Jon Boden on Song Parodies
writes:
I heard the best folk song parody ever at Sidmouth. Its author, , sang it but I can't remember what it's called and I don't know whether he's recorded it.
I was too busy convulsing in hysterics to memorise any of the words, but one line that sticks in my head was something along the lines of "she had a dark and a rolling eye. The other was pale and static."
You probably get the idea. Or do you?
If you are a folky than the answer is probably yes, but if you are new to folk song then parodies may seem like a foreign language.
I have to say I have always hated folk-song parodies, ever since I got up to sing 'The Larks They Sang Melodious' as a floor spot at a folk club only to have the audience sing 'The Sharks They Play Melodeons' as the chorus.
They all thought it was hilarious. I thought they were a) very rude and b) idiots.
The problem is that parodies can totally undermine that which they parody.
Many a politician has attributed their thwarted success to a particularly effective caricature, which effectively usurps the public image of the actual person.
Folk songs are no more immune and once undermined it can take a long time to rehabilitate them.
The other problem is that a parody is inherently cliquey.
People always laugh more at jokes if they are secretly a bit smug that they "got" them (I had a friend at university who went to see Shakespeare in Love several times, simply so he could laugh at random points and see how many other students would join in thinking that they'd missed a witty Shakespeare reference).
Any newcomer to a folk club who is confronted with a string of parodies (and once one parody is sung everyone wants to sing one) will likely have no idea what is so funny, and will not necessarily understand that the humour is based on great respect for that which they parody.
John K's song was brilliant because the humour went beyond the in-joke and parody, and was more like an Eddie Izzard-esque stream of consciousness, but in rhyme.
Also it was in a room full of hard-core folkies, all of whom would have got the folk song references.
Parodies have their place but, like stink bombs and other joke shop curios, should be used with caution and only in an appropriate context.
Comment number 1.
At 15th Sep 2009, FolkJojo wrote:Enjoyed the blog theme! As a primary school teacher, have heard and read countless alternative lyrics to songs over the years..some wittier than others! Yes, childish and foolish after a while. Others do make you smile though. Maybe steer clear of the Kipper Family...probably Jon is too young to have heard Since Time Immoral, but the Crab Wars was a "tribute" to Peter Bellamy, one of Jon's influences, I think.
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Comment number 2.
At 25th Oct 2009, Billy OS wrote:Anyone remember Rambling Sid?
I suppose he would raise the hackles of many a serious folkie, but he did make me laugh.
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Comment number 3.
At 13th Aug 2010, U14583353 wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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