Parody : Good or bad?

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: C-flat
Date: 10 Dec 03 - 11:04 AM

Maybe because a parody, by it's very nature, is using one persons art to create something mocking or critical it's regarded by some as unseemly but I agree that it's more used than many realise. T.V. advertisements regularly use parody as a way to transmit their message.
Parody is probably a childs first step in creating humour. Turning the words of a popular song into some other meaning has always been a favourite playground activity,
"Jingle Bells,
Batman smells,
Robin flew away,..."
etc,etc.
We all know dozens more like that and, however inane they are, they still have some merit.
Perhaps because of this early childhood experience of parodying songs some of us grow up to regard the practice as childish and easy.
As for wether it's good or bad?
Are apples good or bad?

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: MikeofNorthumbria
Date: 10 Dec 03 - 11:38 AM

In an essay on the art of writing poetry called "The Dyer's Hand" W H Auden wrote some fairly positive things about the value of parody. As far as I can recall, he said that writing parodies was a valuable learning exercise for beginners, and also was the most effective way to criticise other people's poetry.

A form I particularly enjoy is the "variations on a theme" exercise - a sequence of parodies of a single work in the styles of different authors. A famous example which appears in several anthologies is "Old King Cole" in the style of half a dozen different poets, ranging from Lord Tennyson to Walt Whitman. Worth checking out.

Wassail!

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: Sam L
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 10:05 AM

Interesting. I suppose even if a parody of a style doesn't especially intend to ridicule it, it implies a predictibility, or mechanical quality.

   I've been trying to use parody in that way--to get kids singing and toying with song-shapes, and they really do respond well. They all participate. But it was silly of me to think I could sell it as an over-the-counter learning strategy to education people. God has been trying to for a while, but doesn't have enough credibility.

   "If you take the idea of a supreme being seriously, then our ideas of order must seem pretty grotesque." Willem De Kooning

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: GUEST,Frank H Guest
Date: 11 Dec 03 - 02:59 PM

HOw 'bout that famous parody, Yankee Doodle? It had quite a shelf life.

Frank

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: Mr Happy
Date: 20 Apr 07 - 09:53 AM

I met Hughie Jones some time ago, & having heard my version of one of his greatest hits, had some memorable comments to make!

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: GUEST,Darowyn
Date: 20 Apr 07 - 10:41 AM

Since nobody so far seems to have answered the copyright question, here goes.
Parodies, answer songs, and suchlike are all examples of "derivative works", and as such, the original copyright holder is entitled to a proportion of the royalties.
A composer also has "moral rights" to a composition. That means that if, for example, Adge Cutler and the Worzels record Combine Harvester, Melnie Safka can insist on being identified as having written the tune, since it is a parody of "Brand New Key".
Rarely, a writer can invoke moral rights to prevent the release of a parody or derivative which they find morally objectional.
So I could sue someone who added a homophobic rap to my song "Watch What You do in the Night"- I would too!
Cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: Bert
Date: 20 Apr 07 - 10:49 AM

I don't know where you are Darowyn but the courts in the USA have deemed parody to be 'fair use' and not subject to copyright fees.

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: MMario
Date: 20 Apr 07 - 10:54 AM

thought if they use a copyright TUNE with parodied words then the TUNE is subject to copyright and license fees. but in the US, if the fees are paid they cannot prevent use of the tune.

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: Schantieman
Date: 20 Apr 07 - 11:11 AM

I like writing parodies: not really to poke fun at the original but to enable me to write a song without having to write a tune - which I don't have the talent to do.   I do have a little talent, I like to think, to write the words.   I think a parody can both compliment and complement the original music AND make some sort of useful contribution to whatever genre you're into.

Most (all?) of my songs I've put in the Mudcat book or published on threads are parodies. I think it's important NOT just to borrow the tune but to try and stick closely in places to the original words or close parodies of them, particularly if you're trying to be funny.

Some will disagree, I know.

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: MMario
Date: 20 Apr 07 - 11:13 AM

if the words don't parallel the original words in some way - then I think what you have is two songs with a common tune; rather then a song and it's parody.

Subject: RE: Parody : Good or bad?
From: Schantieman
Date: 20 Apr 07 - 11:30 AM

Yes indeed.

Or indeed, one song to the tune of another.

I was cut off in mid-clicky-construction there when I pressed the wrong button. I was about, somewhat vainly, to provide links to all of my songs in Áine's songbook. Just to illustrate my point, of course!
Here's just one.   Well maybe another one.


In fact lots of the songs there are parodies. I liked this one by Morticia.

Steve