Good parody writing is hard, in some ways harder than normal songwriting, I think. The emphasis is on the "good", of course; for each great parody I have heard ("I was about to fall apart" to the tune of "I am Napoleon Bonapart" is one that always cracks my lips), I must have heard dozens of gratuitous drivel with far too many verses, paying no heed to the original song's structure and rhythm; little more than bad jokes told poorly.

Yet so often you find in singarounds that people will sing parodies rather then originals, sometimes with a ratio of 2-to-3 or worse, latching on to the "funny" and skipping the song that inspired it in the first place.

Also, I wonder if the over-use of parodies, assuming and depending on knowledge of the original as it does, might put off new entrants to the world of folk, because they are little more than an "in" joke that could create an air of exclusion.

Your thoughts?