As I Was Saying . . .

. . . before the server shut down on Friday evening: the shape of many rock songs, taken from folk music, makes them less susceptible of parody than popular standards (at least, parody by me). A popular standard may have a verse, but it's not the crux of the song; it may be used to set up a gag, but it can be ignored, if it gets in the way.

The chorus of a popular standard is the meat of the song, and it's what everyone remembers, or used to remember, before the Baby Boomers formed the Great Resolve to Forget Everything That Happened Before We Were Born. Rock songs, however, often alternate verse with refrain, and then repeat the refrain ad nauseam. An excellent way to sell gramophone recordings, and that is the name of the game; but it's hell, as far as comedy is concerned.