10 songs that mention historical figures – Radio X

27 January 2023, 17:04

Morrissey and the tragic Joan Of Arc: united in song!
Morrissey and the tragic Joan Of Arc: united in song! Picture: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

The great songwriter has often taken the name of the great figure from history as inspiration. Here are Radio X’s Top 10 namedrops.

  1. The Smiths – Bigmouth Strikes Again

    “Now I know how Joan of Arc felt,” quoth Morrissey, likening his social faux pas to the fate of the “Maid Of Orleans”, who was martyred in 1430 after being accused of heresy. She was burnt at the stake. Nasty.

    This is exactly how Joan of Arc felt: the Maid of Orleans is burnt at the stake in the market place at Rouen after being tried for heresy, 30th May 1431.
    This is exactly how Joan of Arc felt: the Maid of Orleans is burnt at the stake in the market place at Rouen after being tried for heresy, 30th May 1431. Picture:
    Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images

  2. Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen

    Johnny Rotten was referring, of course, to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who in 1977 was celebrating her Silver Jubilee, that is 25 years since her ascension to the throne. HM reigned for another 45 years, while the Pistols split eight months later. There’s a lesson there, surely.

    Queen Elizabeth II on the North East Leg of The Jubilee Tour 1977.
    Queen Elizabeth II on the North East Leg of The Jubilee Tour 1977. Picture:
    NCJ Archive/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images

  3. David Bowie – Young Americans

    “Do you remember, your President Nixon? Do you remember, the bills you have to pay?” Young Americans was recorded at the height of the Watergate scandal in 1974 which saw Richard Nixon to become the only US President (so far) to resign from the post. He stepped down on 9th August that year after his administration tried to cover up evidence of break-in at their rivals’ headquarters in Washington two years earlier.

    Richard
    Richard “Tricky Dicky” Nixon addresses the White House staff during his resignation as 37th President of the United States, 9th August 1974. Picture:
    Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

  4. The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil

    “I shouted out, who killed the Kennedys? When after all, it was you and me.” Jagger – in the guise of Beelzebub – claims that we’re all responsible for the assassination of first John F Kennedy in ’63 and his brother Bobby in ’68.

    John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy in 1957. Both brothers would be assassinated.
    John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert F. Kennedy in 1957. Both brothers would be assassinated. Picture:
    Bettman/Getty Images

  5. The Beatles – I Am The Walrus

    “Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen Poe,” claims John Lennon in this psychedelic surrealist masterpiece from 1967. What the American author or horror and mystery tales had done to deserve such a harsh review was not explained. Poe was known for his works The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart, Murders In The Rue Morgue and The Raven… and many more.

    Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). He also turns up on the cover of Sgt Pepper
    Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849). He also turns up on the cover of Sgt Pepper. Picture:
    Getty

  6. The Stranglers – No More Heroes

    Where do we begin? Hugh Cornwall’s 1977 punk opus namechecks the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky, Shakespeare, Nero (“They watched their Rome burn”) and – possibly – Hungarian art forger Elmyr de Hory. He also mentions Sancho Panza, but as that’s a character in the book Don Quixote, it doesn’t count.

    Leon Trotsky in 1922. Wondering if The Stranglers owe him some royalties, no doubt.
    Leon Trotsky in 1922. Wondering if The Stranglers owe him some royalties, no doubt. Picture:
    Topical Press Agency/Getty Images

  7. Supergrass – Richard III

    The King Of England. Came a cropper on Bosworth Field in 1485. Ended up buried in a car park in Leicester. Shakespeare wrote a play about him. Britpop’s premier cheeky chappies wrote a song about him too. Kind of.

    King Richard III: 1452 -1485. A massive fan of Britpop
    King Richard III: 1452 -1485. A massive fan of Britpop. Picture:
    Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

  8. The Special AKA – Free Nelson Mandela

    Your average British fan on the street probably wasn’t that aware of the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary until Jerry Dammers wrote a song about his imprisonment. After 27 years in prison, Mandela was finally released in 1990.

    Nelson Mandela is finally freed. He's pictured with his wife Winnie, on 11th February 1990
    Nelson Mandela is finally freed. He’s pictured with his wife Winnie, on 11th February 1990. Picture:
    Pool BOUVET/DE KEERLE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

  9. R.E.M. – It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

    This rapid-fire 1987 track is a stream of consciousness based on a bizarre dream that Michael Stipe had. In it, the singer was at a party that was attended by famous people whose names all began with the initials “L.B.” , hence the mentions of composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, former Russian premier Leonid Brezhnev and controversial 1960s comedian Lenny Bruce, who also gets a namecheck in No More Heroes (see above).

    Famous L.B.s, name-checked by Michael Stipe: controversial comedian Lenny Bruce, writer Lester Bangs and conductor Leonard Bernstein.
    Famous L.B.s, name-checked by Michael Stipe: controversial comedian Lenny Bruce, writer Lester Bangs and conductor Leonard Bernstein. Picture: Michael Ochs Archives/Roberta Bayley/Redferns/Jack Mitchell/Getty Images
  10. Weezer – Buddy Holly

    “Ooh-wee-oo, I look just like Buddy Holly, Oh-oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore” Weezer’s 1994 hit name-checks the original geek-rocker Holly, who died in a plane crash in 1959, plus the beloved American TV star known for appearing on The Dick Van Dyke Show and her own long-running sitcom.

    Buddy Holly and Mary Tyler-Moore
    Buddy Holly and Mary Tyler-Moore. Picture: Hulton Archive/Bettman/Getty Images

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