Songs that refer to themselves?

[ERD50]

How about "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago? A song about having problems writing the song.

I thought of that one, but none of these 'songs about writing this song' are cutting through in the same way as the others for me. But why/how?

Hmmmm - maybe this is it: I can write a song about the song I'm writing, or include references to it in the song that I'm writing. That's understandable, right? There's nothing impossible about that, and no paradox involved.

But I really could NOT write a song that includes hearing that song on the radio, because I'm still writing it! It's impossible for that to actually happen. So the song uses this clever impossibility as a creative device of the song itself.

Same with "Tennessee Waltz" - the dancers can't be listening to the song that is part of the song, because the song was still being written. It's one of those time-travel paradox things.

I think that is what separates those from the other examples. Now, did some of the other examples show this sort of paradox, and I missed it? Or are there others that fit this stricter definition?

 

[stepford]

"Fire and Rain" by James Taylor comes to mind:

"Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
Just can't remember who to send it to"

 

[ERD50]

"Fire and Rain" by James Taylor comes to mind:

"Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Suzanne, the plans they made put an end to you
I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
Just can't remember who to send it to"

Well, sort of I guess. By referring to writing the song in the past tense within the song, you can't really do that while you are writing it, can you? So I guess you can say that's an impossibility, a paradox.

But it just doesn't seem as strong as actually experiencing the entire finished song, playing on the radio, or being played by a band within the song itself - and many people would hear it, not just the musings of the song-writer.

And it could just be shorthand for 'in the process of writing this song', or he's writing those words for the amount he's written so far.

 

[MC Rider]

Doesn't really have the recursive quality you are looking for but the first one that came to mind was "Piano Man" by Billy Joel.

Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright

Makes me think of Ronnie James Dio. That guy could really sing.

Sing me a song, you're a singer!
Do me wrong you're a bringer of evil.

 

[Montecfo]

How about "Hollywood Swinging" by Kool and the Gang? Their keyboard player sang lead on the song:

"I remember, not too long ago
I went to a theater, and I saw the Kool and The Gang Show
I always wanted, to fit into a band
To sing my songs, and become a bad piano playing man.”

Hey, Hey, Hey, whatcha got to say...

That's pretty good! I do remember that.

 

[Montecfo]

In Kiss' "Detroit Rock City" the protagonist can be heard getting into his car and turning on the radio. The song playing on the radio is also a Kiss song, "Rock 'n' Roll All Night".

Song within a song! Clever.

 

[Dabbler]

You're so vain! You probably think this song is about you . . . Don't you?!

— Carly Simon

 

[The Flush]

You Never Even Called Me by My Name by David Allen Coe.

Well, it was all
That I could do to keep from crying'
Sometimes it seemed so useless to remain
But you don't have to call me darlin', darlin'
You never even called me by my name
You don't have to call me Waylon Jennings
And you don't have to call me Charlie Pride
And you don't have to call me Merle Haggard anymore
Even though you're on my fighting' side
And I'll hang around as long as you will let me
And I never minded standing' in the rain
But you don't have to call me darlin', darlin'
You never even called me by my name
Well, I've heard my name
A few times in your phone book (hello, hello)
And I've seen it on signs where I've played
But the only time I know
I'll hear "David Allan Coe"
Is when Jesus has his final judgment day
So I'll hang around as long as you will let me
And I never minded standing' in the rain
But you don't have to call me darlin', darlin'
You never even called me by my name
Well, a friend of mine named Steve Goodman wrote that song
And he told me it was the perfect country & western song
I wrote him back a letter and I told him it was not the perfect country & western song
Because he hadn't said anything at all about mama
Or trains, or trucks, or prison, or getting' drunk
Well, he sat down and wrote another verse to the song and he sent it to me
And after reading it I realized that my friend had written the perfect country & western song
And I felt obliged to include it on this album
The last verse goes like this here
Well, I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison
And I went to pick her up in the rain
But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
She got run over by a damned old train
And I'll hang around as long as you will let me
And I never minded standing' in the rain, no
But you don't have to call me darlin', darlin'
You never even called me
Well, I wonder why you don't call me
Why don't you ever call me by my name

 

[Koolau]

You Never Even Called Me by My Name by David Allen Coe.

A true C&W classic.

 

[yakers]

"Maria, Maria" by Carlos Santana has a line in it "...played by Carlos Santana"

 

[Rianne]

"Well It's All Right" Life's philosophy sung by my favorite musicians.