(Note: I almost titled the post “Named After Girls” but that’s politically incorrect and I then almost opted for “Named After Women” but that’s less-than-accurate, so I opted for the non-offensive and generally truthful “Named After Females.” So there.)
Some of the most well-known songs named after females didn’t make the final list for the reasons listed below:
Lola — Because to qualify for this list, not only does a song have to be named for a woman, it has to actually be about a woman.
Oh Sherry — Because I have a deeply held personal conviction that neither Journey nor Steve Perry can appear on one of my top five lists.
Maggie May — If Rod’s worn out singing it, imagine how those of us feel who have been listening to it all these years?
Layla — While it’s probably the best song of the bunch, Layla wasn’t her real name. It was Patti, as in Patti Harrison, the wife of George.
So here goes . . . my top five favorite songs named after girls/women/females:
5. Roxanne, by the Police. An absolute revelation of style, subject, and vocalization when it first came out. This one was a shock to the system in the late 70s sounds fresh even today:
4. Beth, by Kiss. A Kiss song on one of my lists? Really?! Really.
3. Billie Jean, by Michael Jackson. Not that Billie Jean, tennis fans.
2. Amie, by Pure Prairie League. What ever happened to PPL anyway? If they could do a song that’s this pretty, why aren’t their more classics under their name? This song inspired both the name and the spelling of a young woman who is both a former GSUMC staffer and the wife of a current GSUMC staffer.
1. Angie, by the Rolling Stones. How did I know I was getting old and out of touch? When upon moving to North Carolina in 1990 I met a young woman named Angie and I after I became acquainted with her I mentioned, “you can’t say we never tried.” She had no idea what I meant, had never heard of the song, and barely knew about the Rolling Stones. In spite of that failure, however, this remains a great, great song — and my #1 named after a . . . woman/girl/female.