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

"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

"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." "I guess, Michael Jackson was right, "You Are Not Alone"" "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"
"Radio's playing some forgotten song, Brenda Lee's 'Coming on Strong'"

"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'." "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." "It's like that Phil Collins song, y'know, 'In the Air Tonight', you could've saved me from drowning" All summer long we were grooving in the sand
Everybody just kept on playing "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
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
Just like Ronnie said, "Be my little baby" "Roy Orbison singing for the lonely. Hey that's me and I want you only" "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