Name-dropping
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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- The practice of casually naming famous or important people, or the titles of their works in order to impress
Name dropping is the practice of mentioning important people or institutions into a conversation, story, song or other communication. The term often connotes an attempt to impress others and is usually regarded negatively. When used in argument it can be an example of the appeal to authority fallacy.
Purposes
Name dropping is used to position oneself within a social hierarchy. It is often used to create a sense of superiority by raising one's status. By implying (or directly asserting) a connection to people of high status, the name-dropper hopes to raise his or her own social status to a level closer to that of those whose names he or she has dropped, and thus elevate himself or herself above, or into, present company.
Name dropping can also be used to identify people with a common bond. By indicating the names of people one knows, one makes known his or her social circle, providing an opportunity for others with similar connections to relate.
In music
If the artist is compensated for this reference, it is considered a form of product placement. Name dropping is common in rap music and popular music in general. However, it can extend to almost any genre, depending on the artist who wrote the lyrics. Possibly the most famous example of namechecking was in "Lola" by the Kinks, which mentioned Coca Cola. The BBC subsequently forced the lyric to be changed to cherry cola, as it broke their advertising rules.
Rap artists have always been known to drop names in their songs when they send a shout out to other rap artists, ostensibly acquaintances. In recent years, however, rap artists have taken grandstanding to new levels by being seen in their videos driving expensive cars and wearing lots of bling, and in addition to mentioning names of important people, it is now common to mention the names of expensive or elitist brands of clothing, shoes, jewelry, cars, liquors, and even private jets.
Songs around name dropping
The 1965 Bob Dylan song "Subterranean Homesick Blues", although it did not itself indulge in extensive name-dropping (other than one reference to No-Doz), inspired a large number of homages, pastiches, and parodies that in many cases were partially or almost entirely extensive namecheck lists. Examples of this include:
- 120 people, places and events in "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel
- A laundry list of pop touchstones in "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M.
- "Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)" by Reunion
- "Rocket" by Def Leppard
Other songs with Name-dropping as a theme:
- Lagwagon - Name Dropping
