Old
wisdom goes that parody is the lowest form of comedy. But for “Weird
Al” Yankovic, it sure has paid well.
Although Yankovic isn’t as popular as he once used to be, the mass
appeal of YouTube has birthed a whole new slew of parody songs.
Few are professional, but all do their best to be funny and poke fun at the original versions of the songs.
It’s not hard to dig up a song either. The easiest method is to type in a favorite artist or song and add the word “parody.”
Take James Blunt’s awesomely popular song “She’s Beautiful” from 2006, twist it a little and you get “She Was Beautiful,” a horrific tale of beer-goggle relationships.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0UT2MpdWnc
Another surprisingly well-done parody pops up from a teen who tackles Britney Spears’ “Womanizer.”
His concern isn’t about a two-timer, but all of us who indulge in a few
too many comics. It doesn’t have the flash of Britney’s video, but it
makes up for that in being clever about America’s geek culture.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZBwdAOc6DQ
Meanwhile, Barack Obama himself — or at least a person reminiscent of the new prez — tackles T.I.’s “Whatever You Like.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-yJBsjatW0
But
not to be outdone, another parody-maker pokes fun at the same song and
race relations in America, singing “I can do whatever — I’m white!”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L_c7OSqLAg
… Oh yeah, even the afformentioned “Weird Al” chimed in on this one, though the others are bit more amusing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRVi0paZlfI
And if — even now — you’re entirely sick of the idiocy that is Beyonce’s song “If I were a Boy,” take a look at the dozen or so parodies available. My favorite includes a mocking tribute to Beyonce’s high notes …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWhKdXcqYeU
But
you know parodies are serious business when an honest-to-goodness rock
band takes a stab at a few. Cobra Starship, a punk group best known for
its contribution to the “Snakes on a Plane” soundtrack, also hit the scene with “Hollaback Boy,” a dig at Gwen Stefani’s hit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-8bRdfyemM
And more recently, they trumped Katy Perry’s titillating “I Kissed A Girl” with their own same-gender-smooching song.
http://youtu.be/_SA7HHIWKAw
Now
sure all these parody-creators aren’t comic geniuses, but they do
remind us that we’ve gotta be careful not to take ourselves — and our
entertainment — too serious.
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