The legal industry has been featured heavily in songs from every possible genre for decades in a variety of contexts. Whether it’s judges, lawyers, plaintiffs, or anyone else in the judicial sector, there’s an excellent chance you’ll be able to find a song about them that you like. Music has been written about everything under the sun, and the legal industry is no exception. Here are a few examples of songs that contain references to the legal system.
Here Comes the Judge by Shorty Long
A humorous song from 1968, “Here Comes the Judge” by Shorty Long begins with a call to order as Judge Shorty takes his seat behind the bench. He is a no-nonsense judge, as the lyrics describe him as “taking no stuff off nobody.”
It is in the style of soul or funk and features call-and-response elements that detail a case of a man who cannot dance. Judge Shorty, in his infinite wisdom, sentences him to 90 days – 30 days each to learn three dances, namely the boogaloo, the shing-a-ling, and the Afro Twist.
Uncle Fred by Bernard Bolan
In 1973, Australian folk singer Bernard Bolan released “Uncle Fred”, a break from his usual satirical work that tells the story of the singer’s uncle who served as a lawyer for many years but has finally reached the age of retirement. At one point, during the party, a former client of his enters unexpectedly to help celebrate Fred’s career.
Although Bolan is not well-known in the United States, he and the song were quite popular
at the time in his native Australia. Bolan was the first folk singer to ever perform at the Sydney Opera House, making him that country’s analog (at least in terms of popularity) of Woody Guthrie.
Lawyers in Love by Jackson Browne
A rather obvious entry but an important one nonetheless, “Lawyers in Love” was released by Jackson Browne on an album of the same name in 1983. Although the song is more of a metaphor and less of a short story involving legal proceedings like the previous entries, it is one of the most popular songs that references legal professionals.
The title comes from a comment made to the singer by his brother-in-law, who made an offhanded remark to Browne about the city of Los Angeles looking like it was “designed by lawyers in love.” The song itself is about a man who watches the events of the day (involving war and aliens) unfold on the news but simply watches with a catatonic expression, conveying no emotion, while eating a TV dinner.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the many songs that reference at least one aspect of the legal profession that have been written in the past few decades. Although many songs have been written that might have a rather dim view of the legal industry, lawyers, judges, and everyone else can rest assured that there are still many songs out there that leave a more positive (or comical, at least) impression of the business.
