We all know what parodies are - or do we? To my mind, a parody is a funny song that copies not only the melody of another song, but also the general structure of that other song. They are reminiscent of the other songs in many more ways that simply sharing a melody. Oftentimes, parodies are political - but not necessarily so.

But what about songs that aren't funny - can they be parodies? Would it be better to call them "derivative songs," or is parody a proper term in this case?

And what do you call songs that share a melody but nothing else with an earlier song?

-Joe-