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Subject: PARODY RIGHTS
Are there any legal rights needed to parody a song?
Subject: Re: PARODY RIGHTS
> Are there any legal rights needed to parody a song?
Yes, if you plan to record it to sell. Witness the recent trouble with "Weird" Al Yankovic and Coolio. Weird Al had asked (through the record company) to use the music of "Gangster's Paradise" Coolio said no, but apparently the record company told Weird Al otherwise. He went ahead and recorded "Amish Paradise" to Coolio's music and it wasn't until Coolio was accepting an award on national tv that Al found out the truth. Only a quick letter of apology and the royalty check saved Weird Al from a lawsuit.
On the other hand, my brother and his friends go to science fiction conventions and participate in "filksinging" which is parody songs about shows, books, ect. to the tunes of popular or well known songs. They are never recorded without permission of both the songwriter, and the owner of the book or tv show.
Try contacting the song's publisher for permission, or info on who currently owns the rights to a song. Sometimes there is a fee, always you must pay royalties. Good luck and have fun!