Top 20 Famous Songs About Famous People

Fame makes for a catchy tune. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those famous tunes that you maybe didn’t know were talking about some famous people. Our countdown of famous songs about famous people includes “Uptown Girl”, “All of Me”, "Hurricane", “Go Your Own Way”, and more! Did any of these songs’ subjects surprise you? Let us know in the comments.
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#Songs
#Music
#Famous
#Bands
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#Fame
#Pop
#Rock
#TheBeatles
#Elton John

[@WatchMojo]

Did any of these songs’ subjects surprise you? Let us know in the comments. For more content like this, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/roOTp5eDfZ14pbs Play our Daily Point Battles to earn MojoPoints and qualify for CASH BATTLES! Check it out: WatchMojo.com/play

[@l-wolverine2211]

Eminem dissing his ungrateful mother; “Cleaning Out My Closet!”

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Surprisingly, "Not Like Us" by Kendrick Lamar nor "Sorry (Beyonce's song about Jay-Z's infidelity)" didn't get a mention.

[@orchidtreasure1484]

So gross🤮🤮🤮She was like 14 years old at the time!!!

[@IanSkeete-lj1mq]

What about Alanis Morissette's 'You Oughta Know' about Dave Coulier?

[@Mystress1980]

It's not about Dave Coulier. The actual person is still unknown. All she ever said was "he knows who he is, and he hasn't said anything about it". That confirmed it was NOT about Dave.

[@alliekat85]

​@Mystress1980 good info. Thinking it was dave is kind of mind blowing and doesn't match up lol

[@elizmac5419]

Yeah, an angry ballad between 2 sub rated "celebrities". Scathing....

[@user-cc5bi4fv1q]

@@Mystress1980Dave even said he was pretty sure the song was about him. A lot of the references Alanis made in the song fit their relationship.

[@TheVitamin421]

"dude looks like a lady" and Vince Neil is hilarious!

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

Elle McPherson was the titular “Uptown Girl” before it was about Christine Brinkley? Mind blown!

[@PoxeBlack]

And "You oughta know" from Alanis Morissette, about her relationship with Dave Coulier

[@anthonydaniel1727]

Crosby, Stills & Nash's "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" is about Judy Collins. But there are so many songs from the collective catalog of the supergroup and it's members solo recordings, including Neil Young, that were written about Joni Mitchell - and Mitchell's own catalog has songs she wrote about the various members of the group as well. It's an extensive list worth the research.

[@randyhamm3862]

Well the fact that the original Candle in the Wind starts off with the words Norma Jean which was Marilyn Monroe's real name it's kind of hard to argue the fact that the song was written about her

[@MichaelPop72]

ALL 80’s glam metal stars “looked like ladies.” 😂

[@Benjifan2000]

Dude Looks Like A Lady's music video is still extremely funny to me

[@1024laf]

Also songs Like Missing You by Diana Ross about Marvin Gaye; Angel of Harlem by U2 about Billie Holiday; Black Velvet by Alannah Myles about Elvis Presley and they say it is just a rumor, I don't know but I will still list it, Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond about Caroline Kennedy.

[@stephanfenton4352]

An even more savage Fleetwood Mac song is Silver Springs, written by Stevie Nicks about Lyndsey Buckingham. In the live video they are staring at each other while singing truly hateful lyrics.

[@livy9169]

Yes!! All those years ago is so good makes me cry

[@DKS225]

Uptown Girl certainly did as i didn't know about Elle McPherson until the early 90's.

[@krissyturner88]

Great list- thanks! xoxo

[@spiritus_iris]

When I saw the name of the video I started thinking about Brandon Lee by The 69 Eyes immediately 😅

[@user-fn5hx9bs4y]

Southern Man ??? hello Neil Young slam 😅😂😂

[@Animeguy300]

Top 20 Song Covers by Other Musicians

[@tylergoodman3560]

Candle in the wind is dedicated to all who've gone too soon. 😢🎉

[@pbcoop62]

She was only a baby at the time, but "Loving You" by Minnie Ripperton is about her daughter Maya Rudolph. Also, Don McLean's follow up to "American Pie" is about Vincent VanGogh.

[@MrQ12elve]

"Making love to you...is all I want to do" you sure it's about her daughter?

[@lostnthenoise]

There is also "Killing Me Softly With His Song" written about Don McLean and "Our House" that Graham Nash wrote about his relationship with Joni Mitchell.

[@anthonydaniel1727]

"Diamonds And Rust" is Joan Baez' chronicle of her relationship with Bob Dylan. Oddly, this deeply personal Baez song was covered by Judas Priest.

[@jaxprid]

I feel like Alfie should be on this list considering how big Lily Allen was at the time.

[@CandiceVidito]

Uptown Girl by Billy Joel is a really good song

[@theMF16-26]

Who doesn’t know Ether is about Jay-Z.Doesn’t Nas say Jay-Z’s name in the song.

[@jeffdavis2648]

Kinda obvious when the first 5 seconds is gunshots followed by Nas saying "F*ck Jay-Z"

[@user-jg6pi2si8v]

Eric Clapton also wrote Tears in Heaven about his son who died in my opinion the saddest song ever

[@user-fn5hx9bs4y]

his son was not a celeb 👎👎 death isnt fame.

[@karawigley6231]

The story behind Hey Jude is heartbreaking as Lennon actually abandoned the son Paul wrote it for. It’s sad that despite Lennon being a part of that song & it being a reminder of the love & compassion his band mate had for Julian he still continued to have nothing to do with him. People praise Lennon but he wasn’t all peace & love he left his son to suffer & their relationship traumatized him.

[@EpicGrantz]

Superman started Mariah’s hate towards Eminem. He exposed there relationship on the song lol

[@blackmesacake5361]

Yup, and The Warning finished it! Hard for her to keeping lying when he used real audio of her 😂

[@sarahramsey9454]

a lot taylor swifts discography has to do with other celebs like katy perry for one bad blood but her exes have a lot more

[@LaurelRawson]

They could do a whole video of just Taylor's songs about other people.

[@user-fn5hx9bs4y]

Jonas dodged a bullet that time 😅😂😂

[@christopherwesterberg8555]

Hey Jude is My Favorite Song from The Beatles

[@abrahammorrison6374]

The Three Stars was about the Day the Music Died.

[@maryfischer875]

George Harrison wrote Something about Patti Boyd also. She is one of the top muses in rock history.

[@snowdenwyatt6276]

That's a logical assumption that many have made (including myself), but George went to his grave insisting that the song wasn't specifically about her. Although he only said that in 1996 and Boyd herself said that he told her he wrote it for her.

[@TanakaSigauke]

Thumbnail 😂

[@PresMan36]

Wow, nothing about the war heroes by Sabaton? Talk about uncultured....

[@jeremywilliams5141]

Honorable mentions: 1. Flowers (Miley Cyrus) Liam Hemsworth 2. Bad Blood (Taylor Swift) Katy Perry 3. Missing You (Diana Ross) Marvin Gaye 4. Like That (Kendrick Lamar) Drake 5. Push Ups (Drake) Kendrick Lamar 6. Famous (Kanye West) Taylor Swift

[@BethMDowney]

Another song about Marvin Gaye (plus Jackie Wilson) was "Nightshift" by the Commodores.

[@ronnieeilert8491]

7 things (Miley Cyrus) Nick Jonas

[@AJ-xc4qe]

@@BethMDowneyI dedicated an entire playlist for R&B songs that aren’t romance, sex or breakups. I could only find 6 and that song was one of them.

[@rejachemno]

You really included the Drake and Kendrick songs because it's topical. It doesn't make sense in a list like this one

[@chandravargas3040]

you need to add jennifer juniper by donovan, it’s about patti boyd’s sister

[@anthonymonteverde4391]

2 other songs from Eric Clapton sang and wrote about people.... 1) "Tears In Heaven"...dedicated 2 his young son Conner who sadly passed away after a horrific tragedy 2) "In My Father's Eyes"....about his biological father he never met(also about Conner as well).

[@84cleancut]

Michael Jackson dirty Diana?

[@amandaholmes4051]

You guys talk about "Go your own way" but not "Silver Springs" or "Dreams"? Most of the Fleetwood Mac discovery is all of the band members talking about eachother.

[@TrueCrimeQueen]

Thanks for sharing!

[@MrQ12elve]

Another song about Miley Cyrus "Stitches - Molly Cyrus" haha

[@mauricioalanveloz5658]

Fleetwood Mac's Dreams was the Stevie response to Lindsey song

[@kennethferrari5232]

Clouds by Joni Mitchell is about Saul Bellow and a book he wrote. Slayer's Angel of Death is about Joseph Mengele, one of the most horrifying real life monsters ever. Finally The Show Must Go On by Queen is an autobiographical song about Freddie Mercury's impending death. He barely finished it when he died.

[@Preyfr60]

Aparently, I am the only one remembering this one: "Bloodhound Gang - The ballad of Chasey Lain.

[@josh72456]

I know of Uptown Girl, Dude (Looks Like A Lady.), Ms Jackson, Cry Me Like A River, Pride (In The Name Of Love), Hurricane, You're So Vain, Go Your Own Way, Hey Jude, Candle In The Wind and American Pie.

[@clancyalexander6192]

The Melissa Etheridge song Testify is about Harvey Milk.

[@anthonygordon9483]

When he called out the aerosmith song about Niki looking like a chick. It immediately gave me flashbacks to Micki Free. For a second I thought their names were the same lol. But As Micki Free said on Vlad. That was the 80s. Dudes were walking around with eyeliner and long hair.

[@l-wolverine2211]

Anytime Eminem disses Mariah Carey is Platinum in my eyes. She’s so full of herself it’s disgusting.

[@CandiceVidito]

Which singer or celebrity isn't these days?

[@l-wolverine2211]

@@CandiceVidito At least Eminem is for real, and isn’t as overrated like Mariah Carey

[@CandiceVidito]

@@l-wolverine2211 Oh ok. Never listened to his music, then again I don't listen to rap in general. Not my cup of tea

[@l-wolverine2211]

@@CandiceViditoPrime Eminem was so good back when he first started. How he dissed Bin Laden & Al Qaeda with “Without Me”, and got death threats from them, that showed how Boss he really is.

[@Reaperguy67]

​@@l-wolverine2211when it comes to him. His songs in the early 2000s were what I liked . You are absolutely right by the way.

[@theresecallahan8548]

How could you leave Abraham, Martin, and John off this list?

[@G1Grimlock94]

The best song

[@TheBlueExiles]

So like 4 of the most iconic songs I. History were about patty Boyd. Talk about bragging rights 😂😂😂😂

[@ThePinkDragon]

love all of you ;]

[@davidnewell3232]

McLean's performance of Vincent is said to be the primary inspiration for Killing Me Softly.

[@abrahammorrison6374]

The Stage, Stars In Heaven by Waylon Jennings is the Night Before the Day the Music Died.

[@rejachemno]

Mariah's goatee looks better in that video than Em's beard

[@salvadordollyparton666]

shocked and sadded the world... yes, i get so sadded every time a favorites musicians diesded.

[@leonardpostrado5948]

Surprised “All Too Well” by Taylor Swift wasn’t included in the list

[@Nola5427]

You' re so vain by Carly Simon is about Warren Beatty.

[@anthonygordon9483]

Hurricane was a amazing song. The killer about the song was bob dylan never once mention he was black. He was just a man. PERFECT! Bob Dylan was a great song writer but he was a master in propaganda and inspiring people to be on the right side of history.

[@AutumnLeafAcademy6164]

am here for CRY MR A RIVER - Justin Timberlake favorite since its time

[@oscarmasias5896]

I don't think anyone could keep up w/ J Mayers love life if they wanted to

[@lenshields4598]

How about a top 10 of actors in multiple natural disaster movies, like colonel sharp in Armageddon and the general in ID2, no I'm not talking about aliens and zombies, yes ID is about an alien invasion, but not really about the aliens, as they have less screen time then say aliens the movie

[@JP-yx7je]

What about I Saw Her Again by the Mamas and the Papas?

[@101shadeira]

Paterson New Jersey for Hurricane Carter

[@PrincessDie187]

Christie still looks beautiful ❤

[@werthmelissa]

Great list! I didn't see it coming with some of my familiar favourites on this list. Honorable mentions : Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes (its about Bette Davis in the title but it also mentions other actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age and Bette Davis herself accepted the gold and platinum records due to the success of the song), Dear John by Taylor Swift, Mr Perfectly Fine (From The Vault) (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift (alleged to be about Joe Jonas) and Clara Bow by Taylor Swift. I was expecting them to be on this list for sure!

[@terricunningham6810]

I saw the title and my 1st thought was Tim Mcgraw by Taylor Swift

[@IceCreamMashups]

Literally who tf listens that trash

[@IceCreamMashups]

I respect Taylor so much but her first ever song was kinda flop and trash

[@fatal6136]

@@IceCreamMashups Obviously @terricunnigham6810 listens to it!

[@joeb.evrythngEclectic5571]

Toto - Rosanna

[@ronniefranco512]

Marillion - Real Tears for Sale about Sinead O'Connor and Britney Spears

[@Nellia..]

Mariah Carey 😍

[@frankeeramirez5241]

Idk why i was shocked by u2 having a song in 1984 lol they are old bruh. Never really cared or liked his music just a thought

[@DemonHunter2012]

What about bad blood by Taylor Swift?

[@jorgeadairramos7469]

Hello good afternoon ❤❤

[@devingiles6597]

Honorable mentions: Ice Cube - No Vaseline Miley Cyrus - 7 Things

[@abicailfrekulic2408]

Who is 7 things about?

[@BenAck912]

​@@abicailfrekulic2408Nick Jonas.

[@l-wolverine2211]

Eminem- Mockingbird

[@Shaun1993ful]

Where is Taylor Swift

[@Supercarr1]

Who else clicked The video because of the thumbnail showing Baby one more time! And felt the disappointment! Lol 😅

[@anthonygordon9483]

Yeah WatchMojo you FAILED!!!!. This was a Top 20. A TOP 20!!!! Biggie ? Tupac ? Murder Mystery ? Longest Fued in musical history that lasted almost 5 years ? C'mon buddy!!!!! One of these songs has to get kicked out. Im not going to tell you which one all I know is one needs to be replaced!!!

[@duncanramsay9262]

American pie

[@octaviosanchez1051]

Top 10 teen titans villains

[@CandiceVidito]

Slade is # 1

[@BlackHatCinephile]

🥈

[@Nellia.20x]

God strike Justin and bless Britney.

[@abrahammorrison6374]

Forgot The Ballad of Ira Hayes, the Pima Indian who raised the flag on Iwo Jima in Joel Rosenthal's iconic picture.

[@texasforever5776]

People aren't famous.......just well know.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Surprisingly, "Not Like Us (Kendrick's diss song towards Drake)" nor "Sorry (Beyonce's song about Jay-Z's infidelity)" didn't get a mention.

[@ewetoob3049]

No one thinks "Pride" is about Reagan. That's just asinine, and insulting.

[@reizohar1320]

im first

[@CandiceVidito]

Nope and no need to spam it

[@shiningkingghidora]

Get a life

[@Slayde.Wilson]

You've accomplished nothing

[@Reaperguy67]

@@reizohar1320 no one asked if you are kid

[@reizohar1320]

First

[@CandiceVidito]

Nope not this time... Look again

[@shiningkingghidora]

Get a life

[@Slayde.Wilson]

Grow up

[@Reaperguy67]

@@reizohar1320 nope you weren't

[@BlackHatCinephile]

🏆🥇

[@michaelbilgen2976]

Tim McGraw by Taylor Swift?

[@Leonard.Cooper]

FIIIIIIRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSTTTTTTT!!!!!!

[@shiningkingghidora]

Get a life

[@Leonard.Cooper]

@@shiningkingghidora you first

[@Slayde.Wilson]

Grow up

[@CandiceVidito]

Nope not first: That pointless honor goes to me

[@Reaperguy67]

@@Leonard.Cooper nope you weren't and you need to get a life and quit attention seeking.

[@CAIDMASTEROFPYRO]

your so vain is such a stupid song, it is about the person who is vain because they think it is about them even though it is about them so it isn't vain to think it is about them

[@Stein99]

That's not stupidity. that's great songwriting. She meant to do that...duh

[@anhurtorrez]

First off I have never heard of any of the songs that came lout after 2000, and second you made a mistake about Pink Floyd's album Wish You Were Here. Yes Shine on you Crazy Diamond is about Cid Berrit but it wasn't just that song, it was the whole Album dedicated to him.

[@ashleyhyne7027]

Honorable mentions Bald headed woman (Barbara Windsor) the Bee Gees Like a Vegetable (Joe Biden) Madonna It's a long way to the shop if you wanna sausage roll (Rosie O'Donnell) ACDC