One-Woman Song: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}} |
{{trope}} |
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{{quote|'''Brian:''' Wow, a song named after a girl. There aren't a million of those already. |
{{quote|'''Brian:''' Wow, a song named after a girl. There aren't a million of those already. |
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'''Stewie:''' [[Name One|Name twenty]]. |
'''Stewie:''' [[Name One|Name twenty]]. |
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'''Brian:''' [[Toto|Rosanna]], [[The Police|Roxanne]], [[The Beatles (band)|Michelle]], [[Elvis Costello|Alison]], [[Thin Lizzy|Sarah]], [[The Rolling Stones|Angie]], Brandy, [[Barry Manilow|Mandy]], [[U2|Gloria]], [[Simon and Garfunkel|Cecilia]], [[Rod Stewart|Maggie May]], [[The Allman Brothers Band|Jessica]], [[Frank Sinatra|Nancy]], [[The Beach Boys|Barbara Ann]], [[Michael Jackson|Billie Jean]], [[Eric Clapton|Layla]], [[The Kinks|Lola]], [[Nirvana|Polly]], [[My Chemical Romance|Helena]], [[Jennifer Lopez|Jenny from the Block.]] |
'''Brian:''' [[Toto|Rosanna]], [[The Police|Roxanne]], [[The Beatles (band)|Michelle]], [[Elvis Costello|Alison]], [[Thin Lizzy|Sarah]], [[The Rolling Stones|Angie]], Brandy, [[Barry Manilow|Mandy]], [[U2|Gloria]], [[Simon and Garfunkel|Cecilia]], [[Rod Stewart|Maggie May]], [[The Allman Brothers Band|Jessica]], [[Frank Sinatra|Nancy]], [[The Beach Boys|Barbara Ann]], [[Michael Jackson|Billie Jean]], [[Eric Clapton|Layla]], [[The Kinks|Lola]], [[Nirvana|Polly]], [[My Chemical Romance|Helena]], [[Jennifer Lopez|Jenny from the Block.]] |
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'''Stewie:''' Name six more. |
'''Stewie:''' [[Moving the Goalposts|Name six more]]. |
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'''Brian:''' [[Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons|Sherry]], [[Scissor Sisters|Laura]], [[The Beach Boys|Wendy]], [[Blondie (band)|Maria]], [[Buddy Holly|Peggy Sue]], [[Cab Calloway|Minnie the Moocher]]. |
'''Brian:''' [[Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons|Sherry]], [[Scissor Sisters|Laura]], [[The Beach Boys|Wendy]], [[Blondie (band)|Maria]], [[Buddy Holly|Peggy Sue]], [[Cab Calloway|Minnie the Moocher]]. |
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'''Stewie:''' Name five more. |
'''Stewie:''' Name five more. |
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'''Brian:''' Tracy, Jean, [[Barenaked Ladies|Ja]][[Jefferson Airplane|ne]], [[Eurovision Song Contest|Mary Ann]], [[The Beatles (band)|Eleanor Rigby]]. |
'''Brian:''' Tracy, Jean, [[Barenaked Ladies|Ja]][[Jefferson Airplane|ne]], [[Eurovision Song Contest|Mary Ann]], [[The Beatles (band)|Eleanor Rigby]]. |
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'''Stewie:''' ([[Rage Quit|throws down guitar]]) Go [[Sound Effect Bleep| |
'''Stewie:''' ([[Rage Quit|throws down guitar]]) Go *[[Sound Effect Bleep|bleep]]* yourself.|''[[Family Guy]]''}} |
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⚫ | |||
⚫ | |||
Not to be confused with [[One-Woman Wail]]. |
Not to be confused with [[One-Woman Wail]]. |
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---- |
---- |
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{{examples}} |
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== Straight Examples == |
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== Alternative Dance == |
=== Alternative Dance === |
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* "Jezebel" - [[Depeche Mode]] |
* "Jezebel" - [[Depeche Mode]] |
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== Alternative Hip Hop == |
=== Alternative Hip Hop === |
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* "Bonita Applebaum" - [[A Tribe Called Quest]] |
* "Bonita Applebaum" - [[A Tribe Called Quest]] |
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== Alternative Rock == |
=== Alternative Rock === |
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* "Joey" - [[Music/Concrete Blonde|Concrete Blonde]]. A rare example of a One Man Song. |
* "Joey" - [[Music/Concrete Blonde|Concrete Blonde]]. A rare example of a One Man Song. |
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* "Laura" - [[Scissor Sisters]]' pop number opening their first full album. Also the name of a song by Billy Joel. |
* "Laura" - [[Scissor Sisters]]' pop number opening their first full album. Also the name of a song by Billy Joel. |
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*** "Gracie" is written (and named) for Folds' daughter. |
*** "Gracie" is written (and named) for Folds' daughter. |
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**** Also Ben Folds' (no longer Five) "Saskia Hamilton" |
**** Also Ben Folds' (no longer Five) "Saskia Hamilton" |
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* "Caroline" - Concrete Blonde |
* "Caroline" - Concrete Blonde |
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* "Grace" - [[Jeff Buckley]] |
* "Grace" - [[Jeff Buckley]] |
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* "Magdalena", "Brena", and "Judith" - [[A Perfect Circle]] |
* "Magdalena", "Brena", and "Judith" - [[A Perfect Circle]] |
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* "Adrienne" - [[The Calling (band)|The Calling]] |
* "Adrienne" - [[The Calling (band)|The Calling]] |
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== Blues == |
=== Blues === |
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* "Maissie" - Syd Barrett |
* "Maissie" - Syd Barrett |
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== Blues-Rock == |
=== Blues-Rock === |
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* "Layla" - Riff-driven Derek and the Dominoes signature song. |
* "Layla" - Riff-driven Derek and the Dominoes signature song. |
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== Country == |
=== Country === |
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* "Molly" and "Isabel" - John Denver |
* "Molly" and "Isabel" - John Denver |
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* Ruby<ref>That's a different Ruby</ref> - Kenny Rogers |
* Ruby<ref>That's a different Ruby</ref> - Kenny Rogers |
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* "My Maria" - Brookes and Dunn |
* "My Maria" - Brookes and Dunn |
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== Country Rock == |
=== Country Rock === |
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* "Amie" - Pure Prairie League |
* "Amie" - Pure Prairie League |
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== Dark Cabaret == |
=== Dark Cabaret === |
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* "Delilah" - The Dresden Dolls |
* "Delilah" - The Dresden Dolls |
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** Of course we cannot forget the more famous song of the same name by Tom Jones (she stood there laughing, but when we felt the knife in his hands, she laughed no more.) |
** Of course we cannot forget the more famous song of the same name by Tom Jones (she stood there laughing, but when we felt the knife in his hands, she laughed no more.) |
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== Folk == |
=== Folk === |
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* "Suzanne" - [[Leonard Cohen]] |
* "Suzanne" - [[Leonard Cohen]] |
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* "Barbara Allen" (Also "Barbarous Ellen", for her treatment of the Jimmy Grove.) - traditional British; variants all over the English-speaking world. |
* "Barbara Allen" (Also "Barbarous Ellen", for her treatment of the Jimmy Grove.) - traditional British; variants all over the English-speaking world. |
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* "To Ramona" - [[Bob Dylan]] |
* "To Ramona" - [[Bob Dylan]] |
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== Folk Rock == |
=== Folk Rock === |
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* "Cecilia" - [[Simon and Garfunkel]] (She's breaking his heart, shaking his [[Overly Long Gag|confidence daily]]; AND he's begging her please to come home) |
* "Cecilia" - [[Simon and Garfunkel]] (She's breaking his heart, shaking his [[Overly Long Gag|confidence daily]]; AND he's begging her please to come home) |
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* "Sally Anne", "Penelope" and "Margarita" - [[Great Big Sea]]. |
* "Sally Anne", "Penelope" and "Margarita" - [[Great Big Sea]]. |
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* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPlOQy4p9w Martina]-Phranc, by a woman this instance. |
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPlOQy4p9w Martina]-Phranc, by a woman this instance. |
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== Grunge == |
=== Grunge === |
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* "Polly" - [[Nirvana]] |
* "Polly" - [[Nirvana]] |
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** If addressing your rape victim as if she was a pet bird counts. |
** If addressing your rape victim as if she was a pet bird counts. |
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== Hard Rock == |
=== Hard Rock === |
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* "Beth" - [[KISS]] (He hears her callin', but he can't come home right now) |
* "Beth" - [[KISS]] (He hears her callin', but he can't come home right now) |
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* "Carrie" - [[Europe (band)]] |
* "Carrie" - [[Europe (band)]] |
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== Indie Pop == |
=== Indie Pop === |
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* "Mary Jo" - Belle and Sebastian |
* "Mary Jo" - Belle and Sebastian |
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* "Silvia" and "Julie" - [[Jens Lekman]]. (He also has a Dear Friend Lisa.) |
* "Silvia" and "Julie" - [[Jens Lekman]]. (He also has a Dear Friend Lisa.) |
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== Indie Rock == |
=== Indie Rock === |
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* "Geraldine" - Glasvegas |
* "Geraldine" - Glasvegas |
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* "Celestine" - Kirsty Mac Coll |
* "Celestine" - Kirsty Mac Coll |
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* "Jezebel" - Two Hours Traffic |
* "Jezebel" - Two Hours Traffic |
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== Jazz == |
=== Jazz === |
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* "Minnie the Moocher" - [[Cab Calloway]] scat-heavy jazz hit. |
* "Minnie the Moocher" - [[Cab Calloway]] scat-heavy jazz hit. |
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== Jazz Rock == |
=== Jazz Rock === |
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* "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Peg", and "Josie" by [[Steely Dan]]. |
* "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Peg", and "Josie" by [[Steely Dan]]. |
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== Metal == |
=== Metal === |
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* "Audrey," "Jessica," and (debatably) "Amber" - Dir en Grey |
* "Audrey," "Jessica," and (debatably) "Amber" - Dir en Grey |
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== New Wave == |
=== New Wave === |
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* "Darlene" - [[Erasure]] (interesting in that it is sung as if to a love interest, but the singer is a gay male) |
* "Darlene" - [[Erasure]] (interesting in that it is sung as if to a love interest, but the singer is a gay male) |
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== Pop == |
=== Pop === |
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* "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart, about a possessive girlfriend. |
* "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart, about a possessive girlfriend. |
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* "Billie Jean" - [[Michael Jackson]]'s signature song. |
* "Billie Jean" - [[Michael Jackson]]'s signature song. |
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* "Carrie Ann" - [[The Hollies]] |
* "Carrie Ann" - [[The Hollies]] |
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== Pop Punk == |
=== Pop Punk === |
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* "Haushinka" - [[Green Day]] |
* "Haushinka" - [[Green Day]] |
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** "Maria" as well. |
** "Maria" as well. |
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* "Josie" - [[Blink |
* "Josie" - [[Blink-182]] |
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* "Jasey Rae" - All Time Low |
* "Jasey Rae" - All Time Low |
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* "Dakota" - A Rocket to the Moon |
* "Dakota" - A Rocket to the Moon |
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* "Sarah Smiles" - [[Panic! at the Disco|Panic At the Disco]] |
* "Sarah Smiles" - [[Panic! at the Disco|Panic At the Disco]] |
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== Pop Rock == |
=== Pop Rock === |
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* "Gloria" - Wise-ass Laura Brannigan disco hit. |
* "Gloria" - Wise-ass Laura Brannigan disco hit. |
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** [[Music/Them|GLOOOOOOOORIA! G-L-O-R-I-A!]] [[Epic Riff|(insert guitar riff here)]] |
** [[Music/Them|GLOOOOOOOORIA! G-L-O-R-I-A!]] [[Epic Riff|(insert guitar riff here)]] |
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* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGll0KmTW2w Alia]" - [[Roza Rymbaeva]]. This song is a [[Dedication]] to a [[Great Patriotic War]] sniper. |
* "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGll0KmTW2w Alia]" - [[Roza Rymbaeva]]. This song is a [[Dedication]] to a [[Great Patriotic War]] sniper. |
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== Post-Hardcore == |
=== Post-Hardcore === |
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* "Ashley" - Escape the Fate |
* "Ashley" - Escape the Fate |
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* "Emily" - From First To Last |
* "Emily" - From First To Last |
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== Post-Punk == |
=== Post-Punk === |
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* "Alice" and "Marian" - [[The Sisters of Mercy]] |
* "Alice" and "Marian" - [[The Sisters of Mercy]] |
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** They also covered "Emma" by Hot Chocolate and "Jolene" by Dolly Parton. |
** They also covered "Emma" by Hot Chocolate and "Jolene" by Dolly Parton. |
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== Power Pop == |
=== Power Pop === |
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* "Denise" - [[Fountains Of Wayne]] |
* "Denise" - [[Fountains Of Wayne]] |
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== R & B == |
=== R & B === |
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* "Bernadette" - Four Tops (Some men spend their whole lives searching for what we had) |
* "Bernadette" - Four Tops (Some men spend their whole lives searching for what we had) |
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* "Roni" - Bobby Brown |
* "Roni" - Bobby Brown |
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== Rap Metal == |
=== Rap Metal === |
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* "Maria" - [[Rage Against the Machine]] |
* "Maria" - [[Rage Against the Machine]] |
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== Rock == |
=== Rock === |
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* "Roxanne" - [[The Police]] about "redeeming" a prostitute. |
* "Roxanne" - [[The Police]] about "redeeming" a prostitute. |
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* "Michelle" - Old [[Silly Love Songs|Silly Love Song]] from [[The Beatles (band)|The Beatles]] when they didn't know how to write anything else. |
* "Michelle" - Old [[Silly Love Songs|Silly Love Song]] from [[The Beatles (band)|The Beatles]] when they didn't know how to write anything else. |
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* "Angie" - Depending on which rumor you believe: Mick Jagger [[Your Cheating Heart|bragging about nailing David Bowie's wife]], Mick Jagger [[Triang Relations|lamenting wanting Bowie's wife]], or Mick Jagger [[Take a Third Option|apologizing for nailing her husband]]. |
* "Angie" - Depending on which rumor you believe: Mick Jagger [[Your Cheating Heart|bragging about nailing David Bowie's wife]], Mick Jagger [[Triang Relations|lamenting wanting Bowie's wife]], or Mick Jagger [[Take a Third Option|apologizing for nailing her husband]]. |
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* "Barbara Ann" - [[The Beach Boys]]' surf rock classic, of course. They tried other girls, but they knew they wouldn't do. |
* "Barbara Ann" - [[The Beach Boys]]' surf rock classic, of course. They tried other girls, but they knew they wouldn't do. |
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* "Sara" - [[Bob Dylan]] |
* "Sara" - [[Bob Dylan]] |
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* "Sara" - [[Jefferson Airplane|Starship]] (Storms are the wind in her eyes, of course.) |
* "Sara" - [[Jefferson Airplane|Starship]] (Storms are the wind in her eyes, of course.) |
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* "Rosalita", "Leah", "Sherry Darling" - [[Bruce Springsteen]] |
* "Rosalita", "Leah", "Sherry Darling" - [[Bruce Springsteen]] |
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* "Suzy Lee" - [[The White Stripes]] |
* "Suzy Lee" - [[The White Stripes]] |
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* "Emily" - The title of songs by From First to Last, [[Elton John]], and Michael W. Smith, and Frankie Valli, all unrelated to one another |
* "Emily" - The title of songs by From First to Last, [[Elton John]], and Michael W. Smith, and Frankie Valli, all unrelated to one another |
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* "Susie Q" - originally by Dale Hawkins, made famous by [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]] (Baby, I love you) |
* "Susie Q" - originally by Dale Hawkins, made famous by [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]] (Baby, I love you) |
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* "Sophia" - [[ |
* "Sophia" - [[(həd) Planet Earth]] |
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* "Rosemary" - Lenny Kravitz |
* "Rosemary" - Lenny Kravitz |
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* "Lydia" - Fur Patrol |
* "Lydia" - Fur Patrol |
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* "Jane" - [[Jefferson Airplane|Jefferson Starship]] |
* "Jane" - [[Jefferson Airplane|Jefferson Starship]] |
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== Rock and Roll == |
=== Rock and Roll === |
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* "Donna" - Ritchie Valens |
* "Donna" - Ritchie Valens |
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* "Lucille" - Little Richard |
* "Lucille" - Little Richard |
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* "Maybellene" and "Nadine" - [[Chuck Berry]] |
* "Maybellene" and "Nadine" - [[Chuck Berry]] |
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* "Peggy Sue" - [[Buddy Holly]] |
* "Peggy Sue" - [[Buddy Holly]] |
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== Southern Rock == |
=== Southern Rock === |
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* "Jessica" - [[The Allman Brothers Band]] |
* "Jessica" - [[The Allman Brothers Band]] |
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** Also "Melissa", "Desdemona" and "Little Martha" |
** Also "Melissa", "Desdemona" and "Little Martha" |
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== Subversions == |
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* "Lilian" - [[Depeche Mode]]. Ostensibly about a ''really'' evil ex who's just broken up with the singer. |
* "Lilian" - [[Depeche Mode]]. Ostensibly about a ''really'' evil ex who's just broken up with the singer. |
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== Alternative Rock == |
=== Alternative Rock === |
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* "Mary Jane" - [[Tori Amos]]. It's not about a girl. |
* "Mary Jane" - [[Tori Amos]]. It's not about a girl. |
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* Also subverted in "Song for Whoever" by the [[Beautiful South]], where due to repeated [[Muse Abuse]] the singer/writer can't remember which of the many One Women is which: |
* Also subverted in "Song for Whoever" by the [[Beautiful South]], where due to repeated [[Muse Abuse]] the singer/writer can't remember which of the many One Women is which: |
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{{quote| |
{{quote|''Oh Shirley,Oh Deborah, Oh Julie, Oh Jane'' |
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''I wrote so many songs about you I forget your name'' }} |
''I wrote so many songs about you I forget your name'' }} |
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** And it's all for [[Money, Dear Boy|the money]]: |
** And it's all for [[Money, Dear Boy|the money]]: |
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{{quote| |
{{quote|''Oh Cathy, Oh Alison, Oh Phillipa, Oh Sue'' |
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''You made me so much money I wrote this song for you'' }} |
''You made me so much money I wrote this song for you'' }} |
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* Subverted in [[My Chemical Romance|"Helena"]]; the song is about grieving for a dead woman ([[Word of God]] says the singer's grandma.) |
* Subverted in [[My Chemical Romance|"Helena"]]; the song is about grieving for a dead woman ([[Word of God]] says the singer's grandma.) |
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* Subverted in "Debra" - Beck. The song's lyrics begin to direct the song towards one girl ("oh girl, I only wanna be down with you") until it's revealed that Beck has a secondary interest: Debra, the girl's sister ("and your sister, I think her name is Debra"). The track is done in the vein of R. Kelly-like R&B ballads and seems to be one until the hilarious twist of Beck pining for a little more is made apparent. |
* Subverted in "Debra" - Beck. The song's lyrics begin to direct the song towards one girl ("oh girl, I only wanna be down with you") until it's revealed that Beck has a secondary interest: Debra, the girl's sister ("and your sister, I think her name is Debra"). The track is done in the vein of R. Kelly-like R&B ballads and seems to be one until the hilarious twist of Beck pining for a little more is made apparent. |
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== Country == |
=== Country === |
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* "Lucille" by Kenny Rogers, which is about the man's wife running off and leaving him to raise their four children alone on a farm. |
* "Lucille" by Kenny Rogers, which is about the man's wife running off and leaving him to raise their four children alone on a farm. |
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* "Jolene" by Dolly Parton, sung by the cuckolded wife to the woman her man is having an affair with. |
* "Jolene" by Dolly Parton, sung by the cuckolded wife to the woman her man is having an affair with. |
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== Folk Rock == |
=== Folk Rock === |
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* "Reva Thereafter" by [[Girlyman]], about the singer's grandmother, and coping with |
* "Reva Thereafter" by [[Girlyman]], about the singer's grandmother, and coping with her suicide. |
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== Heavy Metal == |
=== Heavy Metal === |
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* "Melissa" - Mercyful Fate. She is actually a human sacrifice in black mass. |
* "Melissa" - Mercyful Fate. She is actually a human sacrifice in black mass. |
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== Hip Hop == |
=== Hip Hop === |
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* "Kim" - [[Eminem]]. Not in the way this trope usually goes. This is no [[Silly Love Song]]. |
* "Kim" - [[Eminem]]. Not in the way this trope usually goes. This is no [[Silly Love Song]]. |
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== Musical == |
=== Musical === |
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* "Dammit, Janet" from the ''[[Rocky Horror Picture Show]]''. It's also a parody of these types of songs. |
* "Dammit, Janet" from the ''[[Rocky Horror Picture Show]]''. It's also a parody of these types of songs. |
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== New Wave == |
=== New Wave === |
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* "52 Girls" - [[The B-52's|The B 52s]]: a song full of girls' names! |
* "52 Girls" - [[The B-52's|The B 52s]]: a song full of girls' names! |
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* "Shirley" - by [[Charlie Peacock]], which is a song with seemingly [[Word Salad Lyrics]]. |
* "Shirley" - by [[Charlie Peacock]], which is a song with seemingly [[Word Salad Lyrics]]. |
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== Pop == |
=== Pop === |
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* "Alejandro" by [[Lady Gaga]] is possibly a triple subversion. First it is inverted. Second there are three men in the song. And finally Gaga is fending off their advances. |
* "Alejandro" by [[Lady Gaga]] is possibly a triple subversion. First it is inverted. Second there are three men in the song. And finally Gaga is fending off their advances. |
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* "Stephen" by [[ |
* "Stephen" by [[Ke$ha]] is a song about a man, sung by a woman. |
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* "Etienne" by Guesch Patti, also a song by a woman about a man. |
* "Etienne" by Guesch Patti, also a song by a woman about a man. |
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== Post-Rock == |
=== Post-Rock === |
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* More than half of the songs on Slint's ''Tweez'' are named after women ("Carol", "Charlotte", "Darlene", "Rhoda", and "Nan Ding"). The thing is that all of these are [[Non-Appearing Title|non-appearing titles]] that have nothing to do with the song content, and the remaining four songs have male names. They decided to just title the songs as [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming|arbitrary shout outs to band members' parents]]. As for why there's an odd number of names, well, Nan Ding was apparently ''a dog''. |
* More than half of the songs on Slint's ''Tweez'' are named after women ("Carol", "Charlotte", "Darlene", "Rhoda", and "Nan Ding"). The thing is that all of these are [[Non-Appearing Title|non-appearing titles]] that have nothing to do with the song content, and the remaining four songs have male names. They decided to just title the songs as [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming|arbitrary shout outs to band members' parents]]. As for why there's an odd number of names, well, Nan Ding was apparently ''a dog''. |
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== Rock == |
=== Rock === |
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* "Lola" - Silly little number by [[The Kinks]]... that's actually about a [[Transvestite]]. [[Epileptic Trees|Maybe]]. |
* "Lola" - Silly little number by [[The Kinks]]... that's actually about a [[Transvestite]]. [[Epileptic Trees|Maybe]]. |
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** Similarly, "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis. |
** Similarly, "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis. |
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* "Martha My Dear" by [[The Beatles (band)|The Beatles]]. It's about Paul's ''dog''. |
* "Martha My Dear" by [[The Beatles (band)|The Beatles]]. It's about Paul's ''dog''. |
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* "Noelle" by [[Daniel Amos]], which isn't a love song by any means. |
* "Noelle" by [[Daniel Amos]], which isn't a love song by any means. |
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* "Mia" by [[Chevelle]]. [[Word Salad Lyrics|No one's quite sure what it's about]]. |
* "Mia" by [[Chevelle]]. [[Word Salad Lyrics|No one's quite sure what it's about]]. |
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== Comedy == |
=== Comedy === |
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* [[Stephen Colbert]] had a signature song that was "chart-adjacent" in the eighties, entitled "Charlene", where the narrator is obsessed with the titular woman and the song literally spells out how the narrator stalks her. |
* [[Stephen Colbert]] had a signature song that was "chart-adjacent" in the eighties, entitled "Charlene", where the narrator is obsessed with the titular woman and the song literally spells out how the narrator stalks her. |
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** There was a sequel song recently that Colbert sang with the Black Belles called "Charlene 2 : I'm over you". Hint:he's not really. |
** There was a sequel song recently that Colbert sang with the Black Belles called "Charlene 2 : I'm over you". Hint:he's not really. |
||
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzFu3nIPJJU Martina Navratilova, Wish You Were Mine]-As heard on the [[Shock Jock|''Tony Horne In The Morning'']], the song talks about how the legendary tennis champ is [[Not Like Other Girls]], [[Does Not Know His Own Strength|broke the singer's fingers]], [[Lady Looks Like a Dude|looks manly]], and how he probably wishes she was his girlfriend. |
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzFu3nIPJJU Martina Navratilova, Wish You Were Mine]-As heard on the [[Shock Jock|''Tony Horne In The Morning'']], the song talks about how the legendary tennis champ is [[Not Like Other Girls]], [[Does Not Know His Own Strength|broke the singer's fingers]], [[Lady Looks Like a Dude|looks manly]], and how he probably wishes she was his girlfriend. |
Latest revision as of 16:24, 5 June 2024
Brian: Wow, a song named after a girl. There aren't a million of those already. |
Songs named after girls, usually the Love Interest of the male singer. This trope is one that just keeps coming back, but for some reason female singers tend to not name songs specifically after guys.
Not to be confused with One-Woman Wail.
Straight Examples
Alternative Dance
- "Jezebel" - Depeche Mode
Alternative Hip Hop
- "Bonita Applebaum" - A Tribe Called Quest
Alternative Rock
- "Joey" - Concrete Blonde. A rare example of a One Man Song.
- "Laura" - Scissor Sisters' pop number opening their first full album. Also the name of a song by Billy Joel.
- Also, "Mary".
- "Mary Jane" - Alanis Morissette
- "Valerie" - The Zutons (covered - Mark Ronson, of course). Also the name of a song by Steve Winwood.
- "Ramona" - Beck (From Scott Pilgrim Versus the World)
- "Isobel" - Bjork
- "Emaline" - Ben Folds Five
- Also "Julianne," "Kate," "Alice Childress," and "Gracie."
- "Gracie" is written (and named) for Folds' daughter.
- Also Ben Folds' (no longer Five) "Saskia Hamilton"
- "Gracie" is written (and named) for Folds' daughter.
- Also "Julianne," "Kate," "Alice Childress," and "Gracie."
- "Caroline" - Concrete Blonde
- "Grace" - Jeff Buckley
- "Magdalena", "Brena", and "Judith" - A Perfect Circle
- "Jacqueline" - Franz Ferdinand
- "Tautou" - Brand New
- "Mary", "Talula", "Ophelia", "Marianne" and "Josephine" -Tori Amos
- "Lucy" - Skillet
- "Ruby [1] " -The Kaiser Chiefs
- "Adrienne" - The Calling
Blues
- "Maissie" - Syd Barrett
Blues-Rock
- "Layla" - Riff-driven Derek and the Dominoes signature song.
Country
- "Molly" and "Isabel" - John Denver
- Ruby[2] - Kenny Rogers
- "Austin" - Blake Shelton
- "My Maria" - Brookes and Dunn
Country Rock
- "Amie" - Pure Prairie League
Dark Cabaret
- "Delilah" - The Dresden Dolls
- Of course we cannot forget the more famous song of the same name by Tom Jones (she stood there laughing, but when we felt the knife in his hands, she laughed no more.)
Folk
- "Suzanne" - Leonard Cohen
- "Barbara Allen" (Also "Barbarous Ellen", for her treatment of the Jimmy Grove.) - traditional British; variants all over the English-speaking world.
- "To Ramona" - Bob Dylan
Folk Rock
- "Cecilia" - Simon and Garfunkel (She's breaking his heart, shaking his confidence daily; AND he's begging her please to come home)
- "Sally Anne", "Penelope" and "Margarita" - Great Big Sea.
- "Rosie" -Fairport Convention
- "Alison Gross" (a witch) -Steeleye Span
- "Hey Rose", "Genevieve", and "Viola" by Girlyman, though only one was written by a man.
- Martina-Phranc, by a woman this instance.
Grunge
- "Polly" - Nirvana
- If addressing your rape victim as if she was a pet bird counts.
Hard Rock
- "Beth" - KISS (He hears her callin', but he can't come home right now)
- "Carrie" - Europe (band)
Indie Pop
- "Mary Jo" - Belle and Sebastian
- "Silvia" and "Julie" - Jens Lekman. (He also has a Dear Friend Lisa.)
Indie Rock
- "Geraldine" - Glasvegas
- "Celestine" - Kirsty Mac Coll
- "Jezebel" - Two Hours Traffic
Jazz
- "Minnie the Moocher" - Cab Calloway scat-heavy jazz hit.
Jazz Rock
- "Rikki Don't Lose That Number", "Peg", and "Josie" by Steely Dan.
Metal
- "Audrey," "Jessica," and (debatably) "Amber" - Dir en Grey
New Wave
- "Darlene" - Erasure (interesting in that it is sung as if to a love interest, but the singer is a gay male)
Pop
- "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart, about a possessive girlfriend.
- "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson's signature song.
- Also, "Dirty Diana," from the Bad album.
- "Jenny from the Block" - Jennifer Lopez's Rockstar Song
- "Kitty" - Written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, recorded by Racey and Covered Up by Toni Basil.
- "Eve" and "Julia" - Chantal Kreviazuk.
- "Sherry", "Ronnie", "Dawn" and "Marlena" are all the Four Seasons.
- "Brandy" - Looking Glass (She's a fine girl. What a good wife she would be.)
- "Diana" - Paul Anka
- "Rosanna" by Toto, sung about the lead singer's girlfriend at the time, Rosanna Arquette.
- "Alison" - Jordy (with both the singer and the cartoon girl being children).
- "Célimène" - David Martial.
- "Oh! Carol" - Neil Sedaka
- "Windy" - Ruthann Friedman, sung by The Association
- "Angie" - Cobra Starship
- "Carrie Ann" - The Hollies
Pop Punk
- "Haushinka" - Green Day
- "Maria" as well.
- "Josie" - Blink-182
- "Jasey Rae" - All Time Low
- "Dakota" - A Rocket to the Moon
- "Sarah Smiles" - Panic At the Disco
Pop Rock
- "Gloria" - Wise-ass Laura Brannigan disco hit.
- "Valleri" - The Monkees
- "Mary, Mary"
- "Elenore" - The Turtles
- "Lisa" - Dead Flowers
- "Jane" - Barenaked Ladies
- "Alia" - Roza Rymbaeva. This song is a Dedication to a Great Patriotic War sniper.
Post-Hardcore
- "Ashley" - Escape the Fate
- "Emily" - From First To Last
Post-Punk
- "Alice" and "Marian" - The Sisters of Mercy
- They also covered "Emma" by Hot Chocolate and "Jolene" by Dolly Parton.
Power Pop
- "Denise" - Fountains Of Wayne
R & B
- "Bernadette" - Four Tops (Some men spend their whole lives searching for what we had)
- "Roni" - Bobby Brown
Rap Metal
- "Maria" - Rage Against the Machine
Rock
- "Roxanne" - The Police about "redeeming" a prostitute.
- "Michelle" - Old Silly Love Song from The Beatles when they didn't know how to write anything else.
- "Eleanor Rigby" - The classic Beatles Tear Jerker, of course.
- "Julia" and "Sexy Sadie", too.
- "Angie" - Depending on which rumor you believe: Mick Jagger bragging about nailing David Bowie's wife, Mick Jagger lamenting wanting Bowie's wife, or Mick Jagger apologizing for nailing her husband.
- "Barbara Ann" - The Beach Boys' surf rock classic, of course. They tried other girls, but they knew they wouldn't do.
- "Sara" - Bob Dylan
- "Sara" - Starship (Storms are the wind in her eyes, of course.)
- "Rosalita", "Leah", "Sherry Darling" - Bruce Springsteen
- "Suzy Lee" - The White Stripes
- "Emily" - The title of songs by From First to Last, Elton John, and Michael W. Smith, and Frankie Valli, all unrelated to one another
- "Susie Q" - originally by Dale Hawkins, made famous by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Baby, I love you)
- "Sophia" - (həd) Planet Earth
- "Rosemary" - Lenny Kravitz
- "Lydia" - Fur Patrol
- "Maria Maria" - Santana
- "Mary" - The Feelers
- "My Sharona" - The Knack (by the way, the woman named Sharona, who was on the single cover, is an ordinary woman who sells real estate in Southern California.)
- "Ann" - Andy Dwyer's song about Ann Perkins on Parks and Recreation; written and performed by Chris Pratt, the actor who plays Andy. Subverted in a later episode when he wrote a song about April... and titled it "November".
- "Carol" and "Anna" - Al Stewart
- "Vivica" - Jack Off Jill
- "Jane" - Jefferson Starship
Rock and Roll
- "Donna" - Ritchie Valens
- "Lucille" - Little Richard
- "Maybellene" and "Nadine" - Chuck Berry
- "Peggy Sue" - Buddy Holly
Southern Rock
- "Jessica" - The Allman Brothers Band
- Also "Melissa", "Desdemona" and "Little Martha"
And literally countless others, in itself, an interesting result for Transfinite Number Theory.
Subversions
Alternative Dance
- "Lilian" - Depeche Mode. Ostensibly about a really evil ex who's just broken up with the singer.
Alternative Rock
- "Mary Jane" - Tori Amos. It's not about a girl.
- Also subverted in "Song for Whoever" by the Beautiful South, where due to repeated Muse Abuse the singer/writer can't remember which of the many One Women is which:
Oh Shirley,Oh Deborah, Oh Julie, Oh Jane |
- And it's all for the money:
Oh Cathy, Oh Alison, Oh Phillipa, Oh Sue |
- Subverted in "Helena"; the song is about grieving for a dead woman (Word of God says the singer's grandma.)
- Subverted in "Debra" - Beck. The song's lyrics begin to direct the song towards one girl ("oh girl, I only wanna be down with you") until it's revealed that Beck has a secondary interest: Debra, the girl's sister ("and your sister, I think her name is Debra"). The track is done in the vein of R. Kelly-like R&B ballads and seems to be one until the hilarious twist of Beck pining for a little more is made apparent.
Country
- "Lucille" by Kenny Rogers, which is about the man's wife running off and leaving him to raise their four children alone on a farm.
- "Jolene" by Dolly Parton, sung by the cuckolded wife to the woman her man is having an affair with.
Folk Rock
- "Reva Thereafter" by Girlyman, about the singer's grandmother, and coping with her suicide.
Heavy Metal
- "Melissa" - Mercyful Fate. She is actually a human sacrifice in black mass.
Hip Hop
- "Kim" - Eminem. Not in the way this trope usually goes. This is no Silly Love Song.
Musical
- "Dammit, Janet" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's also a parody of these types of songs.
New Wave
- "52 Girls" - The B 52s: a song full of girls' names!
- "Shirley" - by Charlie Peacock, which is a song with seemingly Word Salad Lyrics.
Pop
- "Alejandro" by Lady Gaga is possibly a triple subversion. First it is inverted. Second there are three men in the song. And finally Gaga is fending off their advances.
- "Stephen" by Ke$ha is a song about a man, sung by a woman.
- "Etienne" by Guesch Patti, also a song by a woman about a man.
Post-Rock
- More than half of the songs on Slint's Tweez are named after women ("Carol", "Charlotte", "Darlene", "Rhoda", and "Nan Ding"). The thing is that all of these are non-appearing titles that have nothing to do with the song content, and the remaining four songs have male names. They decided to just title the songs as arbitrary shout outs to band members' parents. As for why there's an odd number of names, well, Nan Ding was apparently a dog.
Rock
- "Lola" - Silly little number by The Kinks... that's actually about a Transvestite. Maybe.
- Similarly, "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis.
- "Delilah" by Queen. The lines "You get away with murder so innocent" and "you pee all over my Chippendale suit" feel somewhat out of place in a sweet and catchy love song, if you don't realise that it's about a cat.
- Why Leelee Won't Love Me by Primitive Whore.
- "Martha My Dear" by The Beatles. It's about Paul's dog.
- "Noelle" by Daniel Amos, which isn't a love song by any means.
- "Mia" by Chevelle. No one's quite sure what it's about.
Comedy
- Stephen Colbert had a signature song that was "chart-adjacent" in the eighties, entitled "Charlene", where the narrator is obsessed with the titular woman and the song literally spells out how the narrator stalks her.
- There was a sequel song recently that Colbert sang with the Black Belles called "Charlene 2 : I'm over you". Hint:he's not really.
- Martina Navratilova, Wish You Were Mine-As heard on the Tony Horne In The Morning, the song talks about how the legendary tennis champ is Not Like Other Girls, broke the singer's fingers, looks manly, and how he probably wishes she was his girlfriend.