Top 20 Parody Songs LOVED by the Original Artist
#20: “Down with the Sickness” (2002)
Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine
Many people were introduced to Lounge Against the Machine by the end of the world. Zack Snyder fought to have a jazz rendition of Disturbed’s “Down with the Sickness” played during a montage in 2004’s “Dawn of the Dead.” He compromised with the studio by playing the nu-metal banger over the film’s closing credits. Against their expectations, the earlier needle drop became just as iconic. In 2010, Disturbed frontman David Draiman gushed to Metal Injection about loving that version before it was cool. He was also eager to promote the whole act of treating even the most disturbing songs like jazz standards. With Draiman and Snyder’s endorsement, a huge cult following now gets down with Richard Cheese.
#19: “All Too Well” (2024)
Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt
Can you believe that two serious actors made a joke out of one of Taylor Swift’s most serious songs? It would be natural for “Saturday Night Live,” but it was a surprise when Emily Blunt hijacked Ryan Gosling’s musical monologue in 2024. They both ended up hijacking their promotion of “The Fall Guy” by reflecting on “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” in the style of “All Too Well.” The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon blew up once again. And Swift fanned the flames by posting on Instagram that she’ll now have trouble singing her own lyrics to “All Too Well.” Gosling and Blunt may still pine for that “Barbenheimer” glory, but Miss Americana made this moment legendary.
#18: “Thank U, Jeff” (2018)
James Corden
For all the controversy about his character, James Corden always lit up the night on “The Late Late Show.” Having Jeff Goldblum as a guest was so special that the episode opened with a music video parody of Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next.” Corden’s ode to the beloved actor was so unhinged yet relatable that Grande also had to express her gratitude. She took to Twitter to ask for the scrapbook featured in “Thank U, Jeff,” at least “for a friend.” Grande got the greater gift of starring alongside Goldblum in the “Wicked” films several years later. Do you think she still had “Thank U, Jeff” stuck in her head by then?
#17: “Tik Tok” (2009)
The Midnight Beast
Kesha’s chart-topping party anthem “Tik Tok” inspired a treasure trove of online spoofs and trends. It was on this wave that YouTube comedy group The Midnight Beast captured everyone’s attention with their hilariously irreverent take on the hit. They were nothing short of beastly in the way they flipped Kesha’s chaotic glamorization of excessive partying. The original artist was not only cool with this. She shared it on Twitter with the caption, “this is better than my version.” This helped launch The Midnight Beast to stardom and a bigger budget for a 10th anniversary revamp of their “Tik Tok” video. Hopefully Kesha had another laugh about her wilder days as a cultural phenomenon.
#16: “Share It Maybe” (2012)
Sesame Street
Kids everywhere were singing Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” by 2012. It was then that “Sesame Street” shared it with little kids through a Cookie Monster music video. “Share It Maybe” sees him asking for his favorite treat at an office party, only to inevitably go on a cookie rampage. It’s not the best lesson on charity. But Jepsen was charitable enough to share the spoof during an interview on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” She also included it in her playlist of summer jams that year. With all the parodies of her songs at the time, it meant a lot for her to call out “Share It Maybe” as one of her favorites.
#15: “Stu” (2020)
Pete Davidson
It’s hard to go harder than Eminem’s tragic masterpiece about toxic fandom. Leave it to Pete Davidson, who did a Christmas-themed spoof of “Stan” for a “Saturday Night Live.” “Stu’s” harrowing and hilarious letter to Santa Claus is punctuated by a cameo from the real Slim Shady. While that sounds like a seal of approval, Eminem told Apple Music in 2020 that he wasn't sure the skit would work when he heard the pitch. He was so impressed with the final product that he appeared in “Forgot About Lorne,” a follow-up to commemorate Davidson’s departure from “SNL.” We can assume Em liked this version of “Forgot About Dre” better than his cameo suggested.
#14: “Frying Pan” (2014)
Mac Sabbath
There are heavy metal tribute bands, and then there are fast food heavy metal tribute bands. Or at least there's the Los Angeles-based Mac Sabbath, who put on a private show for Black Sabbath’s first frontman in an unaired clip of the reality show “Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour.” From the moment they used “Iron Man” to grill the food service industry, Ozzy Osbourne was blown away by the bizarre spectacle. It was a pleasant surprise cooked up by his son Jack. After this fiery performance of “Frying Pan,” singer Ronald Osbourne sang his praises to the Prince of Darkness. And he was still singing his praises for Mac Sabbath in a video testimonial.
#13: “Tacky” (2014)
“Weird Al” Yankovic
Back in 2013, Pharrell Williams’s bubbly super-hit “Happy” was pretty much impossible to get away from. Its infectiously optimistic lyrics and catchy groove were an instant hit, with it eventually peaking at No. 1 in several different countries. Naturally, it didn’t take long until a stream of parodies hit the internet. And sure enough, the king of the spoof, “Weird Al” Yankovic, was quick to get involved. Yankovic always pays the artist the courtesy of asking permission to parody their songs first, despite not needing any legal clearance to do so. Not only was Pharrell happy to let him do his thing; he spoke very highly of the end product, “Tacky,” and declared he was honored to get the Weird Al treatment.
#12: “How Do You Milk a Cow?” (2000)
Cledus T. Judd
It’s a badge of honor in country music to be spoofed by Cledus T. Judd. But the honor was all his when he did “How Do You Like Me Now?!”. A city slicker experiencing farm life is definitely more modest than Toby Keith’s bar brawl anthem. When he responded to “How Do You Milk a Cow?” by starring in the music video, it bulked up Judd’s career. So too did Keith’s guest vocals on the “I Love This Bar” parody, “I Love NASCAR.” “How Do You Milk a Cow?” led to a deep professional and personal connection between two country icons. Judd even took a reverent twist on “Don’t Let the Old Man In” after Keith’s passing, titled “I’m Gonna Miss You Old Friend.”
#11: “The Thing That Should Not Let It Be” (2001)
Beatallica
Metallica famously doesn't take too kindly to music thieves. But drummer Lars Ulrich supported Beatallica through their 2005 legal battle with Sony Music over The Beatles’ catalog. The Milwaukee-based tribute band almost uncannily combines the thrash metal giants’ style with the more upbeat songwriting of another Fab Four. Perhaps their most famous song “The Thing That Should Not Let It Be,” even throws “One” and “Unforgiven” into the titular mix. Although Metallica hasn't named a favorite track in particular, they've praised such creativity and entertainment value on several occasions. Whether Paul McCartney thinks of Beatallica challenging his own mastery at medleys, Metallica will always stand with them in times of trouble.
#10: “Black Dog / Hound Dog” (1990)
Dread Zeppelin
A Led Zeppelin tribute band that combines heavy metal, reggae and Elvis Presley seems like something worth talking about. Singer Robert Plant has been eager to talk about them, particularly their rendition of “Black Dog” that features elements of Elvis’s “Hound Dog.” That's a very reductive description of a composition too sophisticated to be called a novelty act. Plant was so vocal in his support of Dread Zeppelin following their breakout in 1990 that he wore their band t-shirt on the cover of Kerrang! magazine. That credible endorsement of imagination and talent has been key to their legacy enduring for decades.
#9: “Cups and Cakes” (1984)
Spinal Tap
The original track “Cups and Cakes” by Spinal Tap appeared on the soundtrack album to the 1984 film “This Is Spinal Tap.” It was very clearly a parody of British experimental folk of the 1960s, specifically works by Paul McCartney during the mid-to-late Beatles years. Decades later, Macca himself gave the track the ultimate seal of approval by doing a feature on the re-recorded version for the band’s film sequel. McCartney has been around the block enough times now to not take himself too seriously. And this appearance alongside Spinal Tap in 2025 proved it.
#8: “Like a Surgeon” (1985)
“Weird Al” Yankovic
There is only one known time where “Weird Al” Yankovic has openly accepted a song idea directly from another artist. Madonna was apparently walking around with a friend when she openly wondered whether Yankovic would ever parody her song. She even brought the title “Like a Surgeon” to Weird Al’s management through a mutual contact. Yankovic was happy to do the rest, conceptualizing a song that would go on to be one of his most beloved creations. Madonna pretty much breathed life into this one single-handedly, and she was supposedly quite happy with the result.
#7: “Photograph” (2020)
Nickelback
After years and years of being one of the most meme’d on bands of all-time, it’s pretty cool to see that Nickelback are not unwilling to laugh at themselves. When Chad Kroeger and company were approached by Google to perform a modified version of their song “Photograph,” they seemingly accepted without hesitation. The song’s lyrics were altered by Google to advertise new features on Google Photos, while keeping the tone of the widely ridiculed and overly sentimental song. Writing a parody and performing it yourself or giving it to a third party is good and all. But if you can actually get the original artist to poke fun at themselves, that’s a different level. Nickelback were at least proud of their self-aware work.
#6: “Push (Feeling Good on a Wednesday)” (2014)
“South Park”
For many diehard “South Park” fans, nothing tops the Randy-centric episodes. Even by Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s lofty standards, having Randy reveal that he is secretly alternative pop star Lorde is a wild premise for an episode. In this specific story, he reveals that with the help of a little autotune, he is able to record and release music without anyone suspecting his true identity. When the real Lorde heard about it, she revealed that she got a good laugh out of the whole thing, understanding that being mocked by “South Park” is a pretty clear sign that you’ve made it.
#5: “Head Over Heels (Weather Version)” (2022)
Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Bacon
There has been no shortage of song parodies over the years that have featured Jimmy Fallon and random celebrities. We’ll always have a soft spot for the talk-show host’s meteorological take on Tears for Fears' classic “Head Over Heels” alongside Kevin Bacon. Like Fallon, the veteran actor Bacon is no slouch in the musical department. In this case, their Tears for Fears cover was an instant success. And as it turned out, the band themselves enjoyed it a lot too. The Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith-fronted group took to social media to give the spoof their own personal seal of approval. It likely introduced the song to a whole new generation, too, which is pretty cool when you think about it.
#4: “Smells Like Nirvana” (1992)
“Weird Al” Yankovic
Kurt Cobain was approached by “Weird Al” Yankovic about the prospect of him doing a parody of Nirvana’s earth-shattering hit, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. When he heard that Yankovic would be making a joke about how hard it is to decipher the lyrics, he was sold. After it came out and proved to be a huge success, Cobain would double down on his approval, citing the song as proof that the band had made it. It went on to become his biggest hit in years, sparking a comeback that carried him through the rest of the 1990s.
#3: “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” theme (2012)
Jimmy Fallon
Neil Young might not generally give off an overly comedic vibe. But when the time came for him to step up and poke fun at himself and his idiosyncratic style, he exceeded expectations. Jimmy Fallon scored a pretty big viral hit by performing the theme song to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” in the style of the Canadian troubadour. Will Smith had no public response to this interpretation, but Young made his feelings clear. He made two separate appearances on “The Tonight Show” to perform with Fallon. The highly revered Neil Young was just that happy to do harmonies with someone doing an impression of him.
#2: “Cheese and Onions” (1978)
The Rutles
When it comes to movie spoofs, The Rutles were never trying to be overly subtle about their attempts to lampoon The Beatles. Their film “All You Need is Cash” has since gone on to become a cult classic, spawning a soundtrack album and even a sequel. John Lennon was very enthused by the whole thing, while Ringo and Paul took a little longer to come around. However, George Harrison, who was friends with creator Eric Idle, actually beat them all to the punch, appearing in a cameo role in the film. That’s just about as clear a seal of approval as you’ll ever find.
#1: “White & Nerdy” (2006)
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic
As popular as Weird Al is, he spent over two decades chasing a Top 10 hit. Then Chamillionaire handed him the keys with “Ridin’.” “White & Nerdy” tricked-out this anthem for lowrider culture with a rapid rundown of geek culture. Chamillionaire didn't think this was the work of a poser, praising the parody’s fun and flow all the way to the Grammys. When “Ridin’” won Best Rap Performance, he thanked Weird Al in his acceptance speech. It may be a stretch to say that “White & Nerdy” popularized the original song that much. Still, Chamillionaire’s praise, as much as the parody itself, show how music icons are even cooler when they know how to laugh at themselves.
What are your favorite covers, and your favorite reactions to them? Laugh with us in the comments.
