People Who Have Inspired Multiple Songs

You can also add The Cult's "Edie (Ciao Baby)".

 

Can't leave this guy out . . .

 

Here's a Yoko Ono-inspired song by one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Dar Williams:

 

Marvin Gaye's 1984 death inspired the songs "Missing You" (1984) by Diana Ross and "Nightshift" (1985) by the Commodores. Gaye was also name-checked in Spandau Ballet's 1983 hit, "True," with the line, "Listening to Marvin all night long/This is the sound of my soul."

 

Stagger Lee isn't mythical. His real name was Lee Shelton and the murder really happened (on Christmas Eve 1895 in St. Louis).

Several of Jackson Browne's songs were inspired or at least influenced by his wife's suicide, notably "Sleep's Dark and Silent Gate" and "In the Shape of a Heart".

 

Im sure Marianne Faithful has a few about her with Mick, and Dylan was smitten with her for a while in the 60's...but im not sure if we'll know which ones

 

I guess I missed the painfully obvious answer yet again: Linda McCartney. Exactly how many songs did Paul write about her?

 

Lennon: Mother / My Mummy's Dead

Dylan: To Ramona / Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (she's inspired one verse in it)

 

Pretty popular for a hated guy.

 

Nelson Mandela

"Free Nelson Mandela" by The Special A.K.A.
"Ordinary Love" by U2
"Prophets of Rage" by Public Enemy
"Mandela" by Santana
"Mandela Day" by Simple Minds
"Just a Breath of Freedom (4 Nelson Mandela)" by 2pac
"Freedom Now" by Tracey Chapman

 

Franz Kafka?

 

John Lennon

"Here Today" - Paul McCartney
"All Those Years Ago" - George Harrison
"The Late Great Johnny Ace" - Paul Simon
"Five Stop Mother Superior Rain" - The Flaming Lips
"Roll on John" - Bob Dylan

"Season of Glass" - Yoko Ono (whole album)

 

Hank Williams. There are dozens; these are some of the more famous ones.

"The Death of Hank Williams," Jack Cardwell
"Are You Sure Hank Done It That Way," Waylon Jennings
"Family Tradition," Hank Williams Jr.
"Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life," Moe Bandy
"Midnight in Montgomery," Alan Jackson

 

John F. Kennedy. A partial list.

"High Hopes with Jack Kennedy," Frank Sinatra (campaign song)
"Jack Kennedy All the Way," orchestra and chorus (campaign song; Frank Sinatra does not sing on this one)
"There's a New Man in the White House," The Senators (1961)
"P.T. 109," Jimmy Dean (1962)
"In the Summer of His Years," Connie Francis (1963)
"He Was a Friend of Mine," The Byrds (1965)
"Abraham, Martin and John," Dion (1968)
(tangentially) "Sympathy for the Devil," The Rolling Stones (1968)
(tangentially) "Life in a Northern Town," The Dream Academy (1985)

 

As was "Here Come Those Tears Again."

 

Richard M. Nixon. A partial list.

"Fortunate Son," Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
"Ohio," Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970)
(at least in part) "Smiling Faces Sometimes," The Undisputed Truth (1971)
"Nixon's the One," Kathryn & Duffy & The Enemies List (1974)
"Let It All Fall Down," James Taylor (1974)
"You Haven't Done Nothin'," Stevie Wonder (1974)
(tangentially) "Sweet Home Alabama," Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974)
(tangentially) "Young Americans," David Bowie (1975)
"Campaigner," Neil Young (1977)
"Postcards from Richard Nixon," Elton John (2006)

 

Elvis Presley. A very partial list.

"Elvis Presley for President," Lou Monte (1956)
"My Boy Elvis," Janis Martin (1956)
"The All American Boy," Bill Parsons/Bobby Bare (1959)
"The King Is Gone," Ronnie McDowell (1977)
"From Graceland to the Promised Land," Merle Haggard (1977)
"Elvis and Marilyn," Leon Russell (1978)
"Big Train (From Memphis)," John Fogerty (1985)
"Black Velvet," Alannah Myles (1989)
"Calling Elvis," Dire Straits (1990)
(in part) "Walking in Memphis," Marc Cohn (1991)

 

Brown Sugar and Lady Grinning Soul are both about American soul singer Claudia Lannear.

 

Jimmy Webb wrote numerous songs about the mysterious Susan, his lost love.

 

And that awful row they had when they both got lost:

"Where's the playground Susie? You're the one who's supposed to know her way around!"

 

+ Morrissey - Margaret On The Guillotine

 

Muse for Jimmy Webb's 'MacArthur Park' treasures those days »

 

"My Baby" seemed to be pretty inspirational...

(You're) Having My Baby - Paul Anka
Always Be My Baby - Mariah Carey
Anybody Seen My Baby? - The Rolling Stones
Arms Of My Baby - Joss Stone
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Cher
Be My Baby - The Ronettes
Be My Baby - Ariana Grande
Born to Be My Baby - Bon Jovi
Doing It All For My Baby - Huey Lewis & the News
Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby) - The Cookies
Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby - The Beatles
Find My Baby - Moby
Here Comes My Baby - The Tremeloes
I Want My Baby Back - Jimmy Cross
Jesus Stole My Baby - The Fratellis
Keeping My Baby - Duffy
My Baby - Lil' Romeo
My Baby - Janis Joplin
My Baby - Jesse McCartney
My Baby - Pretenders
My Baby - Britney Spears
My Baby Just Cares For Me - Nina Simone
My Baby Left Me - Rox
My Baby Loves A Vampire - Bernie Tormé
My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face - Craig Wayne Boyd
One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) - Fred Astaire
See My Baby Jive - Wizzard
Since I Lost My Baby - The Temptations
Steppin' Out With My Baby - Fred Astaire
Take Care My Baby - Matthew E. White
Take Good Care Of My Baby - Bobby Vee
The Big Three Killed My Baby - The White Stripes
The KKK Took My Baby Away - Ramones
There Goes My Baby - Charlie Wilson
There Goes My Baby - The Drifters
There Goes My Baby - Usher
There Goes My Baby - Enrique Iglesias
Trouble with My Baby - Paloma Faith
Walkin' My Baby Back Home - Nat King Cole
Where Did My Baby Go - John Legend
Woke Up This Morning (My Baby She Was Gone) - B.B. King
Yes Sir, That's My Baby - Eddie Cantor

 

1992..."Elvis on velvet" by the Stray Cats. It's my favorite Elvis inspired song.

 

That Jesus fellow has inspired a few songs.