Rock Music in American Popular Culture II

More Rock 'n' Roll Resources

Frank Hoffmann, B Lee Cooper, Wayne S Haney, Beulah B Ramirez

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9781317940401
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music

From "Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)?" to a list of all song titles containing the word "werewolf, " Rock Music in American Popular Culture II: More Rock 'n'Roll Resources continues where 1995's Volume I left off. Using references and illustrations drawn from contemporary lyrics and supported by historical and sociological research on popular cultural subjects, this collection of insightful essays and reviews assesses the involvement of musical imagery in personal issues, in social and political matters, and in key socialization activities. From marriage and sex to public schools and youth culture, readers discover how popular culture can be used to explore American values. As Authors B. Lee Cooper and Wayne S. Haney prove that integrated popular culture is the product of commercial interaction with public interest and values rather than a random phenomena, they entertainingly and knowledgeably cover such topics as:

• answer songs--interchanges involving social events and lyrical commentaries as explored in response recordings
• horror films--translations and transformations of literary images and motion picture figures into popular song characters and tales
• public schools--images of formal educational practices and informal learning processes in popular song lyrics
• sex--suggestive tales and censorship challenges within the popular music realm
• war--examinations of persistent military and home front themes featured in wartime recordingsRock Music in American Popular Culture II: More Rock 'n'Roll Resources is nontechnical, written in a clear and concise fashion, and explores each topic thoroughly, with ample discographic and bibliographic resources provided for additional research. Arranged alphabetically for quick and easy reference to specific topics, the book is equally enjoyable to read straight through. Rock music fans, teachers, popular culture professors, music instructors, public librarians, sound recording archivists, sociologists, social critics, and journalists can all learn something, as the book shows them the cross-pollination of music and social life in the United States.

Chapter 1

Answer Songs

Answer songs are tunes that respond to direct questions or continue to develop specific themes, ideas, or melody patterns from earlier songs. As a lyrical genre they are as old as the multiple verse ballads performed by medieval troubadours. In American tradition they are rooted in the verbal one-upmanship practiced by storytellers in barbershops, brothels, and bars along the Mississippi River. They are also linked to the joy of performers and audiences alike in perpetuating good melodies and in elaborating humorous tales. During the first half of the twentieth century, for example, many songs were recorded about the legendary exploits of John Henry, Frankie and Johnny, and Stagger Lee. This study is not concerned with either European balladry or pre-Cold War American tall tales, though. The purpose of this investigation is to examine various themes and styles in American answer song recordings from the 1950–1985 period. Although the majority of songs that trigger recorded responses are themselves highly popular, the same cannot be said of offshoot tunes. For this reason, answer discs are highly prized by most record collectors. Small pressings and limited sales of answer songs make them immediate rarities in the vinyl trade market. Beyond collecting though, these recordings are valuable cultural illustrations of several American traits. They are usually humorous, poking fun at a particular statement or a series of less-than-honorable activities; they invariably provide contrasting positions—personal and political—to previously stated viewpoints; they offer interesting, sometimes unexpected story-continuing options; and they often translate common phrases, domestic problems, or personal concerns into a popular cultural contest.

Can the total field of answer songs be segmented into logical patterns for purposes of analysis? Not very easily. Yet close scrutiny shows that although the forms of response recordings remain relatively constant, the functions of answer songs vary dramatically. This leads to the differentiation of specific answer songs according to four categories: (1) answer to a direct question, (2) response to a statement or a command, (3) challenge to a position or ideology, and (4) continuation of a distinct storyline or theme.

The remainder of this essay examines answer songs within these categories. Selected illustrations of original hit recordings and the answer songs they generated are provided in tables within the text.

ANSWER TO A DIRECT QUESTION

In 1961, a Time staff writer commented,

So far, there are only half a dozen versions of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?,” including the original by Elvis Presley which is now the nation’s No. 1 hit. But if Elvis stays up there, there may well be a dozen variations of the theme. The “Lonesome” craze is the most blatant example of a pop music’s latest fad: the answer record, which provides an answer to a question raised in an established hit.

The most easily explained justification for concocting a recording of an answer song is to respond to a direct question from a previous tune. The reactions to Elvis Presley’s multiple pleas—“Are you lonesome tonight? Do you miss me tonight? Are you sorry we drifted apart?”—were consistent. Answer songs titled “Yes, I’m Lonesome Tonight” were launched by Thelma Carpenter, Linda Lee, Jo Anne Perry and Dodie Stevens. In addition, Jeanne Black sang “Oh, How I Miss You Tonight.” The same kind of reassuring answers had greeted The Shirelles a year earlier when their song “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?” was answered by three different artists—“Yes, I Will Love You Tomorrow,” “You Know I’ll Love You Tomorrow,” and “Not Just Tomorrow, But Always.”

In 1956 Franklie Lymon and the Teenagers produced the hit “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” The song’s title appears at the end of a chain of questions ranging from “Why do birds sing so gay?” to “Why does my heart skip a crazy beat?” Humorously, the answer songs to this record remained in the family. Frankie’s brother Lewis Lymon issued a tune that asserted “I Found Out Why.” Not to be outdone, Frankie countered with his own answer record couched in the form of another question—“Who Can Explain?” It is interesting to note that Frankie Lymon also released another answer℄“I Put the Bomp”—in response to Barry Mann’s 1961 hit “Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)?” Perhaps the most negative response to a recorded query was delivered by Hook McCoy. His reaction to Gary Burbank’s soap opera-inspired question “Who Sh...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• About the Authors
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1. Answer Songs
• Chapter 2. Cars
• Chapter 3. Cigarettes
• Chapter 4. City Life
• Chapter 5. Disc Jockeys
• Chapter 6. Doo-Wop Harmony
• Chapter 7. Fads and Nostalgia
• Chapter 8. Halloween
• Chapter 9. Horror Films
• Chapter 10. Humor
• Chapter 11. Legends
• Chapter 12. Marriage
• Chapter 13. Motion Pictures
• Chapter 14. Multiculturaiism
• Chapter 15. Railroads
• Chapter 16. Regional Music
• Chapter 17. Rock Journalism
• Chapter 18. Science Fiction
• Chapter 19. Sex
• Chapter 20. Soul Music
• Chapter 21. War
• Chapter 22. Women
• Bibliography
• Index