# Flight of the Conchords - what are they parodying? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550 "2009-03-06T17:34:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![FOTCfan1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cc9497/32.png) [@FOTCfan1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FOTCfan1979)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/41 "2011-09-05T04:59:27Z")
“Friends” reminds me of the Flying Pickets video of “Only You.” “Demon Woman” bears some resemblance to the Rolling Stones song “Sympathy for the Devil” - this can be seen in the line “Nice to Meet You!” and in copying the moves of Mick Jagger. On a side note, just thought I’d mention that the rapping part of “Frodo, Don’t Wear the Ring” is similar to Busta Rhymes. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/42 "2011-09-05T13:49:42Z")
Sort of a zombie thread, but I like these guys. Bret’s **Angry Dance** was lifted directly from _Footloose_. And of course **Bowie in Space** is a hilarious send-up of Bowie’s music. ---
**Author:** ![ijustwannasaysomething](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ijustwannasaysomething](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ijustwannasaysomething)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/43 "2012-05-24T14:17:19Z")
I heard a song on the radio this morning that sounded strikingly like “Business Time” It is “Somewhere Down The Crazy River” by Robbie Robertson. If Business time is not modeled at least partially after this song then it would be a really crazy coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/44 "2012-05-24T15:50:14Z")
Since this zombie has already been raised, I’ll just say I was delighted to discover this week while taking my kids to the movies that “I’m Not Crying” is on the soundtrack for _Pirates! Band of Misfits_. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/45 "2012-05-24T17:58:49Z")
_Fresh Air_ regular listeners will probably already have heard [Bret McKenzie: A Very Manly Muppet [Extended Cut]](http://www.npr.org/2012/02/20/146997464/bret-mckenzie-a-very-manly-muppet-extended-cut) from this past February. To go directly to the audio, try [this link.](http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=146997464&m=146997486) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/46 "2012-05-25T15:38:38Z")
Conchords revival! I saw this morning that Jemaine Clement is in Men in Black III as the villain. We rewatched the Flight series while on the road this past month, and it struck me as very funny and appropriate that the series would end because the guys were out of ideas. Reality meets fantasy sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/47 "2012-05-26T00:53:54Z")
Thy’re touring New Zealand next month. I’m not sure whether it’s with new material or just redoing the established songs though. ---
**Author:** ![drbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8491ac/32.png) [@drbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drbs)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/48 "2013-02-14T18:45:24Z")
I think that many times they are parodying several things mixed together, and that is what makes it so hard to put your finger on exactly what they are doing. Hurt feelings definitely has things in the video that remind me of the video for bizmark, I can’t remember the song, it was either you’ve got what i need or she says shes just a friend sugar lumps seems to mix several parodies. I think that in the pawn shop, dave is imitating the beasty boys style in love with a sexy lady I recognized instantly as imitating those awful r kelly videos ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/49 "2013-02-14T20:33:31Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > “Most Beautiful Girl in the Room” - the speaking parts are very Barry White-ish. On “Fresh Air,” they said this was supposed to be a parody of Prince, but I don’t hear it Prince had a hit with “Most Beautiful Girl in the World.” I think it’s not a musical paraody but a concept parody. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/50 "2013-02-14T21:30:26Z")
And since it wasn’t already mentioned in this thread (which I just reread for some reason), last year they did a charity song in New Zealand, [Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py_30jZGUYk). The video is long but worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/51 "2013-02-14T23:05:52Z")
> [@Ichbin\_Dubist](#): > > And since it wasn’t already mentioned in this thread (which I just reread for some reason), last year they did a charity song in New Zealand, [Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py_30jZGUYk). The video is long but worth it. Classic FOTC writing. ---
**Author:** ![fatstuart\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/43a26b/32.png) [@fatstuart\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fatstuart_1)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/52 "2013-10-24T11:00:40Z")
Let’s not forget one in season 2 called “Rambling Through the Avenues of Time”, which is virtually identical sounding to Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/53 "2014-02-05T16:15:44Z")
Reviving this one to say that I think “Ladies of the World” sounds like an Isley Brothers parody. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/54 "2014-02-05T19:47:16Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > Babelfish translates “fuck” as “baise,” which it re-translates as “kiss.” There must be a lot of delightful misunderstandings in France. Use “embrasser” if you want to avoid ambiguity. An example of the creeping nature of language. And not “embarrasser.” > [@](#): > > I think the genius of Flight of the Conchords is that their songs parody entire genres in one original song, rather than the (to me) far less-interesting Yankovic model of taking an existing song and inserting food references. That’s a bit oversimplifying. > [@Acsenray](#): > > This week’s was brilliant – the song at the beginning was a fantastic parody of “Where Do You Go to, My Lovely?” I wish I had the lyrics for it. > [@fatstuart\_1](#): > > Let’s not forget one in season 2 called “Rambling Through the Avenues of Time”, which is virtually identical sounding to Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”. Yes, both of these are influencing the song. The former especially in the lyrics ([here](http://www.metrolyrics.com/rambling-through-the-avenues-of-time-lyrics-flight-of-the-conchords.html)). ---
**Author:** ![ksavertooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/edb3f5/32.png) [@ksavertooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ksavertooth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/55 "2015-02-24T19:49:45Z")
I’m pretty sure “Frodo” is a parody of Blind Guardian’s song “Lord of the Rings”. Blind Guardian is one of the best power metal bands in the world and their lyrics usually talk about Middle Earth. Flight of the Conchords just took the liberty of mixing the song with a rap. ---
**Author:** ![ksavertooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/edb3f5/32.png) [@ksavertooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ksavertooth)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/56 "2015-03-02T13:37:32Z")
Also I think that “fashion is danger” is pretty much like “fade to grey” by Visage. But again if what FOTC parody is genre and not a single song it is clear that they are doing a parody of the synth pop genre. ---
**Author:** ![maddytheladdy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@maddytheladdy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maddytheladdy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/57 "2017-01-06T14:22:00Z")
i just finished watching both seasons through again. im so sad that it is over ☹ and im pretty certain that mutha’uckas isnt referencing any particular song but is just referencing very heavily censored clean versions of rap songs. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/58 "2017-01-07T02:09:00Z")
I saw FoTC on their “reunion” tour last summer. They had some new material but we were all there to hear the “classics”, and they did not disappoint. I think the best line of the night was Jemaine’s comment about people on their phones in the front rows: “Oh, you Silicon Valley people…I can see you’re busy working on your apps.” Arj Barker (“Dave”) opened–he was pretty funny. There were also a couple of short sets by Demitri Martin and John Hodgman who were just a little too deadpan and hip for their own good. (Yeah, I know that’s their _shtick_, but they didn’t go over well with the crowd that night) ---
**Author:** ![TYphoonSignal8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@TYphoonSignal8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TYphoonSignal8)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/59 "2017-01-12T02:12:36Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > [ > **Too Many Dicks** made me think of current techno-pop ala Cher. By far my favourite song of the Conchords, because I have been there so many times. I didn’t get the sense that it drew directly from any particular source: just a dance spoof. ---
**Author:** ![Merudo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Merudo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merudo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550/60 "2017-03-08T21:58:57Z")
About the song _Robots_ (The Humans Are Dead), could it be parodying _Citizens of Tomorrow_ by Tokyo Police Club? _Citizens of Tomorrow_ came out in 2006, while the episode _Sally_ came out in 2007. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-of-the-conchords-what-are-they-parodying/488550.md?page=4)