I'll Take "Songs About People" for $200

bdp24, seat yourself down and have a cigar.

Wait, may be you're right -- there are clearly horns coming out of his head.

Bands about people? -Jethro Tull!
Songs about people? John Henry was a steel drivin' man (was he?).

Larryi 2-3-17
But, what if you were the inspiration behind those songs whose theme is: she is ugly but I love her anyway (e.g., "My Funny Valentine)?

Larry, point taken, and yes it is certainly possible in some cases for immortalization in a song to be handled in a tasteless manner. In the case of "Rag Doll," however, I don’t see it that way. The negatives that were presented just pertain to the girl’s unfortunate circumstances, not to the girl herself. And for example, note the line "such a pretty face should be dressed in lace."

In any event, as I indicated I found the story behind the song (which I’ve seen stated in slightly different form than in the Wikipedia writeup, with the girl perhaps having been somewhat older) to be rather touching.

Best regards,
-- Al

Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust - Bob Dylan

Brian Wilson did not write Barbara Ann about Agent 99.  He didn't write it all--it was a guy named Fred Fassert (never heard of him, I had to look it up).