Writing song parodies

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I've found that I enjoy writing song parodies (and even movie parodies -- I've written five full-length (2-hour performance) parodies of the Star Wars episodes; believe it or not, there's going to be a sixth). All of my friends have told me I am VERY good at it.

(Unfortunately, the movies are VERY niche-based: most people wouldn't understand the humor. It caters to a certain crowd of people. I've written several "annotated" versions explaining the jokes, the background, etc.)

The thing that's odd is that I can only create parodies. I have a tremendous amount of trouble creating something from nothing. Adapting an existing object, however, is a piece of cake.

Is this an Asperger's trait?

ACG

I have that as well...

A while back a few of my friends decided we should be in a parody band like Weird Al...

Here was our best song... about Bill Clinton...

{sung to the tune of 'I get knocked down' by chumbawumba}

Bill's pants fall down.

And they get up again.

But they never stay up for long.

Bill's pants fall down.

And they get up again.

But they never stay up for long.

Here's a parody I just made about the Red Sox World Series victory (I'm from the Boston area). It's based on "American Pie".

This Day the Curse Has Died
Sung to “American Pie”

(1-slow)
A long, long time ago,
In a stadium in the Fens,
George Herman Ruth was playing ball.

He swung the bat and threw so well,
He was opponents’ living hell,
That Harry Frazee went and placed a call.

He asked the New York Yankees owner
For an infamous financial loaner:
The Yankees got their phenom,
The Sox got cash and then some!

So Ruth left on a special train,
Not knowing that we would complain:
“The Sox would never win again
Until the Curse has died!”

Oh
Why, why, did the sale of this guy
Leave the Boston Red Sox sobbin’ as the decades went by?
The poor fans stretching out their hands to the sky, asking
“When will this Bambino curse die, when will this Bambino curse die?”

(2-fast)
It’s the story of a team
Which had always tried to chase a dream,
Yet had always come up short!

Where they would earn over 90 wins,
Yet Harry Frazee’s evil sin
Would give them the worst bleeping luck
In sports!

They would suffer through an incident
Involving hits from Bucky Dent.
They had the Mets a-pegged
‘Till the ball passed Bill Buckner’s legs.

2003, New York again:
The Red Sox were once more a-poised to win,
But Grady left poor Pedro in!
Oh why, oh why, oh why?

Why, why...

(3)
Now the ballclub started up ‘04
By showing Grady Little the door
And getting Schill and Foulke instead.

And they pitched and won through the day and night,
And much to all the fans’ delight,
They proved themselves the AL’s head!

But then our hopes began to fall
With couple months .500 ball.
The aforementioned lead,
They, of course, decided to cede!

By then, the prognosis sure was plain
As everyone felt Boston’s pain
And those who didn’t went insane!
Oh why, oh why, oh why?

Why, why...

(4)
The team started a counterstrike
When a player that they didn’t like
Got into a big fight with ‘Tek!

The club went onto a winning tear,
With homers shooting into the air,
That trading Nomar couldn’t wreck!

Well, the team secured the wild-a card
And didn’t find it very hard
To sweep the Angels out,
But the Yankees started to rout!

They beat the Sox three in a row!
Our chance of winning got quite low!
A-golfing we were gonna go!
Oh why, oh why, oh why?

Why, why...

(5)
Well, the roller coaster ride went on
When the Red Sox responded and won
The next four ballgames with the Yanks!

When the great A-Rod slapped at Bronson’s arm,
Yet managed to not cause any harm
To the Red Sox World Series chance!

But Boston’s put on high alert:
It looks like Schilling’s foot is hurt!
He may not pitch again!
Without him, Cards will win!

Yes, the surgeons can let him play,
But God knows if we’re gonna pay.
Don’t know how long that brace will stay!
Oh why, oh why, oh why?

Why, why...

(6-slow)
Schilling lived to pitch once more,
And got the Red Sox to game four,
When Edgar hit it to the mound.

Foulkie grabbed it and seemed to stare,
As if he hadn’t been prepared
To confront the history that he had found!

As he began to walk to first,
The Red Sox fans began to curse.
They thought that he would blow it.
This songwriter yelled, “THROW IT!”

But finally he threw it on,
Mientkewicz caught it, and thereupon
New England came to party on!
[Pause for people to cheer in the recording]
This day, the curse has died!

So now they’re singing:
[New York accent]
“My, my, will the trade of this guy
Leave the New York Yankees sobbin’ as the decades go by?
New Yorkers stretching out their hands to the sky, asking
When will our new A-Rod curse die?”

"Good Smell" (which I wrote for a comic I'm working on)
Sung to the tune of "Time Warp" (I liked that song ever since it came on Vh1 classic [Well, since the third time its music video came on, when I actually listened to it.].)


Prokrox: (with nose plugged) It's real smelly
Sinuses are bursting
Winterfresh takes a nose
But put clothespins on
Mrs. Nogumtoka: (with nose plugged) Don't wait until your noses explode
Prokrox: I got to leave this room!
(music gets a little mre lively)
Prokrox: I remember smelling some fresh air
Plugging my nosie when
The artificial scent would reach me
And Wrigley would be calling...
All: "NOT A GOOD SMELL AGAIN!"
"NOT A GOOD SMELL AGAIN!"

Man: It's just a jump into the hallway...
Dancers: And then take gum to the right-right-right-right-right. (In the comic, the garbage can's in the hallway to the right of the auditorium exit.)
Man: With your gum in your mouth...
Dancers: You bend your knees down tight!
Then it's the spitting gum
That really drives snobs insa-a-a-ane
All: "NOT A GOOD SMELL AGAIN!"
"NOT A GOOD SMELL AGAIN!"

Mrs. Nogumtoka: Oh, it's not dreamy
Oh sinuses, leave me
So I can't smell gum
No, none at all
In another dimension
Prokrox: With gum-boycotting intention
Mrs. Nogumtoka: Without them, I still see all
With addiction and a mind flop
You've into a gumsnob
And since you're a gumsnob,
You'll never be the same
Then you'll shout in fresh air (Yes, I made some super-huge changes to the song.)
Prokrox: Something common for there...
All: "NOT A GOOD SMELL AGAIN!"
"NOT A GOOD SMELL AGAIN!"

(I didn't write a third verse, so it skips ahead to the chorus.)
All: It's just a jump into the hallway...
And then take gum to the right-right-right-right-right.
With your gum in your mouth...
You bend your knees down tight!
Then it's the spitting gum
That really drives snobs insa-a-a-a-a-ane
"NOT A GOOD SMELL AGAIN!"
"NOT A GOOD SMELL AGAIN!"


Did you like my new song parody? I've wrote a couple of others (one of a Girl Scout song and the other of a Charmin jingle), but I can only fit one onto here right now. Bye!

Mich

great stuff Mich... you really DON'T like gum do you?



dunc

mich, that was sensational!! !



V

A scene we've seen too often in science fiction and fantasy stories:

"You killed my tedious, overused plot device!"

"No Luke, I AM your tedious, overused plot device!"

"No! It's not possible!"

When George Lucas did it, it was the coolest, most outrageous thing he's ever done (which says something) but that plot device has been used so often it's like showing a car chase in the forty minute mark... totally cliche...

Here's a list of a lot of mine!

The premiere site for song parodies: http://www.amiright.com

I've posted 18 on there, but gave up writing parodies in April of 2004 because the whole experience just wasn't meeting my expectations.

I can parody a few of the best lines in a song but after that I lose energy!

I've written a lot of song parodies. Most of them get published in Xenofilkia, a zine that pays in copies. One from December of last year:

The Sox are the champions, my friend
The Red Sox kept fighting till the end
Boston's the champion
Boston's the champion
No time to lose, Yanks,
The Sox are the champions
Of the world!

More on the magazine website.

Here's my Quigley Quigelson thread about the life and times of the greatest lyricist there ever was. And his fat less talented twin brother as well.

http://www.wrongplanet.net/asperger.html?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=6158&highlight=