Why reply with words when you can reply in song? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most notable songs that directly reference other tracks.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 Welcome to MizMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most notable songs
00:14 that directly reference other tracks.
00:18 10. California Girls - Katy Perry Featuring Snoop Dogg
00:34 For anyone alive in 2009, you'll probably remember the anthem "Empire State of Mind".
00:40 The Jay-Z and Alicia Keys track is a huge salute to the Big Apple.
00:50 It was also such a massive success that it inspired a song that came out the following
00:55 year.
00:56 Katy Perry wanted to do for California what those artists did for New York, leading her
01:02 to create "California Girls" in order to pay tribute to her preferred coast.
01:15 Perry and her co-writers recreated the feeling of being in the sunshine wonderland that is
01:21 the Golden State.
01:23 The result is a candy-coated pop song that's still fun to this day, with some female empowerment
01:30 in there for added effect.
01:35 9. Paper Doll - John Mayer With the release of Dear John, Taylor Swift
01:49 wrote one of her most biting tracks about an ex-boyfriend.
01:53 The former partner just so happened to be another famous musician.
01:58 Facing their age gap and differences, the pop star didn't mince her words about the
02:03 relationship.
02:10 This eventually led to a response from John Mayer named "Paper Doll".
02:15 The song puts forth that there are two sides to every story, firing back about his ex's
02:21 alleged behaviour.
02:27 Given that the original partially affected his reputation, Mayer feels especially passionate
02:33 in his reply.
02:34 Both songs work on their own as engaging stories, while still capturing a snapshot of the controversial
02:42 relationship.
02:45 8. Peggy Sue Got Married - Buddy Holly Sometimes a songwriter will answer their
03:01 own song.
03:02 In the case of rock and roll legend Buddy Holly, he wrote or co-wrote multiple tracks
03:08 about the same gal.
03:10 Peggy Sue plays out as a passionate and simple ode to a partner.
03:15 Initially, the singer sets his sights on her, even though their status is unclear.
03:26 It's all done with an upbeat sound that ranks highly among the artist's iconic catalogue.
03:33 And this wouldn't be the end of the relationship, because Holly revisited the story with the
03:38 sequel Peggy Sue Got Married.
03:46 Unfortunately for the narrator, his love interest has fallen for someone else.
03:52 It appears that the lovesick character has lost Peggy Sue forever in a tragic end to
03:58 a compelling story.
04:03 7. Adam's Song - Blink-182 So much of Kurt Cobain's work has inspired
04:16 music for decades.
04:18 The Nirvana hit "Come As You Are" has a trippy sound and a number of memorable lines, which
04:27 gave Blink-182's Mark Hoppus an idea for Adam's Song.
04:32 The songwriter includes a paraphrase of a famous verse by Cobain.
04:40 In his track, Hoppus tackles personal themes, such as isolation and self-loathing.
04:46 The two songs aren't identical by any means, but the latter one feels indebted to the alternative
04:52 rock genre at large.
04:54 The pop-punk band manages to channel the original work and its themes while also being its own
05:01 take on loneliness and burnout.
05:07 6. Manish Boy - Muddy Waters The American blues tradition revolutionized
05:20 the concept of a reply song.
05:22 Bo Diddley channeled Willie Dixon and conjured up the immortal "I'm a Man," playing a riff
05:28 that's practically in the DNA of blues music.
05:32 With showboating lyrics, the song also represents a high point for boasting in music.
05:43 Muddy Waters then decided to answer the musician, creating the equally classic Manish Boy.
05:55 The singer brings out his engaging presence to tell his own story about a different type
06:00 of man.
06:02 Playing around with Diddley's concept, the second artist remixes the original's musicality
06:08 and throws in a little extra attitude.
06:16 5. Hit 'Em Up - 2Pac Feat. The Outlaws Among the most tense rivalries of its time,
06:31 the East Coast and West Coast rappers of the 1990s had some choice words for each other.
06:37 "Who Shot Ya" by The Notorious B.I.G. takes quite a few jabs at 2Pac and his 1994
06:44 shooting.
06:51 Biggie Smalls didn't play around with his aggressive lyrics, but nobody was fully prepared
06:56 for the follow-up.
06:57 Shakur didn't take kindly to the diss and responded with "Hit 'Em Up."
07:03 The response makes the former track sound like "Happy Birthday," including verses about
07:13 Smalls and Diddy.
07:15 The West Coast MC unleashes a tirade about New York hip-hop.
07:20 Unfortunately for both men, the rivalry ended within a year, as they were each killed in
07:26 separate and mysterious incidents.
07:30 4. Glass Onion - The Beatles By the time The Beatles reached 1968, they'd
07:46 spent at least the previous four years on top of the world.
07:51 They left touring behind to experiment in the studio, eventually with oddities like
07:57 Glass Onion.
08:06 Released on their self-titled album known as The White Album, the track openly references
08:11 several prior songs, including "I Am The Walrus" and "Strawberry Fields Forever."
08:16 John Lennon takes the lead on this psychedelic track that pays tribute to and pokes fun at
08:22 their work.
08:23 It's both an entertaining song and a wonderfully meta piece at the same time.
08:35 Eager to have a laugh at his own expense, Lennon quotes some of his masterpieces in
08:41 an eclectic rock piece that demands a second listen from Beatles fans.
08:48 3. How Do You Sleep? - John Lennon The former Beatles set out on their solo careers
09:07 in the 1970s, but they still had each other on their minds.
09:11 Paul McCartney spent part of his album Ram giving his opinions on his previous collaborator
09:17 John Lennon.
09:24 The song "Too Many People" pokes at Lennon's post-Beatle career choices.
09:29 Nothing, if not outspoken, his fellow legend returned fire with "How Do You Sleep?"
09:44 The response explores his harsh opinions of McCartney's personality and musical abilities.
09:51 Considering that these two were close friends and co-writers, this fight felt especially
09:57 brutal and personal for the time.
10:00 Thankfully for them, they made up several years later.
10:06 2. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd In one of few Canadian-American music feuds,
10:22 the Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd had a bone to pick with Neil Young.
10:27 The latter singer's tracks "Southern Man" and "Alabama" angered the group
10:31 with their searing criticisms of the Southern US and its history of prejudice.
10:43 Young's pointed opinion of the region was viewed with hostility by Skynyrd, and the
10:48 angry Southerners later fought back with "Sweet Home Alabama."
10:53 It directly references the Canadian songwriter's work, and even calls him out by name at one
10:59 point.
11:09 While neither side held much of a grudge over it, the musical exchange remains a piece of
11:15 history.
11:24 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
11:28 about our latest videos.
11:30 You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
11:34 If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
11:39 1.
11:40 Killing Me Softly With His Song - Laurie Lieberman
11:49 Many people remember that Roberta Flack sang this song beautifully, but few people know
11:55 it's actually a cover.
11:57 Laurie Lieberman was one of the original co-writers and performed the song.
12:10 She had attended a Don McLean concert where a performance of his song "Empty Chairs"
12:16 gave her the inspiration.
12:21 Lieberman captured the spirit of McLean's performance style, giving one of the finest
12:27 musical tributes to anyone in history.
12:30 Covered by many artists since then, "Killing Me Softly" functions like a love song and
12:36 a loving homage in one sweeping production.
12:40 Now that's a response song.
12:49 Did we forget another great reply song?
12:52 Let us know in the comments below!
13:05 -
13:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]
13:15 (upbeat music)