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and Eugene, Lola, Rita the meter maid, Polythene Pam, Mr Mustard, Mr Kite, Bungalow Bill, Rhiannon, Shorty,
Dan and Miss Lucy, Dora the female explorer, Aqualung, the fashion-conscious Carnabetian of 'Dedicated Follower
Of Fashion', Dizzy Miss Lizzy, Mr Bojangles, David Watts, Billericay Dickie and Jumpin' Jack Flash. Incidentally,
what rank was 'Fernando', was he deaf and was that why she kept asking him if he could hear the drums?
Books and Films
You can also base a song on a book or film, and in the lyric try to condense the story or at least capture its
atmosphere. 'Watching The Detectives' conjured up the whole world of pulp crime fiction. 'White Rabbit' was a
counter-culture tribute to Alice In Wonderland. Kate Bush wrote about Wuthering Heights and 'The Sensual World'
was inspired by the closing 30 pages of James Joyce's Ulysses. Led Zeppelin's 'Ramble On' and 'The Battle Of
Evermore' were both shaped by J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord Of The Rings.
Put-Down Songs
You will find plenty of these in the punk rock repertoire, such as The Sex Pistols' 'Satellite', 'Liar', 'No Feelings' and
'New York'. Elvis Costello had plenty among his early songs, including 'I'm Not Angry' – a title that contrasts
ironically with the content. After he went electric, Dylan had a phase of what he called "finger-pointing' songs.
Probably the most elegant put-down song is Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain', with its booby-trapped chorus: "You're
so vain, you probably think this song is about you'.
What's on the Radio?
Another option is to write a song about what's on the radio – or what's not on the radio. Since rock has always had a
thing against disco, it's not surprising that Bryan Adams ('Kids Wanna Rock'), The Smiths ('Panic'), Elvis Costello
('Radio Radio') and R.E.M. ('Radio Song') wrote songs to criticise what they were hearing over the airwaves. 'Oh
Yeah', 'Radio Free Europe', 'Yesterday Once More' and '29 Palms' are four of many songs that mention the effect of
hearing music on the radio. You could extend this by going to television, as in Springsteen's '57 Channels'. It won't
be long before someone has a hit with a song that mentions the World-Wide Web.
Articles of Apparel
Sometimes it's clothing that sparks a story or a mood: 'Blue Suede Shoes', 'Blue Jean Bop', 'Wherever I Lay My Hat',
'Famous Blue Raincoat', 'Homburg', 'Hole In My Shoe', 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin", 'Venus In Furs',
'Raspberry Beret', 'A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation)', 'Hi Heel Sneakers', 'Red Shoes', 'Lady In Red', 'Bell
Bottom Blues', 'Chantilly Lace', 'Dedicated Follower Of Fashion' – and from the opposite view, 'It's Still Rock and
Roll To Me', where Billy Joel decided that fashion didn't matter.
Dances
Some lyrics offer instructions for how to do a dance: 'Resurrection Shuffle', 'Let's Twist Again', 'Hey Let's Twist',
'Monster Mash', 'Hippy Hippy Shake', 'Agadoo', 'Do You Want To Dance', 'Mickey's Monkey', 'Dance To The
Music', 'Land Of A Thousand Dances', 'Harlem Shuffle', 'Do The Funky Chicken'. Thousands of other songs, like
'Peppermint Twist', 'Boogie Fever', 'You Should Be Dancing', '(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty' and
'Dancing Queen' just mention dancing. 'Slowdive' sounded like dance instructions but was actually auto-erotic.