Entertainment For Lively Minds
Answer Songs
Posted by NigelSmith on 11 May 2009 - 1:40pm.
Yesterday on my blog, Carnival Saloon, I posted Ann Mason's 'You Can't Love Me (In The Midnight Hour)' - it's a great answer song in response to Wilson Pickett's 'In The Midnight Hour'.
You can hear both tracks here:
http://carnivalsaloon.blogspot.com/2009/05/two-sides-of-midnight-hour.ht...
This has got me thinking about other answer songs. I know that 'It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels' by Kitty Wells is a response to Hank Thompson's 'The Wild Side of Life'. Also on the wedding edition of Theme Time Radio Hour Bob Dylan played Etta James's 'Stop the Wedding' back to back with 'Don't Stop the Wedding' by Ann Cole which I liked very much.
So, do you have any suggestions of other great answer songs?
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Hey Memphis
is LaVern Baker's answer to Elvis Presley's Little Sister:
Southern Man
and Sweet Home Alabama
Are you ready to be heartbroken? (Lloyd Cole)
Lloyd, I'm ready to be heartbroken.(Camera Obscura)
On a Camera Ob jag at present, having just invested in their excellent new LP, My Maudlin Career. Like pre-Chinnichap Blondie at times, albeit with the addition of lush strings, it is full of the witty wordplay that TracyAnne Campbell has rightly become well known(ish) for. The rightful heirs to Belle and Sebastian and some.
Camera Obscura
That's amazing. I love that Camera Obscura track but feel like a real dunce not knowing about the Lloyd Cole song. And it mentions Arthur Lee. Thanks.
CO
at the Barrowland a couple of weeks ago was hard to beat - and chips & curry afterwards - deep joy!
ask Feargal
Bemont Tench Answers Maria McKee
Sex?....no thanks...well maybe!
John Lee Hooker sings "I'm In The Mood".
Donna Hightower sings "I Ain't In The Mood"
Hooker can be found on youtube but unfortunately Donna can not. If I remember correctly, Donnas lyrics have her succumbing in the end.
Revolution
Nina Somone's riposte to The Beatles' "... you can count me out" version of 'Revolution' was a song of the same name with the lyric :
"Singin about a revolution
because were talkin about a change
its more than just evolution
well you know you got to clean your brain
the only way that we can stand in fact
is when you get your foot off our back"
Ooer missus...
The Associates' "Stephen, You're Really Something" is allegedly in response to The Smiths' "William It Was Really Nothing"...Then there's Sissy Spacek (as Rainbo)'s response to John & Yoko's "Two Virgins" - "John You've Gone Too Far This TIme"
Lennon could probably have sued ....
Me In Honey
by REM is Stipe's 'response' supposedly to EAT FOR TWO by 10,000 Maniacs. Natalie Merchant's attitude always bugged me in that song so i'm glad he had a go.
Natalie Merchant's attitude
What exactly in Natalie Merchant's attitude bugs you? It's a song about an unwanted teenage pregnancy. You don't tend to see girls in such a condition dancing down the street in celebration.
Natalie Merchants attitude?
I guess the fact that she always seemed to write so worthily, Claire in the community personified in song, as p.c. as a sleeping policeman. Still, never stopped me loving 10k Maniacs or her solo stuff, just wish she wasn't making so many points. It was like she was telling off the world for it's failings, and looking like a strict R.E. teacher didn't always help.
I also remember that "before" Michael Stipe was (is it still allegedly?) gay, there was some attempt at suggesting he and Ms Merchant were an item. Good duet record ("Photograph")by she and R.E.M. on a Pro-Choice, what else, benefit record was around at the time, purely coincidentally I'm sure.
Interesting other live duets crop up on youtube also, and google has some interesting archive interviews about their relationship.
Neil and Carol
Was an answer to:
To be a smart-arse
I could do the whole Springsteen: Entire Ouvre; Prefab Sprout: Cars & Girls line but no I will resist that cheap gag and delve into the annals of Soul and R&B (new and old meanings) which are choc-full-o' the things.
Hip-Hop too.And the "wrong" answer can get you killed.
But - hey - the sun's shining, I'm an hour or less away from a cold one - so let's go back in the day for some of the best Q&A this side of Paxman and Michael Howard
The Miracles' first single, 'Got A Job'
was a response song (one of several) to the Silhouettes' 'Get A Job'. And was a co-write between Smokey and Berry Gordy. *gets soulboy anorak*
"Queen of the House" by Jody Miller.
Answer songs - a chance to right wrongs and correct inequalities.
God bless Scopitones.
Carole 'n' Neil
Neil Sedaka wrote "O Carol!" for Carole King.
In response, Carole King wrote "Oh piss off, Neil".
Isley Brothers and Jean Knight
Answers by Marva Whitney (not great sound I'm afraid) and Jimmy Hicks
Multiple one here...
Peter Frampton: "Show Me The Way"
Boz Scaggs: "Down Two, Then Left"
VanDerGraaf: "Lost"
Cheap Trick: "Ain't That A Shame"
Beatles: "Help"
Maxine Nightingale: "Get Right Back"
Beatles: "Get Back?"
Lynyrd Skynyrd: "You got That Right"
Proclaimers: "I'm On My Way"
etc etc etc.
Ok, coat on, I'm outa here.
Three in a row
McCartney's 'Dear Friend'was a response to Lennon's 'How Do You Sleep?', which was a response to McCartney's 'Too Many People' ...
The Revolution
In a way this is an answer to several songs, but mostly Gil Scott Heron's "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.
Probably NSFW by the way (for the music - I've no idea what the images are about)
Hank + Kitty = Knitters
The Knitters do a version of both "Wild Side of Life" and "(It Wasn't God Who Made) Honkey Tonk Angels" on the very rare Radio Tokyo Tapes (vol 2 or 3??). The song does a walk-up/walk-down modulation between the John and Exene parts. I love it.
But, staying on topic...here's the answer song in original form
and the original claim: (was tempted to post the version of Hank doing it live in a GREAT cowboy shirt...but this is the earlier version)
Nick Lowe
I have a feeling thatit's not quite what you had in mind but does Nick Lowe's EP "Bowi" count? It was his response to Bowie's "tribute" to him, "Low".
Along the same line
Graham Parker's Rumour did an EP without him titled Max in response to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours.
"Uptown, Top Ranking"
by Althea & Donna (still a great record BTW), was an answer to the far lesser known "Three Piece Suit" by Trinity...
How any of you
have missed the timeless F*** It (I Don't Want You Back) by Eamon and Frankee's equally classic reply song, F.U.R.B., is beyond me. I thought you people knew something about music!