Favorite Famous Song Titles With Women's Names
Favorite Naming Songs
My favorite song title is an old song containing a female character's name and is "Minnie The Moocher", performed by Cab Calloway. Other performers have recorded it, including Bobby Darrin.
Not all Minnies need to be moochers, of course - take famous singer Minnie Riperton with the 6-octave range, for instance.
She also recorded a song titled "Minnie's Lament."
Cab Calloway and His Moocher
I have a copy of the original black-and-white film of the same name and starring Cab Calloway. It is interesting to watch that film and compare it to today's movies. The Calloway orchestra and the zoot-suited orchestra leader are fun to watch and hear.
Mr. Calloway also performed the song "Minnie the Moocher" with his orchestra on TV variety shows and in the movie The Blues Brothers. He would have liked to have done the song in an updated disco version for that film, but John Landis wouldn't hear of it at the time. Audiences seemed to like the original version in the film.
Others song titles I have found among my records and tapes and those of friends include the following list. Some of these titles are pretty old songs, dating back to 1948, and less well-known today. Others are traditional songs from the 19th century, even further back in time.
Minnie the Moocher, selected lyrics
- She had a dream about the King of Sweden,
- He gave her things that she was needin'
- He gave her a home built of gold and steel,
- A diamond car with a platinum wheel!
*
- Hidee hidee hidee hidee hidee hidee hi
- Hodee hodee hodee hodee hodee oh
- Skeedle a booka diki biki skeedly beeka gookity woop
- A booriki booriki booriki Hoy (scat singing)
Many More Women's Names in Music
- Dear Abby: The Hearts
- Alice In Wonderland: Neil Sedaka
- Abilene : George Hamilton IV
- America the Beautiful: For Lady Liberty and America Ferrera from the TV show Ugly Betty
- Anastasia: Pat Boone
- Andi: Kansas
- Poke Salad Annie: Jerry Reed
- Ariel: Rainbow
- Don't Cry for Me, Argentina: Patty Lupone
- Beautiful Ohio: The state song, traditional ("Ohio" means Big River).
- Alice's Restaurant Massacre: Arlo Guthrie, 18 minutes long.
- Aida: Sarah McLaughlin
- Amelia: Joni Mitchell
- Ave Maria: A Latin Hymn
- Angie Baby: Helen Reddy
- Barbara Allen: American Folksong --
"In Scarlet town where I was born,
There was a fair maid dwellin'
Made every youth cry Well-a-day,
Her name was Barb'ra Allen."
- Ballad of Ole Betsy: The Beach Boys
- Electric Barbarella by Duran Duran -- It's about a motor cycle!
- Bernadette: Four Tops
- Beth: KISS
- Bette Davis Eyes: Kim Carnes
- Black Betty: Ram Jam
- Bonnie Blue Gal: Mitch Miller
- Boulevard De La Madelaine: The Moody Blues
- Brandy (You're A Fine Girl): Looking Glass
"Brandy, you're a fine girl
What a good wife you would be
But Brandy, my lover, my lady
Is the sea..."
- Bridget the Midget: Ray Stevens -- Not very politically correct, the title today would be Bridget the Little Person.
- Candida: Tony Orlando and Dawn
- Cecilia: Sime and Garfinkel; The Oakridge Boys
- Chandra's Coriander: Ian Gillan
- Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte: Patti Page
- Charmaine: Mantovani (1951)
- Clare De Lune: Debussy
- Lawdy Miss Clawdy [probably "Claudine"]: Gary Stites
- Who Killed Delores?: City Boy
- Delta Dawn: Helen Reddy, Tanya Tucker
"Delta Dawn, what's that flower you have on,
Could it be a faded Rose from days gone by?"
- Diana: Paul Anka
- Hello Dollie: Famous Broadway show tune.
- Dominique: The Singing Nun
- Dottie: Danny & The Juniors
- Fannie Mae: Buster Brown
- Frankie and Johnny, sung by Mae West.
- Gaye: Clifford T Ward
- Sweet Lady Genevieve: The Kinks
- Gloria: The Mills Brothers (1948). A new song with the same title appears in the 1980s.
- Sister Isabelle: Del Shannon
- I Dream of Jeannie: Stephen Foster
- (Just Like) Romeo & Juliet: Sha Na Na
- Justine: Don & Dewie
- Lara's Theme: Dr. Zhivago
- Laticia: The Spectres
- Laura : What's He Got That I Ain't Got? - Brook Benton
- Layla: Derek and the Dominos
- Lulu's Song - Vaya Con Dios
- Margarita: The Traveling Wilburys
- Margie: Fats Domino
- Along Comes Mary: The Association
- Oche Chyërnia (Dark Eyes), a Russian traditional ballad. -- "Dark Eyes" is a nickname sometimes used as a given female name in some republics.
- Sweet Eloise: Glenn Miller
- Elvira: Oak Ridge Boys
- Francene: ZZ Top
- Frances: When Frances Dances With Me - Ada Jones & Billy Murray
- Georgie Girl: The Seekers
- Gidget: Bobby Darren
- Gigi: Vic Damon
- Gina: Johnny Mathis
- Ginnie Bell: Paul Dino
- Glendora: Perry Como
- Gypsy: Fleetwood Mac
- Hooray For Hazel: Tommy Roe
- Heather Honey: Tommy roe
- Henrietta: Jimmy Dee
- Karen's Theme: The Carpenters
- Lara's Theme : Doctor Zhivago
- Liza: (All The Clouds'll Roll Away) -- Al Jolson
- Whatever Lola Wants: Sarah Vaughn
- Louise: Maurice Chevalier
"Every little Breeze seems to whisper ‘Louise'"
- Lucille, sung by the Oakridge Boys
- Lulu Belle (I can't read the recording artist's name)
- Lady Marmalade: Patti LaBelle
- They Call the Wind Mariah: Harve Presnell
- Marlena: Four Seasons
- Martha My Dear: The Beatles
- Mary, Did You Know: Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene
"Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered
Will soon deliver you"
- Mary's a Grand Old Name: Frank Fontaine -- He used to sing on The Jackie Gleason Show as a "hick" with a beautiful voice before Jim Nabors began doing so on television's Gomer Pyle.
- My Gal Sal: Byron Harlan. Also sung by Jackie Gleason as "Joe the Bartender" on the Jackie Gleason Show of the 1960s.
- Nadia's Theme: Barry DeVorzon & Perry Botkin, Jr
- Nadine (is It You?): Chuck Berry
- Nancy (With The Laughing Face): Frank Sinatra
- Natali: Joan Baez
- Nikita: Elton John
- Pamela Throws a Party: Joe Reisman
- Patricia: Perry Como
- Paula: Don't Wanna Think About Paula - Dickie Lee
- Paula, Hey Paula: Paul and Paula
- Peg O' My Heart: Buddy Clark or the Harmonicats, also Frank Fontaine on the Jackie Gleason Show.
- Rhiannon: Fleetwood Mac
- Help Me Rhonda: The Beach Boys
- Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town. written by Mel Tillis. A slightly different version was recorded by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition.
- Second Hand Rose: Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl
- Sacha: Hank B. Marvin
- My Sharona: The Knack
- Sherry: Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons
- Stephanie Knows Who: The Move
- Sylvia: Stevie Wonder
If You Knew Susie Like I Know Susie, performed by Eddie Cantor
- If you knew Susie like I know Susie - Eddie Cantor (1948)
"...Oh, oh, oh what a girl!"
- Tammy: Debbie Reynolds (1957)
- Teresa: Eddie Cochran
- Tracy's Theme: Spencer Ross
- Trudi: Donovan & The Jeff Beck Group
- Tara's Theme (My Own True Love): Leroy Holmes
- Tessie (Stop Teasing Me): Ray Miller
- Venus: Frankie Avalon ("My Venus in blue jeans...")
- Wendy: The Beach Boys
- Windy: The Association
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2007 Patty Inglish MS
