1953 Frankie Laine: Answer Me

.....and for proof of the pudding of 'Answer Me's popularity, here's another version of the same song at number one (it was actually tied at the top with David Whitfield for a while, making it the first and last time that the UK charts has ever had two versions of the same song at number one at the same time). Where Whitfield warbled like a milksop, Frankie is a man's man and his take is far more straight and direct - a bit too direct maybe; his 'Answer me my love' sounds more like a demand that should come with an exclamation mark at the end and he doesn't sound in much of an understanding mood throughout. "She was mine yesterday, and I believed that love was here to stay, won't you tell me where I've gone astray?" - well if your attitude toward women is the same as in 'Hey Joe' then you don't need to look too far for your answer Mr Laine, but at least now you know how your mate back then would have felt, you cuckolding heel.

I said on the Whitfield write up that there were better versions of 'Answer Me' than his, and though I prefer Laine's cut, it still misses the point by barn door proportions - I have a version of this by no other than Anton LaVey that sounds less intimidating and more understanding than Frankie manages, but it seems right and proper that the man who dominated a frankly piss poor 1953 chart (eight weeks at the top for this alone) should have the final say.