LMFAO's "Sorry for Party Rocking": The latest in a long line of rock 'n' roll sequel songs

By Jay Gabler, Front Row Seat
February 27, 2012

I've been digging the new LMFAO song, "Sorry for Party Rocking," not just because it's a pretty good song but because, as a follow-up to the duo's hit "Party Rock Anthem," the new song is the latest in a long line of rock 'n' roll sequel songs: songs by artists who try to ride the wave of a big hit by recording a piggyback follow-up. Notable examples include:

• Chuck Berry, "Johnny B. Goode" and "Johnny Bye Bye"

• Buddy Holly, "Peggy Sue" and "Peggy Sue Got Married"

• Chubby Checker, "The Twist" and "Let's Twist Again"

• Lesley Gore, "It's My Party" ("and I'll cry if I want to") and "Judy's Turn to Cry"

• The Marvelettes, "Please Mr. Postman" and (riding memewaves) "Twistin' Postman"

• The Supremes, "Love Child" and (the most depressing sequel song ever) "I'm Living in Shame"

• Barrett Strong, "Money (That's What I Want)" and (having gotten what he wanted) "Money and Me"

• Edwin Starr, "War" and (getting more explicit, since people apparently didn't listen the first time) "Stop the War Now"

• The Ramones, "Judy is a Punk" and "The Return of Jackie and Judy"

• Harry Chapin, "Taxi" and the aptly titled "Sequel"

• The Charlie Daniels Band, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and "The Devil Comes Back to Georgia"

• The Royal Guardsmen, "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" and "Snoopy's Christmas"

• Elmo and Patsy, "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" and (by just Elmo, possibly inspired by his artistic and marital divorce from Patsy in the interim) "Grandma's Gonna Sue the Pants Off Santa"

Any good ones I missed? What are your favorite sequel songs?

Front Row Seat

    Comments

    Song sequels

    Submitted by RandyG (not verified) on Sat, 11/10/2012 - 2:44pm.

    All from the 1960s:

    Diane Renay: Navy Blue, Kiss Me Sailor

    Gary U.S. Bonds: School is Out, School is In

    Dee Dee Sharp: Mashed Potato Time, Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)

    Del Shannon: Runaway, Hats Off to Larry?

    Cozy Cole: Topsy Part I, Topsy Part II

    Mary Wells: My Guy, The Temptations: My Girl

    New Pornographers

    Submitted by Laura Seidel (not verified) on Sat, 02/25/2012 - 4:34pm.

    These songs aren't exactly from the same artist, but I feel like they still apply. Not even necessarily to piggy-back off of each other, the latter song was written in response to the former. The artists: New Pornographers members Neko Case and A.C. Newman. The tracks: "John Saw That Number" by Neko Case (off her 2006 album, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood") and "All the Old Show Stoppers" by the New Pornographers/written by A.C. Newman (off the 2007 NP's album, "Challengers"). Both songs are about John the Baptist. Neko's lyrics include "John saw that number way in the middle of the air/Crying holy, holy to the lord." A.C.'s response to her is "When John he saw the numbers, he lied. Made up the whole thing, failed when he tried. To cash in on his cautious new fame-Always the numbers but never the name." The songs are quite different, but I love the playful banter between them.