Often, I hear song lyrics which refer to other songs or bands. Most of the time, the mention is a tribute to whoever is referenced. Other times, it might be something derogatory (Lynyrd Skynyrd to Neil Young for example). Here’s a few songs that clearly pay homage to the bands and records that had an influence on the writer/performer of said song. In one case, the homage is paid through the video more so than the lyrics. We’ll start with that one.
A few years ago, I happened upon a fantastic band from Hessen, Germany called Torpedohead. These guys have great rocking songs and have been described (on sleazeroxx.com) as equal parts Faster Pussycat and Cheap Trick. I’ll buy that. (I hear the Cheap Trick part anyway.) Torpedohead has just released a great new song called “All Those Wasted Years.” The song features guest appearances by Ryan Roxie on guitar (who I wrote about here: TV Party Tonight! Ryan Roxie) and also some guest vocals by Michael Butler of American Heartbreak.
In addition to just being a great song, the band released a video that I think is pretty clever. The video is simple—the band is just set up in a record store playing the song, but throughout the video, you see customers picking up records. The records they pick up are not random. They are obviously records by bands that influenced Torpedohead. It’s pretty easy to catch all the records they want you to see. I spotted Electric Angels, Mike Zero, The Wildhearts, L.A. Guns and of course Ryan Roxie and American Heartbreak. The two guests appear on the video, separately, only when a guy randomly rolls in a television on which they appear. Check it out and see if I have missed any other references. I did notice that Michael Butler is wearing a Rose Tattoo t-shirt on the television for his brief part. Here is the video – “All Those Wasted Years” by Torpedohead:
And speaking of American Heartbreak, their song “Superheroes” is one you have to listen to. The song is about their personal superheroes of the 1970’s and it references “the Pistols and The Who, Dolls and Ramones, Don Kirshner on TV.” They name check Bad Company and Starz, they mention Dream Police and Londontown, Bowie and The Sweet. And there’s a Cheap Trick t-shirt in the video. It’s a super-catchy tune as well. Check it out – “Superheroes” by American Heartbreak:
One more… Ryan Hamilton & the Harlequin Ghosts have a song called “Oh No.” The song is lyrically just a non-stop string of band names and record titles with a chorus of “Don’t change my rock n roll” throughout. It’s a catchy song and should resonate with anyone who truly loves rock music. The lyric video is cool. Here is “Oh No” by Ryan Hamilton and the Harlequin Ghosts:
JCE, or John to his friends, was born in 1963 in the Nation’s Capital. He grew up in the VA suburbs of D.C. His earliest musical memories are tied to a transistor radio with a single earphone that he carried everywhere listening to AM radio. At this point he still listens to a steady diet of punk, power pop, metal (Faster Pussycat=Yes, Megadeath=No), alt country and anything that has plenty of good guitar and drums. Oh, and he has an ever-growing collection of about 150 vintage skateboards.