There’s something about putting words to music that gives them an extra oomph, right? Certainly, telling someone you love that you love them, or someone you loathe that you loathe them, packs a powerful punch. But when those intense feelings are set to music, the meaning goes to another level.
Maybe you’ve always dreamt of being the subject of a truly great love song or wished you’d been able to encapsulate the heartbreaking anguish of a breakup through a power ballad, but let’s face it, chances are you’re not a world-famous songwriter. (Sorry?) Ahhh, but if you were? Who would you write about and could you do it in a way that sort of hides the subject of the song’s identity to give it that mass-market appeal? And how proficient would you be at clever wordplay to mask the subject’s true identity? Would you keep it a secret to protect the innocent or not-so-innocent? Would you make it glaringly obvious? Would you land somewhere in the middle?
Pop stars, like Carly Simon, Coldplay, Peter Gabriel, and the mother of all diss tracks, Taylor Swift, have been doing this since the beginning of time. Listed below you’ll find familiar songs you probably didn’t realize were written about real celebrities, and now that you do, chances are you’ll hear them in a different light.
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Carly Simon: “You’re So Vain”
“You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht.” Talk about an opening line that just grabs you and makes you desperate to know who she is referring to! No song gets asked “who is this about?” more than “You’re So Vain.”
Since its release in 1972, yes that’s nearly 50 years ago, much speculation has been made regarding the subject of the song. Is it Mick Jagger? David Bowie? James Taylor? Warren Beatty? David Cassidy? Cat Stevens?
The only hints that Carly’s revealed is that the subject’s name has an A and an E in it. Not the biggest clues. Who knows? At this point, surely all of the usual suspects fit the chorus’ description of vanity, and “I bet” they all “think this song is about” them.
Coldplay: “Fix You”
I remember where I was the first time I heard this song, and it’s a pretty special story. Coldplay was performing at NYC’s Beacon Theater for an event for VH1 (where I worked at the time) and they debuted a new song from their 3rd album, X&Y. It immediately gave me the chills. It’s just one of those songs that you instantly know is going to connect with a huge audience. What I didn’t know at the time, though, was that frontman Chris Martin wrote it for his then-wife Gwyneth Paltrow to comfort her over the death of her father, television director Bruce Paltrow.
OutKast: “Ms. Jackson”
The subject of this song, released in 2000, should have been evident from the first line, “Yeah this one right here goes out to all the baby’s mamas mamas” so how did it go unnoticed for so long? “Ms. Jackson” is possibly the only Grammy-winning rap song (or song from any genre to be honest) that speaks directly to a mother-in-law from the father of her daughter’s child.
If you’re trying to decipher this hidden meaning, here goes: André Benjamin (André 3000) wrote it as an apology to Erykah Badu’s mother to address the dissolution of their relationship. Rumor has it that Ms. Gipson (that’s the real name of the titular subject) was a huge fan of the song and bought loads of merchandise including a personalized license plate.
Taylor Swift: So. Many. Songs.
Taylor Swift has written so many songs about celebrity exes that a Google search of “Taylor Swift songs” prompts you to explore a list of songs that are just that, written about her famous exes. Oof.
To be clear, this is not a Taylor Swift diss piece, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge her contribution to the canon of “Songs Written About Real Celebrities.” Take your pick, do you want a song about John Mayer? Ok, try “Dear John” from the Speak Now album. (To play fair, check out his rebuttal, “Paper Doll”). Want songs about Harry Styles? Try, “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “Style,” or “Out of the Woods.” Is Taylor Lautner more your speed? Ok, go for “Back to December” to satisfy that itch. Maybe you’re a Jake Gyllenhaal fan? Check out “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
Peter Gabriel: “In Your Eyes” & Toto: “Rosanna”
Taking it back, waaaay back, to your teen years. I bet you didn’t know that Peter Gabriel’s iconic power ballad featured in the film, Say Anything – you know the scene, Lloyd Dobler holds his boombox over his head on Diane’s driveway, blasting “In Your Eyes” – and Toto’s “Rosanna” were both written about actress Rosanna Arquette, but they were.
Mariah Carey: “Obsessed” & Eminem: “The Warning”
If the thought of Mariah Carey and Eminem as a couple throws you for a loop, you’re not alone. But they *maybe* were an item for a hot minute? We may never know the truth in this he said, she said battle. The lead single from Mariah’s 12th album, “Obsessed,” was posed as a pretty obvious question (“why you so obsessed with me?”) to rapper Eminem, who had alluded to a relationship with her in songs such as “Superman” — a claim she has always denied. Not one to take being slighted lightly, Eminem hit back with a hip hop diss track, “The Warning.”
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