Grace Kelly – Mika

So Long Frank Lloyd Wright – Simon and Garfunkel

Just like Jesse James - Cher

Free Nelson Mandela – The specials

The one that's about Amelia Earhart and so much more besides.

Piazza New York Catcher is about former baseball player Mike Piazza.

And of course Half Man Half Biscuit cornered this particular market.

All by Bob Dylan -
Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll,
Ballad of a thin man (Mr Jones),
Ballad of Hollis Brown,
Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues,
Who Killed Davey Moore?
High Water (for Charley Patton),
The death of Emmett Till,
Bob Dylan's Blues,
Bob Dylan's Dream,
Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie,
Blind Willie McTell

.....Need I go on ? There are plenty more....

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Seamus Heaney?

Marley

So Much Things to say - mentions Marcus Garvey and Paul Bogle (and Jesus Christ if you think he was real)

Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins

Roger McGuinn's Russian Hill mentions Lawrence Ferlinghetti

McGuinn gets mentioned in Creeque Valley by the Mamas and Papas - along with Barry Maguire, all the members of the mamas and the papas, and John Sebastien and...

John Grant - Sigourney Weaver
Dexys Midnight Runners - Geno
Angleic Upstarts - The Murder Of Liddle Towers
The Direct Hits - What Killed Aleister Crowley
Jamie T - Chaka Demus
Pop Will Eat Itself - Ciccolina
Pop Will Eat Itself - Harry Dean Stanton
Television Personalities - I Know Where Sid Barrett Lives

and of course there's a raft of HMHB material....

Just Like Fred Astaire by James

Bob Wilson Anchorman by HMHB

Denis by Blondie (this song was written about Denis Law)*

* THIS IS A LIE

...possibly the only Jethro Tull song (er, apart from the 1969 B-side 'One For John Gee') to mention a real person - other than Jeffrey, of course (Tull associate Jeffrey Hammond-Hammond who appears by name in several songs, before actually joining the band on bass).

Sigmund Freud's Impersonation Of Albert Einstein In America. Randy Newman...who else?

Miss Rossa ...The Neville Brothers

'Brian Wilson' by Barenaked Ladies (later covered by Brian Wilson)
'A Touch Of Henry Moore (And Barbara Hepworth)' by The Nits
'Pablo Picasso' by Jonathan Richman (covered by Dave Bowie)
'David Bowie' by Phish (the chorus goes "UB 40, UB 40, David Bowie, David Bowie")
'I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives' by Television Personalities

And there's Citizen Helene's lovely "Stephen Fry"

Pat Coombs is a Harsh Mistress

Christian Dior - Morrissey
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5
Meet James Ensor - They Might Be Giants

and another from Belle and Sebastian - Seymour Stein

David Watts - The Kinks / The Jam
Andy Warhol - David Bowie
Janie Jones - The Clash
Charlton Heston - Stump

Harry is about Harry Nilsson and appears on his (Nilsson's) album Flash Harry.

serial offender -

Flying Sorcery - Amy Johnston (and Leonado Da Vinci)
Nostradamus
Roads to Moscow - namechecks General Guederian
Warren Harding
Lord Grenville
Lord Salisbury - also name checks Oscar Wilde
Mr Lear

and there's more....

is quite a popular guy. Apart from Cher (mentioned up top) there's

Prefab Sprout - Jesse James Symphony
Warren Zevon - Frank & Jesse James.

However possibly my favourite, about a guy who is hardly a household name in this country, but whom I've read up a bit because of this song

Dave Alvin's Everett Ruess

Johnny Park was a childhood friend of Foos frontman Dave Grohl, who named him in a song title in an attempt to track him down.

I've no idea if it worked.

Mogwai -

Hugh Dallas
You're Lionel Ritchie
Nick Drake
Stanley Kubrick
I'm Jim Morrison, I'm Dead
George Square Thatcher Death Party

The Weather Prophets - Like Frankie Lymon
Billy Bragg - Levi Stubbs Tears
The Beat - Stand Down Margaret
Jonathan Richman - Pablo Picasso

"Please remember Victor Jara in the Santiago Stadium"

(from "Washington Bullets")

Prefab Sprout - Faron Young
Llyod Cole and the Commotions - Andy's Babies, and also Sean Penn Blues
Camera Obscura - Lloyd I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken
Joe Strummer - Tony Adams
The Clash - Janie Jones

The Fall - Damo Suzuki
The Fall - Hey! Luciani (Pope John Paul I)

REM - Man on the Moon (Andy Kaufman)

Kim Carnes - Bette Davies Eyes

The Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes

Blue Oyster Cult - Joan Crawford

The Clash - Car Jamming (Lauren Bacall)

The Divine Comedy - Absent Friends (Jean Seberg, Steve McQueen)

The Duckworth Lewis Method - Jiggery Pokery (most of the England and Australian Test teams of the time)

And as has been pointed out, it would probably be easier to list the HMHB songs that don't mention real people

Tommy Walsh's Eco House - HMHB
I Feel Like Buddy Holly - Alvin Stardust
Buddy Holly - Weezer

For the Jan mingle on this theme. Bugger. I'm going to have to work hard now to find a full complement that doesn't include anything from here.

'Boom Boom Mancini' Warren Zevon

and we can't forget

'Elvis Presley Blues' Gillian Welch

'Mr Wilson' John Cale

Mark Knopfler with James Taylor - Sailing To Philadelphia which is about Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon who surveyed and drew the Mason/Dixon Line.

James Taylor - The Frozen Man. I think this is a true story, about William James McPhee who died on one of Peary's Arctic expeditions.

James Taylor - Machine Gun Kelly - American gangster.

James Taylor - Line 'Em Up - The first verse is about Nixon leaving The White House

Steve Earle - Ben McCulloch - Confederate general in the Civil War.

(Jane Birkin) - Serge Gainsbourg
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (Judy Collins) - CSN&Y
Martha My Dear (OK, it was a dog) - McCartney
Robert de Niro's Waiting - Bananarama
John Wayne is Big Leggie - Hayzi Fantazie
Clint Eastwood - Gorillaz

by Rickie Lee Jones about the wonderful Chuck E Weiss.
He's also mentioned on Tom Waits' Small Change album. Weiss is an amazing character who has played drums for the likes of Willie Dixon and Lightning Hopkins.
As a long time friend of Waits he has sporadically released solo albums over the past 30 - 40 years.
I have two - "23rd & Stout" and "Extremely Cool" which are both highly recommended.
On the Waits produced "Extremely Cool" Chuck & Tom duet on the hilarious "Do You Know What I Idi Amin" which makes it another contribution to this thread.
There are a few Chuck E things worth a look on Youtube. A couple of years ago I was amazed when he turned up as a New York record store owner in an episode of "The Gilmore Girls".

Ghosts of Cable Street about Oswald Mosley, the Cable Street Rioters and mentions "Jewish gangster" Jack Spot
Denis Law and Ali McGraw
Lobotomy Gets Them Home about the American film maker Frances Farmer

Someone mentioned Picasso up there and this song came into my head, from one of my favourite albums which I haven't actually listened to in years

(heads off to CD shelves...)

but I genuinely thought until a couple of years ago that The Police had made a record called "Sue Lawley."

I think we got it there, don't you?

He's on Quality Street.

On the island of Stromboli with Woody Guthrie, Billy Bragg and Wilco

[The Go-betweens, Lee Remick]

Babbacombe Lee by Fairport Convention

Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog After The War - Paul Simon

did a few of these. I've listed just some of them below with explanations where required. There are others. These are all real Zappa album tracks.

Charles Ives (composer)
The Dick Kunc Story (record engineer)
Dickie’s Such An Asshole (Richard Nixon)
Elvis Has Just Left The Building
The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue (jazz musician)
For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers) (Cal Schenkel, Zappa sleeve artist)
For Duane (Allman)
Ian Underwood Whips It Out (Mothers' band member)
The Illinois Enema Bandit (Michael Kenyon, jailed for sexual assault as per the song title - look it up on Wiki)
In-A-Gadda-Stravinsky (Igor Stravinsky, composer)
Jim & Tammy's Upper Room (Jim & Tammy Bakker, TV evangelists)
Mo 'n Herb's Vacation (Mo Ostin, record company executive and Herb Cohen, Zappa's manager)
Motorhead's Midnight Ranch (Motorhead Sherwood, Mothers' band member)
Punky's Whips (Punky Meadows, guitarist with the band Angel)
Reagan At Bitburg
A Small Eternity With Yoko Ono
Son Of Suzy Creamcheese (groupie)
Stevie's Spanking (Steve Vai, Zappa band member)
Variations on the Carlos Santana Secret Chord Progression
Penguin In Bondage - Swaggart Version (Jimmy Swaggart, TV evangelist)

But my favourite by far is the wonderfully-named Zappa guitar instrumental dedicated to the wonderfully-named United States Republican Senator for Utah, Orrin Hatch.

Orrin Hatch On Skis

That one has to be worth an up for obscurity value alone, doesn't it?

Oh, please yourselves.

is Dead by Bill Drummond
Bill Drummond Said by Julian Cope
The Wild Swan's fantastic 'Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years' is about genius drummer Pete De Frietas
and Lou Reed and Metallica appear to have made an entire album about Lulu.

Glenn Tipton: song also mentions Cassius Clay, Sonny Liston, K K Downing, actor Jim Nabors, Booby Vinton and Clark Gable. Why? I haven't a clue...

bananarama- robert de niros waiting. The who- old red wine (about john entwistle). Roger daltrey-under a raging moon (keith moon). Rod stewart-killing of georgie. Rolling stones- angie. Beatles- hey jude, dear prudence.

lou reed and john cale- songs for drella (l.ps worth of andy warhol). Lennon- how do u sleep, oh yoko, forgive me my flower princess, beautiful boy, john sinclair. Led zep-(hats off to) roy harper.

lou reed and john cale- songs for drella (l.ps worth of andy warhol). Lennon- how do u sleep, oh yoko, forgive me my flower princess, beautiful boy, john sinclair. Led zep-(hats off to) roy harper.

Duck Sauce - Barbara Streisand (my kids play it)

I helped Patrick Mcgoohan escape - The Times.

And the rather wonderful "Prick up your Ears" by Yeah yeah noh, which is about Joe Orton. "somebody from nowhere's here". Love it.

Every last man name checked.

Thanks Rod!

by Luke Haines (who has also done Peter Hamill and many C 20 artists)
Grace Kelly with Wings by Piebald

Specifically her imagined visit to the Taybridge Bar in Dundee, by Michael Marra. And let's not forget his tribute to Hamish McAlpine, "Hamish the Goalie".

And many more.

Frankly Mr Shankly - also name-checks HRH Prince Charles.
Solid Air by John Martyn was written to describe Nick Drake, although does not mention him by name.

Biko - Peter Gabriel
Roll Over Beethoven - Chuck Berry (and many more)

Can we include Caroline, No on the basis that it started off being about Peter Asher's ex, Carol, and then (according to the recent podcast) was renamed to keep Brian Wilson's FPO happy?

And then there's The Lovely Linda, one of many songs Macca wrote for or about his GLW.

How about Sting Me by the Black Crowes?

Or Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley?

I have always assumed the Mr Slater in Mr Slater's Parrot by the Bonzo Dog Band to be their saxophonist, Rodney.

by the Clash

Professor Cox features quite heavily (as does Brian Cox the thespian)
pretty funny...

A House - Endless Art

Boncho Guenchev playing for Hendon FC, in the song Teenage Winter by St Etienne.

The legendary bassist is mentioned in a recent song (which bears her name as its title), and I can't for the life of me remember who sings it...

Danny Christmas - I remember Elvis Presley.

This was an old B-side - of "Into the Valley", I think. And it consisted entirely of people's names. Some real people, some soap characters. As I recall, John Peel was truly honoured to be included in such exalted company...

Ena Sharples, David Hunter
Meg Mortimer, Stanley Ogden

Albert Tatlock x2

Jim Baines, John Peel
Annie Walker, Meg Richardson

Albert Tatlock x2

Kenny Dalglish, Meg Mortimer
Sandy Richardson, Annie Walker
Albert Tatlock x5

Let Robeson Sing
The Love of Richard Nixon
Baby Elian

namechecks The Candyman

by The Decemberists

Al Bowley's in heaven

David Bowie Wants Ideas

Minutemen - Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing

Firehose - For The Singer Of REM, Song For Dave Alvin

Cabaret Voltaire - James Brown

Go Betweens - The House That Jack Kerouac Built

Prefab Sprout - Faron Young

Prince Buster - Al Capone

I think there's been a few about a guy called Jesus!

Suddenly I See - is all about Patti Smith

'Moving' - Lindsey Kemp
'Delius' - Frederick Delius and Eric Fenby
'Blow Away' - Bill Duffield, the lighting engineer killed on the first night of Kate's Tour of Life, Marc Bolan, Buddy Holly, Keith Moon, Sandy Denny, Sid Vicious & Minnie Riperton
'Houdini' - Harry and Bess Houdini
'Cloudbusting' - Peter and Wilhelm Reich
'The Fog' - Kate's dad
'Heads We're Dancing' - Hitler (oh dear, oh dear)
'Moments of Pleasure' (deep breath) Kate's mum, Alan Murphy (Smurf), Michael Powell, Gary Hurst (Bubba), Bill Duffield, her aunt Maureen
'You're the One' - Her ex-boyfriend, Del Palmer (allegedly)
'Ken' - that 'funky sex machine' Ken Livingstone
'King of the Mountain' - Elvis
'Bertie' - Kate's son
'Joanni' - Joan of Arc
'A Coral room' - Kate's mum
'Wild Man' - The yeti (sorry)

Oh, and please note, 'The Man With the Child in his Eyes' is not about Steve bloody Blacknell. It is about me, Me, ME!!!

I'll get my coat...

Wonder what Steve Biko would have thought knowing that a one way system around the back of Bell Corner in Hounslow would one day bear his name?

Has anyone mentioned the Patti Boyd duo yet? (Layla and Something)