11 Bizarrely Unnecessary Sequels To Classic Songs

Every so often, a song comes along with just the right elements to make a lasting impression. Much like filmmakers and novelists, musicians and record producers instantly try to figure out the formula for recreating their smash hit's success. Also like filmmakers and novelists, they often decide the answer is to simply churn out a slightly different copy of the original.

The problem is that many attempts to cash in on past hits fail to honor the spirit that originally captivated listeners. When changing something that people love, even the slightest alteration can make a huge difference. Either the musical composition or the lyrical genius that fans appreciated will be lost on too hasty an attempt to cheat success. Some are even so terrible as to make the original songs seem less impactful when viewed in retrospect.

Usually, these follow-ups do not qualify as "sequels" in the purest sense of the word. There are, however, many songs that follow the same narrative established by the hits that came before. In some unfortunate cases, they take everything that worked about this narrative and - intentionally or not - completely turn it inside out.

The following 11 songs are among those that blindly disregard or else downright alter the spirit of their predecessors.

"It's My Party" doesn't tell an especially complicated story. Johnny goes off with Judy, holding her hand. When the two come back, Judy's wearing Johnny's ring. The singer cries, and Mercury Records makes a ton of money from this fun song about birthday infidelity.

Lesley Gore's follow-up, "Judy's Turn To Cry," is likewise rather simple. For most of the song, all we know is that Johnny and Lesley are back together. It doesn't get ridiculous until near the end, when we find out the cause of their reunion.

Apparently, Lesley was at another party watching Judy and Johnny make out. Attempting to incite jealousy, or perhaps because she was just tired of crying over other people's happiness, Lesley found her own guy to make out with. Then Johnny came up and punched Lesley's new man in the face. Now it's Judy's turn to cry while Lesley dates the violent teen who was literally just kissing another girl.

Given Johnny's apparent bouts of explosive jealousy, Judy doesn't really feel like the loser here. Not only should Lesley question Johnny's temper, but also his erratic loyalty. He's now left two parties with different girls than he showed up with. If his actions in this song are a sign of things to come, Lesley's hardly run out of reasons to cry.

Nonetheless, this sort of narrative apparently worked in 1963, earning Gore a gold record. Released today, an era in which every other bridesmaid knows the dance steps to "Single Ladies," the story of a young woman obsessing over a violent philanderer would more than likely spark hashtag-worthy controversy.