when was the ironic pop cover invented?

al jolson?

ZING!

Noel Coward?

jazz dudes tearing it up on corny showtunes

al jolson?

ahhh touche

the jazz thing is more what I'm really curious about, the "lol pop" element rather than "lol woman" or "lol black"

My Favorite Things?

I'm sure there were more before that one though

first ironic pop cover by a rock band? any pre-british invasion?

It probably started when some legendary classical music composer got tipsy and started dabbling with some lower class dirge; was laughing himself silly before falling off his stool and giving himself a concussion.

"Mule Skinner Blues" by the Fendermen, circa 1960.

The modern era has it as "Baby one more time" by Travis.

The modern era has it as "Baby one more time" by Travis.

For modern indie but you had Lawnmower Death doing "Kids in America" and Snuff and their US equivalents years before that.

I've always loved the fact that the Byrds, led by drug fiend Gram Parsons, covered "I Like the Christian Life."

The modern era has it as "Baby one more time" by Travis.
Yeah, was it in the NME that they said this recently? I was apoplectic with rage when I saw it (hell, I was reading the NME, I was in a constant state of apoplexy).

Hello Stan Freberg

Let's not forget Steve Allen

In the more "indie goes lol pop" vein there's always Talking Heads doing 1910 Fruitgum Company

Replacements

A lot of tunes sang by Dean Martin have him showing this sort of ironic detachment from the material, but I think his attitude was more like "I don't give a fuck as long as it brings in the cash" rather than "lol pop".

that's called professionalism

you had Lawnmower Death doing "Kids in America" and Snuff and their US equivalents years before that

...and Sid Vicious doing 'My Way' and the Toy Dolls doing 'Nellie' and Splogenessabounds doing 'Two Little Boys' before that...

And Fountains of Wayne were covering Baby One More Time before Travis anyway.

Replacements

Doing Kiss, right?

jazz dudes tearing it up on corny showtunes

-- Jordan, Thursday, October 18, 2007 10:18 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

I always took that as more a private joke among the musicians than a joke with the audience. But maybe I'm underestimating the audience of the time.

fuk, now I have this great Coltrane burner stuck in my head and I can't remember what corny showtune he's playing. I think he trades with Cannonball on it.

Doing the DiFranco Family too, jaymc.

Is the jazz dude/showtune thing actually ironic? I thought it was just a manifestation of the insatiable hunger for new changes to play over.

My Favorite Things?

I don't think Coltrane did this for the lulz. I think he thought the song had a lovely melody.

(IOW James Redd OTM - showtunes are written by dudes who know their changes, if you have chops that shit is a blast to play)

I've always loved the fact that the Byrds, led by drug fiend Gram Parsons, covered "I Like the Christian Life."

-- Jazzbo, Friday, October 19, 2007 12:36 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Link

yeah ^^^ this totally isnt ironic either!

the earliest example on this thread i sort of agree with is SV's "my way."

people were less ironic about song choices when sub/microgenre wasnt so cemented!

Yeah I don't know. And maybe on some level some jazz musicians thought that if they did songs from Disney movies and stuff that it would get crowds to follow them through the land of melting your brain.

That and sometimes they are sort of pretty melodies to start with.

I think that ususally when an artist covers a song by somebody who's from a different style/point of reference/audience-demographic, irony is a element that's at best part of the whole picture - I don't deny that there are covers done by bands that're just "song sucks but we're good, we'll make the song good with our awesomeness" but I think those are the exception and that most "ironic" covers are more reverent than people might think

john d. otm, even sid's "my way" is kinda enthralled with spirit of sinatra's original - there's an element of irony there for sure, but it's hardly the only thing going on

Bryan Ferry needs to post here.

Elvis' "Hound Dog" to thread!

and i don't think the replacements doing the difranco family etc. was more of a fuck you to hardcore tough-guy orthodoxy than a fuck-you to pop

Was the Beach Boys version of Barbara Ann a pisstake, or am I just mixing it up with the Who version?

i know i've heard recordings where dizzie gillespie drops in either scooby doo or batman or something. bop wasn't all brain-melting in attitude, there was a huge playful streak

charles ives fits in here somewhere too, but that's a bit hermetic i guess

yes yes you are all right - sid's "my way" is def like look at me im decadent, but it IS seemingly a reinterpretation viz the singer's intent?

The liner notes to my copy of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik basically say Mozart was goofing on popular songs of the day.

EKN is probably the greatest pop tune of all time. think of the uncounted billions of people, living and dead, who have that that fucker stuck in their heads. it's really staggering.

xpost re "my way"

i'd say adding a line about killing a cat would count as a "reinterpretation viz the singer's intent"

Of course those showtunes have great changes and melodies, but while I'm not saying their use in jazz/bebop was all irony, I think that was definitely a part of it ("playful" is a good word).

There's this Bad Plus essay on standards and irony that's relevant: http://thebadplus.typepad.com/dothemath/2007/09/just-the-facts.html

Irony -- and its allies: surrealism, sardonicism, and dementia -- do occasionally play roles in our music, just as it does in the work of many artists we admire. Consider some famous performances of jazz standards: What is more ironic than Thelonious Monk's "Just a Gigolo?" What is more surreal than Duke Ellington's trio version of "Summertime?" What is more sardonic than Charlie Parker's quote of "Country Gardens" at the end of many ballads? And what is more demented than Django Bates' "New York, New York?"

Homer & Jethro doing "I Want to Hold Your Hand"--btw, the single greatest Beatles cover ever committed to record.

edd hurt once again OTM!

At least in that they really were able to replicate that weird Beatles beat in a way that nobody else ever did, although the Rutles somehow came up with a variant.

not a cover but whatabout "You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)"?

I don't think Coltrane did this for the lulz. I think he thought the song had a lovely melody.

This doesn't preclude the possibility that he did it for the lols. Although I don't believe he did, either.

for real, though--and I do think Homer & Jethro are underrated, way underrated, and I recently heard them doing the Beatles and like to fell of my chair, it was so good, so musicial and yet so droll and avenging-hick--this stuff started, really, with the British Invasion. The Stones and the Beatles and the Who and the Kinks. Ironic covers. Otis Redding doing "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is just reductive, although in a really refined way. Otis couldn't beat the Stones and chose to be "ironic" with those curly horn parts, but it ain't as good as the Stones and I think Otis was smart enough to know it.

The reason Travis did "Baby One More Time" was because they thought it was a great song that needed a "proper" arrangement. So there isn't a lot of irony really.

Speaking of The Beatles, other than "Besame Mucho" (which wasn't released until way later), I guess their most ironic cover must have been "Baby It's You". Those "La La La"'s sound quote tongue-in-cheek.

Oh, yeah right, Geir.

Bad Plus blog hilariously OTM. Gordon MacRae to thread.

I don't think every standard ever played by a jazz musician was played with irony by any means - a lot of those musicians had deep respect and appreciation for a lot of those songs. But when you hear someone with slammin' chops doing "Get Happy" you have to wonder if he isn't chuckling to himself a bit.

This video is maybe the most dismal pop cover ever, it's this guy who has somehow achieved ultimate college guy stereotypy and references all these pop songs in one awful acoustic mess. I guess it's ironic, um, to people here? Actually it's not, it's just awful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E64gMmwrs6g

empouse (4 hours ago) Show Hide Marked as spam
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Hah! I <3 this song so much! Great job. There's nothing more to say. You're amazing.
ltdf50esp (6 days ago) Show Hide Marked as spam
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this is so wonderful, this is the best you have written!!
ltdf50esp (6 days ago) Show Hide Marked as spam
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this is so wonderful, this is the best you have written!!
justlikeflying (2 weeks ago) Show Hide Marked as spam
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I don't comment that much but this is awesome. The lyrics are fantastic and the tune is pretty good too.

Great work, man.
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hahaha, this is so funny!! can you sent me the lyrics?
I would love to sing it myself, (not that I can sing or something, but just under the shower, you know ;))
please!! :D
greets!!
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thats so fucking postmodern man
TweetyMad (3 weeks ago) Show Hide Marked as spam
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Haha, you can take any crazy idea and make a real good song!
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good i love this sog
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I love this song. I always go around and sings it to my self. You have a great voice. Good job.. hi hi ..
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wow this is really good, i could never be able to do anything close to this! and not to mention your such a good singer!!

It would have never occurred to me that jazz guys playing TPA standards were being ironic!

this stuff started, really, with the British Invasion. The Stones and the Beatles and the Who and the Kinks. Ironic covers. Otis Redding doing "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is just reductive, although in a really refined way. Otis couldn't beat the Stones and chose to be "ironic" with those curly horn parts, but it ain't as good as the Stones and I think Otis was smart enough to know it.

-- whisperineddhurt, Friday, 19 October 2007 21:58 (Yesterday) Link

Facts you may already know: Keith wanted the riff in Satisfaction to be played by horns. When he heard the Otis version he claimed that Otis "got it right."

When I first heard Otis Redding, the Rolling Stones made so much more sense to me.

I've always loved the fact that the Byrds, led by drug fiend Gram Parsons, covered "I Like the Christian Life."

-- Jazzbo, Friday, October 19, 2007 12:36 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Link

yeah ^^^ this totally isnt ironic either!

I think this was probably part ironic. Not coming from Gram, who I'm sure was sincere in his reverence for both country roots and Christianity, even as he set out to put both in a new context. But I'd be surprised if there was no ironic intent from the rest of the band; the liner notes to Turn! Turn! Turn! make sure to point out that there's some "humor" in the way they play "Oh! Susanna" and that they'd done the same for "We'll Meet Again" on the first record, so they were used to coming to standards through an ironic filter.

You people are confusing irony with sarcasm.

I read the thread title as "WHAT was the MOST ironic pop cover invented?" And now I wanna know... :(