Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #17

17. Jolene - Dolly Parton



Waaaaaay back when we looked at Chely Wright's song "Jezebel" (#39) I mentioned that another country lady, Dolly Parton would be putting in an appearance. Well here she is with her classic "Jolene." Whereas Wright's song is about a woman telling a competitor that if she steals her man she's gonna get it, this one is a woman begging Jolene not to steal her man away. Those are some great vocals at work there and some mean guitar work as well.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #18

18. Cecilia - Simon & Garfunkel



Probably one of the most upbeat songs about being dumped. The unique rhythm, which was supposedly achieved by Paul and Arty slapping their legs while someone else banged on a piano bench, points to the African influence Simon would explore on later albums like "Graceland."

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #19

19. Rosanna - Toto



Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro was dating a girl by the name of Rosanna. Supposedly she often visited the recording studio and brought the band food. She inspired the band’s leader, David Paich, to write the song that bears her name. That Rosanna was actually actress Rosanna Arquette, and legend has it that she now hates the song.

Songs with a Girls' Name in Title #20

20. Donna - Richie Valens



So the question always seems to come up when playing Trivial Pursuit…who are the three performers killed in a plane crash on “the day the music died?” Answer: Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and our next artist, Richie Valens. This song is about Valens’ actual girlfriend, Donna Ludwig. Turns out the B-side of this single was a hit for Valens also…”La Bamba.”

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #21

21. Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett



There is nothing deep about “Mustang Sally.” She’s got to slow her mustang down, simple as that. When you’ve got Wilson Pickett delivering the vocals you don’t need to waste time trying to analyze it. Just sit back and let Mr. Pickett do the driving.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #22

22. Proud Mary - Credence Clearwater Revival



Another song with a girls’ name in the title that isn’t about a girl. Proud Mary is a riverboat and John Fogerty’s exceptional musical talents do create the feeling of a giant paddle boat making it’s way down the Mississippi River. Though the CCR original is what I list, this song should probably get double billing for Ike and Tina Turner’s equally classic rendition as well.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title

Sorry for the delay in continuing this series of posts. Remember I said I was having some computer issues, still am to some degree, but it's kept continuing this series a challenge. But, for now, some of the bugs may have been worked out. So here's a refresher of the songs we've covered so far...

40. Come on Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners


39. Jezebel - Chely Wright


38. Iris - Go0-Goo Dolls


37. Maggie May - Rod Stewart


36. Mandy - Barry Manilow


35. Walk Away Renee - Left Banke


34. Brandy (You're a Fine Girl) - Looking Glass


33. Oh Sherry - Steve Perry


32. A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash


31. Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac


30. Wake Up Little Sussie - The Everly Brothers


29. Valerie - Steve Winwood


28. Runaround Sue - Dion


27. Elvira - The Oak Ridge Boys


26. Lucille - Little Richard


25. Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys


24. Lola - The Kinks


23. Veronica - Elvis Costello

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #23

23. Veronica - Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello |MTV Music

Elvis Costello is a great songwriter. His lyrics can create such great images, and this song is no exception. “Veronica” is about an old woman slowly loosing her memory as she lives out her life in an old folks home. The song was inspired by Costello’s own grandmother who battled Alzheimer’s disease and was co-written by Paul McCartney.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #24

24. Lola - The Kinks



Ok…um…so…uh…alright, if you don’t know by now that Lola is a man then you don’t know much about music. A controversial song for sure, but it revived the career of The Kinks and inspired one of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s greatest parodies, “Yoda.” You gotta give it some points for that.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #25

25. Barbara Ann - The Beach Boys



Now I’m no great musical expert, but The Beach Boys’s version of this simple little song seems to consist of a guitar, a tambourine, and several clapping singers who are just inebriated enough that they can’t quite remember all the lyrics. Supposedly Capital records released this recording without informing the band. Wonder why?

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #26

26. Lucille - Little Richard



If you can’t enjoy a Little Richard tune, well you may just be a zombie raised from the dead by an evil scientist. This tune about the singer being surprised by the sudden departure of his girl, Lucille, was supposedly written as a ballad, but Richard later sped it up. It’s also been covered by the like of The Everly Brothers, Van Halen, Deep Purple and even AC/DC.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #27

27. Elvira - The Oak Ridge Boys



Recent country artists like Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Swift made a habit of crossing over to the pop charts, but in the early 1980’s that was a rare thing. The Oak Ridge Boys’ version of “Elvira” was a rare exception. Helped along by the unusual bass vocal part, some probably consider this a novelty tune, but you’ve got to admit it’s catchy.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #28

28. Runaround Sue - Dion



Most songs that feature a girls’ name in the title have to do with the singer’s deep feelings for said female. “Runaround Sue,” however, is a classic cautionary tune about one you should stay far away from. Originally a hit for Dion but it also charted again in the 70’s for teen heartthrob Leif Garrett.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #30

30. Valerie - Steve Winwood



Steve Winwood is a great artist, a white British dude who mixes elements of the blues into his music. However, he sings like he has marbles in his mouth. I admit to not being able to understand much of the lyrics of this song at times... except for the name of the titular love interest, “Valerie.” The original version appeared on Winwood’s 1982 album “Talking Back to the Night,” but a remixed version from his greatest hits collection “Chronicles” was a hit again in 1987. And if that wasn’t enough, Eric Prydz used the song as the basis for the dance club favorite “Call on Me,” which has one of the strangest videos I’ve ever seen. I won’t post the video here since it features a lot of scantily clad aerobicizers and, quite frankly, more butts than your average ash tray.



Many artists have had songs about a girl named Valerie, including The Monkees and Frank Zappa, but I think this is the best.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #31

31. Wake Up Little Susie – The Everly Brothers




This first hit for the Everly Brothers is a classic 50’s tune about a young couple who fall asleep while at the drive-in and must concoct a story to explain to the parent s why they are out past curfew. It’s a cute little song that was actually deemed too controversial and even banned by a few radio stations at the time of it’s release.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #31

31. Rhiannon – Fleetwood Mac



Fleetwood Mac…more people have been in that band than bought the last Vanilla Ice album. Every lineup has brought something different. While the casting change that added Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham to Mick Fleetwood, John McVee and Christine McVee’s existing roster is possibly the band’s best lineup , you’ve got to admit that the arrival of Nicks added a bit of a creepiness to the band. That is perhaps no better demonstrated than with Nicks’ ode to a welsh witch, “Rhiannon.” There’s just something about the combination of Buckingham’s guitar and Nicks' sinister voice, not to mention a bass line from McVee that thumps in pit of your stomach, that makes you want to pull the covers over your head.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #32

32. A Boy Named Sue – Johnny Cash



Well here’s a song with a girl’s name in the title that’s not about a girl. “A Boy Named Sue” was written by Shel Silverstein, his book of poetry, Where the Sidewalk Ends, was a classic when I was growing up. This story of a man who gets into a bar fight with the long absent father who named him Sue was recorded live at San Quentin prison. It was the very first time Cash performed the song and the crowd loved it. One of the most interesting aspects of listening to this song is hearing the reactions of the hardened criminals in the audience. Call it a novelty song if you want, but don’t forget to call it a classic.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #33

33. Oh Sherrie – Steve Perry



When Steve Perry took a break from Journey, his first single as a solo artist was this grandiose ode to a girl named Sherry. The video for this song actually seemed to poke fun at the big sound of the tune by starting as a big costume piece with castles, knights, and princesses, only to have Perry walk out on the shoot and sing the song to his girl on a big empty staircase. The song was about his actual girlfriend at the time, who also appeared in the video. It didn’t exactly launch a huge solo career for the Journey front man, but it’s become a staple of those “80’s weekends” you hear across America’s radio dials each week.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #34

34. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) – Looking Glass



I told you Brandy would be making an appearance. This song about sailor who cannot draw himself away from the sea to be with the woman he loves is another example of a song that was originally released as B-side. Supposedly a disc jockey in Washington DC first played the flip side and soon the rest of the country followed suit. The band that performed it, Looking Glass, broke up about two years after Brandy was released but the song remains a classic.

Songs with a Girls' Name in the Title #35

35. Walk Away Renee - The Left Banke



This is a catchy song, but you’ve got to admit it’s a little strange. It’s got this baroque sound complete with harpsichords and violins. It was written by Left Banke’s Michael Brown at age 16 and was about the girlfriend of the band’s bass player.