Girl Power

For as long as there has been music I am betting that men have wrote songs about women. So, here is my list for the top ten songs with the names of girls in the title. I limited this to one title per artist.

Alison, Elvis Costello – I am a huge Elvis Costello fan, and it was hard to leave off another strong song by him in Veronica. Still for my money Allison is a little better and my favorite song with a woman’s name in the title. Costello has never revealed just who he wrote this song about, but you can feel the anguish in his lyrics. A masterpiece if there ever was one.

Bernadette, the Four Tops – Without a doubt my favorite Motown song and that is saying something as there are a ton of songs from that genre that I love. In this song, again you can hear the pain that this man feels about his love. This song is just an incredible achievement and moves me every time I hear it.

Cracklin' Rosie, Neal Diamond – Ah, good old Neil. One of my favorite lines from the movie What About Bob is, “There are two kinds of people in this world those who love Neil Diamond and those who don’t.” I have found this to be true and count me in the ranks of those who love the guy. My favorite Neil song is probably Cracklin’ Rosie witch has more hooks then a bait shop. Sure, Sweet Caroline is also a jam, but that is more overplayed. Also, this song is not really about a woman but a bottle of wine. I don’t care it is still a great tune.

Michele, the Beatles – I know a lot of Beatle fans that dismiss this song. I guess I understand. But, I have always had a soft spot for it. Lovely Rita is also a good Beatles tune, but for my money Michele is the best of the many Beatle songs with girl’s names in the title. This is a Paul piece of work and again is not really about anyone in particular.

Susanne, Weezer – OK, I know Weezer is kind of lame, yet I do like a lot of their catalog. Suzanne was a throwaway tune that it put out as a “B” side. I first heard it at the end of Mallrats, and became enchanted by it. It is a song written about a woman Susanne who was a PA at Geffen records who was of huge support to them when they first started out.

Jessica, the Allman Brothers – I understand it is strange to include an instrumental track on this list, but fuck it this song rocks. This is Dickie Betts at his southern rocking best. Just try not to tap a toe to this jam. Betts wrote it and named it after his daughter. Melissa is also a strong Allman Brothers tune, even if it has been overplayed.

Diane, Material Issue – Material Issue was a nice little band out of Chicago that wrote infectious pop songs that didn’t hurt anyone. Sadly Jim Ellison the front man committed suicide in 1996. Diane is my favorite tune that he crafted. No, it’s not a rock classic by any stretch of the imagination. But, it is a very good pop song that you can not resist.

Gloria, Shadows of Night – There have been numerous renderings of this song. It was written and preformed by one of my favorites in Van Morrison. And his version of the song is great. Still, for some reason, Shadows of Night, a band from the Chicagoland Burbs perform my favorite version of the tune. U2’s version is also pretty good, but the guy who is singing for the Shadows, just knocks this one out of the park.

Aimee, Pure Prairie League – Another one that I may get nuked for, but fuck it, I like the song. Is it a bit countryish, sure but it is still good. A great southern guitar intro and infectious lyrics which try as you might, you can not help but sing along with when you hear them.

Jennifer Juniper, Donavan – If you live as many years as I did with my Step Dad Lou, you can’t help but become a Donavan fan. Donavan wrote this song about Patty Boyd’s (who Layla was written about) sister Jennifer, who of course married Mick Fleetwood instead of him. It is a sweet little song that you can’t help but fall in love with when you hear it.