1836: History of "Answer Me, Oh My Love" Dec 25, 2019

One of Nat King Cole’s most famous songs “Answer Me, Oh My Love”, was originally a German one, “Mütterlein”; still, this may not be the most significant way it changed. When the song was written again in English in 1953, it was called “Answer Me, Lord Above”. Originally aired in the UK—not covered by Nat King Cole until the next year—the song was banned from the BBC for containing lyrics considered too religious. You can still hear some traces of the religious language in Cole’s 1954 cover. See the example below.

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Frankie Laine:

“Answer me, Lord above:
Just what sin have I been guilty of?
Tell me how I came to lose my love.
Please answer me, oh, Lord.”

Nat King Cole:

“Answer me, oh my love:
Just what sin have I been guilty of?
Tell me how I came to lose my love.
Please answer me, sweetheart.”