I’ve recently started a band with a couple of my friends. We’re starting out with a bunch of easy 3 and 4 chord songs until we get a good feeling for each other.
We all agree that we really like Fight For Your Right. The problem is that we are all in our late 30’s and early 40’s and feel kinda silly singing about parents making us go to school and taking away Playboys. I’m an adult now. I don’t have to go to school if I don’t wanna. I can surf porn all day long, as long as I wipe my browser history so my wife doesn’t find it.
Yeah, I may be approaching the big 4-0, but I still have to fight for my right to party. I have boring job.
My cholesterol is high.
My kids have soccer games and Tae Kwon Do early Saturday mornings.
I can lose my job at any given moment.
I still have student loans to pay off even though I never got a job in my major.
I’ve come to learn that you Dopers are some of the smartest, cleverest, and creative people on the net. I, on the other hand, have no lyrical talent. So, give it a shot.
You don’t need re-write the whole song, maybe just contribute a verse or a single lyric or something.
Just in case you’re curious, our band name is currently Aww Hell Yeah, in case you want to use that in a lyric.
Mom busted in and said, “What’s that noise?”
Mom you’re just jealous. It’s the Beastie Boys
Kinda like that.
Have fun. If we use anything, I’ll report back and let you know.
The kids are late for school, and they don’t wanna go
You said “brush your teeth” but they still say “No!”
If they miss the bus you’ll be late for work
And the boss’ll ride your ass, like you’re some kinda jerk.
You gotta fight…
Your boss caught ya surfin’ and he said “no way”
That hypocrit’s on Pinterest all day
Man, payin’ off that home is such a drag
Now, the mayor just raised your propery tax
You gotta fight…
Wife asks if she looks fat in the clothes she’s gonna wear
She’s pissed you didn’t notice that she cut that hair
Your kids found your tapes and said “What’s that noise?”
Awww, junior don’t be jealous it’s the Beastie Boys
I like the idea of rewriting the lyrics, but I did want to add that there’s nothing wrong with singing the original. I’m older than you and just left a band where I sang The Sex Pistols and the like. When it’s all said and done, nobody really cares, especially when the artist is older than you.
Your son caught you rappin’ and he said, “No way!”
Bustin’ ‘I Need Love’ by L.L. Cool J*
Man, livin’ in the 80’s is such a drag
Now, your wife bookmarked your best porno mag (Busted!)
The whole point of “Fight for Your Right” was that they were making fun of a certain segment of the population. It’s not supposed to be autobiographical.
I’m gonna say it: I think it would be stupid to change the lyrics. Really. If you were covering Sam Cook, would you sing about TPS reports or conference calls instead of history or algebra? If you were covering Alice Cooper, would you sing “I’m thirty-nine/I get confused less often than I used to/Thirty-nine/I can usually come up with something tactful in an awkward situation”?
The idea makes me cringe on the same level that I would if a female singer sang “Brown-Eyed Boy” or a male singer sang about Ryan instead of Rhiannon. When Neil Young performs, he doesn’t sing “Old Man, take a look at my life/Sixty-six and there’s still a few years left if I watch my cholesterol and follow my doctor’s instructions.” It doesn’t matter that he no longer looks 24–to sing the “truth” would be to miss the point of the song.
Lyrics aren’t set in stone–of course they can be changed to anything. But don’t change them just to make them match the people singing them. A song is a performance–just perform like a frat boy! After all, the Beastie Boys were.
Also, if you’re playing that particular song at a bar or club, to a group of strangers, you’re going to get a more positive crowd reaction with the original lyrics. It’s a good sing-along.
