An answer song, response song or answer record is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer songs were also popular in country music in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, sometimes as female responses to an original hit by a male artist or male responses to a hit by a female artist.
The original "Hound Dog" song sung by Big Mama Thornton reached number 1 in 1953, and there were six answer songs in response; the most successful of these was "Bear Cat", by Rufus Thomas which reached number 3. That led to a successful copyright lawsuit for $35,000, which is said to have led Sam Phillips of Sun Records to sell Elvis Presley's recording contract to RCA.
In Rock Eras: Interpretations of Music and Society, Jim Curtis says that "the series of answer songs which were hits in 1960 ... indicates the dissociation of the singer from the song ... Answer songs rode on the coattails, as it were, of the popularity of the first song, and resembled parodies in that their success depended on a knowledge of the original ... Answer songs were usually one-hit flukes by unknown singers whose lack of identity did not detract from the success of the record since only the song, and not the performer, mattered." Alternate .
Today, this practice is most common in hip hop music and filk, especially as the continuation of a feud between performers; the Roxanne Wars was a notable example that resulted in over a hundred answer songs. Answer songs also played a part in the battle over turf in The Bridge Wars. Sometimes, an answer record imitated the original very closely and occasionally, a hit song would be followed up by the same artist.
Examples
Pre-1950s Sir Walter Raleigh and Christopher Marlowe traded life philosophies on the battlefield of poetry, namely, "The Passionate Shepherd To His Love" (1599) and "The Nymph's Reply To The Shepherd" (1600). The sentimental Irish ballad, "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" (1875) by Thomas Westendorf was written as a reply to the earlier "Barney, Take Me Home Again" by George W. Persley. "I Wonder Why Bill Bailey Don't Come Home" was written by William Jerome and recorded by Arthur Collins in 1902 as an answer to "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home", published by Hughie Cannon and recorded by Collins earlier the same year. "I Used to Be Afraid to Come Home in the Dark" was recorded by Billy Murray in 1909 as a response to his own 1908 hit, "I'm Afraid to Come Home in the Dark". The popularity of the 1923 song "Yes! We Have No Bananas" was answered that same year by "I've Got The Yes! We Have No Banana Blues" with lyrics by Lew Brown, composed by Robert King and James F. Hanley. The song referred to the ubiquity and nonsense lyrics of the original. Eddie Cantor, Eva Taylor, Isabelle Patricola, and Belle Baker all sang on releases of this song. Patsy Montana's "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" (written 1934, recorded 1935), the first million seller hit by a female country artist, was an answer to Stuart Hamblen's "Texas Plains". Woody Guthrie's anthem "This Land Is Your Land" was written in 1940 as an answer to "God Bless America", written by Irving Berlin in 1918 (and revised in 1938). Guthrie originally called his response "God Blessed America for Me".Woody Guthrie: this man is your myth, this man is my myth, section American Hero
1950s "Where's-a Your House", written and recorded by Robert Q. Lewis in 1951, was a response to Rosemary Clooney's "Come on-a My House" of the same year. "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", written by J. D. "Jay" Miller in 1952 and originally sung by Kitty Wells, was a response to "The Wild Side of Life", made famous that same year by Hank Thompson. "Mannish Boy" (1955) by Muddy Waters was a response to Bo Diddley's "I'm a Man", which also happened to be a response to "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man", an earlier song by Muddy Waters in 1954. "Hot Rod Lincoln" (1955) is Charlie Ryan's response to "Hot Rod Race", (1950) Arkie Shibley and His Mountain Dew Boys and is arguably the more well known of the two songs. "Bark, Battle and Ball" (1955) recorded by The Platters, was in response to the Bill Haley and His Comets version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll", recorded in 1954. "Can't Do Sixty No More", written and performed by The Dominoes, was a response to their own hit song from four years earlier (1951), "Sixty Minute Man". One of the longest answer record cycles was started by Hank Ballard and The Midnighters' (1954) R&B hit "Work with Me, Annie", and its sequel song "Annie Had a Baby" (1954). Answer songs include "Annie's Answer" (1954) by The El Dorados, "Annie Pulled a Humbug" (1954) by the Midnights, "Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry)" (1955) by Etta James, and "I'm the Father of Annie's Baby" (1955), by Danny Taylor. The Midnighters also recorded an "answer to the answer": "Henry's Got Flat Feet (Can't Dance No More)" (1955). "Nothing Can Replace A Man" (1955) from the musical Ankles Aweigh bills itself in its verse as an answer to Rodgers and Hammerstein's "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" (1949). "I Shot Mr. Lee" (1958) was The Bobbettes' response to their own 1957 hit, "Mr. Lee". "That Makes It" was Jayne Mansfield's response to The Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" (1958),The Big Bopper Hotshotdigital.com suggesting what the girl may have been saying at the other end of the line. "Oh Neil!" was Carole King's response to Neil Sedaka's "Oh! Carol" (1959); Sedaka and King were both co-workers and friends since high school. "Short Mort" (1959) by Carole King was a response to Annette Funicello's "Tall Paul" (1959), referencing "Tall Paul" in the line, "You can keep Tall Paul, I'll take Short Mort." "Return of the All-American Boy" (1959) by Billy Adams was a response to the 1958 smash "The All American Boy" by Bill Parsons (aka Bobby Bare). "I Got a Job" (1957) by The Miracles, "I Found a Job" by The Heartbeats (1958), "I Got A Job" by The Tempos, and "I Got Fired" by The Mistakes, were all responses to The Silhouettes' self-penned chart-topper Get a Job (1957). "Answer To The Pub With No Beer" (1958) by Slim Dusty, was a direct response to Dusty's song A Pub With No Beer (1957).
1960s "Tell Tommy I Miss Him" (1960) by Marilyn Michaels is a response to "Tell Laura I Love Her" (1960), recorded separately by both Ray Peterson and Ricky Valance. Versions of this answer song were also released by Skeeter Davis and Laura Lee. "I'll Save the Last Dance for You" by Damita Jo (1960) answers The Drifters' "Save the Last Dance for Me", sung by Ben E. King (also 1960). Another Damita Jo track, "I'll Be There" (1961), was in response to King's solo hit "Stand by Me" (1960). "He'll Have to Stay" (1960) was Jeanne Black's response to Jim Reeves' "He'll Have to Go" (1959), and was answered in turn by Johnny Scoggins' "I'm Gonna Stay" (also 1960). "(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too" (1960) was Skeeter Davis' response to Hank Locklin's "Please Help Me, I'm Falling", as was Betty Madigan's "I'm Glad That You're Falling" (1960). "There's Nothing on My Mind" (1960) was The Teen Queens' response to Bobby Marchan's "There's Something on Your Mind" (also 1960). "Yes, I'm Lonesome Tonight" (1960) was Dodie Stevens's response to Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" (also 1960). "I Really Want You to Know" (1961) was Skeeter Davis' response to Eddy Arnold's "I Really Don't Want To Know". "Come on Back, Jack" (1961) written by Mort Shuman and Leon Carr and recorded by Nina Simone, and "Well, I Told You" (also 1961), recorded by The Chantels, are both different responses to "Hit the Road, Jack", written by Percy Mayfield and recorded by Ray Charles. "Stay-at-Home Sue" by Linda Laurie and "I'm No Run Around" (both 1961) by Ginger Davis and the Snaps were responses to Dion's "Runaround Sue" (also 1961). "Hey Memphis" (1961) was LaVern Baker's response to Elvis Presley's "Little Sister" (also 1961). "Don'cha Shop Around" by Laurie Davis and "Don't Let Him Shop Around" by Debbie Dean (both 1961) were responses to The Miracles' "Shop Around" (1960). Both songs were written by Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson. "My Big John" (1961) was Dottie West's response to Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John" (also 1961). "My Long Black Veil" (1961) was Marijohn Wilkin's response to Lefty Frizzell's "Long Black Veil" (1959). "Return of the Teenage Queen" (1961) was country singer Tommy Tucker's response to Johnny Cash's "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" (1958). "Don't Wanna Be Another Good Luck Charm" (1962) was Jo's (of Judy and Jo) response to Elvis Presley's "Good Luck Charm" (also 1962). "(I'm the Girl from) Wolverton Mountain" (1962) was Jo Ann Campbell's response to Claude King's "Wolverton Mountain" (also 1962). The Pearlettes' "Duchess of Earl" (1962) was a response to Gene Chandler's "Duke of Earl" (1961). "Judy's Turn to Cry" (1963) was Lesley Gore's response to her own song "It's My Party" (also 1963). Both of these songs appear in her debut album I'll Cry If I Want To. "Blackhead Chinaman" (1963) was Prince Buster's response to Derrick Morgan's "Housewives Choice" (1961). Specifically, Buster claimed that Morgan and producer Leslie Kong stole hooks that Buster had created. Morgan responded with "Blazing Fire" and "No Raise, No Praise". The musical feud reportedly engulfed Jamaican culture to a level where the government ordered the two to appear in public together to calm the frenzied nation. "It Hurts to Be Sixteen" (1963) was Andrea Carroll's response to Neil Sedaka's "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen" (1962). Sedaka wrote the melody to both songs (each with a different lyricist; his brother-in-law Ronnie Grossman wrote the lyrics to "It Hurts to Be Sixteen" while Sedaka's songwriting partner Howard Greenfield wrote "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen"). "Hello Melvin (This Is Mama)" (1963) was Sandra Gould's answer to "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)" (also 1963), a novelty song by Allan Sherman. The Beach Boys' "Don't Worry Baby" (1964) from Shut Down Volume 2 was said to be an answer to the Ronettes song "Be My Baby" (1963). The Beach Boys' "The Girl from New York City" (1965) from Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) was a response to The Ad Libs' "The Boy from New York City" (1964). "Queen of the House" (1965) was Jody Miller's response to Roger Miller's "King of the Road" (1964). "That's My Life (My Love and My Home)" (1965) by Alfred Lennon, John Lennon's father, was a response to his son's song "In My Life" (also 1965), recorded by the Beatles. "Hurry, Mr. Peters" (1965) by Lorene Mann and Justin Tubb was a response to Roy Drusky and Priscilla Mitchell's "Yes, Mr. Peters". "Slip-In Mules (No High Heel Sneakers) " (1964) was Sugar Pie DeSanto's answer to "High Heel Sneakers" (also 1964), by Tommy Tucker. Wendy Hill's "Gary, Please Don't Sell My Diamond Ring" (1965) to Gary Lewis & the Playboys' "This Diamond Ring". (1965) "Dawn of Correction" by The Spokesmen is in response to "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire (both 1965). "I'm The Girl On The Billboard" is Joyce Paul's response to Del Reeves' "Girl On The Billboard" (both 1965). "Morgan the Pirate" (1966) by Richard Fariña was believed by Fariña's producer Maynard Solomon, journalist Robert Christgau, and others to be a response to Bob Dylan's scathing "Positively 4th Street" (1965), of which Fariña may have been (or at any rate believed himself to be) the target. "4th Time Around" (1966) by Bob Dylan is seen as a response to "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" (1965) by the Beatles. "Evil Off My Mind" (1966) by Burl Ives was a response to Jan Howard's song "Evil on Your Mind" (1966). "When a Woman Loves a Man" (1966) by Ketty Lester was a response to "When a Man Loves a Woman" (also 1966) by Percy Sledge.