Join the Livermore Public Library and University of the Pacific Professor Emeritus Keith Hatschek for a lively musical introduction to a little-studied pop music phenomenon: the answer song. Hatschek’s talk is titled Honky Tonk Angels to Sweet Home Alabama: Answer Songs in American Popular Music. An answer song is a piece of music (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. Literally hundreds of answer songs have been written as ironic, angry, or non-sensical reactions to another song or album. Artists ranging from Carole King, Neil Young, Kitty Wells, Rufus Thomas, and Lesley Gore have all performed answer songs. Through this exploration of popular songs, viewers will develop an appreciation for how sociocultural mores and topics have evolved over the years.
