Songs Named After People (A-I)
Merry Christmas Readers,
Our post today is about songs named after people. Musicians, like all artists, often produce art that revolves around the most important people in their lives. Per the Oxford Dictionary, a muse is simply defined as a "person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist.” Some of the most famous muses in history include Emilie Louise Flöge (the partner of Gustav Klimt), Victorine Meurent (the lover of Édouard Manet), and Edie Sedgwick (the longtime friend of Andy Warhol).
Unfortunately, the muse-artist relationship tends to be a fraught one, with many of these relationships being toxic, acutely codependent, and tumultuous at the end. For instance, the photographer Dora Maar was known to be the longtime muse and lover of Pablo Picasso during the 30s and 40s. She went on to star in several of his portraits, most notably the Portrait of Dora Maar, Weeping Woman, and Woman Dressing Her Hair. With time though, their relationship deteriorated. Eventually, Picasso left her for a younger woman, which caused Maar to suffer a nervous breakdown and spend time in a psychiatric hospital. Following her relationship with the famous artist, Maar turned to Roman Catholicism, saying: “After Picasso, only God.’ (Artland).
Toxic relationships aside… we owe many thanks to muses, who continually inspire artists to create better and more thought provoking art. Within the context of music, it seems every year a lucky crop of people are chosen to become the titles of songs. Before we begin, ask yourself: Have you ever searched, long and hard, for a good song that was named after you? Don’t be ashamed. We all do it. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel special, to pretend as if the musician wrote the song will only you in mind.
Well, today is your lucky day. We hope that you enjoy the curation of songs named after people below. And if your name doesn’t appear, maybe it will next year. Cheers!
CITATION AND CREDITS
Some facts were taken from Google and Wikipedia, but the vast majority of research about each name was sourced from the website www.ohbabynames.com. We’ve selected key quotes, but if you want more information about a certain name, click on the attached hyperlinks.
Check out the Spotify playlist for the full list of songs (including honorable mentions that didn’t make the cut!)
A
Alexandra - 'Alexandra is primarily the English feminine form of the Greek Alexandros (although Alexandra is used among Germans, Hungarians, Scandinavians, Slavs, Spanish and many other ethnicities). In other words, Alexandra is a pretty Cosmopolitan Cool name. Hebrew names from the Old Testament and ancient Greek mythological names aside, Alexandra has one of the oldest and longest lasting origins in western tradition. All of the boy Alexanders and all of the girl Alexandras (along with their many name variations which have developed over time) owe the endurance of their name to one single person: Alexander the Great.'
Adia - 'Adia is a name of African origin; it comes from the Swahili word "adia" meaning "valuable gift." Though it has been in circulation among Americans prior, this name was first brought to the public's attention by way of Adia, a song by Sarah McLachlan and one of the most played songs of 1998. Lyrics read in part: "I take away your pain / and show you all the beauty you possess / if you'd only let yourself believe that / we are born innocent / believe me Adia, we are still innocent." Originally McLachlan intended to use the name Emily for her song's protagonist but later changed it to "Adia" because she "liked the sound of it."'
Annabel - 'Most people would assume that the name Annabel is a pairing of the names Anna and Belle, but they'd be wrong. Annabel is actually a Scottish lass name, derived from an old Anglo-Norman female given name, Amabel. Amabel is an Old French variation of the Latin "amabilis" meaning "loveable". Although Amabel is now obsolete, she birthed the names Anabel and Mabel before becoming extinct herself. Annabel became a particular favorite in Scotland and was generally confined there from the 12th century until the 19th century before enjoying more widespread usage among English speakers outside of the Scottish borders.'
Anj/Ang/Angelina/Angelica - According to a user from Singapore (who Google is quoting, I have no idea), the name Anj means "Star". I don't really know what Anj (spelled like that) is short for. But whatever, Ratboys are great and it's a good song.
Alice - 'The name Alice is an anglicized variant of the Old French Adelaide which is of Germanic origin. The Germanic "adal" means 'noble' and "heid" means 'kind, sort' hence the meaning of Alice being 'noble one.' Both the French Adelaide and the English Alice were well established in medieval times. The name enjoyed immense popularity in the 19th century thanks in large part to Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) and "Through the Looking Glass" (1872) based on his young child friend Alice Liddell.'
B
Betty means Diminutive of Elizabeth: From the Hebrew Elisheba, meaning either oath of God, or God is satisfaction. Famous bearer: Old Testament Elizabeth was mother of John the Baptist and one of the earliest known bearers of this name; Queen Elizabeth II.
With nearly 170,000,000 views on YouTube, a hell of a lot of people have heard this song. I originally heard it in 2004 when my brothers and I were playing a new video game called "Need for Speed: Underground".
The name Betty makes me think of a 50s old fashioned, goody two-shoes girl. And yet, she has her own rock anthem. Go figure.
Beatrice: (/ˈbiː(ə)trɪs/; Italian: [beaˈtriːtʃe]) is a name derived from the French name, Béatrice, which came from the Latin Beatrix, which means "she who makes happy". Beatrice is the Italian language variant. The French form is Béatrice, and the Spanish and Portuguese form is Beatriz.
In general, I found that the name Beatrice is associated to a lot of good jazz songs. If you're named Beatrice and like jazz, you've got options.
C
Camille - 'The name Camille means Perfect or Pure in French. Camille is a French name for boys and girls. In some countries it is only a girl's name. It derived from the Latin name Camillus. The name Camillewas given to the heroine as early as in a silent film of 1915, but it became widely known (and led to the increased popularity of the given name in the United States) with Greta Garbo's Camille of 1936. The name Camilla also appears in Virgil's famous epic poem, "The Aeneid" with the distinction of being the strongest female mortal. And in arabic, the word "kāmil" is also the word for perfection.'
Carmen - 'The "vineyard of God" origin is from Hebrew karmel-the "song" origin is from Latin carmen (3rd decl subst); the two origins are unrelated. ... The second origin is from Latin carmen, which means "ode" or "poem" ("Patrium Carmen": ode to the fatherland) and is also the root of the English word "charm".
Carmen is a female name long associated with the devoutly Catholic Spanish, but spread throughout Europe and the Americas thanks to Georges Bizet's opera, "Carmen" (1875) which was set in Seville, Spain. Bizet's composition was based on a novella "Carmen" written by the French dramatist Prosper Mérimée (1845). The title character of the opera, Carmen, was its dramatically tragic heroine and a classic femme-fatale who shocked opera-goers of the late 19th century. Today, this masterpiece is considered one of the greatest creative achievements in operatic history.'
Chaka - 'The name Chaka is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "life". In Zulu, the name also means "Fire".'
Caroline - 'Caroline means "free woman" (from Middle Low German "kerle"), "beloved" and "valuable" (from Spanish "caro").Caroline was brought to England by way of the Norman-French after the Conquest of 1066; however, the name found a particular audience among the upper-classes of England in the 17th century (probably influenced by the Stuart Kings Charles I and II). Later, two 18th century Queen Consorts of England, Caroline of Ansbach and Caroline of Brunswick, gave further notice to this lovely French name. The early 19th century aristocrat/novelist Lady Caroline Lamb had a well-publicized and passionate affair with the romantic poet Lord Byron - she was an English celebrity of sorts.'
D
Debbie - Deborah (Hebrew: דְבוֹרָה) is a feminine given name derived from דבורה D'vorah, a Hebrew word meaning "bee." Deborah was a heroine and prophetess in the Old Testament Book of Judges. In the United States, the name was most popular from 1950 to 1970, when it was among the 20 most popular names for girls.
I first saw Your Smith perform (she also has music under the name "Caroline Smith") in college. She's really good.
Dionne - Origin: French. Meaning: Divine. #CelebrityName. The name Dionne means Divine and is of French origin.
This song is gorgeous. I'm a huge Japanese House fan and will right a separate piece on Amber Bain later. But if you haven't heard of the band, here's a sneak peak of the musician. This song is probably best listened to after you've just broken up with someone and you want to just really let your raw emotions out. Bon Iver is featured as well.
Donna - 'Donna is an English-language feminine first name meaning "woman" in Italian. The original meaning is closer to "lady of the home" and was a title of respect in Italy, equivalent to Don (e.g. Don Quixote) for men. The title originated from the Latin "domina" which essentially signified the "lady" or mistress of the household (the Latin masculine form "dominus" means "lord, master").'
E
Emily - 'The name Emily, meaning "rival" or industrious and hardworking, comes from the Latin name Aemilia. A top favorite among English speaking nations, Emily is currently the #1 baby girl's name in Ireland, #2 in Scotland, #3 in Northern Ireland and Australia, #4 in Canada, #5 in England, and #6 in the United States.' I have a good friend named Emily, and I stumbled upon this song one day. I sent it to her afterwards, and it was definitely a good feeling to reunite someone with their long lost song buddy.
Elisabeth - "The name Elizabeth in its various linguistic forms has been around since the Middle Ages, mainly popularized by the French (using the spelling Élisabeth). Elizabeth with a "z" is the typical English spelling; most other European languages use the "s." Elizabeth is a name borne from the Bible (Luke 1:5-80) as the wife of Zachariah and the mother of John the Baptist. The name is essentially Greek (Elisabet) from the Hebrew (Elisheva) meaning "God is my oath."
F
Fiona - "It can be considered either a Latinised form of the Gaelic word fionn, meaning "white", "fair". or an Anglicisation of the Irish name Fíona (derived from an element meaning"vine"). ...Adding additional currency to the name at the end of the 19th century was William Sharp who used the nom de plume "Fiona Macleod" when publishing his popular and widely read romantic Celtic novels. By the 20th century, Fiona had spread throughout the British Isles and eventually made its way to other English-speaking countries."
This playlist has a couple jazz songs. F's in general were hard to find. But I like this smooth jazz song called "Fiona's Song". Sometimes elevator music is great.
G
Georgia - In English Baby Names the meaning of the name Georgia is: A feminine form of the Greek George, meaning tiller of the soil, or farmer. Famous bearer: the American state of Georgia, named after British King George II.
We've all heard the Ray Charles version of "Georgia On My Mind", so I thought I'd change it up and showcase Ella Fitzgerald's rendition.
H
Hannah - "Hannah (Hebrew: חַנָּה) also spelt Hanna, Hana or Chana, is a feminine given name. It is derived from the root ḥ-n-n, meaning "favour" or "grace"; A Dictionary of First Name sattributes the name to a word meaning 'He (God) has favoured me with a child'. Channah or Chana are names rooted in Hebrew tradition, while Hannah is more or less the English version, popularized by the Puritans in the 16th and 17th centuries in keeping with their customs of adopting Old Testament names for their children as an act of modesty."
I
Isobel - Isobel, also spelled Isabel or Isabella, is the Scottish form of the female given name Isabel. It originates from the medieval form of the name Elisabeth (hebrew Elisheba). The name Isabel is derived from the Spanish version of the name Elisabeth. Its mutation comes from the elimination of the first syllable of Elizabeth and the alteration of the final consonant sound "beth" into "bel."