15 great Classic Rock songs that mention other great Classic Rock songs

30 September 2026, 16:52

By Radio X Classic Rock

@xclassicrock

Sometimes rock gets self-referential... Here are some of Radio X Classic Rock's favourite lyrics about other people's lyrics, from The Beatles to Dire Straits - and more!

1. The only thing you done was ‘Yesterday’ / And since you’ve gone you’re just ‘Another Day’

   John Lennon - How Do You Sleep?

   This time Johnny gets referential about his "estranged" writing partner in The Beatles, taking a shot at Paul McCartney's recent output:. Ouch.

   

   How Do You Sleep? (Remastered 2010)

2. "Like a vision, she dances across the porch as the radio plays / Roy Orbison singing for the lonely"

   Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road

   The Boss tips his metaphorical hat to The Big O on this Born To Run classic.

   

   Thunder Road

3. "Maybe the Beach Boys have got you now / With those waves singing Caroline (No)"

   Neil Young - Long May You Run

   The Godfather of Grunge recalled the endless summer of Brian Wilson's Pet Sounds album on this track from his collaboration with Stephen Stills.

   

   Long May You Run (2016 Remaster)

4. "I told you 'bout Strawberry Fields/You know the place where nothing is real."

   The Beatles - Glass Onion

   Lennon gets super-self-referential on this “White Album” track, mentioning a whole stack of other Beatlesongs: Lady Madonna, Strawberry Fields Forever, The Fool On The Hill and I Am The Walrus.

   

   The Beatles - Glass Onion (2018 Mix)

5. "Jackie Wilson said it was Reet Petite / I kind of love you, but it knocks me off my feet"

   Van Morrison - Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)

   As covered by Dexys Midnight Runners in 1982, this was Morrison's tribute to the legendary soul singer.

   

   Van Morrison - Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile) (Official Audio)

6. "Here come Johnny singing oldies, goldies / Be-Bop-A-Lula, baby, What'd I Say"

   Dire Straits - Walk Of Life

   Mark Knopfler namechecks a string of rock 'n' roll classics, including Ray Charles' What'd I Say and I Got A Woman and Gene Vincent's timeless Be-Bop-A-Lula.

   

   Dire Straits - Walk Of Life (Official Music Video)

7. "Trees went by, me and Del were singin' / Little Runaway, I was flyin'..."

   Tom Petty - Running Down A Dream

   Petty's wistful track from Full Moon Fever looks back to Del Shannon's 1961 hit Runwaway.

   

   Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Runnin' Down A Dream (Official Music Video)

8. "Helter skelter in a summer swelter / The birds flew off with a fallout shelter / Eight miles high and fallin' fast"

   Don McLean - American Pie

   McLean's epic tune is all about the death of Buddy Holly, but he brings in contemporary (for 1971) references to songs by The Beatles and The Byrds.

   

   Don McLean - American Pie (Lyric Video)

9. "I'm the punk with the stutter / My, my, my, my, my g-g-g-g-generation"

   The Who - The Punk And The Godfather

   Well, the whole of The Who's Quadrophenia album is self-referential, but this chapter of the rock opera makes it explicit.

   

   The Punk And The Godfather

10. "Every breath you take, every move you make / Every cake you bake, every leg you break"

    Sting - Love Is The Seventh Wave

    The fade out of this Sting solo track from 1985 references a Police song of a 1983 vintage.

    

    Sting - Love Is The Seventh Wave

11. "Fat bottomed girls / They'll be riding today / So look out for those beauties, oh yeah"

    Queen - Bicycle Race

    This Freddie Mercury track gives a nod to the Brian May song that's on the flip of this double A-side from October 1978.

    

    Queen - Bicycle Race (Official Video)

12. "The radio's playing some forgotten song / Brenda Lee's Coming On Strong"

    Golden Earring - Radar Love

    The Dutch rock classic sees the protagonist listening to the radio as he drives, and Brenda Lee's 1966 hit comes through over the airwaves.

    

    Golden Earring - Radar Love (Official Music Video [HD])

13. "But you, point the way, to the truth when you say / All You Need is Love"

    George Harrison - All Those Years Ago

    The Quiet One looks back to the Beatle years in his heartfelt 1981 tribute to fallen comrade John Lennon

    

    George Harrison 'All Those Years Ago' (Official Video)

14. "Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her (Southern Man) / Well, I heard ol' Neil put her down"

    Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama

    This all time rock classic was written as a riposte to Neil Young's 1970 song Southern Man, which was written about racial tensions in the American southern states.

    

    Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama (Lyric Video)

15. "And my brother's back at home with his Beatles and his Stones / We never got it off on that Revolution stuff"

    Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes

    Written by David Bowie, of course, who saw glam rock as the wave that would replace the old guard in the 1970s.

    

    Mott the Hoople - All The Young Dudes