Autobiographical songs
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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
- " 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 murder)
- "Fall to Pieces" by Velvet Revolver (about lead singer Scott Weiland's drug 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 Marijuana)
- "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 suicide )
- "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 sexual encounter Steven Tyler had with two women in an elevator)
- "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)
- "Orange County Girl" by Gwen Stefani (about her life since the days before No Doubt)
- "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
- "Retard 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 drug 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 Whore" 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 Fuck 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.
