Name Drops in Elton John’s Lyrics
After Brian Wilson died I asked my friend Ben Faulkner if he was familiar with Elton John's tribute to Brian Wilson, a song called "Since God Invented Girls". I pointed out that this is one of two songs in Elton's catalog that mentions Brian Wilson by name, the other being "Postcards From Richard Nixon". Ben replied that Bernie Taupin loves to name drop and we started naming all the examples we could think of. I’ve organized them by album.
Tumbleweed Connection
- John/Frank Reno — Ballad of a Well-Known Gun has the lyric "Now I know how Reno felt when he ran from the law", referring to one of the brothers who formed the Reno Gang in 1864, though it's unclear to me which one specifically.
Madman Across the Water
- Geronimo — The Apache military leader is mentioned in Indian Sunset
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
- Roy Rogers — Ode to the American singer, actor, television host, and rodeo performer.
- John Herbert Dillinger — Referred to as simply "Dillinger" in The Ballad of Danny Bailey (1909-1934)
- Norma Jean (Baker) aka Marilyn Monroe — Both of her names are explicitly mentioned in the lyrics to Candle in the Wind
Honky Château
- Brigitte Bardot — Mentioned in the lyrics to I Think I’m Gonna Kill Myself
Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player!
- Tina Turner — mentioned in the lyrics to Midnight Creeper
Rock of the Westies
- Robert Ford — American outlaw who killed Jesse James mentioned in I Feel Like a Bullet (in the Gun of Robert Ford)
- Dan Dare — British science fiction comic hero referred to in the song with the same name.
Jump Up!
- The Four Tops — The classic Motown group is mentioned in Where Have All the Good Times Gone?
Sleeping With The Past
- Otis (Redding) and Marvin Gaye — Two iconic Soul singers given a shout-out in the lyrics to Club at the End of the Street
Reg Strikes Back
- Brian Wilson — "Now I know what Brian Wilson meant" declares Bernie in Since God Invented Girls
- Marlon Brando — the song Goobye Marlon Brando
The One
- Tears for Fears — the song Sweat it Out contains the lyric "Don't give me Tears for Fears / Give me tears of rage", referring to the British pop band and the first track on The Band's album Music From Big Pink, respectively.
Made in England
- Little Richard — Mentioned for the first time in the lyrics to the album's title track.
- Tennessee Williams — Mentioned in the song Lies
Songs From the West Coast
- Bonnie and Clyde — Mentioned in The Empreror’s New Clothes
- Robert Johnson — Mentioned in The Wasteland
The Captain and The Kid
- Brian Wilson — "Our heroes led us by the hand / Through Brian Wilson's promised land" Elton sang in Postcards from Richard Nixon, which obviously also name-drops the former U.S. President
- Tennessee Williams — mentioned in Old '67
- Nostradamus — mentioned in the opening line of Tinderbox
The Diving Board
- Oscar Wilde: the song Oscar Wilde Gets Out
The Union
- Jimmie Rodgers — American singer, songwriter, and musician popular in the 1920s mentioned in the title of Jimmie Rodgers’ Dream
Who Believes in Angels?
- Lauro Nyro — The Rose of Lauro Nyro
- Little Richard — Again mentioned in Little Richard's Bible