List of answer songs

An answer song is a song that refers directly or indirectly to another song, or is meant as a reply to another song: these are not songs which simply refer to other artists or to songs in general, or include samples or riffs from other songs. The lyrics refer directly to another particular song. Songs in alphabetical order.

Songs that refer to themselves should be listed at List of self referential songs

Hot 100 Answer Songs

• "No Pigeons" by Sporty Thieves is an answer song to "No Scrubs" by TLC.
• "If You Want To Sex Me Up" by TCF Crew is an answer song to "I Want To Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd.
• "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels" by Marianne Faithfull is an answer song to "The Wild Side of Life" by Hank Thompson.

• "At The Darktown Strutter's Ball" by Shelton Brooks makes reference to "The Original Jelly Roll Blues" by Jelly Roll Morton.

"We'll dance off both our shoes,

When they play those Jelly Roll Blues"

• "The Best Song In the World" (aka "Tribute" in the album version) by Tenacious D refers obliquely to "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin; the stage version contains lots of Stairway riffs; the album version, for legal reasons, contains much less

• "Creeque Alley" by the Mamas and Papas (a song whose title does not appear in the lyrics) refers to their earlier song "California Dreamin'"

• "Daddy's Home" by Shep & the Limelites refers to "A Thousand Miles Away" by The Heartbeats, for whom the self-same Shep was also the lead singer.

Daddy's home - to stay

I'm not a thousand miles away

• "Dawn of Correction" was a minor hit for a group called The Spokesmen; it was an answer song to "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire.

• "Extraordinary" by Better than Ezra includes the following lines, each at the end of one of its two verses:

Just like that AC/DC song

Come on, baby, shake me all night long

And

But just like that Barenaked Ladies song

I'm hot like wasabi

When I'm next to your body

• "Garden Party" by Rick Nelson is a rueful comment on the audience at a Madison Square Garden show that booed him when he played some of his new songs:

"Played them all the old songs, thought that's why they came

"No one heard the music, we didn't look the same

"I said hello to "Mary Lou", she belongs to me

"When I sang a song about a honky-tonk, it was time to leave"

• "Glass Onion" by The Beatles repeats lyrics from and makes reference to "Strawberry Fields Forever", "I Am The Walrus", and "The Fool on the Hill"

"I told you about strawberry fields

you know the place where nothing is real"

"I told you about the walrus and me, man

you know we're as close as can be, man

Well here's another clue for you all,

The walrus was Paul."

"I told you about the fool on the hill

I tell you man he's living there still"

• "God Save The Queen" by the Sex Pistols refers to "God Save The Queen", naturally.

• "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)" by Ben Vaughn refers, of course, to Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry"

• "Judy's Turn To Cry" by Leslie Gore refers to "It's My Party" ("It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...") also by Leslie Gore:

"'Cause now it's Judy's turn to cry, Judy's turn to cry, Judy's turn to cry-y-y-y-y-y, 'cause Johnny's come back (Johnny's come back, come back) to me."

• "Mathematics" by Mos Def refers to "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson

"I guess, Michael Jackson was right, "You Are Not Alone""

• "Memories" by Leonard Cohen refers "Jezebel" by Frankie Laine and to "Stardust" by Hoagy Carmichael

"Frankie Lane, he was singing 'Jezebel', I pinned an Iron Cross to my lapel"

"So we are dancing close, the band is playing 'Stardust', balloons and paper streamers floating down on us"

• "Radar Love" by Golden Earring refers to Brenda Lee's "Coming on Strong":

"Radio's playing some forgotten song, Brenda Lee's 'Coming on Strong'"

• "Runnin' Down A Dream" by Tom Petty refers to "Runaway" by Del Shannon:

"It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down, I had the radio on, I was drivin'. Trees flew by, me and Del were singin' little 'Runaway', I was flyin'."

• "Roll With Me, Henry" (also known as "The Wallflower") by Etta James is a reply to "Work With me, Annie" by Hank Ballard; it was covered for the pop market by Georgia Gibbs as "Dance With me, Henry".
• "Shooting Star" by Bad Company refers to "Love Me Do" by The Beatles:

"Johnny was a school boy when he heard his first Beatles song. 'Love Me Do', I think it was and from there it didn't take him long. Got himself a guitar, used to play every night. Now he's in a rock & roll outfit, and everything's all right."

• "Stan" by Eminem refers to an urban legend concerning Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight"

"It's like that Phil Collins song, y'know, 'In the Air Tonight', you could've saved me from drowning"

• "Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones was recorded as an answer song to "Revolution" by The Beatles.
• "Summer Rain" by Johnny Rivers, quotes the lyrics and riff from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (and the rising tone from "A Day in the Life"):

All summer long we were grooving in the sand

Everybody just kept on playing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

• "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, answers Neil Young's statements in his song "Southern Man":

Well I heard Mr. Young sing about her

Well I heard old Neil put her down

Well I hope Neil Young will remember

A Southern man don't need him around anyhow

• "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money refers to "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes

Just like Ronnie said, "Be my little baby"

• "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen refers to "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison

"Roy Orbison singing for the lonely. Hey that's me and I want you only"

• "Van Halen" by Nerf Herder refers to several different Van Halen albums and songs by name
• "Vera" by Pink Floyd refers to "We'll Meet Again" by Vera Lynn (a song which appears in Dr. Strangelove):

"Does anybody here remember Vera Lynn? Remember how she said that we would meet again some sunny day. Vera! Vera! what has become of you? Does anybody else in here feel the way I do?

• "Volcano Girls" by Veruca Salt refers to "Seether" by Veruca Salt, and mimics the "Glass Onion" reference to "I am the Walrus":

"I told you ’bout the seether before

You know, the one that’s neither or nor

Well here’s another clue if you please....

The seether’s louise"

• "Walkin' To New Orleans" by Fats Domino refers to his earlier hit "Ain't That A Shame".

Country Answer Songs

• "He'll Have to Stay" Jeannie Black to "He'll Have To Go" Jim Reeves
• "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" Kitty Wells to "Wild Side of Life" Hank Thompson