Most musicians will tell you that the main reason they learned to write songs in the first place was because they were inspired by a favorite band or artist. Most musicians will also tell you that they never stopped being inspired, even as they got famous and inspired others — sort of a circle of inspiration or something. Need proof? for evidence, performed just three days after the album’s release. Covering a band is one way to pay your respects, but writing an entirely new song to honor an inspiration is another thing altogether. Then again, songs about other bands don’t have to be positive either, like Mojo Nixon’s “Don Henley Must Die.” Here’s a look at some notable examples of artists singing about other artists, but this is by no means a complete list. Feel free to leave other examples in the comments.

The Replacements – “Alex Chilton”
Power pop pioneer Alex Chilton may be remembered more for this song — from the ‘Mats 1987 LP “Pleased to Meet Me” — than for his contributions as a member of Big Star, particularly to a new generation when it appeared on the soundtrack to Rock Band 2. May we all be so lucky to have a chorus like this one to immortalize our name.
The Replacements – “Alex Chilton”

They Might Be Giants – “We’re the Replacements”
Sure, the song mentions the Replacements in the title and mentions a Tommy its lyrics, but John Flansberg says the song merely uses the Replacements as a means of discussing “the replaceable nature of being on the road.”
They Might Be Giants, “We’re the Replacements”

Pavement – “Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence”
From the 1993 AIDS benefit record, “No Alternative,” this tribute to R.E.M. is from one generation’s iconic college rock band to another. “Classic songs with a long history,” Steve Malkmus sings on the song. “Southern boys just like you and me!”
Pavement – “Unseen Power Of The Picket Fence”

Ben Folds – “Late”
Of this song, a tribute to his one-time touring mate Elliott Smith, Ben Folds told MTV: “I really loved his music and I thought he was a great guy. And I was moved to write a song for him.” A song in which Folds admits Smith’s music got him through a lot — and also that he played some dirty basketball. Rhett Miller’s “The Believer” is also about the death of Smith.
Ben Folds – “Late”

Jonathan Richman – “Velvet Underground”
A wordy, bluesy tribute to one of his favorite bands, the oddball singer-songwriter ends each verse with the same line: “How in the world were they making that sound? Velvet Underground.”
Jonathan Richman – “Velvet Underground”

Barenaked Ladies – “Brian Wilson”
From BNL’s debut, this song isn’t about the Beach Boys genius exactly, but rather, uses his life to tell the parallel story of the song’s narrator. It was later covered a cappella by Wilson himself.
Barenaked Ladies – “Brian Wilson”

David Bowie – “Song for Bob Dylan”
Dylan’s songs have been frequently covered, but his biography has been tackled much less frequently, particularly in song. All the more reason this track from side two of Bowie’s “Hunky Dory” is worthy of inclusion on our list. Bowie addresses Dylan as Robert Zimmerman, his birth name, and describes his voice as “sand and glue.”
David Bowie – “Song for Bob Dylan”

MGMT – “Brian Eno”
Want to know where whacked-out psychedelic rockers MGMT find inspiration? Look no further than their 2010 album “Congratulations,” which features not just this ode to Brian Eno, but a song for Television Personalities singer Dan Treacy as well.
MGMT – “Brian Eno”

The Mountain Goats – “Song for Dennis Brown”
Mountain man John Darnielle uses the death of Dennis Brown, Bob Marley’s favorite reggae singer, who died from a collapsed lung (and lots of cocaine), to explore his own mortality on this delicate ballad, which even sounds a bit like Marley’s “Redemption Song.”
The Mountain Goats – “Song for Dennis Brown”

Sublime – “KRS-One”
In this acoustic track, Bradley Nowell of Sublime explains all the topics he learned about from the pioneering rapper that they didn’t teach him in school, like Elijah Muhammed and the welfare state.
Sublime – “KRS-One”

Dan Bern – “Kurt”
From the Dept. of Dead Rock Stars comes this folk song about the death of Kurt Cobain, which also namedrops a handful of other dead icons in the chorus, including JFK, Joan of Arc and Jesse James, which Bern rhymes with Cobain.
Dan Bern – “Kurt”

Laura Veirs – “Carol Kaye”
“She can really play it, she can really lay it down,” Veirs sings on the opening track to her “July Flame” album, before name dropping a few favorite songs that the famed bass player played on. “Maybe I can meet her, maybe shake her hand one day.”
Laura Veirs – “Carol Kaye”

Duncan Sheik – “A Body Goes Down”
Sheik’s elegy to Jeff Buckley is as beautiful and heartfelt as Buckley’s music itself. With Middle Eastern elements like tabla and sitar, Sheik pays a fitting tribute. “A body goes down in the Mississippi waters,” he sings on the chorus. “Weighted by a beauty, afraid of its light.”
Duncan Sheik – “A Body Goes Down”

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