Primary things a parodist needs to keep in mind

You should be happy about what you have parodied.

Here I list what I consider to be the most important things I have realized when it comes to parodying.

1. Not every song is fit for a parody about any subject.

This is in my mind perhaps the most important thing of them all. One parody of mine, When I Sail Around, even dropped in You can’t go forcing something if it does not rhyme.

Point is, while it is technically possible to write any story to the tune of any song, the end product of parodying is far superior if you choose the correct song. You want to fit the general sounds of the words and the amount of lyrics you have to work with, at least. Also, if you can leave significant words unchanged, you may be on to something.

All in all, some songs can have all kinds of things done with them, some are about more specific things and are therefore more constrained, and some I would not recommend parodying period. My other advice pages, as well as my assessments of songs I have done found on their own pages, will help you learn which of these groups a song falls into.

2. Parodies do not change the lyrics for the sake of it.

Parodies, by definition, are supposed to be funny. I can do other things in my parodying as well, such as make the song more pleasant, but everything you do to a song has to have a point. If there is no comparison to the original other than that the tune is the same, why not just write your songs to your own tunes? Do you lack the creativity to do so? If so, I suggest you find yourself a different occupation. I know you might have really wanted to be musical, and that I am being a bit harsh, but if all you can do is be derivative of existing recordings, you will have to face your difficulties accordingly.

3. Know who your audience might be.

Knowing who your audience is at the moment is one thing. If there are any individuals you know for sure will be reading your parodying, they are naturally the first people you will take into account. However, if they are the only audience members you consider having, and you consequently pander to them, then they are the only audience you ever will have, and why would you want to close yourself off like that?

4. Have fun.

Anytime you create something, you should at least please yourself. If it is supposed to be funny, you have to think it is funny. Not everyone will agree with you, but if it does not do it for you, what is to say it will anyone else?

Looking back at my parodying, I remember the good times. The times of working at my own pace, of doing everything because I wanted to, of having fun singing the parody lyrics over the song. I hope every parodist can be rememberers like this too.

5. Writing a good parody is its own reward.

At the time I started parodying, I was writing a comic on a daily basis, and used the parodying to support it, using songs as inspiration for things I could fill individual strips with. This was fine at first, but after a while, it was unsatisfactory to only parody as part of a grander design. There is something to be said for writing a parody for the sake of it, and it certainly turned out my other works should conform to the parodies, not the other way around.

The advantages to parodying for its own sake are that the only thing that limits you then is yourself, and makes sure you understand the true value of the work. Sure, it is great if a parody can be part of something bigger, but all it truly needs to be is amusing. Do not regard a parody that does not help keep something else going (in this case my strip) to be useless like my early characters would have.