Season 81 - Pastiches... or... In other Words...

Barbablanca

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Pastiche... or In other words...

Here's the video. Sorry about all the "Erms...";)



This week your challenge is to write lyrics to an existing melody (note for instrumentalists later). Ideally, this should be a “pastiche” – but I'm mainly interested in new words to an old melody and I'm especially interested in getting folks who have never dared to write lyrics to give it a go.

I cover what a pastiche should be on the video and give examples of them – hence the length of the video!

There are three prizes for three winners.
A book on Song-writing is the top prize! Then the 2nd Prize Winner gets to choose between Celtic Tunes for Uke or Robert Johnson for Uke and the 3rd prize winner gets the other one that the 2nd Prize Winner didn't want.

I’m asking for only one entry please and a maximum of two bonus songs (which should also be pastiches)

Instrumentalists can submit tunes that are original, but written firmly in the style of another composer / band.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: You can do an entirely original song if it is obviously a pastiche of a particular artist / style etc. See note on inspiration below.

Rules:
- Please state or indicate in your video that it is for the 81st Season.
- Multi-tracking welcome but the Ukulele should be a principal instrument
- Please mention the song that inspired you to write your version and if it isn't that famous please provide a link to the original.
- Please include the lyrics of your version either in your posting here or on your YouTube video in the description section.
- Please do not post your video before Sunday 1st September 12:01 AM Hawaii time.


For inspiration try listening to anything by veteran pastiche group “The Barron Knights”; or the works of Neil Innes (His “The Rutles” is a brilliant piss take of the Beatles and is a Classic Pastiche) or more recently to the amazing Mitch Benn – who, like Innes, does pastiches of both the melody and the lyrics of the artists whose style he borrows for his songs of social comment.

THIS IS THE PLAYLIST

THIS IS THE BONUS LIST

YOUR QUERIES ANSWERED:
1) - The Pastiche can be one you wrote some time ago, but the performance you submit should be especially for this season.
 
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I second that emotion, Alan. :)
 
1. Your video was extremely funny.
2. I am very excited, and think that this is a fantastic idea.
C. It has prompted me to write a song, and experiment with some limited multitracking.


Thank you very much for this season, I've already got one song recorded, and while I might wait until the AM when I am a little more sober, I think it's a keeper. Thanks for the inspiration!
 
So is this sort of what you had in mind berni? Here is Weird Al Yankovich doing Addicted to Spuds (set to the melody of Addicted to Love).
 


Keeping with the Paul Simon theme, this is one I did two years ago as an in-joke for my co-workers. The lyrics are jargon dealing with testing of water supplies.
 
I'm really looking forward to this one, great theme !!!:D
 
So, is this sort of what you had in mind berni? Here is Weird Al Yankovich doing Addicted to Spuds (set to the melody of Addicted to Love).

That's exactly what I mean in terms of a comic pastiche! There are so many great lines in that! "I went to Idaho, to watch them grow!" LOL
 
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Keeping with the Paul Simon theme, this is one I did two years ago as an in-joke for my co-workers. The lyrics are jargon dealing with testing of water supplies.

Great bonus to start us off with there Uke4ia!
 
I guess this is going to be my entry Bernie, I have something in mind (which became a bonus) but am waiting for inspiration ;).
This is called Take the words and is based on Yahweh by U2, lyrics/songsheet can be found in the youtube comment.
 
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My pastiche of 'I Need You' by The Beatles




I'm Hungry

You don’t realise I’m hungry
I could eat enough to feed an army

Please leave something in the fridge
You know how hard it is, I’m hungry

Said you had a thing or two to tell me,
How was I to know you would upset me?
I didn’t realise, as I looked in your eyes,
You told me…oh, yes, you told me.
They don’t keep my chicken any more
That’s when it hurt me, and feeling like this, I just can’t eat any more!

Please remember how I feel about you
I could never really eat without you

So come on back and see
The fridge is still empty
And I’m hungry…
 


I slide I slip
Stumble and trip
I whinge I cry
I moan I sigh
But you haven’t gone away
No matter what I do or say

I’m kind outside
But cruel inside
I talk the talk
But can’t do the walk
But you haven’t gone away
No matter what I do or say

I exploit and plunder
I rent asunder
Without a care
But you're still there

I swerve I turn
I slash and burn
Insult and slight
Battle and fight
But you haven’t gone away
No matter what I do or say

I complain
Come shine or rain
I always spend
But never lend
But you haven’t gone away
No matter what I do or say

I had the words working towards an original song so just changed them a little and found a song I liked to fit.
 
Dropped on the head as a child blues

Pastiche is that what it is called... well here is something I enjoyed doing sometime
ago Dropped on the head as a child blues It is not an entry or a non entry or a bonus.

How can I explain this... and does it really fit the remit of this season!?

I found a scrape of paper with barely decipherable words on it which came from
the inimitable Ms Poopylungstuffing I could not remember the melody since it was
so long ago that I transcribed it, but I was playing Louie Louie by the Kingsmen
and the words with a little adjustment slotted right in. So it is Louie Louie with different words.

 
Great start people - thanks! First comments below:

Wim You’ve set the bar high already. I didn't know the original and just listened to it after hearing your version; I like your lyrics better than the original!!!

I couldn't have hoped for a better opening song (***) because the theme of your song is exactly the theme of the week, the difficulty (or ease) of writing lyrics.

My only comment on the content of your excellent lyric is you might want to re-think this line:
“Don't use the wrist
Take this mouth”
I must confess, that I saw the double entendre potential here immediately ;)

How about substituting “Don’t use the wrist” for “They're all yours... yours...”?


(***) I know you jumped the gun a little, but if you end up wanting this to be your entry that'd be fine by me.

Shady Wilbury

Brilliant, Casey! I was laughing aloud, but at the same time there is a sadness about the narrator's hunger which hints that her overeating goes beyond a desire for food into the realms of existentialism. Her hunger is only symptomatic of a deeper desire she cannot fulfil. All the best comedy softens us up and hits us in the guts and your pastiche does that! Well done!


PaBrizzer

I love how you have turned the original inside out. Instead of promising to be there for his partner, the narrator is desperate to get rid of her... or him :)

My only comment on the lyrics is one you probably feel yourself: the last line of the chorus sounds a bit rushed. Now that could be a nod to Dylan (who is fond of fitting more syllables into lines than the tune can take) but for me it distracts here.

How about: “What can I do or say?”
 
As this did come out ok, it will be a bonus, the other one is going to be my entry please Bernie. This is called in a little while, and is inspired by my Daughter leaving the house to live on her "own" (there are lots of other girls living in that same house) in the city where her school is.
It is based on U2's in a little while. Songsheet is again in the comment on Youtube.
 
Rob, this would fit under the "In Other Words" section, it's borrowing the Louie, Louie riff, but not really spoofing that song.

It is a fine bonus, but as it is three years old it doesn't fit within the "made for this season" rule.

The visuals are great and I love how you combine the plank slapstick images with people making fools of themselves on other "planks".
 
Great start people - thanks! First comments below:

Wim
How about substituting “Don’t use the wrist” for “They're all yours... yours...”?

That is an excellent suggestion, I was struggling with that exact line, and ended up just going with don't use the wrist, since I could not come up with anything better, so thx for getting me a good alternative line.
 
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