Songs with girl's names

[LorenFL]

I'm one of those people with a head full of music. Generally not much that's "new", but pretty much everything I've heard over the past 56 years is rattling around in there somewhere. And the catchier it is, the more it's going to come to the surface in the form of an ear-worm. An extremely common source of my earworms is girl's names. And, me being a driving instructor with a constant stream of new students who all have names... I get hit almost daily.

Today it was Gabrielle. It's a fairly obscure song, but it's catchy. Great song by Ween, that (intentionally, I'm sure) sounds like something by Thin Lizzy.


There are just so many great songs written about girls that use their names in the chorus! Here's a few of the better ones that come to mind quickly.

Angie, by the Rolling Stones
Michelle, by the Beatles
Lola, by the Kinks
Gloria, by the Doors
Maggie, by Rod Stewart
Valleri, by the Monkees
Rosanna, by Toto
Roxanne, by the Police
Amanda, by Boston
Sarah Smile, by Hall & Oates
Allison and Veronica, by Elvis Costello
Sweet Jane, by the Velvet Underground
Peg and Josie, by Steely Dan
Martha My Dear, by the Beatles (actually written about Paul's dog)
Athena, by The Who

Hit me with your best girl's name songs! Video link if it's obscure, or you know of a particularly good version.

 

[rainbow21]

Denise, Randy and the Rainbows
Suzie Q, CCRevival
Dawn, Sherry... Four Seasons

 

[mikelz777]

Candy('s Room) - Bruce Springsteen [this one's kind of iconic to me]
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - Bruce Springsteen
Cecilia - Simon & Garfunkel
Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac
(Sweet) Caroline / (Cracklin') Rosie - Neil Diamond
Beth - Kiss
Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) - Looking Glass
Bennie (and the Jets) - Elton John

 

[badhabits]

Sara - Fleetwood Mac
Jolene - Dolly Parton
Valerie - Amy Winehouse
Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond
Come on Eileen -
Bette David Eyes - Km Carnes
Eleanor Rigby, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Hey Jude - Beatles
Proud Mary - CCR
Lay Down Sally - Clapton
Mustang Sally -
Barbara Ann, Help me Rhonda - Beach Boys
Oh Sherry - Journey
Venus - Bananarama
Jack & Diane - John (Cougar) Mellencamp
Janie's Got a Gun - Aerosmith
Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne
Hey There Delilah -
Billie Jean - Mike Jackson

there seems to be a lot!

 

[Mike $]

A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
Valerie - sung by Amy Winehouse
Dear Abby - John Prine
Polythene Pam - Beatles
Sexy Sadie - Beatles
Alice's Restaurant - Arlo Guthrie
My Sharona - The Knack
Long Tall Sally - Little Richard
Mustang Sally - Wilson Picket
Elvira - Oak Ridge Boys
Holly Wants to Go to California - Funkadelic
Me and Bobby McGee - Kris Kristofferson
Ruby - The Osborne Brothers

 

[ampeep]

Few more oldies that just came to mind:

Donna - Ritchie Valens
Diana - Paul Anka
Tell Lara I Love Her - Ray Peterson
Fate Yanagi - Rap Reiplinger
Daisy Jane - America
Good Night Irene - Dr.John version

 

[LeftHandLuke]

Judy Is A Punk, Ramones
Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Ramones
Molly's Lips, Nirvana
Suzanne, Leonard Cohen
Susanne, Weezer
Minnie the Moocher, Cab Calloway
Lydia the tattooed lady

 

[dancephoto]

Here are some that are a little bit off the beaten path...

Nadine – Chuck Berry
Angie – Rolling Stones
Kathleen (Catholicism Made Easier) – Randy Newman
Marie – Randy Newman
Celia – Phil Ochs
For Emily, wherever I may find her – Simon and Garfunkel
To Ramona – Bob Dylan
Jezebel (and Lolita, and Betty Crocker!) – Smothers Brothers
Tamara, Queen of the Nile – Joan Morris and William Bolcom
(Here is a link for Tamara, Queen of the Nile because it is a little hard to find the original. Scroll to 34:51)

 

[pmorey]

Oh Sherry - Journey

Only because it's my wife's name and the song came out while we were dating, do I know that Oh Sherrie was a Steve Perry solo recording.
Along that vein, I'll also add Cherry Oh Baby to the list (original by Eric Donaldson, covered by the Rolling Stones and UB40.)

 

[Wiggy]

C'mon, man!
"Peggy Sue" - Buddy Holly
"Hello Mary Lou" Ricky Nelson

 

[Wiggy]

Oh Sherrie was a Steve Perry solo recording.

Yee-ay-aah!
"Oh, Sherrie, Our love - Holds on, holds on"

It doesn't get better than that

 

[dgame]

Joanna - Kool & The Gang

 

[pmorey]

I don't think these Beatles songs are in the list yet:
Dear Prudence
Julia
Ballad of John and Yoko (...sorry!)

Or how about some Buddy Guy:
Lucy Mae Blues
Louise McGhee
Sally Mae
Anna Lee
Miss Ida B
Mary Had a Little Lamb

 

[badhabits]

I don't think these Beatles songs are in the list yet:
Dear Prudence
Julia
Ballad of John and Yoko (...sorry!)

Be My Yoko Ono - Barenaked Ladies

 

[TerryM]

Caroline, No (Beach Boys)
Delilah (Tom Jones)
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Jessica, Melissa (Allman Bros)
Hang on Sloopy (McCoys)
Sugar Sugar (Archie's)
Hello Dolly (L Armstrong)
Little Old Lady from Pasadena (J&D)
Just Like Romeo and Juliet (The Reflections)
Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
Miss Sarajevo (U2)
Salome (R Strauss)
Aida (Verdi)

 

[pmorey]

@TerryM sent me down the U2 catalogue rabbit hole:
Grace
Iris (Hold Me Close)
Gloria (maybe cheating since not used in the context of a girl's name)
Scarlet

 

[badhabits]

Iris - GooGoo Dolls
Georgia (might be a stretch)

 

[TerryM]

Iris - GooGoo Dolls
Georgia (might be a stretch)

Sweet Georgia Brown

 

[badhabits]

Allison Road, Mrs Rita - Gin Blossoms
Rosealia - Better Than Ezra
Mary Jane - Alanis Morrisette
Anna Begins - Counting Crows

 

[Wiggy]

A song that's been burnt in my brain is "Ida Red" re-introduced by Asleep At The Wheel feat. Huey Lewis and Willie. It's a 2-chord (D-A7) song.

Here's Bob Wills (he's the fiddle in the middle):


My old misses swore to me
When she died she's set me free
She lived so long her head got bald
She took a notion not to die at all