A quick Google search will yield hundreds if not thousands of cases of filmmakers leaving little self-referential easter eggs strewn throughout their work. One of the most famous examples is the boffins at Pixar leaving references to their other films inside of every release.
Sometimes, directors will even have characters speak the movie’s title as dialogue. They’re like little meta treats left in there for the viewer to have a quick chuckle and if it’s done right, you just keep watching the film and the reference isn’t so blunt that it takes you right out of it.
Since music is not a visual medium, it’s a little harder to be subtle. So when a band or artist name-drop themselves, you kind of have to cringe. Inspired by Alan Cross we went on an investigation to better understand this unique musical phenomenon, and have compiled a list of some of the most notable instances, as well as two of the worst offenders.
Wilco – ‘Wilco’
Lyric: “Wilco, Wilco. Wilco will love you, baby”
Proving once and for all that this lil’ trick isn’t reserved for popsters and rappers, indie-folk legends have gone one step further, delivering a track that not only shares the title of their band name, but of course, frequently says the words ‘Wilco’.
In addition to this, Wilco’s ‘Wilco’ falls from the album entitled…wait for it…Wilco, their seventh studio LP released in 2009. Anyway, we by no means intend to slag on the on the cruisy track, after all, the sentiment behind the lyrics is to remind any fan going through hard times that they’ve got Wilco, because “Wilco will love you, baby”. Naw.
System Of A Down – ‘P.L.U.C.K’
Lyric: “The few that remained were never found, (Never want to see you around). All in a system of Down…Down…Down…Down…Walk Down… Watch them all fall down.
Taken from their eponymous debut record, the music world was rocked to the core when this cataclysmic piece of wax slapped every listener in the face, and the bookend beat, ‘P.L.U.C.K.’ , an acronym for ‘Political Lying Unholy Cowardly Killers’ saw the hard-hitting outfit’s last words scream their name, “All in a system, down”.
The Monkees – ‘Hey Hey We’re The Monkees’
Lyric: “Hey, hey, we’re the Monkees And people say we monkey around. But we’re too busy singing To put anybody down.”
It’s virtually impossible to think of this band and not sing the words “hey hey, we’re The Monkees”, mission accomplished for the writers of this tune. To be fair, this track was used as the intro song for the show, The Monkees, so we guess it’s only fair the groups name should be sung a few times.
Iron Maiden – ‘Iron Maiden’
Lyric: “See the blood begin to flow as it falls upon the floor. Iron Maiden can’t be fought, Iron Maiden can’t be sought.”
What a brilliant way of ensuring people remember your band name. Name your debut record as well as track from the album the same as your band name, and be sure to say the name or your band within the track, too.
That’s what British metal legends Iron Maiden did back in 1980, singing the warning words “Iron Maiden can’t be faught, Iron Maiden can’t be sought/Iron Maiden wants you for dead” in their song ‘Iron Maiden’ from the record Iron Maiden.
Soulja Boy Tell’em – ‘Crank That’ (Soulja Boy)
Lyric: “(Yoooouuuu!) Soulja boy I tell ’em. Hey I got a new dance fo you all called the soulja boy”
Oh man, from that opening “yyeewww, Soulja Boy Tell’Em” and the menacing steel drums, the face of music forever changed (for the worse?). Parties and clubs around the globe would see a sea of nutters start crackin’ that Soulja Boy, the horrendous dance move that we’ll never quite be able to shake off.
Of course, it was all initially a bit of fun, everyone didn’t mind bouncin’ to the hiphop drop, but once people actually discovered what they were singing, gee, did that give this cheeky tune a whole new look.
A Perfect Circle – ‘Orestes’
Lyric: “Metaphor for a missing moment. Pull me into your perfect circle”
Released in 2000 on their debut record Mer de Norms, the alt-rock/metal supergroup were welcomed onto the scene backed by the huge tunes ‘Judith’ and ‘The Hollow’, however the progressive burner ‘Orestes’ was always one of our personal favourites.
The track that lyrically depicts “cutting away” from “the womb” painted a pretty damn graphic image in our heads, so much so that we almost missed the sneaky “pull me into your perfect circle” band name plug.
Skid Row – ‘Youth Gone Wild’
Lyric: “I said “Hey man, there’s something that you oughta know. I tell ya Park Avenue leads to Skid Row.”
This one is just plain cheesy. It’s almost like they were trying to be clever but wanted to hide their attempt at being clever, but totally failed at both. Then again, considering the fact that the ’80s, and hair metal in particular, was all about the self-aggrandisement and the total lack of irony, who could really fault Sebastian Bach and his crew? Quite frankly, we wouldn’t be miffed if they penned a song in which they drop the name of the band and make awkward references to their past songs.
Nicki Minaj – ‘I Am Your Leader’
Lyric: “Hit the hot topic, Nicki Minaj hoodies I’m a brand, bitch, I’m a brand.”
Well played, Nicki Minaj, well played. Not unlike her appearance on Kanye West’s ‘Monster’, Minaj once again outclasses her hip-hop peers through sheer intelligence and ferocity. Whereas other rappers like to repetitively spout their own names because it’s their schtick or they’re just not very creative, Nicki does it to prove a point. When she name-drops herself, she’s referencing hoodies with her name on them, which segues smoothly into the next line: “I’m a brand, bitch, I’m a brand.” She’s a brand and saying her name is no different to having a Coke can in a Coca Cola ad.
Ramones – ‘R.A.M.O.N.E.S.’
Lyric: “Misfits, twilight zone, R-A-M-O-N-E-S, R-A-M-O-N-E-S,
Ramones. Bad boy rock, bad boy roll, Gabba gabba, see them go.”
The Ramones can do any freaking thing that they want. If they wanted to record an experimental song where the only word is “Ramones” played over and over at varying speeds a la Metal Machine Music, they could’ve gone right ahead. In this case, the band decided to cover a song that Motörhead in fact wrote as a tribute to the band, which frontman Joey Ramone described as, “The ultimate honor – like John Lennon writing a song for you.” The band would cover it live, and it stands to reason. The band drew considerable influence from daggy pop groups like the Bay City Rollers, who often started chants based on their own names.
Belle & Sebastian – ‘Belle & Sebastian’
Lyric: “Everyone thought it was a shame For Belle and the boy Sebastian”
For a band that has been declared the “whitest band of all time” it’s almost charming to see them employing one of hip-hop’s most popular 21st Century tropes. Granted, they did it before the advent of the 21st Century, so maybe this has just gone back to being pretentious. It’s up for debate, really. The band itself was named after a series of French children’s books, Belle et Sébastien, chronicling the adventures of a boy and his dog, and we guess the song was inspired by their adventures, so they’re not really name-checking themselves so much as this book series… which they named themselves after.
Britney Spears – ‘Gimme More’
Lyric: “It’s Britney Bitch. I see you, And I just wanna dance with you.”
Like it or not, Britney Spears are a bonafide living pop legend, coming up in a time when being a pop star entailed a lot more than just hiring a good producer, singing the song, making the video, and doing the tour. She was arrived right as that generation was disappearing and just as the age of the social media-friendly BFF pop star was amping up, one could even say that at one point, she was one of that strange era’s most unfortunate casualties. Luckily, Britney managed to rise from the flames, so why shouldn’t she assert her dominance, bitch.
Icehouse – ‘Icehouse’
Lyric: “It’s always cold inside the icehouse Though the rivers never freeze There’s a girl outside the icehouse I can see her clearly through the tree Read more: Icehouse – Icehouse Lyrics”
Okay, this song is kind of freaking us out, so we’re not totally sure how to feel about this particular case of a band using their own name in a song, naming the song the exact same thing, and then titling the album the same thing again. Like, okay, “icehouse”, we get it, guys. You like… houses made of ice, or something. Time to get over it, right? Seriously though, we can’t fault this one too much, frankly. Motörhead employed the same tactic for their first album and we’ll be damned if we’re gonna sit her criticising them. Rock on, Icehouse, rock on.
The Worst Offenders
2 Chainz
Tone Deaf! …sorry, just thought we’d try it. 2 Chainz just sounds like he’s having so much fun… repeating his name… over and over. However, considering his predilection for collaborations (some of his tracks feature enough guest stars to populate most countries on Earth), it’s not terribly surprising that 2 Chainz would want fans to know when he’s on the beat. We guess the problem really comes in when he does it on tracks where he is the only one rapping. Then he just sounds like a raving alcoholic who’s being a real nuisance to everyone in the jewellery store. Ahead of his Australian visit next week we thought we’d pay tribute to the one and only 2 Chainz, so here is the cheat sheet guide to 2 Chainz’s most important lyrics:
“2 Chainz”
“2 Chaaaaainzzzzzz”
“She got a big booty, so I call her big booty.”
“Last name Chainz. First name 2”
Jason Derulo
When clips of you singing your own name can be edited into a compilation with the running time of a feature-length film, it might be time to seek professional help. Obviously, we can’t really hold anything against him. His name just seems to roll off the tongue. It has a kind of lyric grace all its own. It just seems to dance lightly along your palette like fine Belgian chocolate.
