Comedic songs, do they work ?

Subject: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Les B
Date: 19 Mar 99 - 06:20 PM

I've been contemplating learning a comedy song or two, but have the fear that, like a joke, once the punch line is heard it's no longer fresh, especially for the same weekly audience. Good love songs or historical ballads, on the other hand, seem to have lots of staying power. Any thoughts on this !

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Margo
Date: 19 Mar 99 - 07:09 PM

I think comedy is successful if your delivery and timing are just right. A good performance bears watching more than once.

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 19 Mar 99 - 07:34 PM

Les B.

Comedic songs are a significant portion of my repertoire. Although I do not play weekly anywhere, I do get requests monthly from the singing group I meet with. I also get repeat requests for comedic songs from other fans.

I agree with Margarita, that performance is as important as the material. That will very from week to week.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Susan A-R
Date: 19 Mar 99 - 09:31 PM

There are lots of them out there, so you needn't duplicate a lot, or often. They are a nice balance to more serious stuff too. Also can be good sing alongs. What type of material do you generally do? p'raps this sober and solemn bunch could come up with a few modest suggestions for you.

Susan

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: catspaw49
Date: 19 Mar 99 - 11:34 PM

anything by Neil Young oughta' do.

Sorry...I actually used to like the guy.

catspaw

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Don Meixner
Date: 20 Mar 99 - 12:22 AM

People like to laugh, a funny song will make people laugh. Remember Shakespeare? " The plays the thing!" The performance is the thing. And more than performance. Sincerity, even in a funny song , is very important. And what is a funny song? Are we talking Belly Rollers? Shaggy Dogs? Puns and groaners? or Steady grins? There is always someone in the crowd who is totally new so the song will odds on be totally new. Its my experience that a steady grin will last longer in the set list than a belly roller. And a song that requires audience participation will last longer still. Examples: Stan Rogers "Two Bit Cayuse" is a grinner, " The rattlin' Bog" is an audience song. " The Sick Note" may be a belly roller to some and loose its usefulness quick. Some songs are tragi-comic. Listen to Gordon Bok do "The Mountains of Mourne". I smile thru bleery eyes everytime. I guess it takes more than a funny song to be funny. A wooden performance of a funny song will sound flat. I guess this topic isn't as easy an answer as I first thot. Good luck with it.

Don

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Banjer
Date: 20 Mar 99 - 05:24 AM

As more of an audience member than a performing type I would have no problem hearing a good song over. I have several favorite comedic songs, not the least of which is the one by Mac Davis, "It's Hard To Be Humble". I play that frequently to remind the wife what an awesome job I must be doing to remain humble!! ;) Seriously, I think that ther performer and his delivery of the material has much to do with the acceptance of the song. Someone who has a good raport with the crowd can get by with much more than one who is obviously there to fill his spot, grab the check and go home. I have seen both kinds, happily less of the latter. Just thought of another song that brings a smile each time I hear it, Billy Ed Wheelers "Ode To The Little Brown Shack"

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: AlistairUK
Date: 20 Mar 99 - 07:11 AM

I have been told that my performance of King Henry is pretty funny. It's not the song that counts but the way you sing it.

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Bud Sherman
Date: 20 Mar 99 - 08:55 AM

Harry Belafonte had great success with his "There's a hole in the bucket"

There is another one from the days when most of the country travelled by train rather than by car or plane. Its title is "The train to Morrow". The premise is that there is a town in Ohio named Morrow and passengers enquiring about its departure time can get odd responds because the responder hears "tomorrow" not "to Morrow". It was sung on the old National Barn Dance broadcast from Chicago, a long time ago. The audience always seemed to enjoy it. Your question has brought back a lot of memories of the past.

Cordially,

Bud Sherman

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Ritchie
Date: 20 Mar 99 - 10:54 AM

Don't know what made me remember this but Alan Sherman did some great comedy songs, just listen to his live performances to see how much the audience enjoyed them. Myself, I usually camp them up a little and people say "Do that song about such and such" the trouble is I can never remember what it was that I had actually done to make it funny.

Ritchie

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Mar 99 - 11:52 AM

And as I mentioned in another thread, get hold of his book, "The Rape of the A.P.E." (American Puritan Ethic). A GREAT read.

catspaw

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 20 Mar 99 - 11:53 AM

Bud,

If you liked that TO MORROW song it is in our DT Database. Here is a link for the song.

Enjoy!

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Mike Billo
Date: 20 Mar 99 - 01:27 PM

I do "I'm My Own Granpa", and "Lydia The Tatooed Lady" and am surprised that people seem to want to hear them over and over. I recently saw Lou and Peter Berryman,who do all comedic songs, and the audience knew them and sang along on every one. So I would say the answer is yes.

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Les B
Date: 20 Mar 99 - 03:26 PM

Thanks for all the food for thought. Banjer, I've got to tell you, a few years ago we had a guy who would trot out "Oh Lord it's Hard to be Humble" at our jam sessions and he pretty much alienated the entire group. Unfortunately his demeanor made the song that much more meaningful (he was an alcoholic, dis-barred lawyer who was really stuck on himself ((not that there's anything wrong with that!!!)). It finally got to the point that people would lay down their instruments and migrate in a herd to the bar whenever he launched into the first verse. After a few sessions, this silent protest did its trick and he quit singing it. It's not a bad song, but he sure gave it a bad taste.

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Les B
Date: 21 Mar 99 - 07:55 PM

I just heard Bill D. do a comedic song called "In the Key of 'R'". Half of the group has been hearing Bill D. do this song for about 15 years (I'm guessing). They requested Bill D. to sing it. They also were very anxious to see if newcomers like me would appreciate it. I did.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Banjer
Date: 21 Mar 99 - 09:45 PM

Les, I can conjure up a mental picture of the herd heading for the trough when the music started. Of course in many cases any reason for bellying up to the bar is a good one. So at least the alchoholic, stuck on himself, dis-barred lawyer served a useful purpose...He made sure no one in the room suffered from de-hydration!!! Good story...I sometimes sit in with a circle of folks that range from mediocre (my end of the spectrum) to VERY GOOD...There is one fellow that never lets an evening pass without playing "The Sloop John B". He changes the entire meaning and tempo of the song (imagine it as a waltz) and when he starts, one can detect a migration ("detect" hell....get out of the way so as not to get trampled is more like it)to the kitchen facilities.

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Rasta
Date: 21 Mar 99 - 10:08 PM

they work for meeeeee.- A year ago or so i bought a casette by Banjo picker-Tom Adams who recorded an album called right hand man. Anyway on his cassette he cut a song called (Monster Truck ) A great tune If you can find it its well worth having.---I drive a monster truck, sittin way up high , people wave with just....

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From:
Date: 22 Mar 99 - 06:49 AM

I also write as a member of the audience; but keep in mind that there have been a number of records of comedy songs (Like Alan Sherman Tom Lehrer, and Homer and Jethro) that are big sellers. People who buy records intend to listen to them a number of times--sometimes a number of times in one day.

Murray

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: AlistairUK
Date: 22 Mar 99 - 07:01 AM

There was a guy who used to (maybe still does) the clubs around the beds/herts/bucks/ are called himself Hezekiah Slackbandy (john something or other was his real moniker..or is that Monica? anyway) and he used to do some hilarious stuff..some of the funniest being his translations of Beatles songs into Latin and playing them so the words FIT!

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: Bert
Date: 23 Mar 99 - 09:03 AM

I find they work too well. I sing several and they get requested so often that I have difficulty when trying to introduce a serious song - people automatically start laughing.

Try....
The Sow Song
Widdecombe Fair
Manurah Manyah
Woad
Liverpool Barrow Boy
Henery The Eighth
Blaydon Races
One More River to Cross
Oh No John
Strawberry Fair
Drunken Sailor
Whiskey Johnny

Bert.

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: AndyG
Date: 23 Mar 99 - 09:56 AM

I have to admit that about 50% of the material I perform is humourous. This is because much as I like to see people smile, I love to hear them laugh.
I usually do folk-parody material from the likes of Les Barker or The Kippers, but I cover music hall songs as well. I'll usually build a set, (3-4 songs), on a theme and finish with the comedy material.

(I'm still working on The Audience non-Participation Set)

AndyG

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: GEORGE HENDERSON
Date: 23 Mar 99 - 12:18 PM

Comic songs really do work as long as they are mixed in with a number of solid songs rather than treated totally in isolation

If you want comedy however you should with Dan Milner in Donegal this weekend.

The 10 annual Inishowen festival is on this weekend and the theme is humour in song. It will be a long laugh from Friday through Monday.

The line up is incrdible, Headed by our own Liam's brother.

George

Subject: RE: Comedic songs, do they work ?
From: steve in ottawa
Date: 23 Mar 99 - 12:19 PM

You take yourself way too seriously if you don't already know at least one humourous song. But don't plan on singing ANY comic song over and over and over and... If you really only have time to memorize songs that you will sing regularly, then don't memorize humorous songs, but do become familiar with a few, and rely on song sheets to perform them.