My A to Z Challenge Theme this year is the ABC's of me. Each day in the month of April with the exception of Sundays I will be posting about one aspect of my life that begins with the letter of the day. Today's letter is A so let's get right to it shall we?
A is for Amateur Parodist
I love parodies and I came by it honestly. My family listened to a lot of Allan Sherman records when we were growing up. Allan's most famous song A Letter From Camp (Hello Madda Hello Fadda) but I grew up hearing so many more of them. Here is one I just discovered today to the tune of Moon River it's called Chopped Liver.
They produces such classic lines as
Good old Wenceslaus looked out from his Window Sill (Ledge)
Then he looked all about and saw Elk Grove Village
The parodies would tell the story of my parents year and what happened to all of us during the course of it. These parodies went on for at least 40 years and began including grandkids and Christmas songs that no one ever hear of.
My sister Kathy was the first of two girls born to my parents over the course pf 11 years. I was the first of 3 boys born to my parents over the course of 6 years. The boys of course came in between the girls setting up this parody of Hark The Hearald Angels Sing in 1974.
Then we were not six but seven
January 27th
On that day in early morn
Bonnie Eileen at last was born
She is Kathy's pride and joy
Specially because she's not a boy.
These influences and being exposed to Weird Al Yankovic singing gems like He's still Billy Joel to me on Dr, Demento put me on the prestigious path to parody. (Not the annoying, alley of alliteration. That's all me.)
The first parody I remember writing down was a parody to the Steve Miller Band 1982 song Abra Cadabra about a guy who worked at a morgue called average cadaver . I kept the lyrics for awhile but soon lost them. A few years later I saw Svengoolie singing a parody of Abra Cadabra also about a cadaver, That's the problem with parodies, if you can put new lyrics on somebody else's song you can't complain when someone else does. While looking for the Svengoolie parody on you tube I found an obligatory co-vid parody of Abracadbra that has to do with pasta rather than cadavers.
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Over the years I have had occasion to write multiple parodies. Some I've written for people moving away. Some just for fun. The 3 that follow all were written for ir previously published in this blog.
When I returned to the A to Z challenge in 2019 my first theme was the music of the Sherman Brothers. Their music has a special place in my heart. It's no surprise that I've tweaked their lyrics from time to time. Like when I wrote this paean to t-shirts.
The most wonderful thing about t-shirts
Is t-shirts are quite fun to wear
They're great to roll up your sleeves in
They help you let down your hair
They're cool, they're stylish, some think they're childish and while I will not bicker
the most wonderful thing about t-shirts is they're frontwards bumper stickers!
There are a few go-to songs that I like to parody. Hakuna Matata from Lion King and Desperado by the Eagles top that list. If the syllables of your name scan with Hakuna Matata there is a reasonable
I just made one up now:
Olympia Dukakis
What a wonderful dame
Olympia Dukakis
Has a star on the Walk of Fame
She was all the rage
From her great work on stage
Olympia Dukakis
For scanning purposes O-limp-eee-ah is shortened to O-limp-ya
2 years ago in the A to Z challenge when I spent a Month at the Movies, I wrote about my my favorite western in S is for Silverado
While posting it on my FB page I did a quick Desperado parody:
Silverado, you are in my top eleven.
You star two great Kevin’s
Plus one Glenn, and one Glover
You’re a western
But so much more than your genre
Which is why I’m so fond a
This joy I’ve discovered.
In 2011 when celebrating my 500th post on this blog. I wrote a parody to the tune of the Proclaimers I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles).
I Just Blogged (500 Times)
When I wake up, yeah, you know I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog about playin' puppy on the floor.
When I go out, well you know I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog about a field trip to the store.
If it's Christmas, yes you know I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog about how much we like to bowl.
And if it's Easter, yes you know I'm gonna blog.
That it's not a little rabbit that makes us whole.
I just blogged 500 times
And I might blog 500 more
To blog and ask what you guys do
With children screaming on your floor.
When I'm teaching, yes you know I'm gonna blog
About something good that Bunny or Spider did.
And when puppysims come
I'm gonna post 'em here. She's really quite a kid.
When we travel. yeah, you know I'm gonna blog
Whether close to home or Washington D.C.
And when we get back you know
I'm gonna blog
with words, pics and videos for all to see.
I just blogged 500 times
And I might post 500 more
Just to be the guy whose 1000 posts
Will make you laugh but never snore.
When I'm fed up, yeah you know
I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog 'bout how my family drives me mad
But when I think straight yeah you know I'm gonna blog
I'm gonna blog about the super times we've had.
I just blogged 500 times
And I might tweet 500 more
Just to be the guy whose posts and tweets
reveal the passion at his core.
That about does it for my adventures as an amateur parodist.
I just have one more thing to add. Allan Sherman and Al Yankovic were both at one point my favorite parodists and I was a distant third. My daughter Lucy FKA Puppy FKA Wolfina has not only surpassed me as a parodist but I believe she could surpass Sherman and Yankovic in a tussle for the the top spot. My favorite of hers is when she does the preamble to the constitution to the tune of Momma Mia.
We do a lot of collaborating and were having fun last week when she was home on Spring Break just making parodies of songs based on my maintenance medications. They were just a line here, a line there like singing Triamtene to hail to the Chief.
When we were done, I kept on reimagining one until I was telling the story of a man who was singing the praises of his blood pressure medicine but kept on obsessing instead about the Trump Presidency.
Ladies and gentlemen I present to you
Amlodipine
sung to the tune of Yesterday
Amlodipine, My BP's as low as it's ever been
Trump's not nice, He's kind of mean
Oh I digress Amlodipine
My BP fluctuates by White House residency
And Now a new Trump Presidency
Amlodipine I'm needing thee
Why'd he run again
That is not what felons do
Then he won again
I cannot believe it's true ooh ooh ooh
Amlodipine
There's more pressure than I've ever seen
So until he gets impeached again
I will need Amlodipine
Amlodipine
I don't want to start a scene
I'm as blue as Elon's cars are green
I'm going to need amlodipine
Can't even read a MAGAzine
I will need amlodipine.
To get back tot he A to Z challenge click here.
Comping Up: B is for Blogger
7 comments:
You're off to great start! One of the novelty songs I have queued up is by Weird Al.
Oh yes, I remember the Alan Sherman ones. Good post. I like Amlodipine.
I love weird al too.
What a fantastic collection of parodies! It's nice to see how your love for the art form has evolved over the years.
-- https://bpradeepnair.blogspot.com/
You have inspired me. My husband has tablets for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood thinners....I'm sure it would make a great parody. Now to find the song.
This post was really fun. I hadn't heard that Al Yankovich before, and I really enjoyed your blog parody and your blood pressure medicine parody. Thanks for the smiles.
Yankovich never recorded it on any of his albums. He has said in interviews that he has mixed feelings about going after Joel like that. He has since then had at least two other parodies that made fun of the song, but not necessarily the artist. Those were the Achy Breaky Song and This song is 6 words long. He ended up doing another Billy Joel parody song Ode To A Superhero which is a synopsis of the first Spiderman movie to the tune of Piano Man.
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