Definitions Of Covers And Parodies

Switching Styles is a blog about all the joys of cover and parody versions of songs. But what exactly are covers and what are parodies? And what’s the difference?

Let’s start with covers. A cover is a recording or performance of a song already recorded by another musician, according to Merriam-Webster.

Here's an example of what we're talking about. It's a fantastic cover of Shania Twain's "You're Still the One" by Teddy Swims. Honestly, his voice is breathtaking.

They are alternative versions of songs. These are songs that have been adapted to different contexts, with various tempos, instruments, arrangements, keys, and vocals. They can change everything, a combination of things, or just one thing. It’s like taking your grandma’s famous salmon casserole recipe and changing it a bit to get a slightly different recipe. It’s still your grandma’s casserole, but with your personal flair.

Parodies are the same kind of idea. According to the Meriam-Webster dictionary, a parody is a literary or musical work in which the original is closely imitated for comedy or satire.

Now for parody songs, we've gotta show you the parody king. If you know anything about cover songs, then you know the name “Weird Al" Yankovic. Here's an example of his work. This is “Party In The CIA" by Weird Al, a parody of "Party In The U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus.

The point of parody is usually seen as humour, but parody artists do go beyond that. There have been many songs parodied with a political or activist purpose, which is really interesting and relatively calm. Creating a parody is like using a Microsoft Word template. Everything you need is right there; you need to tweak it and add your own words. It’s still a word template, but with your own personal flair.

The main difference between parodies and covers is the lyrics. Parodies typically change the lyrics while keeping the style, while covers typically change the style while keeping the lyrics. However, this is a somewhat simplified explanation, as there are ranges within each genre. Despite their differences, both are extremely versatile at completely changing a song. It’s possible to have 100 different versions of a single song and none of them be the same.

It’s the main reason why covers and parodies are incredibly amazing.