# Sequels to Songs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2001, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588 "2001-09-14T14:06:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/21 "2001-09-14T21:59:01Z")
As mentioned earlier, sequel songs were fairly common in the 50s and early 60s, when there were a lot of small independent labels, and many artists didn’t release albums, only singles. The general practice was to follow up a hit single as fast as possible, and often the goal was to make it sound similar to the earlier hit. Some examples (for the U.S. charts): The Midnighter’s 1954 #1 R&B hit, Work With Me Annie, had a follow-up with a similar tune, Annie Had A Baby. The follow-up to LaVern Baker’s 1957 tune, Jim Dandy (To The Rescue) was Jim Dandy got Married, which was a nearly identical tune. (The first song got to #17. the second to #76, so there were limits to how much you could milk the same tune). In 1964 the Drifters got to #4 with Under the Boardwalk, and the thematically similar follow-up was I’ve Got Sand in My Shoes (#33). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/22 "2001-09-14T22:29:50Z")
Kind of… Southern Man by **Neil Young** Sweet Home Alabama by **Lynryd Skynrd** Kind of…(album) Harvest & Harvest Moon by **Neil Young** ---
**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2001, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/23 "2001-09-14T23:16:26Z")
I started a thread in IMHO, [“Song Sequels?”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=68980), a few months ago asking for other song sequels (besides “Judy’s Turn To Cry”, the one I knew). Dopers came up with a _lot_ of song sequels (way, way more than I thought there were out there). ---
**Author:** ![Semp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Semp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Semp)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/24 "2001-09-15T01:02:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > **But when a band uses a tune it’s used before, MOST people take that as a sign of staleness and lack of inspiration.** I think generally that’s true, but I think it might depend on what’s being re-used, and from what stage in their career it’s from. I can think of two examples, the Jesus & Mary Chain and Meat Beat Manifesto. Both had songs from early in their careers that were half good and half sucked, and they took the non-sucky parts and put them in amongst better accompaniment (‘zat a word?) when they got to be better song writers. For the Jesus & Mary Chain at least one song, but maybe more (it’s been a while) from their first album _Psychocandy_ got used in subsequent albums. For Meat Beat Manifesto, the early _Armed Audio Warfare_ (which sucks for the most part) provided several melodies for _99%_ several years down the road when they could put lyrics to them that weren’t derivative of the worst of 7th graders’ style of poetry. So in this regard you can look at it not “as a sign of staleness and lack of inspiration,” just earlier inspiration that was good but they were at the time unable to have it pan out nicely. However, I’d say this is the exception to the rule. ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/25 "2001-09-15T01:06:52Z")
\*Originally posted by Venkman \* > [@](#): > > \*\*Just curious, where do you think the Beatles reused a melody line? I’m familiar with most of their stuff and can’t really think of an instance. I’m not saying they didn’t, I just can’t think of an example. \*\* I knew I should have left that out. But, Paul Mc, his own self, said on a TV interview/ bio that they did. So our band (and I use that term loosley) listened to and found a couple of songs with the same melody line and did them as sort of a medley. Now that was about 18 yrs ago so my memory is kinda fuzzy there since we covered hundreds of songs in-between. But I think one was ‘You never give me your money’. I know you shouldn’t post without cites. Consider my hand slapped. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Bitterdrunk\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@The\_Bitterdrunk\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Bitterdrunk_Kid)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/26 "2001-09-15T01:28:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\* > I also recall that country star Jim Reeves’ hit “He’ll Have to Go” prompted a very big hit called “He’ll Have to Stay,” by a female country singer whose name escapes me. > > \*\* Ah, that would be Skeeter Davis. Country music did this frequently in the 50’s and 60’s. Probably the best and well known was Kitty Wells’ song, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”, a reply to Hank Thompson’s song, “The Wild Side Of Life”. So far there have been four popular country songs using that tune. The tune was first used in the Carter Family song “I’m Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes”, then in the Roy Acuff song, “Great Speckled Bird”. Skeeter Davis also sang an answer song to Floyd Cramer’s instrumental hit, “Last Date”, called “My Last Date”. There were so many others, I can’t even begin to list them here, but there were a LOT! ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/27 "2001-09-15T03:54:01Z")
Well, in country music there was LL’s ‘Stand by Your Man’ then Ronnie Milsap’s answer, ‘I’m a Stand By My Woman Man’. ---
**Author:** ![saepiroth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@saepiroth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saepiroth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/28 "2001-09-15T07:16:36Z")
direct sequel, from **Blink 182** : “Anthem”, off of Enema of the State then… “Anthem, Part Two”, off of Take Off Your Pants and Jacket ---
**Author:** ![hegel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cab0a1/32.png) [@hegel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hegel)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/29 "2001-09-15T15:23:37Z")
“get a job”-----“got a job” i believe “got a job” was smokey robinson’s first big songwriting hit. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/30 "2001-09-15T17:49:13Z")
I’m not aware of Paul McCartney ever acknowledging that the Beatles re-used melodies. I HAVE read interviews in which Paul freely admits that he and John Lennon often stole licks from Chuck Berry, Little Richard and others. He points to “I Saw Her Standing There” as a song he stole almost completely from Chuck Berry. Mind you, “stole” was PAUL’s word, not mine! Paul likes to say, “Mediocre artists borrow. Great artists steal.” ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/31 "2001-09-15T18:34:58Z")
“It Wasn’t God That Made Honky Tonk Angels” by Kitty Wells was a sequel to “The Wild Side of Life” by Hank Thompson. Keith ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/32 "2001-09-15T20:45:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*Mind you, “stole” was PAUL’s word, not mine! Paul likes to say, “Mediocre artists borrow. Great artists steal.” \*\* I believe that is a Matisse quote. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/33 "2001-09-15T21:40:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by warmgun \* > \*\*There is at least one case of an actual sequel. ‘Snoopy vs the Red Baron’ (sorry, can’t remember the group) had a follow up. Can’t remember the song name but it continued the Snoopy/Red Baron story. > > The ‘Beatles’ , in _Glass Onion_, sing, “We told you about ‘Strawberry Fields’, you know the play where nothing is real”, etc. > > They also recycled some of their melody lines. \*\* “Well here’s another clue for you all-the Walrus was Paul” ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/34 "2001-09-15T21:42:45Z")
Oh, and “Gal from Kalamazoo” was a sequel to “Chatanooga Choo Choo”, I think. I don’t know, because I really don’t like the latter. ---
**Author:** ![riserius1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7ab992/32.png) [@riserius1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/riserius1)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/35 "2001-09-15T21:58:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*Harry Chapin wrote a sequel to his song “Taxi”, I just can’t think of the name. > \*\* You’re gonna laugh but the actual name of the song was “Sequel”! 😃 Originally posted by warmgun There is at least one case of an actual sequel. ‘Snoopy vs the Red Baron’ (sorry, can’t remember the group) had a follow up. Can’t remember the song name but it continued the Snoopy/Red Baron story. That would be Snoopy’s Christmas. 🆒 Hope this helps. Chris W ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2001, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/36 "2001-09-15T23:48:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Oblong \* > Take a good song, use the same music, or a variation of it, then introduce new words. You’ve just described Weird Al Yankovich’s career. ---
**Author:** ![Ripple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@Ripple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ripple)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/37 "2001-09-16T00:05:20Z")
The song “Stagger Lee” (or Stacker Lee, Stag-O-Lee, Stack-O-Lee) is a traditional song that has been interpreted by many artists, each adding their own twist. The Grateful Dead did a version in which the main character, Billy DeLyon is murdered. His wife, Delia, seeks justice through the local sheriff, who is too scared to act. Delia takes matters into her own hands and eventually delivers the murderer, Stagger Lee, to the chickenshit sheriff for hanging. Here’s a cool link that offers a pretty thorough history of the various incarnations of the Stagger Lee story: [http://arts.ucsc.edu/GDead/AGDL/stagger.html](http://arts.ucsc.edu/GDead/AGDL/stagger.html) ---
**Author:** ![hegel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cab0a1/32.png) [@hegel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hegel)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/38 "2001-09-16T00:07:47Z")
This sequel business is common practice in rap music. “Roxanne” by UTFO received several responses by female rappers. Furthermore, many rap artists “remix” their original song, adding guest rappers or a new beat. ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Echo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Second\_Echo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Echo)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/39 "2001-09-16T01:28:51Z")
This isnt exactly a song sequel, but when The Offspring released that “Why Don’t You Get a Job” song a year or two back, it sounded exactly like The Beatles “Ob La Di, Ob La Da”. The Music is different, but you can hum the Beatle’s lyrics over the Offspring tune perfectly. Even the bridge. Probably unconciously done, but a suspicious coincidence nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2001, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588/40 "2001-09-16T01:57:18Z")
- Twist and Let’s Twist Again by C. Checkers - Adam Sandler milked Hanhukah TWICE! I would offer that the Song “Baby Love” inspired a sequel many years later about the return of the baby in the film “Baby Got Back” 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-to-songs/81588.md?page=3)