# Answer Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807 "2012-07-20T02:54:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/21 "2012-07-20T17:36:06Z")
Frank Sinatra - [Goodnight Irene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8rzcKalZ6s) Ziggy Talent - [Please Say Goodnight To The Guy Irene](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJn6Xdg2i9U) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/22 "2012-07-20T18:09:07Z")
Paul McCartney’s “Let Me Roll It” was, reportedly, in answer to Lennon’s “How Do You Sleep”. “My Girl” answered “My Guy” (or vice-versa). And my favorite: Miss Chuckleberry’s “My Pussycat” answered Chuck Berry’s “My Ding-a-Ling” mmm ETA: There was supposedly, though I’ve never heard it, a response to Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” called “Will the Real Slim Shady Please Shut Up?” ---
**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:** [July 20, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/23 "2012-07-20T18:17:11Z")
**Cathy’s New Clown** , by John Wesley Harding, must be an answer to _Cathy’s Clown_ by the Everly Brothers. Some great lyrics: _I’m like a talking head with the sound turned down Or Pavlov’s dog when he wasn’t around_ While I’m not absolutely sure of it, it would seem that the writers of **Be My Yoko Ono** (Barenaked Ladies), and **I Won’t Be Your Yoko Ono** (Dar Williams) were likely aware of **Be My Yoko** by The Bobs. (Those are the performers in parentheses; I don’t know the specific writing credits for each one.) There are also **the Doug songs**. They’re all written by Andrew Ratchin, but were performed with two different groups and solo. There are more than a dozen, including **Doug Gets Married** and **Delilah Gets Married** (two viewpoints on the same wedding) and **Doug at Home** , which is about spontaneous combustion) is followed in the cycle by **Epilogue (Doug at the Gates of Hell)** and **Doug’s Resurrection** Parts 1 and 2. There is also **Dog at the Gates of Hell** , from the point of view of Doug’s pet. Ratchin also wrote **I Awoke in Iowa** , which prompted **Iowa Apology Song** , which further prompted **I Owe You an Apology** , in which he apologizes for pretty much everything he’s ever written. ---
**Author:** ![Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeke_N.Destroi)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/24 "2012-07-20T19:17:01Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > From the rap world, Ice Cube had a running feud with his former group, NWA. “No Vaseline” was a response to “100 miles and runnin”, as well as other tracks released by the group. > > “100 miles and runnin’”: > > _It started with five but yo, one couldn’t take it / So now there’s four 'cause the fifth couldn’t make it._ > > “No Vaseline” > > _Cuz you know I’m the one that flown / ya done run 100 miles, but you still got one to go._ > > Admittedly, this response doesn’t fit the tough-LA-gang-member profile, but it’s one of the few SFW lyrics I could post. Wow, _No Vaseline_ is an angry angry song. I mean I know Ice Cube is _The Wrong Nigga To Fuck With_ but damn! He manages to insult Jews, gays, whites and each individual member of N.W.A. and the song’s only, really, about four minutes long. I guess this leads to another discussion question: is a diss track a subspecies of the answer song or is it a completely different animal? And still no comments on whether _I Ain’t Marching Anymore_ is an answer to _Universal Soldier_. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/25 "2012-07-20T19:51:34Z")
John Lennon’s “How Do You Sleep?” was a reply to (mostly imagined) criticisms of him in songs on Paul McCartney’s [Ram](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_%28album%29#Feud) L.P. The digs at John, and possibly the other Beatles, on _Ram_, when real at all, are mild and very oblique. An outsider would not have recognized them at all. By contrast, “How Do you Sleep?” is obvious and vicious. It is a much better song than anything on _Ram_, however. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/26 "2012-07-20T20:22:20Z")
:smack: How could I forget, \*\*The Ramones \*\*with **Sheena is a Punk Rocker** and **The Cramps** with **Sheena’s in a Goth Gang**! ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/27 "2012-07-20T20:23:27Z")
An early example of an answer song was Lightnin’ Hopkins’ [Feel So Bad](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TykT34mTWMI), which was an answer to Bill Broonzy’s [I Feel So Good](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMdorkAxHvY). Hopkins’ recording of his song was in 1946, and Broonzy’s was in 1941. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/28 "2012-07-20T20:29:31Z")
Would Buddy Holly’s [Peggy Sue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzDzt9lGwhM) and [Peggy Sue Got Married](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DAJbEcyyYA) count? Maybe it is more of a sequel than an answer. Although less seminal, the latter is actually the better song IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/29 "2012-07-20T20:37:03Z")
If we are including rap, Tupcac’s “Hit 'Em Up” track inspired multiple answers from East coast rappers. Among them, “Brooklyn’s Finest” from Biggie and Jay-Z and “Drop a Gem on 'Em” by Mobb Deep. Probably a few others, too. ---
**Author:** ![goonhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ebca7d/32.png) [@goonhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goonhead)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/30 "2012-07-21T02:31:25Z")
“Dawn of Correction” by The Spokesmen was the answer record to “Eve of Destruction” by Barry McGuire “Glass Onion” by the Beatles follows up many of their previous songs, including “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “Fool on the Hill”, and “I Am the Walrus” Sting claims to have written his solo hit “If You Love Somebody, Set them Free” to counteract the possessive lyrics in “Every Breath You Take” ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/31 "2012-07-21T03:16:17Z")
There was that horrible 80s song “Boom Boom Boom Let’s Go Up to My Room”, and the equally horrible girl-band rejoinder “Bam Bam Bam, I Came Here to Jam”. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/32 "2012-07-21T03:35:25Z")
“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson was answered by [“Superstar”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jgu9LYVrg-Y) by Lydia Murdock. (As someone who couldn’t name any Whitney Houston song and hadn’t heard of Natalie Portman, I was pleased to find an answer here others missed! Unfortunately, I’m afraid the explanation is that I was enjoying disco in Thailand when it was long-dead in U.S.A. :smack: ) ETA: To get an idea how out-of-touch I was, at the time I thought “Billie Jean” was the answer to “Superstar” ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/33 "2012-07-21T03:50:44Z")
> [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](#): > > The most well known - as far as I know - is [Sweet Home Alabama](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cyokaj3BJU) in answer to [Southern Man](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WqX_cVz-Tc) Another Neil Young song, _Alabama_, also served as motivation for _Sweet Home Alabama_. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/34 "2012-07-21T04:03:17Z")
At the risk of mentioning DBT twice in a day or so, [Ronnie and Neil](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrG5_2-OH8c&feature=related), while maybe not strictly an “Answer Song”, might interest the OP to the extent it recounts the _Alabama_/_Southern Man_/_Sweet Home Alabama_ story. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/35 "2012-07-21T14:57:06Z")
I have it in my head that Jessie’s Girl was an answer song, but I cannot remember for which song… it could also be that I’ve reached my dotage. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/36 "2012-07-21T19:21:46Z")
Liz Phair put out a whole album, _Exile in Guyville_, that’s supposed to be a response to the Stones’ _Exile on Main Street_. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/37 "2012-07-22T00:44:34Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Leslie Gore had her own duo…_It’s My Party_ and _Judy’s Turn To Cry_. “Judy’s Turn to Cry” is more a sequel than an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/38 "2012-07-22T03:56:12Z")
> [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](#): > > I don’t know if that is the correct term for this or not but I’m looking for songs that reply to other songs. > > The most well known - as far as I know - is [Sweet Home Alabama](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cyokaj3BJU) in answer to [Southern Man](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WqX_cVz-Tc) And of course Warren Zevon’s [_Play it All Night Long_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCvZUjXvUEE) is an answer to Skynyrd’s _Sweet Home Alabama_… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/39 "2012-07-22T04:08:26Z")
> [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](#): > > There was that horrible 80s song “Boom Boom Boom Let’s Go Up to My Room”, and the equally horrible girl-band rejoinder “Bam Bam Bam, I Came Here to Jam”. How does “What, What, In the Butt” fit in? ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2012, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807/40 "2012-07-22T04:38:20Z")
A bit off topic but I really like Jethro Tull’s musical answer to a bad review (quoting said review) in the song Only Solitaire. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answer-songs/628807.md?page=3)