Best tribute songs and/or flattering songs about famous people

"Life Is Real (Song for Lennon)" - Queen
"Going to California" - Led Zeppelin (tribute to Joni Mitchell)
"Candle in the Wind" - Elton John (trite, but undeniably great song)

I kinda grew out of it, but "Natalie Portman" by Ozma was pretty rad for a while. LINK

Georgia Bush

In addition to the Elton Songs...these immediately came to mind.

Alan Jackson - Midnight In Montgomery (Hank Williams)

George Harrison - All Those Years Ago (John Lennon)

REM - Man on the Moon (Andy Kaufman)

Moody Blues - Legend of a Mind (Timothy Leary)

Moving in Stereo -Phoebe Cates

Another lost hit from the 80s/early 90s is Allanah Miles - Black Velvet (tribute to Elvis).

Freebird was written, in part, as a tribute to Duane Allman.

Big names in the music business seem to get a good many songs written about them. Hank Sr. has had several written about him. Midnight in Montgomery (already mentioned), as well as The Ride (David Alan Coe) and Rollin' and Ramblin' (Emmylou Harris). May as well throw in If You Don't Like Hank Williams (Kris Kristofferson).

American Pie

quote:

---

You're so vain

---

Love this song. I´d imagine Sweet Baby James doesn´t, however. Also, was Jagger banging her (he´s on backing vocals)?

Layne - Staind for Layne Staley

"The Ride - David Allan Coe...about Hank Williams Sr"

good call. I was about to mention that one. Also another good one about Hank Sr was

Hank Jr and Waylon Jennings - The Conversation

a couple more:

U2 - Pride (In The Name of Love) - tribute to MLK

Toto - Rosanna - song about actress Rosanna Arquette

quote:

---

You're so vain

---

quote:

---

Love this song. I´d imagine Sweet Baby James doesn´t, however. Also, was Jagger banging her (he´s on backing vocals)?

---

The info below is from Wikipedia LINK

Before the song became a hit single in 1972 Simon told an interviewer that the song was about "men" not a specific "man".[4] In 1983, she told The Washington Post that it is not about Mick Jagger, who contributed uncredited backing vocals to the song.[5] However, in a 1993 book Backstage Passes, Angela Bowie claimed to be the "wife of a close friend" mentioned in "You're So Vain", and that Jagger, for a time, had been "obsessed" with her. Simon made another comment about the subject's identity as a guest artist on Janet Jackson's 2001 single, "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)", which sampled "You're So Vain". About the song, Simon said, "The apricot scarf was worn by Nick (Nolte). Nothing in the words were referred to Mick."
In a 1989 interview, Simon acknowledged that the song is a little bit about Warren Beatty but said the subject of the song is a composite of three men from her L.A. days.[6] In a 2007 interview, Beatty said, "Let's be honest. That song was about me."[7] Simon has said that Beatty had called and thanked her for the song.[5]
Over the years, Simon has divulged "letter clues", and has claimed that the subject's name contains the letters A, E, and R.[5]
Shortly before the writing of the song, Simon was married to James Taylor; she has said that he was "definitely not" the subject of the song.[5] David Bowie, David Cassidy and Cat Stevens have all been cited by the press as speculative candidates.[8][9][10] In 2005, Simon's ex-husband Jim Hart said he was sure that the song was not about anyone famous.[11]