I decided a few weeks ago to leave comedy out of my lyrics - barring the odd (hopefully) funny line.
The "Ashley Madison" song I wrote a while back now kind of irritates me...I think I'll re-record it with some new lyrics...
Don't throw them away - they're brilliant comedy lyrics! I remember reading them before I heard your tune for them, and imagining a rather different tune. I agree that the tune probably doesn't match the spirit of the lyrics but that's not the fault of the lyrics. Would you object if I tried to write my own tune for them?
The only problem with that song, as with many comedy songs, is that it's a topical one and some of the references probably wouldn't mean much to many listeners any more. I'd actually forgotten all about Ashley Madison until I read your lyrics. But that's in the nature of a lot of comedy songwriting.
I'd always hoped to be able to weave some comedy into my songs, but for me...I can't really make it work.
I get the feeling that it detracts from the music, unless the music lends itself to comedy too.
It depends on what you're trying to achieve, I suppose. In most comedy songs the primary emphasis is on the words, and the music is a vehicle for delivering the humour in the right places. If your primary aim is to get your audience to enjoy the music then maybe comedy lyrics aren't the best thing. But I don't think the music in a good comedy song is in any way inferior to the music in other songs. I've still got the tune of "I Like Trucking" going round my head - it's pretty catchy!
Out and out comedy or novelty songs are fine, I think (I'm happy enough with "Control-Alt-Delete")
Yes, that was hysterical. If you can come up with more of the same I'll be delighted!
but a straight song with funny lyrics is something I'll be avoiding in future...
I don't quite know what you mean by "a straight song with funny lyrics". If a song has funny lyrics, then by my definition it's automatically a comedy song. I'd persevere if I were you, but I'm not of course...
