Songs that pay homage to deceased artists, no covers

[fresh_42]

There is a neighboring thread

Cover songs versus the original track, which ones are better?
https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...original-track-which-ones-are-better.1050205/

which is an endless subject and as colorful are the posts there. I came across a Buddy Holly cover by Eva Cassidy only to find out that the Buddy Holly song was already a Paul Anka cover. Anyway, both artists who had covered the song have passed far too early in their lives. That gave me the idea of this thread, possibly a bit too ambitious. We will see.

I'll begin with Budy Holly:

 

[Frabjous]

The Replacements Alex Chilton

 

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Bob Dylan Blind Willie McTell

 

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Graham Nash Buddy Holly

 

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Sandi Thom SRV

 

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Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard Django Reinhardt/Jimmie Rogers

 

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Liz Phair Lou Reed Laurie Anderson

 

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Sleater-Kinney Joey Ramone

 

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Replacements Johnny Thunders

 

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Bob Dylan Woodie Guthrie

 

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Not dead (sorry)

Ray Lamontagne Meg White

 

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Juliana Hatfield Nirvana

 

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Falco Mozart

 

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Not dead

David Bowie Bob Dylan

 

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Waterboys Jimi Hendrex

 

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Last one. A song from a singer/songwriter who knew he was dying

Warren Zevon

 

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Pink Floyd Syd Barrett

 

[fresh_42]

Ok, if Mozart counts, then so do Ludwig and Peter ...



Fun Fact: The distance between this TV studio and Beethoven's birthplace was under 200 km.

 

[Frabjous]

A cover, but played at the artist’s funeral last year (2023)

Shane McGowan

There are several other nice performances

 

[Frabjous]

3rd Buddy Holly tune

Don McLean Buddy Holly/The Big Bopper/Ritchie Valens

 

[DaveE]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/...ide-legendary-chelsea-hotel-encounter-121067/

 

[DaveE]

Written about Gram Parsons after his death

 

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Notable for its opening guitar riff, the song was written as a tribute to the band's former singer Bon Scott, who died suddenly in February 1980.

 

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Another Buddy Holly song from Weezer:

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A tribute to someone still alive, but in bad health:

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The song is written about and dedicated to founder member Syd Barrett, who departed from the band in 1968 after dealing with mental problems and substance abuse.

Barrett visited the members of Pink Floyd in 1975 during the recording sessions for their ninth album, Wish You Were Here. He attended the Abbey Road session unannounced, and watched the band working on the final mix of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"—a song about him. Barrett, then 29, was overweight and had shaved off all of his hair (including his eyebrows), and his former bandmates did not initially recognise him. Barrett spent part of the session brushing his teeth. Waters asked him what he thought of the song to which Barrett responded "sounds a bit old".

 

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George Harrison about John Lennon:

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Queen for John Lennon:

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In 1988, former guitarist Hillel Slovak died of a heroin overdose. The song serves as a tribute to Slovak; according to Kiedis, "It was a song that described what it was like to be a drug addict, to have that ego and to think you were impenetrable and impervious to the forces of nature and life. But it was also a love song for Hillel."

 

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Queen about Freddie Mercury:

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Paul McCartney for John Lennon:

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[DennisN]

U2 - Angel of Harlem (a homage to Billie Holiday)

 

[DaveE]

someone still alive

Nope.

 

[pinball1970]

A tribute to someone still alive, but in bad health:

He was out of the public eye for a long time. He died in 2006.

 

[pinball1970]

I always liked this track by Heinze, a tribute to Eddie Cochran. Richie Blackmore is playing guitar on the track, he would have been 18 at the time.

 

[pinball1970]

This song is dedicated to a lighting engineer who was killed after a fall during the Kate Bush tour of 1979, but there are references to some deceased artists all the way through the track.

Minnie Riperton
Keith Moon
Sid Vicious
Buddy Holly
Sandy Denny
Mark Bolan

 

[pinball1970]

I thought Bowie just made Ziggy up, then I found out (years ago) it was about Hendrix (played it left hand, Voodoo reference)
After reading the wiki page it has multiple possible references to different artists
Hendrix is probably in there, he died less than two years before the release/writing so I will stick with him.

 

[pinball1970]

A tribute to Elvis. The song is absolutely awful but it is tribute non the less.

 

[pinball1970]

We have had a Beethoven reference so I am putting this one in, hopefully @fresh_42 will allow it.
This is Monty Python so you think it will be ridiculous but it is actually nicely put together and a touching if tongue in cheek tribute.
Michael Palin wrote it and the main tune is over Pachelbel canon but lots of other snippets in there.

 

[jack action]

A tribute to Elvis. The song is absolutely awful but it is tribute non the less.

THIS is a tribute to Elvis ... and a mighty good one!

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[fresh_42]

We have had a Beethoven reference so I am putting this one in, hopefully @fresh_42 will allow it.

Are you kidding? Never ever would I delete a Monty Python post.

My sister used to quote "Are you lonesome tonight" by "Bist Du langsam heut' nacht" so I'm rather tolerant. I had been quite slow on a night when I thought "Amadeus" was about Falco and not about Mozart and thought the song was meant as a tribute for Falco which would have been against the intention of this thread. It took me a while to identify Mozart as the musician who was meant. I like his G-minor symphony and Die Zauberflöte, but that's basically it. No wonder, I thought it was about Falco. I wonder if there is a tribute to him?

 

[pinball1970]

. I wonder if there is a tribute to him

The tributes tend to be about the big hitters. I will have a look though.

 

[pinball1970]

THIS is a tribute to Elvis ... and a mighty good one!

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I like the track. Drunken Karaoke ladies tend to go for it which is a downside.
I had no idea it was about Elvis, probably never paid attention to the words.

 

[pinball1970]

Stevie Nicks lost her uncle and John Lennon died in the same week. This is a tribute to them both.

I thought it was about teenage innocence but the "White wing dove" was Lennon. He stood for peace.

This is as also T.I.L. but better here.

 

[fresh_42]

The tributes tend to be about the big hitters. I will have a look though.

I found an explicit tribute (screen on the stage) by Fettes Brot (2017) but they covered a Falco song.

 

[pinball1970]

Written about Gram Parsons after his death

Never heard that track and only discovered ELH fairly recently. Lovely tribute to her friend.

 

[BWV]

Still hard to believe we lost Will Machaut, only 77 years old




;) this is the first example I am aware of - written in 1377 to commemorate the death of Guillaume de Machaut

 

[jack action]

I wonder if there is a tribute to him?

There is an album called Tribute to Falco by The Bolland Project ft. Alida. The Bolland brothers produced and co-wrote half of Falco' songs and I couldn't find any other recording from Alida. But here are Tribute to Falco and We Say Goodbye:

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[robphy]

(2023) Benjamin Scheuer - SEE MY HEROES (Live at RAK Studios, London)

SEE MY HEROES. In this song, I talk directly to my guitar playing hero, Eddie Van Halen, who died of an illness that I managed to survive: Cancer. My dad introduced me to Van Halen when I was a kid; Eddie's death made my father's death come roaring back to me.

Here, he explains the backstory behind the song
Benjamin Scheuer performs his song "See My Heroes" at the Eighth Annual Harvard-Yale Cantata

 

[difalcojr]

Tex Ritter: Hillbilly Heaven

 

[difalcojr]

"Janis." One more from the Country Joe and the Fish second album in '67.

From https://www.songfacts.com/facts/country-joe-the-fish/janis is this:

Joe McDonald wrote this song for Janis Joplin when they were living together in 1967. According to Joe, she was upset with him for breaking up with her to be with Robin Menken, whom he subsequently married, but asked him to write a song for her, and this was the song.

Here it is from the studio album of '67 (which I like best) and a '73 MacDonald poignant, acoustic version. She died in '70.