Hey, Jude: Names from the Beatles and beyond
What could be sweeter than for your baby to have its (I know–you can’t call it ‘it’) own theme song, a readymade melody featuring his or her name, for you to sing along and dance to together? Some of the most appealing of these can be found in the Oldies section, from the era of first-generation, classic and folk rock.
A logical place to check out first is the Beatles Songbook, which actually has had something of an influence on baby naming. It was no coincidence that when “Michelle, ma belle” won the Grammy Song of the Year award in 1966, Michelle was simultaneously shooting up the name popularity list. And now Jude–which took awhile ( linking to the good looks and sunny personality of Jude Law didn’t hurt)–is moving up the charts.
Here, names taken from Beatles titles:
PENNY (though Penny Lane was a place name)
Of course there are hundreds of other songs by other artists, and you probably have your own favorites, but here are just a few:
ALTHEA — Grateful Dead
AUBREY — Bread
BERNADETTE — Four Tops
CLEMENTINE — Jan & Dean
ELI — Laura Nyro, Three Dog Night
EVANGELINE — The Band
GUINNEVERE — Crosby, Stills & Nash
JEREMIAH — Sting
LAYLA — Eric Clapton/Derek & the Dominos
LOLA — The Kinks
MAGDALENA — Mothers of Invention
OPHELIA — The Band
ROXANNE — The Police
RUBY — The Rolling Stones
SHARONA — The Knack
VENUS — Bananarama