Is eat it a parody or satire?

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bryce87
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Is eat it a parody or satire?

Post by bryce87 »

I ask because the definition of satire is making fun of something but using a different topic. To me eat it would be satire cause Als lyrics isn't making fun of Michael Jackson.
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Re: Is eat it a parody or satire?

Post by Orthography Enthusiast »

I don't know where you got that definition of satire; it isn't the normal one. And in any case, the lyrics may not be making fun of Michael Jackson, but the video certainly is-- it's making fun of the gangster persona, which in Michael Jackson's case was completely fake. Then Al made it faker by adding rubber chickens, etc.
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Re: Is eat it a parody or satire?

Post by anthontherun »

Wouldn't it be the exact opposite? Songs like "Achy Breaky Song" and "It's Still Billy Joel to Me" fit the satire bill because they use the original melody to mock the original song or artist, but "Eat It" doesn't really provide any comment on the merits of "Beat It" or Michael Jackson. But, as OE said, the video is definitely a satire.
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Re: Is eat it a parody or satire?

Post by Killingsworth »

Personally, I find Anth's definition of "satire" to be more accurate.

While "Eat It" may appear to be a mere parody on the surface, there could be some satiric elements hiding in there as Helen pointed out. I think the same could be said for all of Al's songs, original or parody (or satire or lyrical adaptation or what have you...whatever you prefer to call them).
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Re: Is eat it a parody or satire?

Post by TMBJon »

I view the lyrics of "Eat It" as satirical for the same reasons Helen points out regarding the video. Just as MJ is lecturing inner city youth to stay away from the gangbanger lifestyle, the narrator character of Eat It is lecturing kids to finish their meal. The reason the song works and became such a big hit is largely due to the way Al is mocking MJ's "holier than thou" tone in Beat It.
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bryce87
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Re: Is eat it a parody or satire?

Post by bryce87 »

The main reason I was asking was because I get permission to make parody's etc Like Al does just cause I'm starting out and don't have a lawyer or anything so if I got sued I'd be in trouble financially. Anyway this one publisher told me what I was doing was a satire so I had to label it as satire not parody but I was taking a song and changing the subject matter completely and it was just audio and they told me that because the song wasn't making fun of the original song it was a satire so that's why I asked if eat it was a satire or parody because Al's eat it isn't making fun of the original song if you hear the audio only. Like it would make fun of it if Al were talking about Michael Jackson eats stuff but he didn't. That's what these music people tell me anyway.
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Re: Is eat it a parody or satire?

Post by Killingsworth »

bryce87 wrote:The main reason I was asking was because I get permission to make parody's etc Like Al does just cause I'm starting out and don't have a lawyer or anything so if I got sued I'd be in trouble financially.
People have tried to sue parodists in the pasts and those lawsuits always get thrown out due to lack of merit. If someone tried to sue you, I think there's a good chance you would win. You may not even need a lawyer, after all!
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bryce87
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Re: Is eat it a parody or satire?

Post by bryce87 »

yes but I researched with a local lawyer and they told me that I would still need to hire lawyers anyway and YouTube has a policy with the music publishers that derivative works which means altering lyrics need to be approved. Lots of YouTubers have to sign up with networks so they don't get sued and I don't feel like paying hundreds of dollars signing contracts just to make my stuff on YouTube. The definition of Satire is clear. "Anything that derives from a topic that is altered into another topic is a satire and is not fair use" that's a quote from an entertainment Lawyer I talked too. This entertainment lawyer has clients that are in the music industry such as justin bieber etc. I have looked into this way too much haha.
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Re: Is eat it a parody or satire?

Post by Way_Moby »

bryce87 wrote:yes but I researched with a local lawyer and they told me that I would still need to hire lawyers anyway and YouTube has a policy with the music publishers that derivative works which means altering lyrics need to be approved. Lots of YouTubers have to sign up with networks so they don't get sued and I don't feel like paying hundreds of dollars signing contracts just to make my stuff on YouTube. The definition of Satire is clear. "Anything that derives from a topic that is altered into another topic is a satire and is not fair use" that's a quote from an entertainment Lawyer I talked too. This entertainment lawyer has clients that are in the music industry such as justin bieber etc. I have looked into this way too much haha.
I've gone down this road many times, so I'll help you out! :)

A satire, according to copyright law, is something that pokes fun at something else but usually by doing it indirectly. For instance, "Eat It" would probably be considered a satire, since the lyrics are not specifically mocking or commenting upon Michael Jackson's song (the video, however, is more of a parody, since it is commenting upon the "gang war" conceit of the original).

A parody, according to copyright law, is directly making a statement about hte original work. "Smells Like Nirvana" and "Achy Breaky Heart" are true, blue parodies because they are mocking (however light-heartedly) the original composition.

It's some tricky business. While it's true that no big parody act has ever been successfully sued by a major label/artist, that doesn't meant the probability isn't out there. If you are worried, contact a lawyer. Worst comes to worst, though, just pay the statutory royalty rate (9.1 cents per song sold) and you should be golden.
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