Parodies’ Paradise: 1981 “Urgent”

Foreigner’s song entered the U.S. pop charts and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, holding that spot for the entire month of September… hit #1 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart also for four weeks… the most successful single from the 4 album on album-oriented rock radio… the album has since been certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, for selling over six million copies in the U.S. alone… the song was Foreigner’s second-best-selling single… reached #1 in Canada… #20 in Sweden… in Australia #24…  in the UK #54.

A nod to Jesus’ mama with ApologetiX’s “Virgin.” Mmm hmm.

Parodies’ Paradise: 1981 “Under Pressure”

This Queen hit was written and recorded in collaboration with the singer David Bowie… reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band’s second number-one hit in their home country… only peaked at No. 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but would re-chart for one week at No. 45 in the US following Bowie’s death in January 2016… also number 31 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s… had been played live at every Queen concert from 1981 until the end of Queen’s touring career in 1986.

Bad Santa and the Angry Elves party on top of this angsty anthem with “Christmas Pressure.” Clap along to, yuno, relieve some.

Parodies’ Paradise: “Don’t Stop Believin'”

American rock band Journey originally released this as the second single from their seventh album… number 9 hit on the Billboard Hot 100… in the United Kingdom a Top 40 hit on its original release; however, it reached number 6 in 2009… the best-selling digital track from the 20th century with over 7 million copies sold in the United States. Oddly, the refrain only happens in the last 50 seconds of the song.

Something Awful Christmas unloads a compilation of donated oddnesses every year. 2009 heralded a fine parody: “Don’t Stop Believin’ (In Santa Claus).” Cue Michele Lea.

Parodies’ Paradise: 1980 “Another One Bites the Dust”

Queen made this a worldwide hit… charted number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks… their second number-one single in the country… fifteen weeks in the Billboard top ten (the longest running top ten song of 1980) and 31 weeks total on the chart (more than any other song in 1980)… reached number two on the Hot Soul Singles chart and the Disco Top 100 chart…  number seven on the UK Singles Chart… credited as Queen’s best-selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies… ranked at number 34 on Billboard’s All-Time Top Songs… won an American Music Award for Favorite Rock Single… garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Duncan G and Brian lean into the gee-tar with “One More Gift for Us.” Listen to it, gang. That’s parody!

Parodies’ Paradise: 1980 “Whip It”

Devo’s biggest hit peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart… #8 on US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play… #13 on US Cash Box… #17 on US Record World… No. 11 on the Canadian Singles chart… the key selling point of the DEV-O Live EP, which album reached number one in Australia’s singles charts… ranked number 62 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the ’80s… number 15 on the same channel’s 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the ’80s.

Duncan and Brian laugh it up with “Wrap It.” You know what’s coming, but can’t look away.

Parodies’ Paradise: 1979 “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”

British rock band Queen slipped into rockabilly on their 1980 album The Game… the single peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart in 1979… became the group’s first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in 1980, remaining there for four consecutive weeks.

Joel Kopischke tries to make a list prioritizing his Xmas activities in “Crazy Little Christmas Time.” TV, ebay, family–you know the drill.

Parodies’ Paradise: 1978 “Copacabana”

Also known as “Copacabana (At the Copa),” Barry Manilow’s familiar tune was released as the third and final single from his fifth studio album, Even Now… peaked at number 8 on the Billboard chart… peaked at number 22 in the United Kingdom in 1993 in a remixed version… is considered Manilow’s third-greatest hit… his first gold single for a song he recorded and released… the lyrics earned Manilow his first and only Grammy Award for Pop Male Vocalist in 1979.

Joel Kopischke plays it cool with “North Pole Cabana”–who gored who??

Parodies’ Paradise: 1977 “Hotel California”

The Eagles’ the most famous recording by the band has a famously long guitar coda… voted the best guitar solo of all time by readers of Guitarist in 1998… awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year… topped the Hot 100 singles chart for one week in May 1977… the band’s fourth song to reach No. 1 on that chart… peaked at number 10 on the Easy Listening chart… Billboard ranked it number 19 on its 1977 Pop Singles year-end chart… three months after its first release, the single was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),…  2009, the song was further certified Platinum (Digital Sales Award) by the RIAA for sales of one million digital downloads… has since sold over 3 million downloads.

“Hotel Can’t Afford Ya” by ApologetiX seems to be an excuse to hit that guitar solo. Fun.

Parodies’ Paradise: 1977 “We Will Rock You”

Queen’s album News of the World yielded this cliche at sports events around the world as a stadium anthem hitting #1 in France, #9 in the Netherlands, and eventually #36 in US Billboard‘s Hot Digital Songs… Rolling Stone ranked it number 330 of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004… it placed number 146 on the Songs of the Century list in 2001… 2009 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame…. it has been covered, remixed, sampled, parodied, referenced and used by multiple recording artists, TV shows, films and other media worldwide.

The Mistletones get slyly hilarious with their down in the lot sales number “We Will Flock You.” Now that’s a hot one.