The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #104163 Message #2129507
Posted By: Genie
20-Aug-07 - 03:27 AM
Thread Name: Men's & boys' names in song -- how many?
Subject: Men's & boys' names in song -- how many?
Not that this is an earth-shattering issue, but it seems to me that there are many, many more women's and girls' names "immortalized" in song than there are men's and boys.
E.g., for the female of the human species, we have songs about:
Abigail
Anna
Annie
Aura (Lee)
Annabelle
Alice
Adeline
Agnes
Alma
Anita
Anitra
Barbara (Barbara Ann)
Billie
Betty
Belinda
Carrie
Corinna (in various spellings)
Cindy
Caroline
Diana (Diane)
Delores
Dolly
Donna
Delia
Delilah
Daisy
Elenore
Ellen
Elvira
Elena
Eve
Flora
Fiona
Frankie
Fancy
Fannie
Gloria (she also has a bunch of 'em)
Georgia
Hannah
Helen
Jackie
Joanne (Joanna)
Jennifer (Jenny)
Katie
Kathleen
Katrina
Kelly
Joan
Jane
Jean (Jeanne)
Jeannette
Jeannine
Judy
Juanita
Juana
Jody
Julie
Juliette
Jennifer (Jenny)
Jill
Louise
Laura
Lara
Lucy (a whole slew of 'em)
Lulu
Lorena
Michelle
Melinda
Mary
Martha (She has her own opera)
Mary Ann
Maria
Mandy (Amanda)
Millie
Mollie
Muriel
Miranda
Margaret
Maggie
Margie
Marnie
Mabel
Nina
Nola
Nita
Nanette
Nellie
Nikita
Nona
Norma
Pamela
Paula
Penny
Phyllis
Polly
Rita
Rhiannon
Roberta
Rachel
Ruby
Ramona
Rhonda
Sue
Susan
Susannah
Sarah
Sylvie (Sylvia)
Shannon
Sheila
Sharon(a)
Sherry (Sherrie)
Sally (Sal)
Terry(ie)
Tracy
Tillie
T(h)eresa
Vicki
Veronica
Vilia
Wilhelmina
Wendy (Windy)
Winnie
Yvonne
-- just to name a few.
But for the men and boys, the list I come up with is pretty short, e.g.:
Adam
Bill(y)
Bernie
Bob(by)
Casey
Charlie
Chuck
Danny (Daniel)
Fred
Frank(ie)
John(ny)
Jim(my)
James
Jack
Joe (Joseph)
George (Georgie)
Geordie
Harry
Jeremiah
Karl (Carl)
Louie (Louis)
Leo (Lee)
Michael (He has a bunch!)
Mick, Mike, Mickey, etc. (ditto)
Marty
Norman
Nick
Oliver
Pete(r)
Paul'
Ray(mond)
Rick
Rocky
Reuben (Rubin)
Robin
Robert
Sam(my)
Steven (Stephen), Stevie
Saul
Tom (Oh, yeah, lots o' those) -- or Tommie
Ted(die)
Timothy
Toby
Tony
William
Walter
Willie
Am I wrong, or do songwriters just kind of get lazy when it comes to incorporating male names -- with or without regard to payola and shifting public opinion -- into songs these days?