Celebrities With Songs Named After Them: Rihanna, Pete Davidson, More
« Drew Barrymore » is the fourth track on SZA’s debut album « Ctrl. »
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SZA wrote Barrymore a long letter about how all the actress’ roles inspired her and enlisted the actress for her « Drew Barrymore » music video.
« It’s about being at that (crappy) house party and seeing girls who have very nice hair and new clothes and sweep the guys you wish were compatible with off their feet, » the R&B singer told USA Today about naming the fourth track on her debut album, « Ctrl. »
« I started thinking about every movie that you see Drew in. All her roles are this amazing, kind girl who is misunderstood, but just wants to be loved. »
Bryce Vine also has a song named after the « 50 First Dates » actress.
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« I used this example of what we’re all looking for in a companion. She has this charm about her, which is kind of iconic, but she’s not who you think of as like a Megan Fox, » he told news station KTLA 5 about choosing the actress as inspiration for « Drew Barrymore. »
« She just seems so sincere, which is what I found attractive about her. »
In 2009, Lil Wayne released the song « Kobe Bryant, » inspired by his basketball idol.
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« [Wayne] was like, ‘Man, that performance just motivated the hell out of me.’ I think it was like game six, » Bryant told Genius in a 2019 interview.
« [Wayne] was like, ‘I’ma do a song. Is it okay, can I do a song?' » Bryant went on. « I was like, alright cool. I just thought he was bs-ing or whatever. Before the Celtics series he sends me the song and I was like, ‘Oh, you were serious. Okay, that’s awesome.' »
« Madonna » is the sixth track on Drake’s mixtape, « If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. »
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Just a couple of months after its release, Drake performed with the « Material Girl » singer at Coachella, in which she unexpectedly kissed him onstage.
Drake released « Girls Love Beyoncé » in April 2013.
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« I’m a Beyoncé believer, » the rapper said in an interview with Ryan Seacrest. ‘
« I really believe strongly in her talent and her position in our generation. I think she’s one of the biggest stars ever, but especially for these girls right now. I feel like they need Beyoncé. »
The track incorporates the hook from « Say My Name, » a classic recorded by Beyoncé’s former girl group, Destiny’s Child.
Nicki Minaj released her song « Marilyn Monroe » in 2012.
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The track was made with the 1950s icon in mind, as the rapper incorporated Monroe’s famous quote: « I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best. »
Verse 1 of Minaj’s song goes, « I can be selfish / Yeah, so impatient / Sometimes I feel like Marylin Monroe / I’m insecure / Yeah, I make mistakes / Sometimes, I feel like I’m at the end of the road. »
And the song’s chorus goes, « Call it a curse / Or just call me blessed / If you can’t handle my worst / You ain’t getting my best. »
« Tim McGraw » was Taylor Swift’s first-ever single, released on June 19, 2006.
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Swift’s debut single was named after the country-singing legend.
« I wrote [the song] in my freshman year of high school. I got the idea in math class. I was just sitting there, and I started humming this melody. I kind of related it to this situation I was in, » Swift told CMT in a 2006 interview.
« I was dating a guy who was about to go off to college. I knew we were going to break up. So I started thinking about all the things that I knew would remind him of me. Surprisingly, the first thing that came to mind was that my favorite country artist is Tim McGraw, » she said.
« Kevin’s Heart, » a play on Kevin Hart’s name, is included on J. Cole’s album « KOD. »
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The comedian was also tapped to star in the music video, which was released on April 24, 2018.
Panic! At The Disco’s « Miss Jackson » is named after Janet Jackson and refers to her song « Nasty » in the lyrics.
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« ‘Miss Jackson’ is about something that actually happened to me when I was younger. I hadn’t really talked about it, and I felt that if I didn’t, I would keep thinking about it. It would drive me crazy, » lead singer Brendon Urie told MTV News in a 2013 interview.
« When I was younger, I would mess around; I’d sleep with one girl one night, sleep with her friend the next night, and not care about how they felt, or how I made them feel. And then it happened to me and I realized ‘Wow, that’s what that feels like? I feel really s—-y.' »
« Jackie Chan » is a 2018 song by Tiesto and Dzeko, featuring Post Malone and Preme.
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« We asked [Chan] if he liked it. He didn’t want to get involved with the song, but he knows about it, » Tiësto explained to Zach Sang Show in 2018.
« I think Jackie Chan is such a legend that everybody knows him, so kickin’ it like Jackie Chan, it’s more like a saying, a play on words. »
« John Wayne » is the fourth track on Lady Gaga’s fifth studio album « Joanne. »
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Wayne has been the lead character in award-winning films like « Stagecoach » (1939) and « True Grit » (1969).
The track includes the pre-chorus, « Every John is just the same / I’m sick of their city games / I crave a real wild man / I’m strung out on John Wayne. »
Cigarettes After Sex has also recorded a song in the Hollywood star’s name, which was released on June 9, 2017.
The Chainsmokers named the song « Kanye » after Kanye West.
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For fear that they might get sued for using the rapper’s name to title their song, Alex Pall and Drew Taggart of The Chainsmokers had their agency reach out to Kanye West’s camp.
« As far as we know, he’s heard it and really likes it, or likes it enough that he’s not going to sue us for any of it, » Pall told current affairs program Inside The Story.
« He’s the man. I mean, he obviously has some moments you can laugh at, for sure, but like, he’s a genius, and you gotta respect someone who has such strong beliefs – not religious beliefs – but just in what he wants to do. There’s no half-stepping with him, » he added.
« Anna Wintour » by Azealia Banks gets its title from the editor-in-chief of Vogue.
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« The reason I wanted to call the song ‘Anna Wintour’ was actually because the beat was a remix of my song called ‘Ice Princess,' » she told MTV News.
« Since the tone of the song ‘Ice Princess’ was about being this cold, frigid person who doesn’t need anyone’s help, » she went on, adding, « It just kind of naturally wrote itself. Like, you know, the pieces were just there. Anna Wintour; Ice Princess; cold-hearted girl; she finally finds love. »
« Michael Jordan » is the sixth track on Kendrick Lamar’s fourth mixtape, « Overly Dedicated. »
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In a 2013 interview with Chelsea Handler, the rapper compared rapping to playing basketball.
« I basically wanted to show that I’m competitive, » he said.
« Before music, I wanted to be Michael Jordan, » he continued. « I have a lot of insight on hooping, whether you see it or not. »
Fall Out Boy’s « Uma Thurman » is based on the actress’s character in « Kill Bill. »
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« Uma Thurman » is the fifth track on the band’s « American Beauty/American Psycho » album.
« The thing that I like about a lot of the characters Uma Thurman has played is that she picks these quirky, yet powerful roles, » bassist Pete Wentz told Billboard in 2015. « When we were writing the song, I’d play it for people and a lot them immediately thought ‘Pulp Fiction.' »
« But to me, I felt like it was more her character in ‘Kill Bill.’ It’s iconic, vengeful, » he continued, adding, « If you grew up at all in the ’90s, it’s hard not to crush on a woman like Uma Thurman. »
Jay-Z’s « Tom Ford » is named after the fashion designer.
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« It was great, but when I first saw it performed in a stadium of 60,000 people and my name flashing across this gigantic screen, it was very strange. It made me just want to crawl under a rock, » Ford told CNBC International TV about his reaction to the song.
« I’m a very, very private person and I’m extremely shy, which you wouldn’t know because I have mastered a kind of public ability to perform. It’s part of my job, » he continued. « But I’m quite shy and it’s very strange when you hear an entire audience saying ‘Tom Ford.' »
Rihanna is included in the title of The Wanted’s song « Walk Like Rihanna. »
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The British-Irish boy band put this song on its third studio album, « Word of Mouth, » as the sixth track.
« A friend of ours wrote it and when we first heard it we actually laughed, but then we got used to it and did the production on it and then we just thought, you know what, it’s a bit fun and we don’t take ourselves too seriously, » bandmate Max George said on the talk show « Loose Women » in 2013.
« She said she was actually really flattered and she thought it was really fun, which is what we wanted to do, » George said of Rihanna’s reaction.
In July 2015, CeeLo Green released « Robin Williams. »
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« The record is about humanity, » Green told news publication Radio.com about his song « Robin Williams, » which followed the actor’s death in August 2014.
« I wanted his legacy to be celebrated in song and also it was an opportunity, as a musician, for me to be cathartic and address my own empathy about it, because it was very sobering to get to reflect on my own mortality as well, » he said.
Kacey Musgraves also took inspiration from Presley for her song « Velvet Elvis. »
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« Velvet Elvis » is the ninth track on Musgrave’s fourth studio album, « Golden Hour. »
The country singer’s tune refers to the famous velvet painting of Elvis in costume holding a mic.
The lyrics go, « You’re my velvet Elvis / I ain’t never gonna take you down / Making everybody jealous / When they step into my house / Soft to the touch, feels like love / Knew it as soon as I felt it / You’re my velvet Elvis, baby. »
« Dennis Rodman » is the second track on ASAP Ferg’s album, « Floor Seats II. »
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« At a time when people can’t actually go to a game, I wanted to provide the experience sonically, and that’s what I did, » the rapper said in an interview with Denver’s radio station, KS 107.5.
« I just wanted to make the players a part of the whole experience. Also, I wanted to give back to the players because they bump my music so much before and after the games. That was my way of giving back. »
Ferg additionally enlisted Rodman for the music video.
Mansionz also has a record called « Dennis Rodman, » accompanied by a video game-esque music video.
Chiddy Bang has a song named « Ray Charles. »
AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian
In 2012, Charles’ granddaughter, Blair Robinson, told TMZ that the late pianist actually wasn’t a big fan of rap music.
However, she said that « as one artist to another, Ray would have respected the group’s craft. »
She further said that she would’ve liked to sing the hook on the song.
David Bowie isn’t sure if the American artist liked his song « Andy Warhol » or not.
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« He was a very funny, very witty man, but it was a long time before you got him talking, » the musician spoke of Warhol in an interview with a music channel, The Best of Vox Pop.
« I wrote the honky dory song before I met him. And then I played it to him at the factory and he said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s right, that’s great.’ And that was his critique of the song, » he continued. « I don’t know if he ever liked it or not. »
Bananarama made the song « Robert De Niro’s Waiting… » simply because De Niro was one of their favorite actors.
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« At the time, our favorite actors were Al Pacino and De Niro, but obviously Robert De Niro scanned better, » Bananarama founding member Sara Dallin told The Guardian in a 2017 interview.
« Luckily, the public loved it. So many people tell me it’s their favorite Bananarama song. I’m so proud of it and what we did, » she added.
« Me, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando And I » by R.E.M. is « entirely made up, but it’s sincere. »
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Brando is one person lead singer Michael Stipe would invite to his dream dinner party, as he told The Guardian in 2020.
But, the song is not only about Brando. It’s about Neil Young, too.
« It’s about me going to Neil Young for advice… It’s entirely made up, but it’s sincere, » Stipe told the British newspaper what the song is about in a 2011 interview.
« I hold Neil in high regard, but I have never asked him for advice, though I am sure he would have honored it if I had. »
Brand New released « Jude Law and a Semester Abroad » in 2001.
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Law, who is British, isn’t explicitly mentioned in the lyrics, but the song make reference to »English boys »
The chorus goes, « Tell all the English boys you meet / About the American boy back in the States / The American boy you used to date / Who would do anything you say. »
Donald Trump was not happy about Mac Miller’s 2011 song « Donald Trump. »
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While « Donald Trump » was made in admiration of the businessman’s success, it was not well-received by him.
In 2013, he shared a series of tweets showing his disapproval.
« Little @MacMiller, you illegally used my name for your song ‘Donald Trump’ which now has over 75 million hits, » he tweeted, adding in a follow-up that he was going to teach Miller « a big boy lesson about lawsuits and finance. »
« Little @MacMiller, I want the money not the plaque you gave me, » he wrote.