Songs that could be the same story told from different viewpoints

Cafe Society
1

So had realization that Where Do You Go to My Lovely by Peter Sarstedt and We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful by Morrissey could in fact be the same story told from different viewpoints. I mean not literally, as far as I know Morrissey never intended for his song to be that, they could be.

What other songs could in fact be different sides of the same story. I am excluding “I dumped/cheated-on someone” vs “They dumped/cheated-on me” as that’s like 50% of songs ever written.

2

The classic answers to this question are

The Boys Are Back in Town / Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?

It’s Raining Men / Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

3

I Want My Baby Back by Jimmy Cross was a novelty tune recounting the experiences of the driver of the car which collided with the motorcyclist described in the Shangra-la’s “Leader of the Pack”.

4

How about when the SAME song ends up being two different viewpoints.

Like this version ofOne Toke Over the Line vs. this one.

“Answer songs” probably shouldn’t count, but I still have to bring up Eve of Destruction and it’s sappy reply Dawn of Correction.

Also Merle Haggard’s excellent Okie from Muskogee got counterpunched by the Youngbloods’ 'shoulda-been-a-lot-better Hippie from Olema.

5

If answer songs don’t count then forget that I mentioned Wild Side of Life/It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels

6

Also Kinky Friedman’s Asshole from El Paso

7

I still think it’s hysterical that the Grateful Dead once performed (a pretty good) Okie from Muskogee: Grateful Dead Live at Fillmore East on 1971-04-27 : Free Borrow & Streaming : Internet Archive

We don’t let our hair grow long and shaggy
Like the hippies out in San Francisco do
*

8

Not quite the idea, but I’ve always thought the couple from Blue Rodeo’s ‘Five Days In May’ might have been the same couple that ran away again forty years later in ‘The Way’ by Fastball.

9

Do I get extra credit if the songs are by the same group?

Abba - Waterloo / The Winner Takes It All

10

If answer songs do count (we’re awaiting the official ruling) then “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” has two of them: “Billy, I’ve Got to Go to Town” by Geraldine Stevens and “Ruby’s Answer” by Dori Helms

11

“Every Breath You Take” and “Somebody’s Watching Me”