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21 August 2007

Please help me think of songs about the music biz. I'm doing a story on how local musicians are coping with the changes in the industry, and I want to quote some songs as the subheads. So far I can think of Gillian Welch's "Everything is Free Now," Boston's "Rock and Roll Band," Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar," and the Byrds' "So You Want to Be a Rock'n'Roll Star," -- what else?
post by: Miko at: 09:22 | 48 comments
Money For Nothing by Dire Straits?
posted by iconomy 21 August | 09:26
"EMI" The Sex Pistols.
"I Sucked A Lot of Cock to Get Where I Am" Regurgitator
posted by GeckoDundee 21 August | 09:28
Shooting Star - Bad Company
posted by iconomy 21 August | 09:32
The Blasters' "Rock and Roll Will Stand"
posted by mrmoonpie 21 August | 09:36
There's so little blue here (yeah, mea culpa).
posted by GeckoDundee 21 August | 09:39
Hitsville UK - The Clash
The Money-go-round - The Kinks
You never give me your money - The Beatles
Mercury Poisoning - Gram Parker
Success Story - The Who
posted by octothorpe 21 August | 09:41
"Mainstream" by Thea Gilmore

Chews you up, spits you out
Then asks you what the lip's about
posted by danf 21 August | 09:44
Life's Been Good to Me So Far - Joe Walsh
posted by Joe Invisible 21 August | 09:46
(totally off topic) Miko, I had a dream last night. I was at my parents' house, about to go to a party (and then leave, I guess, because I was packing), and I could not find my magic wand. And I kept being like WHERE IS MIKO, she needs to hurry up and get here, she's magic, she'll be able to find my magic wand and help me find all the things I've forgotten to pack. And sure enough, you came with your magic wand and used it to help me find all my stuff.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero 21 August | 09:46
Creeque Alley - The Mamas and the Papas
Car Trouble - J-Live
A Star is Born - RA the Rugged Man

And, at least a good line or two:
Check the Rhyme - A Tribe Called Quest
(Industry rule #4080:
Record company people are shady)
Protect Ya Neck - Wu-Tang Clan
(First of all, who's your A&R?
A mountain climber who plays an electric guitar?
But he don't know the meaning of dope
if he's lookin' for a suit-and-tie rap
that's cleaner than a bar of soap.)
posted by box 21 August | 09:47
Big Star- The Jayhawks
Hotel Arizona- Wilco
posted by cobra! 21 August | 09:52
Love and Rockets, "Shelf Life" from sweetfa
posted by crush-onastick 21 August | 09:58
Video Killed the Radio Star, of course.
posted by mygothlaundry 21 August | 10:00
A Tribe Called Quest also has "Show Business."
posted by Hugh Janus 21 August | 10:06
Working for the MCA - Lynyrd Skynyrd
posted by octothorpe 21 August | 10:08
Yes, Hugh, yes! There are some other great rap songs about the biz that I can't think of right now.

A couple about radio:

Radio Radio - Elvis Costello and the Attractions
The Last DJ - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Now I want to make a mixtape of songs about the record industry.
posted by box 21 August | 10:09
"The Spirit of Radio" - Rush
posted by WolfDaddy 21 August | 10:21
"All Mod Cons"/"To Be Someone" - The Jam
"A Whale's Tale" - Paul Weller
posted by scody 21 August | 10:46
"Rudder" by Bettie Seveert
The record seem to do so well
and everybody loves a band that sells
i know a bunch that are suppose to be about label relations buti can't recall right now if the lyrics or titles apply well.
Aimee Man's "I'm with Stupid" is about her label at the time before she had to leave and rethink how to do business.
There's lots like that from web solos to indies to label defectors.
posted by ethylene 21 August | 10:53
Tricky - Divine Comedy (backstory--scroll down to 1998)
posted by box 21 August | 11:01
David Bowie - DJ
posted by miss lynnster 21 August | 11:15
Jawbreaker - Indictment - "So Crazy it Just might work / Then we'll quit our jobs / We could be the next group that you rob" "Moving Units and Tracking Charts / Will they ever learn / It itsn't who you know, it's who you burn / It means nothing - selling kids to other kids / If you think we changed our tune: Hope we did."

Hell of a song from a band that was adamant about not selling out (right up until they signed with Geffen) and then imploded under the pressure of "defence-department level budgets" of recording for the majors.
posted by Triode 21 August | 11:30
The Clash's - Complete Control, a response to CBS.
The Replacements' Talent Show is one of my favourites.

And...The Rheostatics, on my favourite album of theirs, Melville, had a cacophonic little number called When Winter Comes. It has some great CANADIAN music industry lyrics, mentioning the tv show Video Hits, etc. It also features one of the prettiest little endings to a song ever. Not on topic, but so pretty, I'm gonna lay them out right here:

In the blue Canadian winter, I'll follow your trail
Till your love becomes a snowbank hardened by gael.
When ice appears on matchsticks and the salt trucks fail,
And coalmen hibernate through their alarms.
In the blue Canadian winter an iceman roams,
Building railroads made of iron, sweat, and skin.
When you become thawed-out your love will swamp the tracks,
And my heart will be restored with virgin blood.

Man, they are the MOST CANADIAN band EVER.
posted by richat 21 August | 11:58
Oh, and one of these days, we should post a thread about the songs that all bands write after returning from their first tour. Maybe it's a great northern thing, but it seemed like any band that went on a Canadian tour had a song on their next record that reflected that journey.
posted by richat 21 August | 12:00
Oh yeah! Richat reminded me of DJ Format's "The Hit Song", featuring (Canadian) MC Abdominal. "I've just come from London, ya know, from meetin' with the Label, They seem to want another hit, are you available?"
posted by Triode 21 August | 12:08
Drive-By Truckers : Outfit
posted by essexjan 21 August | 12:13
"Paint A Vulgar Picture" - The Smiths
"The Load Out/Stay" - Jackson Browne
posted by sisterhavana 21 August | 12:29
Dr Hook : Cover of the Rollingstone
posted by doctor_negative 21 August | 13:00
Now I want to make a mixtape of songs about the record industry.

You absolutely could! I actually had no idea there were so many. What a goldmine. Y'all are my magic wand! (That was a funny dream, TPS). Thanks so very much.
posted by Miko 21 August | 13:25
Jawbreaker--Tour Song
posted by omiewise 21 August | 13:27
Y'all Wanna Single? Well Fuck That. Fuck That, Fuck That.
posted by quonsar 21 August | 13:48
Radiohead's My Iron Lung.
posted by jokeefe 21 August | 14:27
Queen's Radio Ga Ga.
posted by malaprohibita 21 August | 14:42
Yay, more! Thanks again.

And on a related note -

An open letter to all musical artists:

MySpace is cool and everything. But if you ever want anyone to actually book you or interview you for a press piece, make sure you have a real email or phone number somewhere on your page, or that at the very least, you check your MySpace mail every day. People on deadline can't interview your pretty picture, your awesome background theme, or your warbling jukebox.
posted by Miko 21 August | 14:48
Maia Sharp, Red Dress.
posted by mudpuppie 21 August | 15:15
"Pull My Strings" by The Dead Kennedys.

From wikipedia:

The band, who all wore white shirts with a big, black S painted on the front, pulled black ties from around the backs of their necks to form a dollar sign, then started playing a new song "Pull My Strings", a barbed, satirical attack on the ethics of the mainstream music industry. which contained the lyrics, "Is my cock big enough, is my brain small enough, for you to make me a star?"

And also...
"Payola Blues" by Neil Young (among others)
posted by Fuzzy Monster 21 August | 15:24
"Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle" - Cake (may be more about consumers, but covers the dealers as well)
posted by muddgirl 21 August | 15:33
God, there's so many, they're everywhere, especially when you add in songs about touring and playing live.

Piano Man - Billy Joel
Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
Nashville Cats - Lovin' Spoonful
Gold - John Stewart
Three Verses of Dixie - Confederate Railroad
It's Only Rock & Roll - Stones
Where It's At - Beck
Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
posted by Miko 21 August | 16:01
This Note's For You - Neil Young and the Bluenotes
posted by box 21 August | 16:08
Life's Been Good - Joe Walsh
Overnight Sensation - Raspberries (IMHO, the best song about the industry, and a great tune to boot)
Remote Control - Clash
Joe's Garage - Frank Zappa
Into The Great Wode Open - Tom Petty
posted by jonmc 21 August | 18:42
Warm Fuzzy Feeling - Fastball

Actually, this is an almost perfect pop song, IMHO.
posted by black8 21 August | 18:42
also:
Left Of The Dial - Replacements
Who Will Save Rock And Roll - Dictators
Do You Remember Rock And Roll Radio - Ramones
posted by jonmc 21 August | 19:17
Some may be a bit tenuous, but:
Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles
Turn the Page - Bob Seger
It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock n Roll) - AC/DC
Big Ten-Inch Record - Aerosmith
Stay - Jackson Browne
When the Music Stops - Eminem
posted by dg 21 August | 20:27
anything by The Payola$...
posted by rumple 21 August | 22:08
Free Man in Paris - Joni Mitchell
posted by Miko 21 August | 22:39
The Beatles' "Only a Northern Song" is about George Harrison's disillusionment with Northern Songs.

George Harrison's "This Song" is about the "He's So Fine"/"My Sweet Lord" infringement lawsuit.

John Fogerty's "Zanz Kant Danz" and "Mr Greed" are about Saul Zaentz, the owner of Fantasy Records who sued Fogerty for supposedly ripping off "The Old Man Down the Road" from Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Run Through the Jungle," which Fogerty also wrote. (The funny thing about the lawsuit is that all of Fogerty's songs sound the same.)
posted by kirkaracha 22 August | 17:02
Oh, I remembered a couple more. There are a couple Stiff Little Fingers songs:

"Wait and See" which is about them starting up their band, and also "You Can't Say Crap on the Radio" which is about...well, that you can't say crap on the radio.
posted by richat 23 August | 09:59
Paul McCartney and Wings, "Rock Show"
posted by kirkaracha 23 August | 13:57
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