Songs About Notable Deceased Persons

[frisco]

Songs written about someone who has passed away. Caveat is the person must've been dead at the time the song was written.

Steve McQueen-Sheryl Crow (Steve McQueen)
Empty Garden-Elton John (John Lennon)
Candle In The Wind-Elton John (Marilyn Monroe/Diana Spencer)
James Dean-The Eagles (James Dean)
Man On The Moon-R.E.M. (Andy Kaufman)
Wish You Were Here-The Bee Gees (Andy Gibb)
Life In A Northern Town-Dream Academy (Nick Drake)

Johnny Bye-Bye-Bruce Springsteen (Elvis Presley)

My Best-Carey

Click to read more...

 

[Lehnerd Skinnerd]

Off the top of my head, one of my personal favourites:

Mr. Crowley - Ozzy Osbourne (Aleister Crowley)

I’ll edit if I think of any more.

 

[Primary Assist]

American Pie is specifically about the Day the Music Died, when Richie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly all tragically were killed in a plane crash

 

[Teemu]

Charles Mingus - Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Lester Young)

 

[beowulf]

About Kurt Cobain



Also about Kurt


AC/DC back in black is about Bon Scott
The Pretenders 2000 Miles is about the groups original guitarist who died the year before.
Alice Cooper's Desperado is about his friend Jim Morrison of the Doors.

 

[Jack Straw]

Casey Jones by the Grateful Dead
I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night, originally a poem by Alfred Hayes, set to music by Earl Robinson. Notable performances by Joan Baez and Bruce Springsteen.

 

[Mescaleroman]

 

[MVP of West Hollywd]

Alannah Myles - Black Velvet (Elvis)
Neil Young - Hey, Hey, My My (Johnny Rotten)

American Pie is specifically about the Day the Music Died, when Richie Valens, the Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly all tragically were killed in a plane crash

I'd say it's mixed in with other refrences to music artists and hating Mick Jagger. So while it does reference the day the music died I would call it short of truly about them.

 

[frisco]

The Pretenders 2000 Miles is about the groups original guitarist who died the year before.

Jackson Browne's "For A Rocker" is also written about James Honeyman-Scott.

Ghosts-Bruce Springsteen (Danny Federici/Clarence Clemons)
Ballad Of Ira Hayes-Johnny Cash (Ira Hayes)
Covergirl-Prism (Dorothy Stratten)
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of-U2 (Michael Hutchence)
Departure-R.E.M. (River Phoenix)

My Best-Carey

 

[Terry Yake]

nightshift-the commodores (marvin gaye/jackie wilson)

 

[NyQuil]

Courage - Tragically Hip - Hugh MacLennan

 

[kook10]

Alannah Myles - Black Velvet (Elvis)
Neil Young - Hey, Hey, My My (Johnny Rotten)

Johnny Rotten isn't dead?

Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead
Temple of the Dog - Say Hello 2 Heaven [Andrew Wood]
U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love) [MLK)

 

[Guardian17]

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I guess there's a lot of that... From the top of my head, Red Hot Chili Peppers had Tearjerker (about Kurt Cobain) and Transcending (about River Phoenix) on the same album. Renaud has a beautiful song named Putain de Camion (that would translate to something like f***in' Truck) about his friend Coluche. But I don't think I know a better one than this one:

 

[VMBM]

(Directly or indirectly) about Otis Redding:

 

[Jussi]

 

[Mescaleroman]

 

[forsbergavs32]

Def Leppard - Photograph (Marilyn Monroe)

 

[kook10]

for Karen Carpenter

 

[Jussi]

 

[Rodgerwilco]

This thread brought me to the realization that Eleanor Rigby is not a real person, which kinda bummed me out.

 

[SomeDude]

One of my personal favorites:
Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band - Breezy (Sabrina Duim)

 

[Mescaleroman]

 

[gswift]

Nightshift - The Commodores (Marvin Gaye & Jackie Wilson)
Missing You - Diana Ross (Marvin Gaye)
I'll Be Missing You - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans (Notorious B.I.G.)
Crossroads - Bone Thugs & Harmony (Eazy-E)
They Reminisce Over You - Pete Rock & CL Smooth (Trouble T-Roy)

 

[Behn Wilson]

Slayer - Angel of Death (Joseph Mengele)
U2 - Pride (Martin Luther King)

Two ends of the spectrum here as despicable a human as there ever was and a truly great man