This Is The Song That Goes Like This: 40 Self-Referencing Lyrics For Your Amusement
The SPAMALOT power ballad "The Song That Goes Like This" prompted a mass rumination on Songs About Songs, those meta–compositions in which the singing subject refers (in real time) to the words he's writing [about writing (about writing)]...and so on in an infinite narcissistic loop that's like a hall of mirrors.
"Here I sit, writing this song for you, a song that says that I'm writing a song for you…" Here's a list the Rock's Backpages bloggers came up with: more suggestions gratefully received! –– Barney Hoskyns, Editorial Director
"A Song For You" – Leon Russell
"Your Song" – Elton John
"Valley Winter Song" – Fountains Of Wayne
"Keep On Singing My Song" – Christina Aguilera
"Fa–Fa–Fa–Fa–Fa (Sad Song)" – Otis Redding
"Sad Song" – Lou Reed
"You Can Close Your Eyes" – James Taylor
"You're So Vain" – Carly Simon
"Song Sung Blue" – Neil Diamond
"One Of Those Songs" – Jimmy Durante
"Just An Old Fashioned Love Song" – Three Dog Night
"Hey Won't You Play Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" – B.J. Thomas
"Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" – The Raspberries
"Sam's Song" – Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jr.
"The Songs That We Sing" – Charlotte Gainsbourg
"I Write The Songs" – Barry Manilow
"Laughing Stock" – Love
"This Song" – George Harrison
"Sing A Song" – The Carpenters
"The Song is Over" – The Who
"Getting In Tune" – The Who
"Silly Love Songs" – Paul McCartney
"The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" – Eric Bogle
"Only A Northern Song" – The Beatles
"Jugband Blues" – Pink Floyd
"This Song" – Ron Sexsmith
"My Iron Lung" – Radiohead
"Thank You For The Music" – Abba
"This Is Not A Love Song" – PiL
"It's Garry Shandling's Show" – Theme Song
"O Caroline" – Matching Mole
"Signed Curtain" – Matching Mole
"Rednecks" – Randy Newman
"The Great Unknown" – Elvis Costello
"Sticks and Stones & Beatles Bones" – Captain Beefheart
"It's The Same Old Song" – Four Tops
"Song For Woody" – Bob Dylan
"You Will Be My Music" – Frank Sinatra
"Song Beneath The Song" – Maria Taylor
"Hallelujah" – Leonard Cohen
Read over 13,000 interviews and reviews with these and many other artists at www.rocksbackpages.com. Over 13,000 articles by the greatest writers from the finest rock publications of the last 40 years.
Back in nineteen sixty-five
I was singing this song
When lonnie came alive
Steely Dan, "The Boston Rag"
Syd Barrett, "Here I Go"
Sparks, "When I'm With You"
I guess David Bowie's "Song For Bob Dylan" can be added to this list as well?