Friday Random Ten

"I've Heard That Name Before" edition

1. "Pocahontas," Neil Young
2. "Sitting on Top of the World," Howlin' Wolf
3. "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)," Ella Fitzgerald
4. "John James," Toots and the Maytals
5. "Sweet Lorene," Otis Redding
6. "On the Road Again," Bob Dylan
7. "White Light/White Heat," Velvet Underground
8. "In Your Eyes," Bela Fleck
9. "Subsequently," Jim Hall
10. "Blame It on the Tetons," Modest Mouse

Fully half the artists on today's list -- and five of the top six -- have been name-checked in other songs by other artists:

Neil Young in "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynard Skynard
Howlin' Wolf in "Lake Charles" by Lucinda Williams
Ella Fitzgerald in "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder
Otis Redding in "Otis Redding" by Everclear and "Rock and Roll Heaven" by the Righteous Brothers
Bob Dylan in "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows.

And if no one has ever dropped either the Velvets or the Maytals into a song, its a great cosmic injustice.