This one might have been more difficult than the Bruce Springsteen list. There were so many songs worthy of the top 20, but I ended up going with personal favorites, songs that brought back memories or meant something to me. Flipped Nos 10 and 12 after further thought, following submission.
Top 20 songs with a Name in them
Mark Pukalo
1. Alison - Elvis Costello - Alisons with one "L" are always trouble. The one Elvis sings about in this song took off her party dress
2. Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies - When I first heard the song I thought the lyric line was "lying in bed, just like Brian Wilson DEAD." It was "Did" of course. Fun song, check out their amazing version at Live Earth on Youtube
3. Layla - Derek and the Dominos - Eric Clapton has been canceled in my life for his stupidity and racism, but this song has not
4. Amie - Pure Prairie League - Great sing-a-long tune. Zac Brown and the Counting Crows have also done awesome covers
5. Angie - The Rolling Stones - Whether the song was about David Bowie's first wife or Keith Richards' daughter, it is a classic
6. Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac - Stevie Nicks wrote the tune and Lindsey Buckingham's guitar licks are amazing
7. I'm Mandy, Fly Me - 10 CC - The under-rated classic song is about a man falling asleep in front of one of those old Eastern Airlines posters and dreaming of a mythical stewardess named Mandy, who saves him from sharks after a crash
8. Rosalita - Bruce Springsteen - One of the Boss' great story songs about his girlfriend's disapproving parents. "Tell him this his last chance, to get your daughter in a fine romance. Because the record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance."
9. Sara Smile - Hall and Oates - A classic soul song that reminds me of a certain junior high crush. That girl had an "H" in her name, though
10. Brandy - The Looking Glass - She was a fine girl. What a good wife she would be
11. 867-5309 Jenny - Tommy Tutone - For a good time, call. Joe Maddon started a Tommy Tutone lineup one day. The Rays got trounced
12. Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly - Written by Crickets band members Jerry Allison and Norman Petty, the tune made it to No. 3 on the Billboard chart
13. Lola - The Kinks - Lots of different stories about what the song is about
14. Come on Eileen - Dexy's Midnight Runners - Not one day goes by without regretting making more of an effort to get to know Eileen O'Brien in the summer of 1982. This song reminds me of her (she wasn't dirty, though, lol), but also perhaps the biggest mistake of my life. Wow, baring my soul. But that's what great music brings out
15. Roxanne - The Police - She didn't have to put on the red light
16. Venus - The Shocking Blue - She had it. Yeah baby, she had it!
17. Maggie May - Rod Stewart - The song was originally released as a B side to "Reason to Believe," but became and No. 1 hit
18. Beth - Kiss - Poor Beth. The boys were playing all night and she was left alone
19. Ariel - Dean Friedman - Ariel "wore a peasant blouse with nothin' underneath. I said "Hi." She said, "Yeah, I guess I am." Has there ever been a better lyric?
20. Rikki Don't Lose that Number - Steely Dan - You don't want to call nobody else
Next 20
Mandy - Barry Manilow
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday
Veronica - Elvis Costello
A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
Bennie and the Jets - Elton John
Little Jeannie - Elton John
Dreamboat Annie - Heart
Amanda - Boston
Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
Luka - Suzanne Vega
Jamie's Cryin' - Van Halen
I Love you Suzanne - Lou Reed
Jolene - Dolly Parton
Jack and Diane - John Cougar
Goodbye Earl - Dixie Chicks
Tim McGraw - Taylor Swift
Angela - Missy Higgins
Alicia Ross - Kathleen Edwards
