Top 38 Songs With The Name Jennifer In The Title

It seems a common enough name, but it has drifted in and out of favor at times. It won’t be surprising to some that there were many songs with the name Jennifer in the title in the 50s and 60s.

The name gained popularity at that time, but post-1980, it seems to have become less popular. It is a name that originally seems to have come from Cornwall in England. And, if you know anything about Cornwall, you know that it will automatically carry some mysticism in its derivation.

Mythical Links

Jennifer is the Cornish derivation of a name that some might know, Guinevere. Wife of King Arthur in the Camelot myths. In the Celtic languages, it can mean “fair lady” or “fair one.” It has links to Welsh history, where a similar name is found – Gwenhwyfar.

Did Shaw Start its Popularity?

George Bernard Shaw used the name for one of his characters in “The Doctor’s Dilemma.” That was in 1906, but the name didn’t catch on until much later. It was in 1934 that it first started to become popular and increased in popularity until the 1980s, when it seems to become less so.

That means there will be many songs with Jennifer or Jenny in the title. And the majority might come from a certain time, though not all. Let’s make a start with some good old Rock n Roll.

Top 38 Songs With The Name Jennifer In The Title

1 Jenny Take a Ride by Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels

Good, old-fashioned Rock and Roll it was. William Levise, Jr. changed his name to Mitch Ryder while he was fronting bands playing mostly Soul music. Producer Bob Crewe changed his style a bit, and fronting a new band, he had an instant hit in 1964 with “Devil With a Blue Dress On.”

That turned out to be their biggest hit record, reaching #4 in America. “Jenny Take A Ride,” written by Little Richard, came in 1966 and reached #10. The song is often known as “C.C. Rider.”

It was taken from the album, Take a Ride. On that album, there is still the Soul influence, with some of the tracks included. He was always known as a Soul singer as much as a Rock n Roll singer.

A Sad Note

The Detroit Wheels effectively split up in 1970, but Ryder continued to tour with other musicians. On a sad note, he was the very last person to perform with Otis Redding on stage. They sang “Knock on Wood.” 

The next day Otis and four of his band were killed in the plane crash which took one of the greats. Ryder is still performing as of now, and “Jenny Take A Ride” is still part of his act.

2 Poor Jenny by The Everly Brothers 

We are going back in time a little further now for this song about a girl named Jenny. The Everly Brothers had been brought up to play traditional Folk and Country music songs at their home in Kentucky. They had some success with their close harmony singing. 

But, there was a wider market for them than that…

Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Little Richard, amongst others, were the “hot stuff” in the record market. It was obvious that the Everlys had to join them. They did, but there was a gradual transition, and this Rockabilly-type song was a step in that direction.

“Poor Jenny” was released in 1958 and reached #14 in the UK and #22 in America. It was simple enough stuff with some good guitar work supporting them. 

The song was written by husband and wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant. This Jennifer song wouldn’t be the last time you saw those two names on an Everly Brothers record.

3 Jennie Lee by Jan And Dean

A few years passed, and Rock n Roll was still king. It was 1962, and The Beatles were about to change music forever. But, as they were doing so, down on the beach, the surf was up. 

The Beach Boys became the masters of that genre, but Jan and Dean, originally known as “Jan and Arnie,” were there at the same time. Furthermore, you could argue they were there first.

“Jennie Lee” was originally released with the artists Jan and Arnie in 1958. It was successful and reached #8 in America. A second version came out in 1962 under Jan and Dean, the same people, as the surfing craze took hold. 

Ironically… 

The “real” surfing in-crowd of the time insisted that Surf Music must be instrumental. Songs like “Wipe Out” by The Surfaris were what they wanted.

The Beach Boys brought a whole new listening audience and changed all that. And Jan and Dean were right with them for a while.

4 Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine by The Killers

A song with a bit of a strange story from this American band. It was never released as a single but included as the opening track on the album, Hot Fuss, released in 2004.

The song is about a man being interviewed by the police over the murder of a girl called Jenny. It includes the lines, “There ain’t no motive for this crime – Jenny was a friend of mine.” The incident remains unresolved in the song, and so any outcome is not dealt with.

It has influences that you can hear. There is a bit of The Cure in the sound and a very creative weaving bass line. Not the happiest of storylines, it has to be said. But, it is one of the more memorable songs with the name Jennifer in the title.

5 867-5309 / Jenny by Tommy Tutone

This is a song from 1981 that was released on the album Tommy Tutone – 2. The song was written by Jim Keller and Alex Call.

A fairly basic and rather uninspiring song… 

It sounds a bit like The Byrds when it starts but quickly becomes a four-chord Soft Rock song. Very much an attempt at a “West Coast” sound, I think.

It did well on the American chart reaching #4. There were conflicting stories about the name and the telephone number. At first, they said it was about a girlfriend, and he wrote her number on the wall for a laugh.

That changed into “I just made it up” after there were plenty of people phoning the number and asking for Jenny. That caused people who had the number to insist the phone companies change their number. Either way, there were an awful lot of people who did not consider it funny at all.

6 Jennifer Johnson And Me by Conway Twitty 

This is a Folk song sung by Conway Twitty about a previous love. It was taken from his album, Falling For You For Years.

It is a tale of young love as he reminisces about special times with his Jennifer. You get the feeling she is a real person from his past. I am sure she would have liked the sentiments expressed in the song if she was. It’s a lovely song about a girl named Jennifer.

7 Jennifer Eccles by The Hollies

Simple and straightforward is how to best describe this 1968 single from The Hollies. They had seen plenty of success but then decided to try a bit of ‘psychedelia’ with the song “King Midas In Reverse.” It was a year after Sgt. Pepper’s, so maybe they thought they could do it as well. 

It didn’t work and was pretty dire…

With Jennifer Eccles, they returned to doing what they were always best at, being a Pop group. It reached #7 in the UK and #40 in America.

Was she a real person they were singing about? Not really, but her name was created by taking two of the band members’ wives’ names. Allan Clarke’s wife, Jennifer, and Graham Nash’s wife, Rose Eccles.

8 Jennifer Juniper by Donovan

And now something quiet and peaceful for this list of songs with the name Jennifer in the title. The lull before the storm, you might say, as you will see soon. 

You had to feel a little sorry for Donovan Leitch when he arrived on the music scene. A rather shy Scottish singer and songwriter, he played guitar with a harmonica in his face like Bob Dylan. His first release was a great song, “Catch the Wind,” that is still played today.

Needless to say, he was labeled the “English Dylan.” Rather unfair because he never was. You couldn’t have an “anything,” Dylan. He was unique.

As time went on… 

Donovan demonstrated he was not trying to be a lookalike and had his own songs and style. He did well but then made a breakthrough with his album, Hurdy Gurdy Man.

A track from that album was “Jennifer Juniper,” and it has a bit of a back story. Donovan and George Harrison were great friends. And Donovan would often be seen at George’s ‘Kinfaus’ bungalow in fashionable Esher just southwest of London.

Donovan did quite a bit on The White Album and sang backing harmony vocals on several tracks. George wrote the third verse for Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” song. They were quite close.

So, the backstory?

George was married to Patti Boyd at the time. Patti had a sister, and guess what her name was? Actually, it was Helen, sorry to disappoint, although everyone knew her as “Jenny” for some reason. 

She was one of those people that just lit up the room when she entered it. She had a shop somewhere in Chelsea or somewhere close. That shop was called “Jennifer Juniper.” They named it after Donovan’s song, which in turn had been written about Jenny (Helen).

After a life abroad where she ran addiction clinics, she returned to the UK and wrote her fascinating autobiography. It was called “Jennifer Juniper.”

The Song?

Sorry, I got sidetracked. It was a standard easy-going Folky-type Soft Rock song that was and still is a pleasure to listen to. It remains a very popular song with Jenny in the title.

9 Jenny Jenny by Little Richard

Okay, we have had a bit of the gentler side of Jennifer. The time has come now for the promised storm and to let Jenny loose on the world. Furthermore, it would become one of the most well known songs about Jenny.

People talk about certain performers during the Rock n Roll period as the “King of this” or the “King of that.” But Richard Wayne Penniman, alias Little Richard, could rock with the best of them.

This is pure unabashed Rock and Roll at its finest…

Straight from the man from Macon in Georgia. He was a skinny kid, hence the nickname “Lil Richard” he inherited, and he sang gospel at an early age. You would hardly know it later.

He co-wrote some of the great Rock n Roll songs of the time, including “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” and, of course, “Jenny Jenny.”

“Jenny” was released into an unsuspecting world in 1957 and taken from his album, Here’s Little Richard. It reached #10 on the America chart.

What Does It Have?

Well, it’s got something, that’s for sure. I once played a gig in front of 2000 GIs on a base in Germany. They will jig around to songs from Presley, The Everlys, Jerry Lee, and Eddie Cochran. But, when we played this, the place went mental. 

It had something. Just take a listen, and you will see what I mean.

10 Jennifer Sleeps by The Boo Radleys

11 Jennifer Lost the War by The Offspring

12 Jennifer by Faust

13 Jennifer by Little Willie John

14 Jennifer Eccles by The Yardbirds

15 Jennifer Goodbye by Toto

16 Jennifer Juniper by Camper Van Beethoven

17 Jennifer Eccles by The Tremeloes

18 Jennifer Juniper by Colin Blunstone

19 Jennifer Love by Mikaela Davis

20 Jennifer Smiles by Lisa Mitchell

21 Jennifer She Said by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

22 Jennifer by Joel Plaskett Emergency

23 Jennifer’s Body by Hole

24 Jennifer’s Veil by Tom Petty

25 Dear Jennifer by The Paper Kites

26 Jennifer Tomkins by The Street People

27 Jennifer Dreams by John Stewart

28 Jennifer by Stuck in the Sound

29 Jennifer’s Garden by The Young Knives

30 Jennifer’s Veil by David Crosby

31 Goodbye, Jennifer by Neil Diamond

32 Jennifer Grey by Rachael Yamagata

33 Jennifer by Danny O’Keefe

34 Jennifer Juniper by The Gravy Boys

35 Jennifer’s Body by Phantom Planet

36 Jennifer’s Rabbit by Tom Waits

37 Jennifer’s Song by Doug and The Slugs

38 Jennifer, My Girl by John Fogerty

Looking for Songs with Names in the Title?

If so, take a look at our detailed articles on the Top Songs With the Name Olivia in the Title, the Top Songs with the Name Ruby in the Title, and the Top Songs With the Name John or Johnny in the Title for more great song selections.

Also, check out our comprehensive articles on the Top Songs With ‘Girl’ in The Title, the Top Songs with the Word “Rose” in the Title, and the Best Songs with Baby in the Title to find more fantastic music.

And don’t miss our in-depth reviews of the Best Sound Quality Earbuds, the Best True Wireless Earbuds, the Best Headphones for Music, the Most Comfortable Headphones, and the Best Headphones Under $200 you can buy in 2023.

Songs With The Name Jennifer In The Title – Final Thoughts

Thank you, Guinevere, Gwenhwyfar, or Jennifer, whichever it is. There have been some great songs written about you and using the name. And I hope that more are yet to come yet. 

It is interesting how names can be fashionable one minute and not the next. I suppose some consider them to become out of style and not hip anymore. There have been plenty in the past.

In the future… 

Jennifer may become one of those names consigned to history. If it does, at least we have been given some great music that will always keep it in our minds. 

I hope not, though. The name takes me back to my younger years when I sat behind a girl called Jennifer at school. At the time, I thought she was just wonderful.

If it does continue to be less fashionable, then maybe one day it will return. Someone will remember and realize what a lovely name it is.

Until next time, happy listening.