© 2025 | Jefferson Public Radio
Southern Oregon University
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.552.6301 | 800.782.6191
Listen | Discover | Engage a service of Southern Oregon University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Namecheck, the playlist: Songs with shameless name-drops

Bob Dylan performing live onstage at a benefit for ousted Chileans.
Steve Morley
/
Redferns / Getty Images
Bob Dylan performing live onstage at a benefit for ousted Chileans.

When you write a song, you want people to hear it. But for some artists, that's not enough.

When you write a song, you want people to hear it. But for some artists, that's not good enough. You want them to know who played it. Today on World Cafe, we dig into songs that name-drop the artist or band in the lyrics.

It's a namecheck edition of World Cafe! It's a storied tradition throughout hip hop, blues and rock 'n' roll. You'll find songs from across the spectrum, like "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung, "Bob Dylan's Blues," Bad Company's song of the same name — not to mention "Hey Bo Diddley," which shouts out his name 31 times! A genius move to let you know who's singing the song when, you know, there was no internet. It's a full playlist of shameless name-droppers. Enjoy!

Copyright 2022 XPN. To see more, visit XPN.

Stephen Kallao
[Copyright 2024 XPN]
Congress and the President have spoken. While this is a devastating result, JPR's commitment to its mission and values and our resolve to achieve them remain stronger than ever. Together with NPR, we’ll continue to bring you rigorous journalism, local news, courageous storytelling, and inspired music – every day. Help us increase listener support by 25% to make up for lost federal funding.