National Lampoon’s Radio Dinner
That was a great album!
For sheer cleverness, there’s a “one song’s lyrics sung to another song’s tune” subgenre. One that comes to mind is The Gilligan’s Island Theme’s lyrics applied to Stairway to Heaven’s melody. Don’t know who did it but it was hilarious.
My favorite is Todd Snider’s Talkin’ Seattle Grunge Rock Blues. It’s the story of the rise and fall of an alternative (or “alternative to alternative”) band in the 90s told in the style that Dylan used when he started adapting old talking blues standards to his own words.
I know the song: “It’s life Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, not as we know it. It’s life Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, Jim.”
I don’t think that’s a Weird Al Song, though.
It’s not Weird Al. Star Trekkin’ by The Firm.
davesink, you’re thinking of Stairway to Gilligan’s Island by Little Roger and the Goosebumps. In the same vein, The Squirrels do the lyrics from Deck the Halls to the music of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Try it, it works.
For Dylan there’s also Ally McBeal by DaVinci’s Notebook, to the tune of Like a Rolling Stone; the subject matter’s a bit dated, but some of the rhymes are priceless. The same group also does Title of the Song, a brilliant stylistic parody of typical boy-band songs.
Can’t forget Big Daddy; modern lyrics to 1950s melodies.
And Tom Lehrer, more satirist than parodist, but someone has to mention The Elements here.
My favorite parody songs are:
Leader Of The Landromat By The Detergents
Eat It By Weird Al
Cocktails For Two By Spike Jones.
DOPER WARNING!
There have been a number of posts here mentioning Spike Jones. This may lead to law suits against you and the SDMB. Spike Lee(real name: Shelton Jackson Lee) has total ownership of the name Spike. Ain’t you heard? Just ask him. If you use it without his permission, he might sue you. You have now been warned.:D:D:D:D:D:D
I’m sorry… I just had to.
I think Weird Al’s best was “Yoda” - a paordy of the Kinks’ “Lola”.
I agree with Gail that Weird Al’s “I Lost On Jeopardy” is tremendous too. A great line - " I knew ALL of the answers, but I couldn’t get the questions right !!"
Someone mentioned National Lampoon. Anyone remember “Deteriota” - their parody of the “Desiderata” ?
And speaking of Spike™ Jones, his best was “Pal-Yat-Chee” but NOT the one with Homer and Jethro doing the singing. A later version had a female singer doing an outstanding job switching styles from opera to country and back again".
“Invest in a tuba and something or other about Cuba…” LOL
The term Spike™ is a copywritten trademark of Spike Lee I Own Everything Enterprises. It is used here (albeit grudgingly) with permission. Any unauthorized use of the term Spike™ is strictly prohibited.
There was a Frank Zappa/Mothers album, We’re Only In It For the Money, with lots of song parodies, including “Plastic People” (sounds like “Louie Louie”) and “What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body” (a generic sendup of doo-wop).
My favorite is the oeuvre of Julie Brown, who has essentially the same bunch of songs on three or four albums. Unfortunately, youth culture caught up to “Everybody Run, the Homecoming Queen’s Got a Gun.”
Ben Folds’ Rockin’ The Suburbs. Combined with the video (which Weird Al directed and appears in), it’s a really awesome take-off on the whole Korn/rap/rap metal subculture that many white suburban teens are into these days.
Here’s Ben’s explanation of how the song came to be, from a concert:
I grew up on my dad’s Homer and Jethro albums, so “The Battle of Camp Kookamonga” (a parody of “The Battle of New Orleans”) still has fond memories for me.
I don’t know the singer, but one tune I heard several times on the Dr. Demento show stood out in my mind. One was a parody of “99 Red Balloons” called “99 Red Baboons.” It just tickled my funny bone.
As a loyal Close Personal Friend of Al (that’s his fanclub), I’d say my faves by Mr. Yankovic are “Eat It,” “My Balogna,” “Yoda” (the original, accordian version, of course), “Can’t Watch This” (parody of M.C. Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This”) and from the current album, “A Complicated Song” (parody of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated”).
I was going to say Plastic People, but you beat me to it. I think it’s on Absolutely Free, not We’re Only In It For The Money, which does have a parody of Hey Joe on it called Flower Punk.
You wouldn’t happen to know where I can get an MP3 of this, would you? I had it on an old audio tape, but I would like to get a digital copy…
How about They Might Be Giants’ “Man, It’s So Loud In Here”? It’s about being stuck in a techno disco and is a pastiche of techno disco music. It’s also quite sing-along-able.
[whispered to a pounding backbeat]
They fixed up the corner store like it was a night club
It’s permanently disco
Everyone is dressed so oddly I can’t recognize them
I can’t tell the staff from the customers
The MadTV parody of Limp Bizkit’s Rollin’ was incredible. It was called Posin’.
There are some very creatice song parodies on shockwave.com http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/animation/series/regurge/
Including such masterpieces as:
Internet Killed The Video Star
I Want A Fat Babe
Mime After Mime
Gerard Alessandrini’s “Forbidden Broadway” tunes will having you laughing so hard you will pee your pants.
There is a new boy on the block. Mylo Hatzenbuhler is the name of the act and he does parodies of popular songs in the persona of a Nor’ Dakota farmer. His style is a little broader than some but his send up of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” titled “We Couldn’t Start the Tractor” is a hoot. As are “Ballad of the Big Buffet” (Ballod of the Green Berret), “Hens with Low Faces” a song about the rooster dropping dead (Freinds in Low Places), and “Born at the PCA” (Born in the USA)
A guy I knew in college back in the 80’s had a tape of a song parody done by a DJ in Cleveland, or maybe it was Chicago. It was a parody of Gary Numan’s “Cars” called “Bars”.
Here in the bar
I feel safest of all
I get drunk as a skunk
And throw up on the wall
In bars…
etc.
Also, while it’s not exactly parody, the punk band Circle Jerks had a song called “Golden Shower of Hits” which was a medley of cheesy 70’s pop songs like “Afternoon Delight”. What a hoot.
Then there is the Kinsey Sicks (let me know if you need that joke explained) Here is a blurb from their web site.
Combining award-winning a cappella singing, biting wit and over-the-top drag, the KINSEY SICKS have been called “gut-wrenchingly funny” (The Advocate) and have been praised for their “voices sweet as birdsong” (New York Times). Their Off-Broadway show, “Dragapella!” at the legendary Studio 54 was called “riotously funny” and “sublime” (Variety), and earned them a Drama Desk Award nomination for Best Lyrics and two Lucille Lortel nominations, including for Best Musical of 2001.
They are essentially four gay men in drag singing their own parodies of popular songs.
My favorite is “MCI” which is a take off of “Bali Hi” from “South Pacific” and is about no matter how hard you try you can’t escape the telemarketers.
The musicality of these guys is quite impressive.
You can hear a couple of examples at their home page. Once you get there click on “Audio Clips” I especially recommend their version of “The Rose” especially if you have strong feelings about that song.
Yea, I really like parodies.
Check your e-mail…
Barry