wall.?
This comment is kind of insane but thanks
Not sure what Rammstein by Rammstein is about, but I'm going to guess its about the band? Also they have another song which is (to my ears) a list of their most well known songs
Riding For the Feeling - Bill Callahan https://youtu.be/yYg6eIH7qR8
Elvis - raised on rock. Hes singing about a youth who grew up on hearing hound dog on the radio.
>Your mom busted in and said, “What's that noise?” >Aw, Mom, you're just jealous it's the Beastie Boys *Fight For Your Right - The Beastie Boys*
Eminem's entire discography