Same catchy pop song, better lyrics

August 1, 2015 9:16 AM

Someone took a chatchy pop song and turned the lyrics into something way better. Not in a weird al way, more like this and this. Can you share more examples?
posted by divina_y_humilde to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

When you say "way better", do you specifically mean the political angle in the second song, or just generally better or more interesting? Do you include people who re-make the song in a totally different style (cause if so, I point you to Busy Signal's Well Prepared, which is what Royals wants to be when it grows up).
posted by Itaxpica at 9:37 AM on August 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Sorry, I don't mean to thread sit, but maybe I was too vague. I love Weird Al, but that's not what I'm looking for here.

Yeah, I mean a political/feminist/spiritual/eco-friendly/human rights/whatever angle. The idea behind this is to prove that you can create a catchy song with lyrics that actually say something important (unlike the original songs from the examples I linked). I know there are songs that fit that criteria from the get go, but I wanted examples of dumb pop songs that where turned into something better and are not just "funny" songs.
posted by divina_y_humilde at 9:51 AM on August 1, 2015

The late Bobby "Boris" Pickett rewrote his own classic "The Monster Mash" in 2005, in an attempt to raise awareness of global climate change: "The Climate Mash"

(NB: I love "The Monster Mash," and I agree with the political statement, but this is pretty cringeworthy.)

And Chumbawamba rewrote/expanded the Beatles' minisong "Her Majesty" into a snarky attack on the monarchy.
posted by Faint of Butt at 10:45 AM on August 1, 2015

The Chloe Campos rewrite of All About that Bass, sans skinny-shaming.
posted by Shmuel510 at 4:47 PM on August 1, 2015

FWIW Anaconda was already plenty political.
posted by 256 at 6:15 PM on August 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

The song is part of a sketch, but maybe Typecast ("Royals" parody).
posted by bibliowench at 11:25 PM on August 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Salt N Pepa released two versions of their song, "Let's Talk About Sex": the original and the AIDS specific remix.
posted by Fuego at 7:31 PM on August 2, 2015

Natty Valencia also did an "All About That Bass" rewrite called Not About Your Waist.
posted by neushoorn at 1:04 AM on August 3, 2015 [1 favorite]

Adding to the "All About that Bass" covers - I'm a fan of "Bitch in Business".
posted by thelastpolarbear at 6:54 AM on August 4, 2015 [1 favorite]