Best quotes from other songs

[Neil.]

Another pointless list but, shit, I'm an obssessive fan, so what do you expect?

So how many direct quotes are there from other song lyrics?

I can think of 'Some things you never get used to' which is apparently a Supremes song title (tho I've never heard it)

There's the sarcastic inclusion of the Abba lyric in When I Was Cruel No 2.

Is the first line of Accidents Will Happen a song quote?

Cannae think of any more off the top of my head, but there must be some!

[lostdog]

"If there's anything that you want/ If there's anythign that you need." - Possession, ripped off From Me To You.

[verbal gymnastics]

"We're all going on a summer holiday" from The Beat which is taken from the mighty Cliff Richard's Summer Holiday.

[Neil.]

Yessss! The first line of The Beat is the probably his best, most twisted use of a famous lyric! The jaunty lyric of Cliff's song "We're all goin' on a summer holiday"...is brought crashing to down with the scary next line "Vigilante's coming out to follow me"! it's even more twisted than the Dancing Queen quote in When I Was Cruel!

[bambooneedle]

Is the first line of Accidents Will Happen a song quote?

Don't know, but he half-quotes Dusty Springfield's I Don't Want To Hear It Any More in Accidents Will Happen.

[Neil.]

And the title of Just A Memory, which is in the style of a Dusty ballad, is a quote from You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. (i.e. "left alone with just a memory")

[And No Coffee Table]

And the title of Just A Memory, which is in the style of a Dusty ballad, is a quote from You Don't Have to Say You Love Me. (i.e. "left alone with just a memory")

And the extra verse he wrote for Dusty's version ("I start to count again and close my eyes") nearly quotes the title of her "I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten."

[thepopeofpop]

Is the first line of Accidents Will Happen a song quote?

Don't know, but he half-quotes Dusty Springfield's I Don't Want To Hear It Any More in Accidents Will Happen.

There's several quotes and/or references in this song. I almost suspect that it is an attempt to write a song by using lyrical allusions. "It's Now or Never" is clearly a reference to a song made famous by the other Elvis. "But they keep you hanging on"/"But she keeps him hanging on" is a reference to "You Keep Me Hanging On" by The Supremes (written by Holland-Dozier-Holland). I'm tempted to think that "They say you're so young" is a reference to Jo Jo Zep's "So Young" which EC later covered, but I doubt EC had heard the song when he wrote "Accidents" (although it's possible).

As for "I just don't don't know where to begin" - that's just a cliche used ironically. There's definitely no other song that uses that lyric.

Amusingly the line "She says she can't go home without a chaperone" seems to have been later lifted by punk star Polly Styrene for X-Ray Spex' 90s comeback album. The song "Hi Chaperone" includes the lyrics "But I can't go out alone without a chaperone".

[DeathWearsABigHat]

That line in Crimes of Paris about "going down 3 times to only come up twice".
I'm sure that's a tip of the hat to Long Gone Lonesome Blues by Hank Williams which goes like this.

I'm gonna find me a river, one that's cold as ice.
And when I find me that river, Lord I'm gonna pay the price, Oh Lord!
I'm goin' down in it three times, but Lord I'm only comin up twice.
She's long gone, and now I'm lonesome blue.

Also, there's an early Sun Sessions Elvis P song called Milk Cow Blues Boogie. The title was obviously used by Elvis C for Sour Milk Cow Blues.
But there's also a line in the song that says
"If you don't believe I'm leaving, you can count the days I'm
gone."
That's been paraphrased by Elvis C before, but I can't remember which song it is.

On a slightly related subject, and talking of Elvis P's Sun Sessions the song "Baby Let's Play House" has a line in it "I'd rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man" which was lifted by the Beatles for their song "Run for your Life"

[And No Coffee Table]

Also, there's an early Sun Sessions Elvis P song called Milk Cow Blues Boogie. The title was obviously used by Elvis C for Sour Milk Cow Blues.
But there's also a line in the song that says
"If you don't believe I'm leaving, you can count the days I'm
gone."
That's been paraphrased by Elvis C before, but I can't remember which song it is.

"Coal-Train Robberies":

"If you don't believe that I'm going for good
You can count the days I'm gone and chop up the chairs for firewood"

[Mikeh]

On a reverse theme there is a Stiff Little Fingers song called Bits of Kids, the title taken from a line in Watch Your Step. And there is a band supporting The Who in the US at the moment called Tragically Hip, but I am not sure if they took their name from a line in Town Cryer.

[bambooneedle]

It's easy to imagine many of EC's lines as possible quotes. Probably more than any other songwriter I know of, EC tends to sound like he's quoting lines from somewhere even if he's not, he likes delivering them often as if they're quotes. I like the effect of it, when you're left with the impression of maybe: 'wait, have I heard that somewhere before?' or 'that sure sounds like it could be a quote, cos, come to think of it (as it makes you do), it's a good sounding line', or maybe the quote-like delivery of a line just makes you imagine some added significance within the song eg. "Here lies the powder and perfume.." so you start conjuring up images.

[Otis Westinghouse]

'Was it a millionaire who said "Imagine no possessions"?'

[ReadyToHearTheWorst]

... a naughty little schoolboy who said "We don't need no lessons".

Also, the Clean Money has Elvis quoting himself.

[DeathWearsABigHat]

One of my favourite songs "Heathen Town" has the line in it about the devil will drag you under by the sharp tailfin of your chequered cab.
This is purloined from the song Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat from the film Guys & Dolls which has this line in it.
"the devil will drag you under by the fancy tie around your wicked throat".
Obviously the bit in the chorus where EC sings "I can't sit down I'm going overboard" is also along the same lines.

[Jackson Monk]

for many years i though the line was "the sharp tailfin of your cheque account" Doh!!

[sabreman]

How about 'Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head' and 'Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)?