# A List of "Answer" Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116 "2010-05-20T12:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/21 "2010-05-20T14:22:27Z")
**Cathy’s Clown** - The Everly Brothers **Cathy’s New Clown** - John Wesley Harding And my absolute favorite (in order of release) **Be My Yoko** - The Bobs **Be My Yoko Ono** - Barenaked Ladies **I Won’t Be Your Yoko Ono** - Dar Williams ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/22 "2010-05-20T14:28:02Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Well, first it’s Woody Guthrie, but aside from that (going off memory). . . OOOps, thanks ESHT! My bad. Woody indeed. I should never post first thing in the morning… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/23 "2010-05-20T14:57:32Z")
There is a whole list of these on [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Answer_songs). Here are a couple I don’t see there: _Duke of Earl_ - Gene Chandler _I Stopped the Duke of Earl_ - Upfronts _Dutchess of Earl_ - The Pearlettes _Work With Me, Annie_ - Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, answered by: _Annie Had a Baby_ - Hank Ballard & the Midnighters and _Annie’s Aunt Fannie_ - Hank Ballard & the Midnighters and _Roll with Me, Henry_ - Etta James, answered by: _Henry’s Got Flat Feet (Can’t Dance No More)_ - Hank Ballard I’ve heard it suggested that _Work With Me, Annie_ is itself an answer to the Midnighters’ _Get It_, but I don’t buy it. The Annie songs worked on a double entendre. _Get It_ is at most a 1-1/4 entendre. ---
**Author:** ![monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monster)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/24 "2010-05-20T15:06:57Z")
Stand by Your Man - Tammy Wynette (I’m A) Stand by Your Woman Man - Ronnie Milsap ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/25 "2010-05-20T15:14:06Z")
Garth Brooks did The Thunder Rolls and then supposedly followed it up with The Storm, but The Storm is pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/26 "2010-05-20T15:20:49Z")
“Hot Rod Lincoln” was an answer song (or perhaps more accurately a sequel) to 1951’s “Hot Rod Race” by Archie Shibley and his Mountain Dew Boys. The original version of “Hot Rod Lincoln” was recorded in 1955 by Charlie Ryan and the Livingston Brothers, but Commander Cody’s cover is probably the best known version. Graham Parker and the Rumour recorded an album they called _Max_, after Fleetwood Mac recorded _Rumours._ (Only the title was an answer, however.) ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/27 "2010-05-20T15:23:22Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Some of the responses are more parodies than responses. Like: > Leader of The Pack > Leader of The Laundromat Parody. > [@](#): > > However: > My Girl - The Temptations > My Guy - Mary Wells Note that “My Guy” was released first. “My Girl” doesn’t really “answer” it in any way. There’s no relationship between the lyrics of the two songs beyond the basic theme of loving your SO – the theme of tens of thousands of songs. > [@](#): > > Under The Boardwalk - The Drifters > Up On The Roof - Also by The Drifters Again, “Up on the Roof” came first, and that title is quoted at the beginning of “Under the Boardwalk,” but there’s otherwise no specific relationship between the two songs. To me, the criteria for a true “” are stronger than this (e.g., similar plot lines, characters in common, etc.). > [@](#): > > Peggy Sue and Peggy Sue Got Married - both by Buddy Holly Yes…this pair definitely qualifies! ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/28 "2010-05-20T15:27:11Z")
“I’m Sorry I Went” by the Cannon Sisters answers Claudine Clark’s “Party Lights.” “Major Tom (Coming Home)” by Peter Schilling is an answer song to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” ---
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/29 "2010-05-20T15:27:55Z")
On a cassette I have by Napoleon XIV, the album opens with “They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha Ha!”. I bought the album for that song (and because it was dirt cheap in a discount rack), but I was not familiar with the song on the other side of the tape by “Josephine XV”, entitled “I’m Happy They Took You Away, Ha ha” ---
**Author:** ![Eman\_Resu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Eman\_Resu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eman_Resu)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/30 "2010-05-20T15:30:40Z")
Charles Mingus wrote a tune based on the chord changes to “What Is This Thing Called Love?” and called it “Wham Bam Thank You Ma’am.” ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/31 "2010-05-20T15:32:54Z")
_All the Single Ladies_ (Beyoncé) _Mrs. Robinson_ (The Beatles) _All You Need is Love_ (The Beatles) _What’s Love Got to Do With It_ (Tina Turner) _Stand by Your Man_ (Tammy Wynette) _D-I-V-O-R-C-E_ (Tammy Wynette) _Stormy Weather_ (Lena Horne) _Walking on Sunshire_ (Katrina and the Waves) _Poppa Don’t Preach_ (Madonna) Paren_ts Just Don’t Understand_ (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince) ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/32 "2010-05-20T15:50:59Z")
There was a number one hit in 2004 by Eamon called ‘Fuck You (I Don’t Want You Back)’ which was answered by Frankee with ‘F.U.R.B. (Fuck You Right Back)’. Both went to number one in the UK, if I remember correctly, but they were both one-hit wonders. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/33 "2010-05-20T16:49:58Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Peggy Sue and Peggy Sue Got Married - both by Buddy Holly Along the same lines, “Jim Dandy” and “Jim Dandy Got Married,” both by LaVern Baker ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/34 "2010-05-20T16:55:08Z")
Springsteen’s “Mary’s place” is somewhat of a sequal to his “Thunder road”. A rather poignant one. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/35 "2010-05-20T17:09:19Z")
David Bowie’s “Ashes to Ashes” is a sequel to “Space Oddity,” and it sort of confirms the interpretation that “Major Tom” wasn’t an astronaut but a drug addict who had drifted away from reality) but wants to come back. And "the Kinks’ “Destroyer” is a sequel to “Lola.” U2 wrote their own sequel to John Lennon’s “God.” ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/36 "2010-05-20T17:12:57Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > _All the Single Ladies_ (Beyoncé) > _Mrs. Robinson_ (The Beatles) > > _All You Need is Love_ (The Beatles) > _What’s Love Got to Do With It_ (Tina Turner) > > _Stand by Your Man_ (Tammy Wynette) > _D-I-V-O-R-C-E_ (Tammy Wynette) > > _Stormy Weather_ (Lena Horne) > _Walking on Sunshire_ (Katrina and the Waves) > > _Poppa Don’t Preach_ (Madonna) > Paren_ts Just Don’t Understand_ (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince) Although the OP didn’t actually provide a definition of “answer songs”, what’s generally meant by that term is when a song is deliberately written as a response to some other specific song. I don’t think any of these qualifies, although in each case, I’m sufficiently unfamiliar with the lyrics to at least one of the songs that I’m unable to say with certainty. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/37 "2010-05-20T17:14:47Z")
Hank THompson’s Fifties country hit “The Wild Side of Life” inspired an answer song by Kitty Wells: “It Wasn’t Gos Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” Thompson’s song laments a cheating woman, while Wells’ song suggests that, when a woman strays, it’s probably some man’s fault. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/38 "2010-05-20T17:19:35Z")
It’s hard to be sure, but several of John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s Seventies songs seemed to be aimed at each other, and replying to perceived insults from the other (real or not). Rightly or wrongly, Lennon THOUGHT McCartney’s “Too Many People” was a slap at him, and that helped inspire Lennon’s “How Do You Sleep?” “Silly Love Songs” may have been a reply to Lennon’s quip in that song that McCartney’s tunes were “Muzak to my ears.” Along the same lines, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have often been hostile to each other over the years. On his solo album Keith slammed Mick in “You Don’t Move Me Any More.” I suspect that Mick was referring to that song when he wrote the lyrics to"Mixed Emotions" for the Stones’ comeback album. I think Mick was saying, “You don’t like me, Keith? Well, I’m not crazy about you either, jerk. But let’s put that behind us and just rock!” ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/39 "2010-05-20T17:33:36Z")
In 1962, Steve Lawrence had a #1 hit with the Gerry Goffin/Carole King tune “Go Away Little Girl.” Not long after, some female artist sang a song to the same tune called “I Won’t Go Away Little Boy.” Googling doesn’t do me any good finding the artist, but I remember it had the line “So please don’t try to resist/Just give me one little kiss.” “Go Away Little Girl” had the line “When you are near me like this/You’re much too hard to resist.” The answer song wasn’t very good - that’s probably why I can’t find any reference to it! ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116/40 "2010-05-20T18:03:45Z")
> [@DChord568](#): > > As well as Pure Prairie League’s “I’ll Fix Your Flat Tire, Merle” I never knew until now that Pure Prairie League had recorded this. It was originally by Big Brother & the Holding Company (post-Janis), and released in 1970, when the song they were answering was still relatively current. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-list-of-answer-songs/540116.md?page=3)