How to Write a Comedy Song
Who doesn’t love a funny song? Although they are not easy to write, the reaction of a targeted audience to a satirical composition is a joy for the writer. I have been writing funny songs for more than 20 years (see my musical, HOW RUDE), and although I’ve picked up many tricks along the way, I’m always learning a few more from other lyricists, performers, and comedians. If you are interested in the process, you have come to the right place! Whether you are writing show tunes, country western songs, rock ballads, or any other genre, the following tips apply to both beginners and professionals -- from Bo Burnham to you!
SONGWRITING COMEDY SONG: 5 THINGS EVERY SONGWRITER NEEDS TO KNOW
1. HAVE AN OPINION: Before you write a song, choose a subject that matters to you and make it funny! Do you find something irritating, interesting, ridiculous, or ironic? If you have an unexpected perspective on a common theme, start there. Having something specific to say is exactly where you should begin, especially if what you have to say is an opinion that is shared by other people. Audiences love to recognize their own thoughts and opinions, especially when they are being sung. Topical humor is a great place to start -- it is what stand-up comedy is all about! What is happening in the world right now is ripe for ridicule -- watch the news and start writing songs! Here is another great source for writing a comedy song!
2. FIND A HOOK: a hook is a reoccurring catchphrase that is repeated several times during your song. A good hook should do exactly what the name implies – it hooks onto the listener's ear. Don't be afraid of common catchphrases. When you write a song, you're looking for something that resonates with your listener. The hook will be heard again, so keep it simple!
3. ADD PUNCHLINES: The setup is important, but the punchline is where the laughs happen. Funny ideas are good, but writing comedy means that the audience should be laughing throughout the song. Over-the-top or even corny jokes are completely fine, and silliness is even better, but a good setup requires a great payoff. Use your verse to set it all in motion, and let it rip during the chorus. Don't play it safe! Audiences love being shocked! And don't forget -- even a melody can be funny! Click here for Adam Sandler's classic Chanukah Song.
4. PLAY WITH THE WORDS: You're writing comedy: use funny words, rhymes, puns, double meanings and wordplay for comedic effect. As every standup comedian at an open mic knows, words are funny. It has long been observed that certain words and images are inherently funny. It's no surprise that the word banana appears so frequently in the chorus of a comedy song. The word itself is just, well, funny. Add a funny chord underneath it, and you have comedy gold. Rhymes catch an audience's ear and add an overall sense of fun. Puns add a sense of cleverness to the lyric -- they are the "pie in the face" of comedy writing.
5. COMEDY IS ALL ABOUT TIMING, DELIVERY, AND THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE: Comic timing, the pacing or delivery of a joke, also applies to writing lyrics. The specific rhythm to which the lyrics are set adds a sense of momentum and fun. Musical rests can be employed to bring emphasis to the punchlines. Sometimes, a song should come to a complete stop, giving the audience time to laugh. Use each verse to add a few unexpected twists. Here is a fantastic article about comic timing.
BONUS: HOW TO WRITE A FUNNY ROCK SONG
Now, that’s funny!
Fans of rock will tell you that the genre is already filled with comedy songs. Rock's long history of political and social criticism makes the genre the ideal place to incorporate humor. Examples of satirical songs in rock are plentiful and a comedy writer can start by giving just about any simple idea a rock accompaniment. A hard drumbeat, and a tenacious rhythm set against the simplest idea adds idiosyncrasy and irony to just about anything you've written. Remember that comedy frequently deals in opposites -- so if you are writing about the love you feel for you cat, an acid rock beat is going to push that idea into the land of absurdity.
HOW TO WRITE A FUNNY PARODY
Randy Rainbow -- the current Queen of parody lyric writing!
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery -- it is also the funniest. A humorous parody makes fun of a subject by imitating, exaggerating and exposing its ultimate ridiculousness. Find a popular song and rewrite the lyrics to make fun of, well, just about anything. Parody writers love to rewrite the original lyrics of a song -- slightly changing the lyrics to make the audience howl. Sticking close to the source material, a great parody hilariously undercuts an artist's original material! Shows like Forbidden Broadway and The Book of Mormon are partly successful because the audience finds humor in the recognition of the stale tropes and ridiculous conventions that are a feature of musical theatre.
Weird Al Yankovic, one of my favorite parody writers, knows that staying close to the original lyric adds even more fun -- the song sounds so close to the original! Weird Al uses exaggeration to spoof both famous artists and their most famous songs. Click here for Weird Al Yankovic'
HOW TO WRITE COMEDY SONGS AND AVOID CLICHÉS
Avoiding overused, trite, and hackneyed ideas is certainly a challenge, but comedic writing is all about funny lines. Take any standard trite phrase and one cleverly changed word will make it funnier. "I woke up on the wrong side of bed" is trite, but "I woke up on the wrong side of Jennifer" is gold. "What goes around, comes around" is hackneyed, but "what goes around, comes around to my house asking for money" is hilarious. Take every banal idea and spin it into a punch line.
FINAL WORD: THE ART OF COMEDY
In conclusion, I'd like to encourage you to write. There is humour in everything -- all you need to do is get it on paper and set it to music. I always tell students that comedy purifies the soul and brings uplift and joy to the world. You don't have to be a comic genius to write a comic song.
