I'm not even going to try to opine on what the "greatest" songs with females in the titles might be, since there have been so many classics: "Layla" by Derek & The Dominos, "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond, "Peggy Sue" by Buddy Holly & The Crickets, "Cecilia" by Simon & Garfunkel, "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles, "Maybellene" by Chuck Berry, "Good Golly Miss Molly" by Little Richard, "Lola" by The Kinks (although, technically, is that a female's name?), "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby Stills & Nash, "Sherry" by The Four Seasons, "Bernadette" by The Four Tops, "The Wind Cries Mary" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Gloria" by Them, "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners (which, by the way, is one of the dirtiest song titles in rock history), "Carrie Anne" by The Hollies, "Roxanne" by The Police, "Wake Up Little Susie" by The Everly Brothers, "Jamie's Cryin'" by Van Halen, "Janie's Got a Gun" by Aerosmith, "Jack and Diane" by John Cougar Mellencamp, "Valerie" by The Monkees, "Lady Madonna" by The Beatles, "Valerie" by Steve Winwood, "Angie" by The Rolling Stones, "Caroline, No" by The Beach Boys, "867-5309/Jenny" by Tommy Tutone, "Help Me Ronda" by The Beach Boys, "Proud Mary" by CCR, "Proud Mary" by Ike & Tina Turner, "My Sharona" by The Knack, "Rosa Parks" by Outkast, "Michelle" by The Beatles, "Sweet Jane" by The Velvet Underground, "Beth" by KISS, "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart, "Pictures of Lily" by The Who, "Mona" by Bo Diddley, "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty, and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by The Beatles, to name a few.
Instead, this list is comprised of my favorite songs with a female's name in the title.
Honorable Mention: "Emily Kane" by Art Brut; "Lovely Rita" by The Beatles; "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis; "The Wind Cries Mary" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience; "Charlotte the Harlot" by Iron Maiden; "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson; "Caldonia" by Louis Jordan; "Molly's Chambers" by Kings of Leon; "Lola" by The Kinks; "Brandy" by Looking Glass; "Denise" by Randy & The Rainbows
Here are the top ten, alphabetically by artist.
1. "Jessica" by The Allman Brothers Band
It's my wife's name, and it's one of the best instrumental songs in rock history.
2. "Sexy Sadie" by The Beatles
Had this song not been renamed, it wouldn't be on this list. It was originally entitled "Maharishi," and was a pointed attack on what John perceived to be some improper behavior by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi during The Beatles' spiritual retreat at the Maharishi's Indian compound. I once owned an '89 Accord that I named Sexy Sadie. She met her fate when I hydroplaned off Indiana State Road 46 about ten miles west of Spencer and hit a tree going about 60 mph. The song that playing when I hit the tree? "Sexy Sadie." I couldn't make that up. Well, I could. But I didn't. (And, as it is a Beatles song, it's not on Playlist.com.)
3. "Layla" by Derek & The Dominos
I think this might be the greatest rock and roll song of all-time. The riff is unmistakable, and the back story is second to none. In case you're unfamiliar with rock lore, "Layla" is actually Pattie Boyd Harrison, who was, at the time, George Harrison's wife and in the span of a year was the subject of both this song and The Beatles' "Something." Eric Clapton, who was best friends with George, was madly in love with Pattie. Combine that with booze, drugs, and Duane Allman, and the resulting product is one of the more heart-wrenching songs and albums ever made. I used to be indifferent to the coda, but it's hard not to warm up to it. After the franticness of the first half of the song, Allman's guitar sounds like it's crying, and the piano works quite nicely.
4. "My Michelle" by Guns N' Roses
One of the many (12, to be exact) great songs off of GNR's mega-debut Appetite for Destruction, "My Michelle" is actually based on a woman named Michelle Young that the band used to hang out with. Axl originally wrote it as a romantic song, but then decided to be honest about Michelle's life and completely changed the song into what it became: a dark, brooding, and raunchy rocker about drug abuse and parents who are either dead or working in porn. The first couple lines kind of blow you away (certainly when you're ten the first time you hear them): "Your daddy works in porno / Now that mommy's not around / She used to love her heroin / But now she's underground." At least poor Michelle gets free coke.
5. "Judy Is a Punk" by The Ramones
Whenever I hear this song, I think of the montage about Margot in The Royal Tenenbaums, which is cool for many reasons, not the least of which is seeing a topless Gwyneth Paltrow make out with another woman in Paris. Anywho, the song is a punk classic. I have no idea why Jackie and Judy would perhaps die if they went to Berlin to join the ice capades or to San Francisco to join the SLA, but I like hearing about it.
6. "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" by Bruce Springsteen
This is one of my favorite Springsteen songs, off of the album just before Born to Run. Bruce wasn't quite The Boss just yet, and I've always thought this song was a perfect, point-in-time song for him, as the song's narrator is telling Rosalita that she better come with him right now because he just got a big record deal.
7. "Rosalie" by Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy's cover of this Bob Seger song is fantastic. For a while, I thought the opening lyric was "She's not from Indiana / A smoother operator you will never see." In actuality, it's "She's quite the mediator . . . ." Either way, the song is about some chick named Rosalie who knows about music. Good for her, and good for Thin Lizzy for covering it. (Sadly, it's not on Playlist.com, but click here to hear it.)
8. "Lady Ann" by Township
This is one of my top two or three favorite Township songs. "Gonna write a book / You're gonna read it / It's gonna change your life . . . Gonna find me the finest woman / And I'm gonna make her my wife / We're gonna live in a goddamn mansion / And roam the hills at night." I love the image of a wealthy author and his wife roaming the countryside (presumably in England or California) doing God knows what. The local townspeople would probably be a little freaked out, and it would probably result in a mild hysteria. Either that, or he's singing about the movie Funny Farm. For some reason, those last couple lines make me think of an episode of Sliders (yes, Sliders, starring the inimitable Jerry O'Connell) where they slid to an alternate version of Oakland, and there was a mob of people who would roam the streets doling out vigilante justice when needed. Their name? The Raiders.
9. "Sweet Jane" by The Velvet Underground
I want to know why Jack is wearing a corset (his corset, no less) and Jane is wearing a vest. Also, I love Lou Reed's timely little "oohs" and "ohs" throughout the song, and the "just watch me know" in the third verse. And, of course, I love the bridge (if you can call it that) that busts into "And anyone who ever had a heart . . . ." It's a definite classic by an influential and bafflingly underrepresented band.
10. "Jolene" by The White Stripes
The creepiness of the song really comes out when Jack White sings "Jolene," probably because the song is originally a Dolly Parton song sung from the perspective of a woman whose hotter friend (Jolene) steals her man despite begging by the ugly one for that not to happen. After all, Jolene can have her choice of men, but the ugly one might not be able to ever love again. I assume this ended with bloodshed, although I have yet to hear "Look Bitch, I Warned You."
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2 comments:
what about Ms. Jackson. we never meant to make her daughter cry. and apologized a trillion times.
ATLiens, I thought about that -- and "Mrs. Robinson," "Me and Mrs. Jones," and a couple other songs with "Miss," "Mrs.," or "Ms." in the title -- but then decided they didn't technically have females' names in their titles, so I excluded them from the equation. My intentions were good.
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