The death of satirical songs
I've just been listening to the Monty Python Sings CD and have been blown away yet again by the sheer quality of the writing. Eric Idle is a genius. Listening to it also made me sad, because it seems to me that that that type of writing is a dying art ' no one crafts stupid/satirical/pointless songs anymore and I think we're all the poorer for it. It's a strong British tradition after all ' from Music Hall through Python to Spitting Image.
The humorous song is one of the most simple, direct and easy accessible methods of satire we've ever had, and now it doesn't seem to exist at all. Remember the outcry over men being crucified whilst singing "Always look on the bright side of life"? Or the discussion of Catholic dogma raised by "Every sperm is sacred"? The Tory government of the 80s was repeatedly savaged by Spitting Image songs, and the country felt all the better for it. It seems to me that the 21st century world ' especially Britain ' is full to the rafters with pompous, self serving and hypocritical "personalities' like Blair, Prescott, Bush et al who seem to just swan around impervious to it all, and there is a sore need for any tools we can grasp that would help bring them down a peg or two. The well written, pointed ditty is of the sharpest of those tools and it's a crying shame that it isn't used anymore. Apart from in South Park (thank God for Stone and Parker) the only place comedy writing is even vaguely used (though badly) is in adverts, and that is just a waste.
What I want to know is WHY it has died out? Is it just out of favour? Is it that there is no one capable of writing it anymore? Is there a view that it isn't needed? Or is it just that as a form it is just so looked down on that no one will even countenance the idea that it may be useful?
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