# Song Parodies That Are Better Than The Original **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168 "2014-02-12T17:48:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/21 "2014-02-12T23:11:50Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Oh, c’mon. I’m not much of a Nirvana fan, but gimme a break. Fan or not, Al’s point is that the original’s lyrics are often mumbled and yelled to the point of incomprehensibility, aside from when it’s easy enough to hear the rhymes but hard to figure 'em out: _“a mulatto; an albino; a mosquito; my libido.”_ Al preserves what’s genuinely terrific about the song while delivering funny lines instead of ones that call for subtitled explanations – except when _that’s_ the joke. What’s not to like? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/22 "2014-02-13T00:26:08Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I’ll preface this by saying that I am not a Don McLean fan, and generally dislike American Pie for being incomprehensible crap. > > That said, “The Saga Begins” is the set of lyrics that pops into my head when the music starts, not the lyrics to “American Pie.” > > Weird Al did something right if his lyrics replaced those of a classic song in someone’s head, even if they dislike the classic song. Don McLean himself sometimes starts off singing the first lines of “The Saga Begins” when he meant to start “American Pie.” You really know you’re doing a good job when your lyrics burn themselves into the _composer’s_ head. _Long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away, Naboo was under an attack._ ---
**Author:** ![D.E.S.K.Top668](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@D.E.S.K.Top668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.E.S.K.Top668)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/23 "2014-02-13T00:56:56Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > A group called Big Daddy did _A Day in the Life_ in the style of Buddy Holly. I don’t know if I’d say it’s better than the original, but as a pastiche of Holly and the Beatles it’s brilliant.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsPJq0Xomxw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsPJq0Xomxw) I actually came into the thread to mention _Big Daddy_, but while reading the thread and listening to their version of [U2’s “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzvy9qJBsT4), I’m not sure if they can be considered parodists in the normal sense. After all, 99% of their songs stay faithful to the original lyrics. Either way, I find both their version of “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” and Paul Simon’s [“Graceland”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eukfs2Qeb8Y) to be superior to the originals, and I like U2 and Simon. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/24 "2014-02-13T01:00:36Z")
I’ve been searching for three hours and can’t find the particulars: There is a fellow (in Seattle, I believe) who made a parody of Billy Joel’s “An Innocent Man,” called, “An Ignorant Man.” It’s hysterical. If you can find it, kindly post a link here somewhere, I’d appreciate it. Others might too. Thanx. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/25 "2014-02-13T01:52:46Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I’ve been searching for three hours and can’t find the particulars: > > There is a fellow (in Seattle, I believe) who made a parody of Billy Joel’s “An Innocent Man,” called, “An Ignorant Man.” It’s hysterical. > > If you can find it, kindly post a link here somewhere, I’d appreciate it. Others might too. Thanx. [Here ya go](http://www.957kjr.com/media/play/23215497/). **GuanoLad** found it in another [recent thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=17077080#post17077080)(I found it first, but the version he found was better). (My nomination for a good parody is “Couch Potato,” Weird Al’s take on Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” I love both, but I like Al’s version a little better.) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/26 "2014-02-13T02:04:51Z")
Infovore–many thanks, you made my day. You are a mensch among menschen. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/27 "2014-02-13T02:57:59Z")
Weird Al’s “Achy Breaky Song” is FAR better than Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Achy Breaky Heart.” Too bad Weird Al can’t also ease the pain caused by daughter Miley’s existence. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/28 "2014-02-13T03:03:25Z")
I saw REM on the tour for the album “Stand” was on. Stipe said, “This is the stupidest song I’ve ever written”, then the band launched into “Stand”. ---
**Author:** ![Barrett\_Bonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@Barrett\_Bonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrett_Bonden)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/29 "2014-02-13T03:13:36Z")
I’ve never been able to figure out whether “MacArthur Park” is intended ironically, in which case it’s a little clever, or is perfectly sincere, in which case it’s just silly. “ **Jurassic** Park,” on the other hand, is fantastically witty AND intentionally silly. Meaning the song, obviously, not the movie itself. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/30 "2014-02-13T04:00:41Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > Weird Al’s “Achy Breaky Song” is FAR better than Billy Ray Cyrus’s “Achy Breaky Heart.” Too bad Weird Al can’t also ease the pain caused by daughter Miley’s existence. However, despite the fact that Weird Al’s parody of her dad’s song was rather mean-spirited(As WA admitted himself. He donated the royalties to United Cerebral Palsy Association.), she still allowed him to parody her song so she’s not all bad. And singing about the joys of working for the CIA set to that bouncy, bubble gum tune was pure genius. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/31 "2014-02-13T04:31:29Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I’ve been searching for three hours and can’t find the particulars: > > There is a fellow (in Seattle, I believe) who made a parody of Billy Joel’s “An Innocent Man,” called, “An Ignorant Man.” It’s hysterical. > > If you can find it, kindly post a link here somewhere, I’d appreciate it. Others might too. Thanx. Bob Rivers is the Seattle DJ who recorded “An Ignorant Man,” and has thousands of song parodies to his credit. He is also immensely popular with many of us here on the Dope. One of my favorite parodies of his is “Free As A Turd,” which is a parody of “Free As A Bird,” the Beatles “reunion” song that Paul, George, and Ringo recorded accompanied by a tape of John Lennon. My all time favorite parody is called “Fart In An Elevator” by Barry and the Bookbinders, which is a parody of Aerosmith’s “Love In An Elevator.” Videos may be NSFW: [spoiler] [Free As A Turd](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJlp4J2-kz0&feature=youtube_gdata_player) [Fart In An Elevator](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7xYqIAT2g&feature=youtube_gdata_player)[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/32 "2014-02-13T04:57:31Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Bob Rivers is the Seattle DJ who recorded “An Ignorant Man,” and has thousands of song parodies to his credit. He is also immensely popular with many of us here on the Dope. One of my favorite parodies of his is “Free As A Turd,” which is a parody of “Free As A Bird,” the Beatles “reunion” song that Paul, George, and Ringo recorded accompanied by a tape of John Lennon. > > My all time favorite parody is called “Fart In An Elevator” by Barry and the Bookbinders, which is a parody of Aerosmith’s “Love In An Elevator.” > > Videos may be NSFW: > > [spoiler] > [Free As A Turd](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJlp4J2-kz0&feature=youtube_gdata_player) > > [Fart In An Elevator](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs7xYqIAT2g&feature=youtube_gdata_player)[/spoiler] cochrane: Thanx for the info. ---
**Author:** ![jrepka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee59a6/32.png) [@jrepka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jrepka)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/33 "2014-02-13T05:46:24Z")
_ **What if God Smoked Cannabis** _ not only holds up to the original song, but Al got Joan Osborne to sing it! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/34 "2014-02-13T05:52:47Z")
> [@jrepka](#): > > _ **What if God Smoked Cannabis** _ not only holds up to the original song, but Al got Joan Osborne to sing it! If that second part is a joke, it’s over my head, but you know, not every parody song is by Weird Al. (Bob Rivers I guess) No “Amish Paradise”? That song is especially great for pissing off has-been Coolio. That and the lyrics. Meanwhile other parody-ees can be gracious (Cobain, Chamillionaire, McLean). ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/35 "2014-02-13T07:08:52Z")
I’m about the biggest Weird Al fan in the world, but he’s been pretty well covered in this thread. So instead of piling on that bandwagon, I’ll nominate Travis Meyer’s [The Devil Went Down To Jamaica](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZczxNhGiBEM) as a parody that outdoes the original. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/36 "2014-02-13T10:18:28Z")
A whole lot of Spike Jones songs, but especially “My Old Flame” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9D2A32KUTq0/hqdefault.jpg "Spike Jones My Old Flame") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D2A32KUTq0) “The William Tell Overture” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BavRrRNvz8g/hqdefault.jpg "Spike Jones William Tell Overture") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BavRrRNvz8g) and “Pal-Yat-Chee” [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7EobJgARUo) ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/37 "2014-02-13T12:30:42Z")
Not better necessarily, but I think “The Star Wars That I Used to Know” is at least as good as “Somebody That I Used to Know”. Original’s chorus: But you didn’t have to cut me out Make it like it never happened and that we were nothing. I don’t even need your love But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough. No, you didn’t have to stoop so low Have your friends collect your records and then change your number I guess that I don’t need that, though Now you’re just somebody that I used to know Parody’s first chorus: But you didn’t have to change them all Make them like they never happened and the fans are nothing. I don’t even need your love But you treat me like a bantha and that feels so rough. No, you didn’t have to make them blow Have your friends direct your movies and they’ll turn out better You think that you don’t need them, though. What happened to the Star Wars that I used to know? ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/38 "2014-02-13T13:10:18Z")
I vastly prefer the Rutles’ [“With A Girl Like You”](http://fixyt.com/watch?v=gdqDuOP59RI) to the Beatles’ [“If I Fell”](http://fixyt.com/watch?v=kPKYPI1jjdg). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/39 "2014-02-13T15:51:54Z")
I can see how Big Daddy may not be considered a parody act. Possibly more of what they call answer songs, though most of these are smart-assed in nature. Their gimmick is to take a particular song, usually one from the eighties though they also did a whole Beatles album, and rearrange it to reflect the signature style of another artist or song (though I must admit I can’t always identify the other source). This tends to honor both songs, but it must be said that there is an often subtle humor to it as well. A Day in the Life in the style of Buddy Holly’s _Oh Boy_ has been mentioned above [Girls Just Wanna Have Fun](http://youtu.be/tCBcKnNMPcA) with echos of Duke of Earl by Gene Chandler [Sussudio](http://youtu.be/ErAOYGrCKGs) as _Runaround Sue_ by Dion and the Belmonts [Safety Dance](http://youtu.be/TPlbupt2IZ0) avec Chubby Checker’s _Let’s Do the Twist_ [You Were Always on my Mind](http://youtu.be/-jzdqlNsEAc) ala The Big Bopper [Super Freak](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaufhdtVCJ8&feature=share&list=PLnT9Hgi6YLmhlNPUbTdurnbx379JzrPoh&index=1) to make the Everly Brothers proud Their greatest triumph, in my opinion, remains [Eye of the Tiger](http://youtu.be/sW7n8eArJV0). I am a fan of doo-wop in general, so my view that this version transcends this particular piece of eye-rolling 80’s Americana may be taken in that light. But give it a listen and see if you don’t suddenly love a song that used to make you cringe. Unfortunately, the more I listen to these songs the harder it is to extract out the other source. It becomes its own thing. The lead-in invokes Stray Cat’s Strut, but a strong bass line would have established this theme more strongly. Other parts remind me of _O Sandy_ from the movie Grease. There was a time when you couldn’t find any of Big Daddy’s material on YouTube. I kept getting somebody called Big Daddy Kane, and the like. Now they seem to even be producing new music. I’ll have to dive into that when I get the chance. On a separate note, consider [Dawn of Correction](http://youtu.be/mkGZKOgfOi4) and [Eve of Destruction](http://youtu.be/ntLsElbW9Xo). If you didn’t have the context, I contend that you would be hard pressed to affirmatively say which was the snarky rebuttal to which. In fact, the greater polish and thematic clarity of _Eve of Destruction_ would suggest it as the thing that was to be taken down a peg. Also, the anger that seems congruous with the message of _Eve of Destruction_ is baffling and disconsonant with _Dawn of Correction_’s putative optimism, in a way that suggests parody. And the hair-raising glibness with which Dawn of Correction rah-rahs the old Cold War theory of Mutual Assured Destruction demands to be taken as a joke. But it’s not a joke. _Eve of Destruction_ is a better song musically, thematically and I would claim morally, but _Dawn of Correction_ is much more fascinating in its discomfiting way. Unfortunately, I still suspect _Eve of Destruction_ will remain the funnier one to do in an Elmer Fudd voice. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2014, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168/40 "2014-02-13T16:15:04Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Cheese and Onions was just Neil singing and playing piano. The Day in the Life sounding stuff was added for the Rutles album. In its original form it was more reminiscent of Imagine, but it was not a direct parody. Yeah, I’m not hearing “All Together Now” at all in this parody. I wasn’t aware the Sgt Pepper flourishes were added later, and that makes sense. “Cheese and Onions” always sounded more like immediately post-Beatles Lennon, something that would have fit in with “Imagine” or “Mind Games.” I never got the Yellow Submarine context and never could figure out what song it was trying to parody (unlike all the other Rutles songs). I thought maybe “Day in the Life,” but wasn’t sure. The other Rutles tunes didn’t require a lot of guessing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/song-parodies-that-are-better-than-the-original/681168.md?page=3)