Autobiographical songs

Autobiographical and biographical songs. This is a list of songs concerning real people and events in the life of the songwriter.

• "1968" by The INCredible String Band (Mike Heron directly addresses Robin Williamson)
• "2000 Light Years Away" by Green Day (AbOUT the first time lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong kissed his girlfriend, now wife, Adrienne Armstrong, formerly Adrienne Nesser, and being apart for a while)
• "Autobiography" by Ashlee Simpson
• "Ballad of John and Yoko" by The Beatles
• "Ballad in Plain D" by Bob Dylan (about Suze Rotolo and her sister)
• "Ballad of Billy the Kid" by Billy Joel
• "Brian" by Brian Wilson
• "Brian is Back" by The Beach Boys
• "Chelsea Hotel No 2" by Leonard Cohen (1975—about Janis Joplin) 1
• "Childhood" by Michael Jackson
• "Choices" about his life and family, by John George Campbell http://cdbaby.com/cd/jgcampbell
• " The Circle Game" by Joni Mitchell (about Neil Young, in particular his song about growing up ""Sugar Mountain"
• "Cleanin' Out My Closet" by Eminem (about his chilhood and his mother)
• "Close My Eyes" by Mariah Carey (about her troubled childhood)
• "Clown" by Mariah Carey (about Eminem)
• "Creeque Alley" by The Mamas and the Papas (describes how the band was formed)
• "Descendents" by The Descendents (about the band)
• "Early 1970" by Ringo Starr (about The Beatles)
• "Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)" by Elton John (about John Lennon's [...])
• "Fall to Pieces" by Velvet Revolver (about lead singer Scott Weiland's [...] problem)
• "The Glen" by Bradley Joseph (instrumentally describes his experience on a cross-country trip)
• "Go Leave" by Kate McGarrigle (about Loudon Wainwright III, Kate's first husband)
• "Green Day" by Green Day (about lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong's first experience with [...])
• "Harold Of The Rocks" by Primus (about how Les Claypool met original guitarist Todd Huth)
• "History Lesson Part 1" by Minutemen
• "How Do you Sleep?" by John Lennon (John criticizes Paul McCartney's music since The Beatles' break-up " the only thing you done was "Yesterday" and since you've gone it's just "Amother Day")
• "I Miss You" by Randy Newman (Randy speaks directly to his first wife)
• "I Think That I Would Die" by Hole (about Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain's daughter custody removal)
• "I'm Just a Singer (in a Rock 'n Roll Band)" by The Moody Blues
• "I'm OK" by Christina Aguilera (Aguilera speaks out about her abusive father)
• "Ian Curtis" by Thursday ( About the lead singer of Joy Division before his [...] )
• "Journey to the End" by Rancid (about Operation Ivy which shared two members)
• "Julia" by The Beatles (about John Lennon's mother)
• "The Last Time I Saw Richard" by Joni Mitchell (about Joni's first husband)
• "Layla" by Eric Clapton (about his unrequited love for George Harrison's wife Patti Boyd)
• "The Letter" by The Incredible String Band (about Mike, Rose and a fan)
• "Like It Or Not" by Madonna
• "Love In An Elevator" by Aerosmith (about a [...] encounter Steven Tyler had with two women in an elevator)
• "Middle Aged Man" by John George Campbell http://cdbaby.com/cd/jgcampbell
• "Mockingbird" by Eminem ( about his children and wife)
• "Mother" by John Lennon (about John's mother and father)
• "Mr. Bad Guy" by Freddie Mercury (realistically, a self-describing song)
• "My World" by Avril Lavigne
• "Of Mice and Men" by Megadeth (about lead singer Dave Mustaine's life during his career)
• "Outta Here" by KRS-One (about his rise to hip-hop fame)
• "Nutbush City Limits" by Tina Turner (portraits everyday life in her childhood home, Nutbush, Tennessee)
• "No It Isn't" by +44 (concerning the break-up of blink-182.)
• "No More No More" by Aerosmith (about life as a touring band)
• "No Surprize" by Aerosmith (also about life as a touring band)
• "Piano Man" by Billy Joel
• "Playdough" by The Aquabats is a song about how life was easier when you were a kid and could play with Star Wars action figures
• "Que fait-tu lá, Petula?" by Petula Clark spoofs the British public's reaction to her success in France
• "Rock and Roll Band" by Boston about their early playing days
• "[...] Girl" by Hole (about Courtney Love's bullying at school)
• "Revelation" by D12 (about the childhood of each member)
• "Sara" by Bob Dylan (about his first wife)
• "Serve the Servants" by Nirvana (about Kurt's lifelong angst)
• "Shadow" by Ashlee Simpson
• "She" by Green Day (about self-confidence and self-esteem problems faced by lead singer, Billie Joe Armstrong's former girlfriend)
• "She Has A Girlfriend Now" by Reel Big Fish (about a girl who dumped songwirter Aaron Barrett for another girl)
• "Sister Morphine" by Marianne Faithfull/The Rolling Stones (about Marianne's miscarriage in 1969 -- morphine was given to her on the procedure -- and general [...] use between her, The Rolling Stones and the people around them)
• "Sliding Through Life on Charm" by Marianne Faithfull
• "Slipping Through My Fingers" by ABBA (inspired by the daughter of band members Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog, who had recently started school at the time the song was recorded)
• "Sunset Strip" by Courtney Love
• "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby, Stills and Nash (about Judy Collins)
• "Sweet Children" by Green Day (about Green Day when before they changed their name to "Green Day" from "Sweet Children")
• "Teenage [...]" by Hole (about Courtney Love's stripper career before fame)
• "Two Twenty Nine" by Brave Saint Saturn (deals with the death of Reese Ropers grandmother)
• "Two Rivers" by Petula Clark
• The album The Wall by Pink Floyd; autobiography of lead songwriter Roger Waters
• "The Wild Man Fischer Story" by Wild Man Fischer
• "We Three" by Patti Smith (about her relationships with Jim Carroll and Robert Mapplethorpe at the same time in the 1970s)
• "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day (about the death of Billie Joe Armstrong's father)
• "What's Your Favorite Color" by Living Colour
• "When We was Fab" by George Harrison (about The Beatles)
• "Who the [...] Are Arctic Monkeys?" by Arctic Monkeys
• "Your Mother and I" by Loudon Wainwright III (see "Go Leave")
• "Playdough" by The Aquabats!; tells a story about how life was much simpler when you were a kid, and could play with Star Wars action figures.

See also

• List of self-referential songs
• List of answer songs
• List of songs which refer to other songs