Answer records Vol. 1
A while ago, a Facebook friend of this blog proposed that I might do a series of answer records, the novelty songs that riffed on the theme of a contemporary hit. Excellent idea, so this series is dedicated to Mike C., kicking off with answer records to Etta James” Stop The Wedding, Johnny Cash”s I Walk The Line, and The McCoys” Hang On Sloopy.
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Church bells are ringing. Oh, look, a bride and a groom”¦
Act 1: Etta James – Stop The Wedding (1962).mp3
The opening notes from Here Comes The Bride set the scene. Immediately the rich baritone of the preacher invites the congregants to state their objection to the presently to be blessed union. And of course we know what happens next. Etta pipes up: “Wait! Wait! Stop the wedding!” See, Etta is the groom”s ex-girlfriend, and it is her conviction that he is entering into matrimony only to spite Etta. If the bride knew of his less than true motivation, Etta figures, she”d pull out of this deal herself. “So stop this madness before it starts”¦and don”t break two hearts.” As Etta urges “DON”T DO IT!” in soulful ways which Aretha Franklin would envy, we are becoming quite convinced that he should follow Etta”s advice. But, what”s that? Oh, here comes the bride:
Act 2: Ann Cole – Don’t Stop The Wedding (1962).mp3
Same intro, and the pastor (well, he sounds different now. Maybe it”s an ecclesial double act) notes Etta”s appeal, and yields the floor to the bride. We are not surprised to learn “” alerted perhaps by the songtitle “” that Ann fails to concur with Etta”s spin. The wedding should in fact not be stopped, Ann proposes. And then she gets personal: “You just can”t face the fact”¦that he is happy here without you.” Anyway, she posits, Etta doesn”t really love him. Indeed, it turns out that Etta dumped the groom and now, with the benefit of hindsight and his impending nuptials, she”s sorry. Ann says that she gives him the kind of love he never had, so “don”t stop the wedding and break two hearts” (and where Etta meant hers and Ann”s, Ann doesn”t give much of a damn about the state of Etta”s heart). And the groom? We don”t hear from the poor bastard, though we can imagine him calculating all sorts of possible options, ranging from polygamy to running for the hills.
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Unsteady on the lines”¦
Act 1: Johnny Cash ““ I Walk The Line.mp3
You know the deal: “I keep a close watch on this heart of mine; I keep my eyes wide open all the time; I keep the ends out for the tie that binds, because you’re mine, I walk the line”. Johnny is a straight-up guy who finds it “very, very easy to be true”. So he walks the line (though we know that Johnny did so unsteadily). So, Johnny, let”s meet your brother.
Act 2: Tommy Cash – I Didn’t Walk The Line (1965).mp3
Oh dear, Tommy”s nothing like his straight-arrow older brother. He sings an entirely different tune, literally. He didn”t treat his wife very well, she found love with somebody else, the marriage is ending and she”s off, leaving Tom with self-recriminations. But what to tell the children, of whom she will evidently have custody? Tommy, in a mood for self-flagellating, knows how: tell them their that their Daddy didn”t walk the line. Yes, “you were mine, but I didn”t walk the line”.
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The next pairing of songs has featured previously, in The Originals series. But different context calls for different treatment.
Act 1: The McCoys ““ Hang On Sloopy.mp3
The Sloopy of the title was the jazz singer Dorothy Sloop, but for our purposes, she is any random girl called Sloopy, of whom there must be millions. Sloopy is from meagre circumstances, whereas our interlocutor evidently is a young man of more abundant means. But class divisions don”t bother him: he is in love with wrong-side-of-the-tracks Sloopy, which means he doesn”t even care about her father”s occupation, which is very right-on of him. Her red dress may be old, but it turns him on. And the relief he requires is of the oral variety (“Sloopy let your hair down, girl, let it hang down on me.”). Her ministrations prompt the McCoy to prefigure your standard porn movie script: “Well, it feels so good, (come on, come on). You know it feels so good, (come on, come on). Well, shake it, shake it, shake it, Sloopy (come on, come on). Well, shake it, shake it, shake it, yeah (come on, come on).” And then: “Aaaaaah!”
Act 2: The Debs ““ Sloopy”s Gonna Hang On.mp3
Sloopy acknowledges that she lives in a bad part of town and that people are always putting her down, which wins her our sympathy. But she buys into the sincerity of his declaration of love and so “your girl Sloopy”s gonna hang on”. Sloopy us perfectly happy enough to let her hair hang down on him, and here we go hoping that she will insist on reciprocal oral favours. Perhaps she does, as we may guess as she exclaims “Sloopy”s coming” (if that”s what she means; or maybe our minds are just too corrupted), and “it feels so good now” (which probably means exactly what it says).
For the original of Hang On Sloopy, titled My Girl Sloopy by the Vibrations, go HERE.
A very enjoyable post (as always)!
Dont know if you remember but I suggested Bowie’s ‘Helden’ for your anglo-german series a while back. I also now have the french ‘Heros’ version now if you would like a copy.
Anyway onto this answer series – for any future ones, how about The Smiths ‘William, it was really nothing’ followed by Billy MacKenzie of The Associates ‘Stephen, it was really something’.
Great blog as always.
Volume 1
01 – Hank Thompson – Wild Side Of Life (1952).mp3
02 – Kitty Wells – It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels (1952).mp3
03 – Webb Pierce – Back Street Affair (1952).mp3
04 – Kitty Wells – Paying For That Back Street Affair (1952).mp3
05 – Webb Pierce – There Stands The Glass (1953).mp3
06 – Betty Cody – Please Throw Away The Glass (1953).mp3
07 – Hank Thompson – Yesterday’s Girl (1953).mp3
08 – Goldie Hill – I’m Yesterday’s Girl (1953).mp3
09 – The Davis Sisters – I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know (1953).mp3
10 – Betty Cody – I Found Out More Than You Ever Knew About Him (1953).mp3
11 Eddy Arnold – I Really Don’t Want To Know 1953.mp3
12 Betty Cody – I Really Want You To Know 1953.mp3
13 Skeets McDonald – Don’t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes 1952.mp3
14 Goldie Hill – I Let The Stars Get In My Eyes 1952.mp3
15 Lefty Frizzell – Long Black Veil 1960.mp3
16 Marijohn Wilkin – My Long Black Veil 1960.mp3
17 Patsy Cline – I Fall To Pieces 1961.mp3
18 Gerrie Lynn – I’ll Pick Up the Pieces 1961.mp3
19 – Jim Reeves – Mexican Joe (1953).mp3
20 – Carolyn Bradshaw – The Marriage of Mexican Joe (1953).mp3
21 – Hank Williams – Jambalaya (1952).mp3
22 – Goldie Hill – I’m Yvonne from The Bayou (1952).mp3
23 – Jean Shepard & Ferlin Husky – A Dear John Letter ( F 1269 ) 1953.mp3
24 – Jean Shepard & Ferlin Husky – Forgive Me John (1953).mp3
25 – Hank Locklin – Geisha Girl (1958).mp3
26 – Skeeter Davis – Lost To A Geisha Girl .mp3
27 – Bobby Helms – Fraulein (1957).mp3
28 – Kitty Wells – I’ll Always Be Your Fraulein (1957).mp3
Volume 2
01 Jack Scott – Burning Bridges 1960.mp3
02 Bobbie Jean – You Burned The Bridges 1960.mp3
03 – Marcie Blane – Bobby’s Girl ( Seville 1 20 ) 1962.mp3
04 – Sherry Sisters – Stay Away From Bobby ( Okeh 7169 ) 1962.mp3
05 – Paul Anka – Diana ( ABC 9831 ) 1957.mp3
06 – Paul Anka – Remember Diana ( RCA 47-8170 ) 1963.mp3
07 – Bobby Vinton – Roses Are Red ( Epic 5-9509 ) 1962.mp3
08 – Florraine Darlin – Long As The Rose Is Red ( Epic 5-9529 ) 1962.mp3
09 – Ray Peterson – Tell Laura I Loce Her ( RCA 47-7745 ) 1960.mp3
10 – Marilyn Michaels – Tell Tommy I Need Him ( RCA 47-7771 ) 1960.mp3
11 – Connie Francis – Who’s Sorry Now ( MGM 12 588 ) 1958.mp3
12 – The Shields – I’m Sorry Now ( Dot 15 856 ) 1958.mp3
13 – Joe Dowell – Wooden Heart ( Smash 1708 ) 1961.mp3
14 – Marie Ann – I Know Your Heart’s Not Made Of Wood ( Epic 5-9465 ) 1961.mp3
15 – Bobby Vee – Take Good Care Of My Baby ( Liberty 55 354 ) 1961.mp3
16 – Ralph Emery – I’ll Take Good Care Of Your Baby ( Liberty 55 383 ) 1961.mp3
17 – Bobby Vinton – Mr. Lonely ( Epic 5-9730 ) 1964.mp3
18 – Mikie Harris – Little Miss Lonely ( Epic 5-9749 ) 1964.mp3
19 – Bobby Vee – Please Don’t Ask About Barbara ( Liberty 55 419 ) 1962.mp3
20 – Mike Regal – Is It True What They Say About Barbara ( Kapp 506 ) 1962.mp3
21 – Bobby Goldsboro – Honey ( UA 50 283 ) 1968.mp3
22 – Margaret Lewis – Honey ( I Miss You Too ) ( SSS 741 ) 1968.mp3
23 – Pat Boone – Are You Lonesome Tonight ( Dot DLP 25 748 ) 1966.mp3
24 – Thelma Carpenter – Yes, I’m Lonesome Tonight ( Coral 62 241 ) 1960.mp3
25 – Brenda Lee – Fool #1 ( De9-3 309 ) 1961.mp3
26 – Marc Steward – No, You’re Not The Fool ( Co4-42 281 ) 1961.mp3
27 – Barry Mann – Who Put The Bomp ( ABC 10 237 ) 1961.mp3
28 – Frankie Lymon – I Put The Bomp ( Roulette R 4391 ) 1961.mp3
Volume 3
301 – Johnny Cash – Ballad Of A Teenage Queen – Sun 283 – 1958.mp3
302 – Tommy Tucker – Return Of The Teenage Queen (1958).mp3
303 – Billy ( Charlie ) Walker – Charlie’s Shoes (1962).mp3
304 – Jonie & Johnny Mosby – The Answer To Charlie’s Shoes (1962).mp3
305 – Jim Reeves – He’ll Have To Go (1959).mp3
306 – Jeannie Black – He’ll Have To Stay (1960).mp3
307 – Patsy Cline – She’s Got You (1962).mp3
308 – Judy – She Can Have You (1962).mp3
309 – David Houston – Almost Persuaded 2.mp3
309 – David Houston – Almost Persuaded.mp3
310 – Donna Harris – (He Was) Almost Persuaded (1966).mp3
311 – Bobby Bare – Detroit City (1963).mp3
312 – Shirley Ray – Why Don’tcha Come Home (1963).mp3
313 – Claude King – Wolverton Mountain (1962).mp3
314 – Jo Ann Campbell – I’m The Girl From Wolverton Mountain (1962).mp3
315 – Leroy van Dyke – Walk On By (1961).mp3
316 – Margie Singleton – I’ll Just Walk On By (1961).mp3
317 – Kenny Rogers – Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town (1969).mp3
318 – Geraldine (Connie) Stevens – Billy I’ve Got To Go To Town (1969).mp3
319 – Roger Miller – King Of The Road (1965).mp3
320 – Jody Miller – Queen Of The House (1965).mp3
321 – Bobby Bare – 500 Miles Away From Home (1963).mp3
322 – Mary Taylor – He’s Comin’ Home (1963).mp3
323 – Jan Howard – Evil On Your Mind (1966).mp3
324 – Burl Ives – Evil Off My Mind (1966).mp3
325 – Hank Locklin – Please Help Me I’m Fallin’ (1960).mp3
326 – Skeeter Davis – (I Can’t Help You) I’m Fallin’ Too (1960).mp3
327 – Willie Nelson – Good Hearted Woman (1971).mp3
328 – Connie Cato – Good Hearted Man (1972).mp3
329 – Waylon Jennings – Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line (1968).mp3
330 Jean Shepard – Only Mama That’ll Walk The Line 1968.mp3
Various
Ann Cole – I’ve Got Nothing Working (Answer Song Muddy Waters’ I Got My Mojo Working).mp3
Bar Kays – Son Of Shaft (Answer Isaac Hayes Theme From Shaft).mp3
Bobbettes – I Don’t Like It Like That (Anwser Chris Kenner I Like It Like That).mp3
Bobby Comstock – Your Boyfriend’s Back (Answer Angels My Boyfriend’s Back).mp3
Carla Thomas – I’ll Bring It On Home To You (Answer Sam Cooke’s Bring It On Home To Me).mp3
Carol King – Oh Neil (Answer Song Neil Sedaka’s Oh Carol).mp3
Charlie Ryan & The Timberline Riders – Hot Rod Hades (Answer Song Jimmy Dolan’s Hot Rod Race).mp3
Debs – Sloopys Gonna Hang On (Answer Song McCoy’s Hang On Sloopy).mp3
Delores Ealy & The Kenyaettes – Come Into My Bedroom (Answer Chick Willis’ Stoop Down Baby).mp3
Dodie Stevens – Yes, I’m Lonesome Tonight (Answer Elvis Are You Lonesume Tonight).mp3
Donna Dameron – Bopper 486609 (Answer Big Bopper Hello Baby).mp3
Dukays – Please Help (Answer Song Tokens The Lion Sleeps Tonight).mp3
Ernest Tubb – Don’t Talk To Me About Dames (Answer to Cidy Walker Don’t Talk To Me About Men.mp3
Fabulous Marcels – I Put The Bomp (Answer Song Barry Mann’s Who Put The Bomp).mp3
Gerri Granger – Don’t Want Your Letters (answers Elvis’ Return To Sender).mp3
Jeanie & Her Boyfriends – It’s Me Knocking (Answer Song Genies’ Who’s That Knocking).mp3
Jo Ann Campbell – I’m The Girl On Wolverton Mountain (Answer Claude King Wolverton Mountain).mp3
Jody Miller – Queen Of The House (Answer Roger Miller King Of The Road).mp3
John Lennon – Serve Yourself (Unreleased Answer to Dylan).mp3
Little Sammy Yates – Comic Book Crazy (Answer Olympics Western Movies).mp3
Lou Christie – Mr Tenor Man (Answer Song Johnny Cymbal’s Mr Bass Man).mp3
Miracles – Got A Job (Answer Vito & The Salutations Get A Job).mp3
Paul Peek – Brother In-Law He’s A Mooch (Answer Song Ernie K-Doe’s Mother In Law).mp3
Pearlettes – Duchess of Earl (Answer Song Gene Chandler’s Duke Of Earl).mp3
Rag Dolls – Society Girl (Answer Song Four Season’s Rag Doll).mp3
Ralph Emery – I’ll Take Good Care of Your Baby (Answer Song Bobby Vee’s Take Good Care Of My Baby).mp3
Sam The Sham & The Pharoahs – I’m In With The Out Crowd (Answer Song Dobie Gray’s The In Crowd).mp3
Sham-Ettes – Big Bad Wolf (Answer Song Sam The Sham’s Little Red Riding Hood).mp3
Sonny Wright – I’ll Come Home A Drinkin’ (Answer Song Loretta Lynn’s Don’t Come Home A Drinkin’).mp3
Spokesmen – The Dawn of Correction (Answer Barry McGuire’s Eve Of Destruction).mp3
Sugar Pie DeSanto – Slip-In Mules (Answer Tommy Tucker High Heeled Sneekers).mp3
The Bobbettes – I Don’t Like It Like That (Answer Song Chris Kenner’s I Like It Like That).mp3
Upfronts – I Stopped The Duck of Earl (Answer Song Gene Chandler’s Duke Of Earl).mp3
Vicki Anderson – I’m Too Tough For Mr Big Stuff (Answer Jean Knight Mr Big Stuff).mp3
Wendy Hill – Gary Please Don’t Sell Your Diamond Ring (Answer Song Gary Lewis This Diamond Ring).mp3
All I’ve got
Big Cheese, do you have them on your blog?
Naw, just have them on a disc.
A friend, music historian kinda guy, sent them to me.
Sweet set. Wish I had that friend.