Okay, I’ve been wondering about this for…quite a while. Now, I’m pretty sure everyone is familiar with or has at least heard Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party (and I’ll Cry If I Want To)”. It’s a fairly well known diddy. However, there is a lesser known sequel, for lack of a better word, to that song entitled “Judy’s Turn To Cry”. The first lines are “Now it’s Judy’s turn to cry…because Johnny’s come back to me.” So basically, in the first song Judy stole Johnny and now Johnny’s come back (why this poor girl would take him back is beyond me). The second song makes reference to the first in many ways, and even summarizes what happens in it.
Now, as far as I know, these were first released separately (though I could be wrong about that). I’ve been racking my brain, and this is the only song sequel that I can think of (as in, a second song that carries on the story of the first). I’m curious; are there other song sequels? Maybe there are other well-known song sequels that I’m forgetting. Was this a common practice at one time (or is it still)?
“A Thousand Miles Away” was recorded by the Heartbeats. Subsequently the lead singer Shane Shep left the group and founded Shep and the Limelighters, which recorded “Daddy’s Home”, which was a direct sequel to the song. If you listen to the fadeout of “Daddy’s Home” you will here them sing “a thousand miles away”. There is a third song in the trilogy but I can’t remember it. If anybody has access to Dave Marsh’s “The Heart of Rock and Soul” the whole story is told there
Procul Harum, as you know, recorded “A Whiter Shade of Pale.” A few years later, Matthew Fisher – who played organ for Procul Harum at the time – wrote a song called “Going for a Song,” where he sang “don’t make me play that song again.” In case there was any doubt, he plays the organ part from “Whiter Shade” for just a moment.
There was an old R&B hit “Work With Me, Annie” – the work obviously being done in bed. It’s follow up was “Annie Had a Baby.”
Neil Young wrote “Southern Man,” Lynyrd Skynyrd replied to it in “Sweet Home Alabama.” Someone else (I forget the name of the song and the performer) wrote a song with the lyrics “Sweet Home Alabama/Sing that dead man’s song.” I also understand there’s a Neil Young song that supposedly replies to Lynyrd Skynyrd.
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by the Tokens was followed by “The Tiger’s Wide Awake” by another group.
The Beatle’s “Glass Onion” refers to several of their previous songs.
And, of course, there’s the Royal Guardsmen, with hits “Snoopy and the Red Baron,” “The Return of the Red Baron,” “Snoopy’s Christmas,” and the lesser known “Snoopy for President.”
Well, The Misfits had Halloween and Halloween II basically the same song except the second was done in Latin… I think it was Latin.
and…
I do recall Dead Kennedys having California Über Alles which was about former California Governor Jerry Brown (not a song a praise, mind you) and We have a bigger problem now was about Ronnie Reagan, same riffs with some twists and a jazz/lounge club beggining.
A long, long time ago, many years before I was born, the Four Tops had a hit song called I Can’t Help Myself. You may know it as “Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch.” A few months later, they took the song and changed a note or two and the lyrics. They then released the “new” song under the name It’s the Same Old Song.
I learned this from reading the previously-mentioned The Heart of Rock & Soul, by Dave Marsh.
I always thought BNL’s “She’s On Time” (about a guy who’s happy his girlfriend’s not pregnant) made a great prequel to “Steven Page Is Having A Baby”.
[sub]Who said boys could never give birth?[/sub]
I can’t remember the artist, but there was a novelty song entitled “Irving” about the 142 fastest gun in the west. It was followed by “Son of Irving.” I suspect that a lot of those novelty songs had sequels.
According to Mellencamp, himself, after years of having people ask him, “What ever happened to Jack and Diane?” he revisted them in a 1998 song entitled “Eden Is Burning.”
Those “two American kids doing the best that they can” don’t seem to be enjoying wedded bliss (I think. Actually the song has a reference to a Richard Pryor movie, that goes over my head. If anyone knows what movie Diane and Jack went to see, I might understand the point better).
Wow, I guess it’s a much more common practice than I thought. Of those named, though, most of them I either only knew one of the two songs or didn’t know the two songs were connected. Strange…(though I guess “Judy’s Turn to Cry” isn’t very well-known).
Looks like I have some CD’s to buy.
Thanks, everyone. I’d be interested to hear any more anyone can think of…
Well, this may not be a “sequel,” but Ray Davies brought back Lola for the song “Destroyer.”
There have also been quite a few hit songs written as “answers” to previous hits. Jim Reeves’ country classic “He’ll Have to Go” inspired a hit follow-up called “He’ll Have to Stay,” by a female singer whose name slips my mind.
