Impossible Mix Tape

I am going to keep going with this, hahaha, as i listen to songs

Liz Phair - "Stratford-On Guy" she mentions being in a Galaxie 500 video.

A few days ago while driving I came up with this short list:
Dead Milkmen "Punk Rock Girl" mentions Mojo Nixon
Mojo Nixon "Don Henley Must Die"
Don Henley "Boys of Summer" indirectly mentions The Grateful Dead

Now what Dead songs mention other artists? Are there any songs that mention The Dead Milkmen? Is there a Dead song that mentions milkmen?

I was thinking about this very thread over the weekend and came to the conclusion that it's impossible, especially to fill up an entire albums worth of songs, and you've pretty much summed up my thoughts below.

Sure you start with the Dead Milkmen, for example. But their song will only be able to reference artists and/or songs BEFORE "Punk Rock Girl" was recorded. And each time you are able to actually match two artists together, you're further and further limiting your pool of choices. I'm really not sure it can be done. Impossible definitely seems to be the right word.

Originally posted by beetsnotbeats:
A few days ago while driving I came up with this short list:
Dead Milkmen "Punk Rock Girl" mentions Mojo Nixon
Mojo Nixon "Don Henley Must Die"
Don Henley "Boys of Summer" indirectly mentions The Grateful Dead

Now what Dead songs mention other artists? Are there any songs that mention The Dead Milkmen? Is there a Dead song that mentions milkmen?

Originally posted by nkotb:
I was thinking about this very thread over the weekend and came to the conclusion that it's impossible, especially to fill up an entire albums worth of songs, and you've pretty much summed up my thoughts below.

Sure you start with the Dead Milkmen, for example. But their song will only be able to reference artists and/or songs BEFORE "Punk Rock Girl" was recorded. And each time you are able to actually match two artists together, you're further and further limiting your pool of choices. I'm really not sure it can be done. Impossible definitely seems to be the right word.

Shirley there are songs by older artists that mention newer ones, e.g. "Hey Hey My My" mentions Johnny Rotten.

For that matter there are songs that mention contemporaries. X's "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" mentions Black Flag, Big Boys, Minutemen and DOA (IIRC).

Perhaps it's cheating to use songs with lyrics that were borrowed for band names, e.g. 59 Times The Pain.

Of course, you are right about that. I just think you'd more likely than not wind up pushing backwards in the musical time line than forward. Sure you can get Snow Patrol to mention Sufjan, who in turn mentions Louis Armstrong. But from that point, you may not find Mr. Armstrong mentioning Menomena or the Fiery Furnaces anywhere ;) .

Originally posted by beetsnotbeats:
Shirley there are songs by older artists that mention newer ones, e.g. "Hey Hey My My" mentions Johnny Rotten.

For that matter there are songs that mention contemporaries. X's "I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts" mentions Black Flag, Big Boys, Minutemen and DOA (IIRC).

Perhaps it's cheating to use songs with lyrics that were borrowed for band names, e.g. 59 Times The Pain.

Originally posted by nkotb:
I was thinking about this very thread over the weekend and came to the conclusion that it's impossible,

Quitter.

Anyhow, you're pretty close to being spot on to my frustrations when I did my mix a few years ago. That's why when I did mine, I added cover songs. The only way to go back to the present and go backwards again was to use a new band covering an older bands earlier track and start backwards again.

Originally posted by Venerable Bede:
pavement- rattled by the rush (geddy lee/rush)
pavement- range life (smashing pumpkins and stone temple pilots)
ben lee- i wish i was him (pavement, beastie boys)

Pavement - "Unseen Power of the Picket Fence" is a tribute to R.E.M.

Both Duran Duran's "Do You Believe In Shame?" and Queen's "I Go Crazy" ("Radio Ga-Ga" B-side)mention The Rolling Stones.

Doesn't "Amsterdam" by Guster mention "your Shack CD?"

Marshall Crenshaw had "I'm Sorry (but so is Brenda Lee)."

Cheap Trick mention Kiss in "Surrender."

Brian

Originally posted by kcjones119:
"Thirteen" by Big Star (covered by everyone incl. Elliott Smith, Wilco, Evan Dando, etc) references the Rolling Stones.

Garbage do a GREAT version of "Thirteen." It's the B-side to "Push It."

In The Wallflowers' "Sleepwalker" the lyric goes:

"Cupid, don't draw back your bow
Sam Cooke didn't know what I know."

Brian

Lynyrd Skynyrd "Sweet Home Alabama" -> Neil Young.

REM "End of the world as we know it" -> Birthday party

Butthole Surfers "The Shah Sleeps in Lee Harvey's Grave" -> Jimmy Hendrix and Elvis Presley

Grandaddy "Jed's Other Poem" -> Beck

Sonic Youth "Tunic (Song for Karen)" -> Karen Carpenter

Pop Will Eat Itself "Not Now James" -> James Brown

This is difficult as people usually reference people from their past, so either you have to have a shift back somehow (people can not mention bands that don't exist) or try to have references that are almost current.

Low's - "Hatchet" mentions the Beatles and Stones.

quoting someone prior:
<i>Are there any songs that mention The Dead Milkmen? </i>


There's an Alkaline Trio song from 'Maybe I'll Catch Fire' where the lyrics are something like

"i've got a song stuck in my head that i miss more than my bed, it's a song sung from a fallen milkman who's drinking bleach instead, i'm just like him"

or maybe he says "much like him"
either way, it's clearly referenceing the dead milkmen's "i'm so bored i'm drinking bleach"

wow i'm a nerd.

Dylan's "Thunder on the Mountain" mentions Alicia Keys.

There's a Nirvana song with the lyric "Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld" but I can't remember its title.

Originally posted by you be pickup:
There's a Nirvana song with the lyric "Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld" but I can't remember its title.

Pennyroyal Tea

Originally posted by econo:
Rancid's Roots Radicals mentions Desmond Dekker. Though I don't know any Dekker songs that reference other artists.

The new Mighty, Mighty Bosstones single "Don't Worry Desmond Dekker" (obviously) mentions Mr. Dekker and The Clash.

Brian

P.S. That songs is ace, too. One of the best things they've ever done.