EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

ABOUT COMEDY SONGS:

WHAT IS A COMEDY SONG - AND WHAT IS IT NOT??

A “comedy song,” in the sense that it may be requested in an audition breakdown by casting, is used to demonstrate your timing, sense of humor, and sheer ability to make us laugh.

It’s not "kinda funny," or the sort of thing to which you’d text back “lol” … it’s really fucking funny, the kind of thing you’d ACTUALLY laugh out loud at.

Think of the reviews for the latest musical comedy hit of the season. They aren’t “My nephew kinda laughed a couple of times!” or “I smiled knowingly at the irony!” They are “Sorry, at the ER - still laughing!” and “I shit myself!”

DON'T MIX UP CHARM/CHARACTER SONGS FOR COMEDY SONGS

A lot of actors lower their bar for what a comedy song is, thinking of classic comic relief roles and using tunes that have humorous, witty, or clever lyrics and believing that will be enough. We’re thinking things like “If You Hadn’t But You Did, “Adelaide’s Lament,” or “Killer Instinct.”

Humorous lyrics are nice, but we’ve heard the jokes before (like, 100 times?). The jokes have gotten old and we have the lyrics memorized. These songs CAN be funny (more on that later), but they end up being only as funny as the actor makes them - and that can be a tall order.

SO, DO YOU NEED A COMEDY SONG?

Not necessarily.

I hosted a master class once with a multi-Tony Award-winning writer (who had themselves written many great comedy songs), and a student delivered a ho-hum performance of a sorta silly song, and said it was in their book because they thought they needed a comedy song.

The writer replied: “Do you consider yourself really funny?”

And they said, “Comedy isn’t really my thing.”

And the writer said that was all the reason needed for letting it go.

If you don’t feel you tap dance well, why would you buy tap shoes?

“WELL NOW I FEEL DISCOURAGED AND NERVOUS. FUCK.”

No, no! Don’t be. Read on!

"WHERE DO I FIND A COMEDY SONG THAT WORKS FOR ME?"

START WITH THE OBVIOUS PLACES…

Find the comedy songs from musicals that are lesser done that make YOU laugh. This will still depend on timing, but if the material is outrageously funny on its own, it could work for you.

Ex: “All About Ruprecht” (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), “Model Behavior” (Women on the Verge…), or “I Just Wanna Dance” (Jerry Springer the Opera)

Or, bring new life to a charm/character song through an exceptional take. Land the jokes in a way we haven’t heard them before ,full of creativity and fresh ideas.

Ex: Matt Doyle’s take on “Getting Married Today,” Ali Stroker on “I Cain’t Say No”

…AND THEN DIG DEEPER…

Check out musical TV shows! Musical TV shows have been the rage for a few years, but people don’t often mine them for audition material—yet you’ll often find terrific comic material there!

Ex: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Schmigadoon, Central Park, Girls5Eva

Explore comedians who are also singer-songwriters. Comics write funny songs, too!

Ex: Garfunkel and Oates, Bo Burnham, Rachel Bloom (Before Crazy Ex-Girlfriend).

Deep-dive singer-songwriters who are also comedians, and pop (etc.) songwriters don’t want to be left out….

Ex. “Dogs” (Magic Sugar Coffee), “When I’m at Therapy” (The Blue Dinosaur), or (and I can’t believe I’m writing this) “Smell Yo D***.” (Riskay, et al) (If you bring that one in please do not credit me.)

…REALLY DEEP.

Do a TV Theme Song! That mix of nostalgia, ridiculousness and the feeling that “this shouldn’t be an audition song” can actually make a perfect comedy audition song.

Ex: The Pokemon Theme Song, The Mary Tyler Moore Theme Song

Find stupid songs inserted into TV shows and movies. They’re just waiting for you!

Ex: Family Guy has dozens, “Stu’s Song” (The Hangover), “Muffin Top” (30 Rock), “A Little Bit Alexis” (Schitt’s Creek)

BUT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL COMEDY SONGS….

Aren’t necessarily born as comedy songs. They are funny because YOU make them funny with your incredible hilarity. Change the context of the original song!

It’s funny because YOU’RE singing it. I once saw a 7-foot-tall gay man sing Alanis Morisette’s “You Oughtta Know” like an unhinged stalker—and he booked the role without a callback. Or a gay boy singing “I Kissed a Girl” (though I’ve seen that take a lot…).

Re-interpret the song

You’re defying the original intention of the song to make it funny. Doing “Good Mornin’” (Singing in the Rain) with a hangover; “I Know Things Now” (Into the Woods) about getting pregnant; “I Got No Strings” (Pinocchio) but you keep falling down and sing half the song crumpled on the floor

FINALLY, DON’T FORGET:

If it doesn’t make you laugh, it probably won’t make us laugh. If you’ve heard the joke before, we might have, too.

Now get out there and get some funny, you silly bish!!!

-RSO