Celluloid Heroes

The song first appeared on Everybody's in Show-Biz in 1972 and was the album's second single. It names Greta Garbo, Rudolph Valentino, Bela Lugosi, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, George Sanders and Mickey Rooney, and the verse naming the last three is left out of some versions, including the one on One for the Road. Ray said he enjoyed the irony that the stars were on the street where you could walk over them, and described the song as a comment on show business, where success walks hand in hand with failure.

The British single ran past six minutes, while the American edit was almost two minutes shorter. It did not chart in Britain. Dave Davies called it one of his favorite songs ever, and John Gosling recalled standing in awe when Ray recorded the vocal. Joan Jett, Steve Vai and Blackmore's Night have covered it, and Ray recorded it again for See My Friends in 2010 with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. Setlist.fm logs 319 performances.