Parodies Song Swap (2022 program)

Bev Praver
Music 4 / 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm

A parody is a song that is based on another song. The best parodies use tunes from songs that are well known, at least to the audience at hand, and new words that are closely related to the original song in some easily observed way. They may reuse many of the words from the original song , include a pun on one or more key words of the original song or use new words that sound similar to the words of the original song. Merely reusing a tune and creating new lyrics does not constitute a good parody unless the new lyrics relate to the original song. Examples of good parodies include anything by Stan Freberg, Weird Al Yankovic or the Capitol Steps.

Bev encourages you to bring a parody that you know and, even better, one that you wrote. She will go around the (virtual breakout) room, giving everyone who wants to an opportunity to participate.

Bev and her late husband Jerry started playing folk music in 1962, and for 25 years, starting in 1981, they performed in school assembly and classroom programs throughout California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Several parodies that they wrote appeared in Sing Out! magazine and one of them was recorded by Pete Seeger.