Thus, when an artist is capable of actively exposing their
personalities to the masses, they can potentially become widely popular. Song
parodies are a fun and entertaining way that artists are able to expose their
fun personalities because, in their essence, parodies make fun of other
existing songs. I feel that many artists take their music way too seriously and
when outside artists can highlight this fact and create a catchy parody, I
enjoy the laughter that follows. Parodies use the melody and rhythm of
previously made “serious” songs and change the lyrics to push a different (and
often times humorous) message. This gives a much more light hearted tone to
songs that gives the audience a feeling of elation.
What makes parodies so successful to the general consumer is
the fact that they are creative in their own right. While parodies may simply
take the melodies and sounds of existing songs, a lot of parodies greatly alter
the lyrics of the song in order to tell a completely different story and
message. I feel that the value of the artistic qualities of parodies is similar
to that of artists that sample sounds. I would like to draw up this connection
because it merges my opinions that both songs that sample music and parodies
are real music and songs in their own right. The action of sampling previously
recorded instrumental sounds and merging them together in a unique and fresh
song should be considered a NEW piece of art because it took a level of
artistic skill and creativity to create. Similarly, I believe that parodying songs
is also an act of creative art-making because the parody artists are crafting
new lyrics to an existing tune.
I am amazed that parody artists are able to so accurately
match the rhyme scheme and timing of existing songs to the point that the music
is still easily recognizable yet the lyrics are drastically different. This is
fun because you can hum along and tap your foot to the catchy rhythms and
beats, yet you can laugh as the lyrics become even more outrageous and
humorous. One of my favorite parody artists is Weird Al Yankovic. He has
developed a great musical career for himself heavily based on parodying songs
and creating outrageously funny parodies. I am amazed at every one of his new
creations. Some of my favorites of his songs include “Eat It” to the tune of
Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and “White and Nerdy” to the tune of “Ridin’ Dirty”
by Chamillionaire. “White and Nerdy” is so funny because it is the complete
opposite of the original song’s intention. The great contrast of these songs,
accompanied by hilarious music videos, allows for a fun, entertaining, and
engaging listening experience. I feel that parodies in general also make the
reader WANT to listen intently on the lyrics because of their strong dependence
on lyrics to convey a different message to the song. Many people don’t highly
value lyrics in their everyday listening, but parodies re-emphasize the
importance of lyrics and a song’s message to the overall listening experience.
Check out the following songs. I posted the original songs
as well as the Weird Al’s parody versions. Enjoy:
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