Collecting Power Pop songs with a girl’s name in the title started as a joke, but as the Spotify playlist began to take shape, it soon became ‘serious’ because it could become such a nice anthology of the genre.

When ChatGPT suggested ‘These Girl Names Are More Than Just Lyrics: A Deep Dive into Power Pop’s Ode to Women’ as the title for the playlist, I wanted to look for the stories behind the songs with a girl name in the title.

Well, if I may say, I went ahead and did just that. Besides a beautiful ANTHOLOGY, we now also have a wonderful compilation of anecdotes, straight from the creators themselves, all about those catchy Power Pop tunes that happen to feature a girl’s name in their titles.

To the incredible individuals who have contributed and shared their stories with us, I offer my sincerest thanks. Your willingness to share your experiences has enriched the project beyond measure, and I am deeply grateful for your contributions.

Image: Sabeth Elberse Studio

Jeff Whalen – Jendy!

Jeff Whalen: “I wanted to write a girl’s name song and the hardest part about writing a girl’s name song is finding the right name. So many good girl’s names are already taken—Elvira, Angie, Jenny, Eileen, Allison, Beth, Billie Jean, Puddin’ n’ Tane, etc.

And real-people’s names can be tricky, too. I know so many people with names—just about everybody I know has at least one or two—and it’s tricky to use any of those names without causing weird interpersonal reverberations.

I tried a bunch of names before finally landing on Jendy, which I “came up” with when my girlfriend told me she was going to have coffee with her friend Jendy. I hadn’t met Jendy before, so I thought it’d be OK to use her name without a lot of weird interpersonal reverberations. It sounded good in the track and now I can’t imagine the song called anything else.

I eventually did meet the real Jendy and she seemed vaguely pleased.”

Star Collector – Have You Seen Suzie?

Vic Wayne: “Suzie (well, Susannah, actually) was a real girl that I went to elementary school with. I wrote “Have You Seen Suzie?”) after looking back on those days, realizing how brutal kids can be. It’s on our 2nd Star Collector album, ‘Black-Eyed Soul’.

Susannah wasn’t what kids would’ve called “attractive” back then, and I’d like to say “they” but, in fact, have to say “we” were quite heartless to her. We were 10 years old and, unfortunately, kids do shitty things. We would play a game of dodgeball but rename it ‘Susannah Ball’ and try to avoid her ‘germs’.

It’s even embarrassing and a bit painful to write these things down as I sit here, honestly. I can’t imagine how her mental health must’ve suffered but, as the song says, “kids’ll be kids and it’s so cruel”.

One day, I think it was when we all entered Grade 6, poof… she was just gone. Her family must’ve moved but no one seemed to know where, when, or why. I like to believe it wasn’t because of the abuse, but…

Years later, I wanted to write a song as an admission of guilt and an apology; a catharsis through songwriting, I suppose. I always hoped she’d hear it but, who knows? If you’re out there in the internet ether, Susannah Lankenau, this is my written apology for my part, and on behalf of all those other damn kids. “Have you seen Suzie’s not in school?”

The Spongetones – Maryanne

Steve Stoeckel: “The Spongetones were playing at a local nightclub, and during the break I was talking to Mary, a fan who often came out to see us. Mary was very talkative, and as she noticed I didn’t have to contribute much to the conversation, she said “I know I talk a lot, but I have a lot to say before I die.”

A light went off in my head. I went home that night, wrote the whole song, changing the name to “Maryanne” for the rhyme to “She tries to get in as many words as she possibly can.”

It became one of our most popular songs.”

Cool Blue Halo – Too Much Kathleen

Barry F Walsh: “The origin story for “Too Much Kathleen” is pretty true to the lyrics. I used to frequent a cafe in Halifax, Nova Scotia called Cafe Amadeus (no longer there), and had a major crush on a barista there.

One day, after a few cups of coffee, I put pen to paper and the vocal melody, chords, etc. emerged in a flash. I brought the song to the band that week and with their magic touches it was ready to roll in time for making “Kangaroo.”

I never learned what the barista’s real name was, but I’ve heard through the grapevine that a friend of the band relayed the story to her — about a song that was, at the time, getting a healthy amount of radio play, and that was inspired by her. Perhaps fittingly, she had never heard the song and had no idea what the person was talking about.”

That’s the original lyric, from that day in the cafe.

The Sun Sawed in 1/2 – Janet Green

Timothy Carl Rose: “While I was writing the songs for the Mind Flip album, I was also watching a daytime soap opera called “All My Children.” The main character, Erica Kane (played by the luminous Susan Lucci) had recently met a new woman in town who turned out to be her long-lost sister, Janet Greene. When she came into town, all the men fell for her and she won over the children as well, but the women were disdainful.

I had wanted to write a song as a Nazz pastiche, so I asked our guitarist, Ken Kase to drop by and fill in on drums while we arranged it. Our drummer, Steve Bunck, thought it would be fun to include some time signature playfulness that brought to mind, “Open My Eyes” as well. So we spent a long time crafting this track as a band to musically underline the message of a siren rolling into town.

After we recorded the song, we thought about mailing a copy to ABC (American Broadcasting Company) to see if they would include it on the soap opera, but we forgot to do it because we were busy with Keith Olsen at Sound City and touring Europe and the States. It stands as one of many songs The Sun has written about women, including: Annabelle’s Book of Hours, Mary Celeste, Mary Todd, Grace and Annie Emptyhead.”

Marc Jonson – Jackie

Marc Jonson: “Many girls have names that evoke a certain attitude. What’s in a name … Everything is in a name! A name can brighten up the room. It is the title of the book about that person. In my song Jackie I am longing to know this girl because she is so unique and seemingly fantastic. The way she moves … her hair style … her energy!

The first time you look at this girl you can’t believe what you feel. It all happens at a first glance. You ask yourself is that really what I see happening over there? You must meet her and let her know you recognize her specialness. The Jackknife reference… sharp and a little dangerous … it belongs to her name was well. A female Jack of all trades … Jackie, short for Jacqueline … it’s less formal like Bobby instead of Bob … it’s how you refer to a close family member … “my sister Jackie” it’s more enduring … you like Jacqueline but love Jackie … she’s got sunglasses on … a new haircut … she loves life … she lives her life to the full … her name rings out from the mouth …

They called Frank Sinatra “Frankie” in his early break out days … I mean how does Frank Avalon hit you … it has to be Frankie … Jackie has to be fun too … she is fun … fun to talk to … fun to be with and fun to steal a kiss from if you can.

She’s explosive … the kids in the lyric aren’t lighting off arial bombs for nothing … they are for Jackie!”

George Usher – Alexandra

George Usher : ‘I wrote ‘Alexandra’ with my old friend, James Mastro (the Bongos, Health & Happiness Show, Ian Hunter’s Rant Band), who also produced the track for my “Miracle School” album. I asked him about it, but both of our memories are a little vague, at this point. I know we both contributed to the words and music and were determined to make the song, the woman, the whole recording big, bold and boom! beautiful. And among other things, we tossed about Alexandria and the 7 wonders of the world, ha ha! But, we can’t pinpoint the exact moment the name “Alexandra” popped into the melody.”

Nick Frater – Dancing With a Gertrude

Nick Frater: “I actually wrote ‘Dancing With a Gertrude’ about a man named Gary! My father-in-law is called Gary, and while visiting a museum a few years ago, the lady selling tickets saw his name and shrieked “you’re extinct!’” It turned out that she was living in England to learn the language, and had just read a newspaper article which said that no children had been called Gary that year.

This got my songwriting brain interested and so I started researching baby names on the brink of extinction: Gertrude, Pam, Ethel, Vera, Clive, Gary…the list is quite long, which lends itself well to being the source for lyrics. I’m really pleased with how the lyrics turned out for Dancing With a Gertrude, especially slipping in a few names with a cultural resonance to pivot around, like Diana, or ‘Vera, Chuck and Dave’.

So far in life, I’ve never danced with a Gertrude, but I’ll try to if I ever meet one!”

Lolas – Me And Barbara Stanwyck (2006)

Tim Boykin: “Barbara Stanwyck as “Sugarpuss” O’Shea in the 1941 film Ball of Fire is what I think of. The movie really works, and the way she turns Gary Cooper’s world upside down is dazzling and hilarious. When I wrote the song, Stanwyck’s character, the ball of fire, came crashing into my song and made herself the center of attention. Who was I to refuse?”.

This story was previously posted, namely as part of ‘The Best 100 Power Pop Songs of this Century (2000-2020)’.

Ken Sharp – Karen Love Me

Ken Sharp: “I wrote “Karen Love Me” as a not uncommon story of unrequited love, boy wanting girl, boy getting lucky to date a girl out of his league but never turning into the grand romance I had hoped for. There’s a tinge of melancholy to the song that still connects with me emotionally, and also a bit of a spiritual vibe with the lyrics to the verses. I was happy to be able to fully flesh out the song on my reimagining of my debut album, “1301 Highland Avenue” adding more instrumentation and key background vocal hooks. To this day, “Karen Love Me” is a still a big favorite of mine and more proof that not always getting the girl can lead to a good song.”

Sunshine Boys – Caroline Yes

Dag Juhlin: “Our song plays off the title of the Beach Boys’ classic Caroline, No (obviously), but turns that song’s melancholy inside out in a heated state of desire and double entendre, summoning a fiery longing that’s coy but direct. In our song, he’s been focused only on her since the moment he woke up and he’s racing a great distance to be with her; she’s dancing around in eager anticipation as a breeze blows the curtains and flowers bloom; their love is out of control, but they’re holding tightly to each other, no matter what happens, no matter where the tidal wave throws them. Each verse poses questions (Am I thinking of you? Can you feel me? Will we cling tightly to each other?), which are always answered: Caroline, yes.

Musically, we are all conjuring Revolver in our own way, and offsetting the jangling pop riffs with major seventh chords and sweeping key changes. It’s a scorcher to play live.”

The Merrymakers – April’s Fool

David Myhr: “Back in the ’90s, in the early days of The Merrymakers, I had a melody lying around for a couple of years that I couldn’t seem to get out of my head. My bandmate Anders used to say when we were drinking beer, “-We need to do something with that one someday.” He helped me realize it had something special. But when we got the chance to work with our big hero Andy Sturmer from our favorite band Jellyfish, that melody was almost last on the list of songs we had sent to him in a rough demo. It was unfinished, no chorus, and no lyrics for that matter. Before Virgin Records brought Andy over to Sweden to produce our second album, Bubblegun, we went to see him at his home in Oakland, California. We were obviously super nervous about the whole thing, but he made us feel relaxed. He started to comment on our songs and pointed out which ones were his favorites. He especially mentioned Anders’ song “Adore,” but also this melody at the very end. We said it was unfinished since it didn’t have a chorus. Then he picked up a guitar and said, “-Maybe it could go something like this…” and started to sing this wonderful soaring chorus melody. I remember thinking, “Wow – we’re co-writing with our hero!” So suddenly it became one of our prioritized songs, and Andy said he was going to produce it.

Once the recording started in EMI Studios in Stockholm, it went very well. Andy really took command of the production, maybe more than he did on any other song on the album, including suggesting the ABBA-esque intro. Although I had to figure out the actual notes on the piano myself, he was just showing roughly how he wanted it by playing “in the air,” so to speak. It started to sound more and more fascinating, and it became obvious that we needed a great lyric to marry to the melody. I had no ideas myself, except a nonsense first line that began with “Maybe I didn’t tell her…” In a state of panic, I called up Eagle-Eye Cherry, whom I had had dinner with recently. He was a friend of a friend. This was before he became famous with his worldwide hit “Save Tonight,” but he said he “didn’t get a brainstorm.” So we had to solve it ourselves.

Again, Andy was our hero in many respects. As a songwriter, singer, drummer. Everything, really. But not least, his lyrics. We were amazed by the artistic level of the lyrics on both Jellyfish albums. So we hinted to him during the sessions that any help was more than welcome. And as I recall it, one day he came to the studio with this concept of singing about months in the chorus, “She packed in January, she left in February, it took ’til March to realize, that I’d been April’s Fool.” So brilliant! And so Andy to come up with a twist like that. So that was why we used the girl’s name April. It worked with the months! After that, we all helped out to flesh out the lyrics. I think both Peter and Anders contributed, but I can’t remember to what extent. I guess I only contributed with the initial “Maybe” ha ha! I suppose it was kept because it sounded good. Anyhow, in the end, it was a joint effort and a song we are proud of to this day. I remember Andy saying at the farewell dinner in Stockholm, “I’d be proud to have that song on my solo album.” Unfortunately, twenty-six years have passed, and he still hasn’t released a solo album. But hearing him say that made us feel really proud of what we had achieved.”

The Anderson Council – Meghan Allison

Peter Horvath: “My ex-wife Meghan was having a time of it in her office job; higher ups taking credit for work that she had done, just a general crummy atmosphere… I thought it would be funny to write something darkly comedic about it, where she ended up being the person to assassinate her whole office in retaliation, and still come back home to regular life, like discussing our dinner choices…

In case you’d like the lyrics:

Meghan Allison sits at her desk she’s clutching her chest oh no just what is paining her
Little anxious from being the one and getting things done while everyone watches her

She’s the kind of girl
Who filters out the world
Never taking sides
Swallowing her pride, until

Meghan Allison walks down the hall she’s ten feet tall in boots made for the purpose of
Kicking down doors of those in power she’s the girl of the hour and everyone’s watching her

She’s the kind of girl who’ll take on the whole world
Powerful and sure no symptom she’s the cure

And I’m so glad she likes me otherwise she’d hurt me
I’m so glad she likes me otherwise she’d kill me

Meghan Allison came home from work and said “everyone there is dead, what would you like for dinner?”

Chris Church – Pollyanna’s Going Dark

Chris Church: “A Pollyanna is an irrepressibly optimistic person, and I thought it would be fun to play with the notion that this girl Pollyanna has grown tired of living up to the expectations that the meaning of her name implies. I wrote this character as being in the middle of reaching and then smiling through her emotional proclamation to a guy, or to any guy who’s interested, that even though it’s difficult for her to change, she’s pledging to stop being an agreeable little pushover once and for all. “There’s no redeemer like a dreamer reborn”.”

Sorrows – Christabelle

Arthur Alexander: “Christabelle” is not just a song, but a real person. We met at a Sorrows show and I hopelessly fell in love with the girl. The song was actually already written by then, but I still had no lyrics for it… till I realized that the first three notes of the opening hook melody line lined up perfectly with three syllables I needed… yes, you guessed it!.. “Chris-ta-belle”!

We had a good run, and while it didn’t end well, the song lives on.

On my “One Bar Left” solo album you will find the sequel – “Shot In The Heart”. An epic number that saved me thousands of dollars on psychotherapist bills!

And since we’re talking girl-name songs… On that same album you will also find “Mary Lou Mary Lou”. Christabelle’s successor, in real life and song. She’s been my rock all these years and is still rocking my world today.

And then, on Sorrows’ “Love Too Late… the real album”, you also have “Rita”! Another real-life-turns-into-a-song! But for that it would only be right to reach out to Joey Cola since that was his “story”!

The Forces – Anne

Joshua Boon: “It sounds like I intended to write a song for a person named Anne who was going through a tough time and needed a boost of positivity to help her unlock her true potential. And that my goal was to create something that would inspire her to enjoy life to the fullest. However, the truth is that Anne does not exist. Sorry, she was simply a character in my imagination.

Nevertheless, I still wanted to create an uplifting song that would resonate with everyone, regardless of their name or personal circumstances. I chose the name Anne because it is short, powerful, and relatable. My hope is that the song will be a source of encouragement for anyone who listens to it, and remind them to live life to the fullest. Cheesy? Maybe. But also sincere.”

The Successful Failures – Cara (I Can Take Your Pain Away)

Mick Chorba: “I wrote a song about “Cara” because it fit into the plot line of the concept album “James Cotton Mather” by my band The Successful Failures. In the story the main character is working as a lumberjack in Western Maine (where he ends up while fleeing from other problems in his life). James’s foreman, Jack Monroe, dies in a terrible logging accident. Monroe’s fiancé Cara is distraught…James goes to Cara to help her deal with the loss and by doing so he helps his own healing. So hence the title of the tune: Cara (I Can Take Your Pain Away)”.

The Resonars – Marina

Matt Rendon: “In the late 90s I had a mad crush on a girl called Marina who worked in a record store here in Tucson. The frustration of not being able to be myself around her led to the song.”

Throwback Suburbia – Caroline

Mike Collins: “I wish I had a better back story as to why I chose the name Caroline. It really came down to needing a three syllable name to work with the melody and phrasing of the hook. Plus, I always thought the name Caroline was classic and even melodic in its nature. Neil Diamond might’ve felt the same way.

Ha! I did have a crush on a gal named Caroline many, many years ago. She was the girlfriend of the bus driver for a tour I was on back in the 90’s. So maybe her name subliminally crept into my mind when I was writing the song. An overdue homage to her, maybe. I always liked the imagery of the song and think it came together well. The song is featured on the very last album Throwback Suburbia did called Shot Glass Souvenir.”

The John Sally Ride – Run Away Renee

John Dunbar: “It’s apparent that I also have a fascination with songs containing women’s names in the title.  It’s usually a hint that there will be a story to be found in the song, which is another song structure that interests me.

Run Away Renee was the first song written for The Other Women. Who doesn’t love The Left Banke’s Walk Away Renee?  The song came on once when I was with a group of music snob friends. I pointed out that the singer was laying a heavy guilt trip on poor Renee. He keeps telling her he won’t follow her back home, I think she better look over her shoulder, he might be lurking in the shadows to see where she’s going.  And the line “you’re not to blame”, isn’t that a classic passive aggressive thing to say? 

Pointing this out to my friends, I mentioned that Renee should run, not walk, away. So the title of the song was born. The lyrics are based on a few people I know in very unhealthy relationships. The line “Your Ex was a disaster, but this one is worse”, shows you that Renee has a tendency to fall for the wrong person.

If it was just one song on an album, it might be seen as too gimmicky. I thought it would be wise to record a whole album of songs using women’s name usually associated with well known songs.   

Maybe I can write a sequel one day called Run Into My Arms Renee, where she finally meets Mr. Right.”

Ransom and the Subset – Sara Kandi

RanDair S.Porter: “I saw a placard on the counter with the name Sara Kandi at a bank while cashing a check. While there are dozens of notable songs with the girls name ‘Sara’, this name was Sara Kandi (pronounced Candy). I immediately told myself that is a song title. Attached to the name was a young, understated yet professional teller. Simple and sweet. Only thing missing was a daisy behind her ear.”

While she worked at the neighborhood bank I would see her occasionally at the grocery store. Nothing was ever said, but the song developed in my head every time I saw her. The young teller with the perfect pop song name.

Olive Way – Angelina (Portifina-Rose)

Andrew Gaskin: “I wrote Angelina (Portifina-Rose) right after I woke up from having a really crazy nap dream last spring. One of those dreams where it’s an epic adventure meets Charlie Kauffman movie type of thing. There were alligators, love triangles, and many things not fit for print. When I woke up I had almost the entire song and just had to sing it into my phone. I think the lyrics specifically are about wanting “the real thing” with someone but being blinded by an ideal of how you want them to be and ultimately never being satisfied. I think it’s one of those songs that makes no sense while making perfect sense at the same time.”

The Favorats – Wayna

Heg Flo: “When I was 14 or 15 I started playing guitar and the film Wayne‘s World came out. I watched that film 5 times in the movies. Wayna is actually Wayne Campbell from Wayne‘s World !! I thought how cool a female version girlfriend of Wayne would be, a girl who‘s into metal and could play guitar and is nuts on the one hand and thoughtful on the other!

Wayna is a female Wayne!!”

Jim Trainor – Claire

Claire (lyrics by Dave Becker): “In Claire, the narrator is smitten and vaguely frantic about a woman who is just out of reach. Not a femme fatale, but someone generally inscrutable.”

TSAR – Kathy Fong Is The Bomb

Jeff Whalen: “I was sitting in the Tsar apartment with our lead guitarist Dan. We were goofing around with guitars and listening to the album The Slider by T. Rex and I was struck by how simple the chord progressions on that album are. They’re the most basic things you can imagine, but they’re put forth so confidently, so triumphantly, so without shame, that it sounds masterful. You don’t doubt a thing about it.

I was playing the chord progression from “Metal Guru” and I said to Dan, “How does he get away with this? He stole this chord progression from like a million songs!” Dan said something like, “Why don’t we steal it, too?” I had written the title “Kathy Fong Is the Bomb” on a Post-It note, because it had popped into my head at this temp job I was working, and I put it to the “Metal Guru” chord progression over and over and over until I had a chorus that seemed like its own thing. The lyrics pretty much wrote themselves. One of the funnier songs to write.”.

This story was previously posted, namely as part of ‘The Best 100 Power Pop Songs of this Century (2000-2020)‘.

Richard Turgeon – Joelene

Richard Turgeon: “Anyone in a band knew this girl. The one that was part fan, manager, mother hen. This song is a tribute to that girl, being 23, growing up, and growing apart.”

Vegas With Randolph – Marisa

John: “During the VWR “Above The Blue” recording sessions I was cleaning my bedroom on a Saturday morning with the light of a new day brightening the room. I turned on the TV for company and the movie Wild Hogs was on. I hadn’t seen it before, but knew of it, and right there, staring out of the screen, was one of the most winsome smiles in cinematic history — the face of Marisa Tomei. She sucked me in and she shined as she portrayed a classic “girl next door” role, which I like to think comes naturally to her.

Watching the story unfold I thought how easy it would be to fall in love with Marisa as Maggie just as Dudley (William Macy) was doing on screen. I supposed that she generated the same sentiments in others and while a real relationship could never truly be realized with all her fans -still – the fantasy of falling in love with her was a real thought. When fantasies turn into infatuation and then progress into a light-hearted obsession – well – that’s not a bad idea for a song.

So my mind started turning and I started writing the song Marisa while I finished the movie, and with an added bridge written with Eric, and some added guitar muscle, Vegas With Randolph released it on “Above The Blue” in 2011.

Whether one is in love, thinks one is in love, or whether the love is returned, it may make, as the song argues, no difference – the mind is the most powerful aphrodisiac of all.

Bill Lloyd – Lisa Anne

Bill Lloyd: “Lisa Anne was a name I used but wasn’t a real person in my life. Some of the sentiments in the song were real. I was in my twenties and experiencing young love with different girlfriends so when a break up happens, that’s the kind of lyric you get . The chords and melody originally had an entirely different set of lyrics which I grew to dislike so Lisa Anne was the “re-write”.”

Absolute Gift – Carol

Robin Foxon: “In 2003 I was trying to get songs included for my then band. The lead guitarist had posted ‘Carrie Ann’ by the Hollies as his feature song on his MySpace that week so I knew I wanted something as catchy and instant. 

I remember going to my first song, Buddy Holly’s Peggy Sue and changing the chord order around and it was instant. A girl’s name just fitted the vowels and it wrote itself within minutes. I played it for Graham after lockdown and we formed our band over it, with him adding a twangy solo. So many great Power Pop songs with girl’s names that I couldn’t resist doing it, even though it means I always get asked, ‘Who’s Carol?’ “

Ex Norwegian – O Simone

Roger Houdaille: “I don’t know if I really have much of a story with “O Simone” – I think it’s funny that I have Michelle singing it as it gives it a twist, but it’s not really about a girl I know.”

The Popdogs – Kissin’ Alicia (2013)

Jim Styring: “I remember we’d been listening to a lot of Blondie at the time, so the song was definitely influenced by that sound. First time we’d added keyboards, too. I had some lyric ideas already written that just fit perfectly. A lot of people have since said it’s their favorite track from that album”.

This story was previously posted, namely as part of ‘The Best 100 Power Pop Songs of this Century (2000-2020)‘.