All in the Name Of...
Thursday, May 10, 2007 at 09:54AM 
Did you ever notice glam bands like to brand themselves in song? If music is a product meant for mass consumption then it makes sense that artists scream their band name as part of lyrics.
Take, for instance, Skid Row. In the song "Youth Gone Wild" the band sings:
"I said 'Hey man, there's something that you oughta know.
I tell ya Park Avenue leads to Skid Row.'"
I love this part of the video, too. All the members together, shouting out the lyrics. So hot. In fact, the pairing of the lyrics, guitar work and video make "Youth Gone Wild" my favorite Skid Row song.
The Bulletboys brand their music too. In their remake of the O'Jays classic "For the Love of Money," Marq Torien shouts "Bulletboys Sing!" I love this, too.
RATT famously mentions their band name in the lyrics to their hit "Wanted Man."
"Human target, In my eyes
I've got you, well in my sights
And by the rope, you will hang
It's your neck, from this Ratt gang."
When bands remake other famous songs, it's necessary to put an original stamp on the track. Poison does this well with their Grand Funk Railroad remake of "We're An American Band." The real lyrics are:
"They said, 'Come on dudes, let's get it on!'
And we proceeded to tear that hotel down"
In the Bret and Co. version, the lyrics are: "And Poison proceeded to tear that hotel down"
What about lyrics that mention a certain band member...and not the band name? In the Motley Crue remake of the Brownsville Station hit, Vince Neil sings:
"Checkin' out the halls makin' sure the coast is clear
Lookin' in the stalls--nah, there ain't nobody here
My buddies Sixx, Mick & Tom
To get caught would surely be the death of us all."
Of course, this isn't really a lyrics change because Brownsville Station mentions their member names as well, but you get my point.
Do you have a favorite song that mentions a band or musician name?
Reader Comments (6)
I'll throw in "Hanoi Rocks every morning, and at night I'll fall asleep to the smell of romance" from Oriental Beat by the mighty Hanoi Rocks!
How about "Ace is back and he told you so" from Rock Soldiers by Ace Frehely?
And you must've heard of Roxx Gang, right? Sure you have!
"I can feel those dice just waitin' to be rolled, ridin' in tonight with my bad Roxx Gang" from Fastest Gun in Town!
x
I think it is pretty cool when they do that!
That was 1974 so wrong Glam era I guess!
regards,
Bill
http://rockofages.wordpress.com
this may not be a direct pat on their own back, but I am thinking Gene has been known, on occasion, to be a bit vain;
"So if you please get on your knees
There are no bills, there are no fees
Baby, I know what your problem is
The first step of the cure is a KISS "
And, yeah, Brett does it a few times with 'hit it CC', or similar. I can't wait to see them again at Rocklahoma, they were awesome when I saw them last year.