Songs that reference other songs

[JonnyMac]

The Thrills had to pay the Monkees $40,000 for the "hey hey we're the monkees" in one of their songs. (Don't know which one as they all sound the same).

 

[northmallexile]

'In The City' by Razorlight references Bob Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues'.

 

[janglinjack]

Wyclef Jean references "Knockin on Heaven's Door" in "Gone til November".

 

[wingnut]

Home Growns:

Fairytale of New York:

The Boys from the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay

One for Wexchick: Dancing at the Crossroads:

And they sang the Boys of Wexford, like it was going out of style.

 

[Killyoursons]

REM - Wake Up Bomb is about Oasis and the fellow Britpop groups that Stipe has no time for, e.g.
'Yeah, atomic, supersonic
What a joke, I'm dumb
See ya, don't wanna be you
Lunch meat, Pond scum'

He also mentions 'I had to teach the world to sing, by the age of 21', which Oasis in turn referred to in Shakermaker and a B-Side whose title I can't remember.

I've seen that claimed, but in an article around the time 'New Adventures' was released, one of the REM boys said that song was inspired by a visit to a glam rock club in New York. Maybe it was a bit of both?
'Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence' by Pavement, a song about REM, in which Steve informs us that 'Time After Time' is his 'least favourite song' (on 'Reckoning' at least).

 

[ubernerd]

That Bell X1 song doin' the rounds at the moment references Cohen's Hallelujah:
"you dont really care for [music | jesus] do ya"*.

The Cohen song was covered by Jeff Buckley.

 

[Matlock]

'Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence' by Pavement, a song about REM, in which Steve informs us that 'Time After Time' is his 'least favourite song' (on 'Reckoning' at least).

I LOVE that song. Must go and dig it out ;-).