Comedy songs, can they be taken seriously?

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tina m

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« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2016, 12:06:51 AM »
iv taken this down bcos its me ranting about not being taken seriously simply bcos im often misunderstood as doing comedy ....i dont want to upset people so i will rethink what i want to say
« Last Edit: April 28, 2016, 07:06:40 AM by tinam »
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hardtwistmusic

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« Reply #16 on: April 28, 2016, 02:59:57 AM »
Jimmy Buffet has a collection of songs that I consider "comic songs" and they work perfectly.  "Wasting Away Again In Margeuritaville" is a classic comedic look at a serious subject, and (imo) Buffet pulls it off perfectly.  OF course, what makes it work is that the music is sooooooooooooooo good. 

"Friends in Low Places" is very similar to "Margeuritaville."  Wonderful music surrounding a comedic look at a very serious subject. 

My thought is that for every "comedic song" that is done well, there are twenty done poorly.  If there has EVER been a worse (or less funny) song than "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" I haven't heard it. 

My suspicion is that most comedic songs are an attempt to gain musical attention by someone not talented enough to pull it off. 

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GuyBarry

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« Reply #17 on: April 28, 2016, 07:42:10 AM »
How did you manage to avoid hearing 'The Streak' by Ray Stevens?

Well I have done now and all I can say is I wish I hadn't!

Here's some Tom Lehrer as compensation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TytGOeiW0aE

« Last Edit: April 28, 2016, 07:54:03 AM by GuyBarry »

MartynRich

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« Reply #18 on: April 28, 2016, 09:39:07 AM »
Comedy songs only work if they're good songs, full-stop. If it is someone trying to tell a funny story but in a slightly musical way then it doesn't work for me. Take those New Zealand blokes whose name I can't remember. I don't consider them to be writing comedy songs as such, I think they're telling jokes accompanied by guitars. For me there's a difference.

adamfarr

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« Reply #19 on: April 28, 2016, 12:10:41 PM »
I think this best left to specialists and non-specialists need to resist temptation no matter how clever we think we are. Frog Chorus for example was a terrible aberration. Laughing Gnome too. Perhaps they're novelty not comedy but someone somewhere should have said "Wait a sec..."

Now, I am not averse to inserting a bit of wry humour ocasionally; but like a Martini needs to be very dry...

tina m

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« Reply #20 on: April 28, 2016, 02:25:02 PM »
do you think the B52s are a comedy band?
if i listen to them will i not be taken seriously?
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MartynRich

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Skub

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« Reply #22 on: April 28, 2016, 02:31:59 PM »
For me it only works with any degree of longevity,if humorous lyric is used in a song,but the whole song isn't necessarily comedy. Some Leonard Cohen song lyrics make me laugh/smile.

Getting away with being relentlessly miserable in the context of a song is much easier than 3 minutes of 'now you must laugh'. Plus you can never tell the same joke to the same people twice,or they'll need to harm you physically and with great authority.  :D

I know tinam doesn't wish to be regarded as comedy/novelty ( I read your post Tina,before the edit  :P) to be fair to her,she'd probably not like to be pigeonholed as anything at all,but I like how she uses her offbeat humour to provoke a reaction and still preserve the integrity of the song. Further listens don't blow the joke or devalue the piece.

Anyway,that's just me,thank god we're all different,it'd be a dull world otherwise.  8)

Skub

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« Reply #23 on: April 28, 2016, 02:35:55 PM »
The screaming Blue Messiahs make me laugh. Songs like 'I can speak American' and 'Jesus Chrysler Drives a Ford' are timeless,imo.

'Too much Love' best durty rock song ever!

delb0y

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« Reply #24 on: April 28, 2016, 02:46:22 PM »
Spinal Tap... Now there's some comedy material bearing repeated listening   ;D
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Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra

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« Reply #25 on: April 28, 2016, 02:51:14 PM »
The B-52's are quirky perhaps? Is it fun?

What about Madness? They were nutty like nobody else was.

My take on it now, which I might change my opinion on, is that if the music is good, you can get away with just about anything.
Take it easy.

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Skub

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« Reply #26 on: April 28, 2016, 02:53:30 PM »
Spinal Tap... Now there's some comedy material bearing repeated listening   ;D

Agree,but there was so much going on there other than funny songs,in fact the songs were the least of it.

The Darkness were an attempt at the spoof Spinal Tap thing,but I could never warm to them.

Paulski

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« Reply #27 on: April 28, 2016, 02:56:23 PM »
.. if the music is good, you can get away with just about anything.
If you have enough money behind you, you can get away with just about anything. :)

GuyBarry

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« Reply #28 on: April 28, 2016, 05:19:21 PM »
Now, I am not averse to inserting a bit of wry humour ocasionally; but like a Martini needs to be very dry...

Funny you should say that - this is the Ogden Nash poem that I recently set to music and performed.  Sadly I don't have a recording of it, but do you think it works as a comic song?

Viscount Cramer & His Orchestra

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« Reply #29 on: April 28, 2016, 05:31:29 PM »
Yes it would definitely work as a comic song. Just reading it you can imagine it being sung...and it has a good punchline at the end of each verse. Very well-built, like a good cocktail.
Take it easy.

You can check my stuff out here. Mini-album getting bigger slowly. Free download if you're poorer than me.

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