Making fun of music, one song at a time. Since the year 2000.
Check out the two amIright misheard lyrics books including one book devoted to misheard lyrics of the 1980s.
(Toggle Right Side Navigation)

Song Parodies -> "A Fan Of Heavy Metal...(Led Zeppelin tribute)"

Original Song Title:

"I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General"

Original Performer:

Gilbert & Sullivan

Parody Song Title:

"A Fan Of Heavy Metal...(Led Zeppelin tribute)"

Parody Written by:

Andy Primus

The Lyrics

Warning – this parody may cause drowsiness if not a fan of Led Zeppelin.

This parody is done to match the Delacorte Theater version
with George Rose as the MG (from YouTube).
(There are other versions – this is the one where he is wearing a white uniform with a red sash).

All words or phrases marked with * have a meaning listed in the table below the parody.
A lot of UK slang will mean something completely different to someone from the US.
Some words have been added because they can have other, more obvious, meanings as well.
There are a few pacing anomalies in the song that are also explained below the parody.




A fan of heavy metal, but I heard it could be criminal
There’s information from the *‘table: messages subliminal
I know the songs of Zepp’lin; I can quote the tracks on “Physical”
“Bron”, “Rover”, “Gone” an’ “Boogie Stu”, but now I’m lookin’ quizzical

I’ve more to get; a “Flight”, a “Light”, that “Woman” and a “Dyin’ Time”
Then “Underfoot” an’ “Seaside”, with “The Wanton” and this tie-in rhyme
I love “Pie”, “Holy” an’ “Kashmir”; I’m beaming when I’ve “Sick Again”
(Spoken line)
Ooh, “Sick Again”, “Sick Again”…love it!
(Resume singing)
And when I’ve played them all, I think I’ll cue them up an’ pick again

(Amen, I love ‘em all; I like to cue them up, an’ quick, again)
(A yen: they so enthral; I like to cue them up, an’ *kick again)
(A *zen: when through ‘em, trawl; I like to cue them up an’ pick a lick again)

I’m very fond of “One” and “Two”; by “Three” they sounded folkier
A blow, towards career end, came when Robert sounded croakier
So right: their albums on the ‘table; got ‘em all; I really rate
Except the *crappy “Out Door”, that’s a lemon that I really hate

(Delight: their albums on the ‘table; hot: ‘em all; they’re really great)
(Except the crappy “Out Door”, that’s a lemon that I really hate)

-----

I know J. Page’s history; was glad to see the bloke detox
He used to play a mean lick, till the batty urge to smoke de rocks
I know that said guitarist missed the notes when full o’ the junkie-ness
His sonics were so poor: no groovy-alities or funkiness

“What…the hell” Rob, John an’ Jimmy yelled, ‘cause record corp: no loyalties
They spoke through grasping lawyers: “From our tracks, we want more royalties”
But I can think of sev’ral, which I’d heard the music long *afore
(Spoken line)
Ooh, wrong, I’m sure; wrong, I’m sure…*nicked ‘em!
(Resume singing)
Though Jimmy, he now says, “I’d never ever heard the song afore”

(Though Jimmy, he now says, “I’d never ever heard the song afore”)
(Though Jimmy, he now says, “I’ve never ever nicked: it’s wrong, for sure”)
(Though Jimmy, he now says, “I’ve never ever nicked a *soddin’ song afore”)

But he can write a smashing tune, like “Dancing Days” or “Ramble On”
I play them ev’ry day; there’ll be no classical, I’ll gamble on
For sure, no Mozart on the ‘table; lute-y full and flute-y full
I echo Little Richard: want it mad, an’ Tutti Frutti full

(For sure, no Mahler on the label; mockable and knockable)
(I echo Little Richard: want it mad; no rock: a crock o’ bull)

-----

It’s great when I hear “Tea For One”; with “Lemon Song” I’m gigglin’
“The Song Remains” is tight, an’ “For Your Life”-‘ll have you jigglin’
My “Levee Breaks”, “No Quarter” and “The Ocean” I’ve been blarin’ out
I’ll try to play “You Shook Me” but the disc is *ruddy wearin’ out

Well, I sure dig “Heartbreaker”; “Loving Maid” is no way bummery
When I hear “Moby Dick” licks, I’ll be skippin’ all the drummery
I’ll play “Nobody’s Fault But Mine” an’ “What Is And…Should Never Be”
(Spoken line)
Ooh, I say, that’s a good one, *innit; heavenly; jus’ ha,ha,ha,ha…love it!
(Resume singing)
Then say a “Lotta Love” is really hot; a fan I’ll ever be

(I’ll say “We’re Gonna Groove” is really hot; a fan I’ll ever be)
(I’ll say “I’m Gonna Leave” is really hot; a fan I’ll ever be)
(But say “I’m Gonna Crawl” is really rot; a fan I’ll never ever be)

Full of silly metal knowledge, I’m so picky and fanatical
The only geek in town to know that Zoso’s emblematical
I’m: mad as hatters, well unstable, never *chill, unpairable
Jus’ leave a nasty comment if you thought this was unshareable

(They’re bad: my natters; quell: unable; never thrill; unbearable)
(Jus’ leave a nasty comment if you thought this was unshareable)


A few points on pacing anomalies – don’t know if all versions are the same:
(a-BOUT bi-NO-mi-al THEO-rem) = (I love “Pie”, “Holy” an’ “Kashmir”)
(all the CRIMES of HE-li-o-GAB-a-lus) = (missed the notes when full o’ the junkie-ness)
(I…can TELL un-DOUBT-ed RAPH-a-ELS) = (“What the hell” Rob, John an’ Jimmy yelled)
(for my MIL-i-TAR-y KNOW-ledge) = (Full of silly metal knowledge)
There are 2 extra syllables (in the last lines only) in each section of triple repeated lines (in brackets).

First two lines: In 1990, Judas Priest (and CBS Records) went on trial in Reno, Nevada. They were being sued for ,200,000 because two of their fans had shot themselves in the head after a long drink/drugs/metal session. The parents claimed that a subliminal message of “Do it”, hidden within one of their LP’s, made them do it. Band singer, Rob Halford, explained that it would be counter productive for them to want their fans to kill themselves. He stated that if they were to deliberately place subliminal messages within their music, they would have chosen ones like “Buy more of our records”. It was also claimed that other messages could be heard if the album was played backwards (what’s the problem, albums aren’t meant to be played backwards). Halford claimed that any words, if played backwards, could be interpreted as something else. He played a section of one of their tracks to the judge, both normally and then backwards. He told the judge that when played backwards, it sounded like “I asked for a peppermint, I asked for her to get one”. The judge heard it loud and clear. The case was dismissed. Does that sound like a crazy waste of time and money to you?

‘Table = record turntable
Zen = complete and absolute peace (from Urban Dictionary)
Kick = kick back, relax
Crappy = extremely poor in quality
Afore = before
Nick = to steal
Sodding = used to express anger or annoyance
Ruddy = used for emphasis
Innit = isn’t it
Chill = to be easy going (from Urban Dictionary)

Physical Graffiti LP:
01) Custard Pie
02) The Rover
03) In My Time Of Dying
04) Houses Of The Holy
05) Trampled Underfoot
06) Kashmir
07) In The Light
08) Bron-Yr-Aur
09) Down By The Seaside
10) Ten Years Gone
11) Night Flight
12) The Wanton Song
13) Boogie With Stu
14) Black Country Woman
15) Sick Again

Your Vote & Comment Counts

The parody authors spend a lot of time writing parodies for the website and they appreciate feedback in the form of votes and comments. Please take some time to leave a comment below about this parody.

Place Your Vote

 LittleLots
Matches Pace of
Original Song: 
How Funny: 
Overall Score: 



In order for your vote to count, you need to hit the 'Place Your Vote' button.
 

Voting Results

 
Pacing: 5.0
How Funny: 5.0
Overall Rating: 5.0

Total Votes: 8

Voting Breakdown

The following represent how many people voted for each category.

    Pacing How Funny Overall Rating
 1   0
 0
 0
 
 2   0
 0
 0
 
 3   0
 0
 0
 
 4   0
 0
 0
 
 5   8
 8
 8
 

User Comments

Comments are subject to review, and can be removed by the administration of the site at any time and for any reason.

John Barry - January 27, 2010 - Report this comment
Hysterical history lesson.
Christie Marie M - January 27, 2010 - Report this comment
This parody rings both bearable and readable, Andy! I've only listened to a few Zeppelin songs myself, such as "D'yer Maker" and "Fool In The Rain". My fave songs. Thanks for pointing out the pacing anomalies. That's very resourceful! 555.
Mark Scotti - January 27, 2010 - Report this comment
'I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy" (Wayne's World) Spectacular, funny and ROCKIN"
Phil Nelson - January 27, 2010 - Report this comment
Stairway to 5's
Fiddlegirl - January 27, 2010 - Report this comment
So clever is this lyric-- and indeed so Andy Primus-y!

ROFL at the classical music/Little Richard lines :)
AFW - January 27, 2010 - Report this comment
Altho' I'm not a fan of heavy met...I echo all above comments...very good job...looks like you must've spent quite a bit of time on this, too....Like your TT&FG style of footnotes, also
Tommy Turtle - January 28, 2010 - Report this comment
I'm still waiting for some sort of "thank you" after you sent me your first MG parody, asking for help with punctuation and BR-US colloquialisms; we traded twelve (12) emails; I suggested some better subs; you said that if you used them it wouldn't be your parody anymore, than said, "Oh sod, I'm using them anyway...." then posted to rave reviews.

Not looking for co-author credit or hosannas or anything, but considering that I spent hours and HOURS at your request, going over a parody of this difficult OS, a simple shout-out in the intro or outro would have been appreciated. And here I always thought the Brits were more courteous than the Yanks. ....

Don't bother now. It was appropriate then, not after it's been brought up -- and I'm not a LZ fan anyway. Cheers.
TT @ AFW - January 28, 2010 - Report this comment
See above.
Type-Oh - January 28, 2010 - Report this comment
This one awesome very much of metal headed rhymery. I vote with 5,5,5 Oh-Kay.

AFW: Glad of notice by you of pea pod feet, it is worthy of note.
Andy Primus - January 28, 2010 - Report this comment
I’ve noticed that I accidentally deleted the $6 from the Judas Priest footnote - it should read $6,200,000

Thanks to JAB, CMM, Mark, Phil, FG, AFW & TT for v/c’s

TT - Ooh, that was a bit harsh! I thanked you by email and said that you’d been a great help. You said that it was OK either way, whether I chose to mention it or not on the parody - I chose not to. I thought that it would be unwise to make it public knowledge that I had asked you for a brush up lesson on my punctuation skills. I thought that it was a bit cheeky to ask in the first place, but now everyone who reads the comments page will know who to contact for their brush up lesson - you could be bombarded by 95% of the site users! I thought I was doing the right thing - this shows how easy it is to unintentionally offend someone.

To put the record straight - you said that I’d got the hang of the punctuation reasonably well but there were mistakes, such as missing commas etc, which you corrected (which will help me with future parodies - the reason I contacted you in the first place). I did use two of your word changes - I’ll “PORK” the Piggy Muppet, instead of “POKE”, and beer made him a “BOOR”, instead of “BORE”. You also pointed out that “fruity-ful” has gay connotations in the US, so I changed it to your suggestion of “fruit-i-ful”. I also used your suggestion of a slang dictionary instead of numbered footnotes. I hope that clears things up and that we will continue on site as before - PS would rather have done this exchange via email number thirteen (13). Yec’hed mat.
Tommy Turtle - January 29, 2010 - Report this comment
"You said that it was OK either way, whether I chose to mention it or not on the parody.."
Well, I'm not going to *demand* it, but leave it up to what you thought was right, because if it's not voluntary, it's meaningless, right? So now I know what you thought was right. (not to give credit where due.)

Shall I start making a list of the songs where I gave authors credit merely for inspiring a spin-off, even unintentionally (by their comment or their parody)? And vice versa crediting moi (or many other authors; this isn't just my thing) for an inspiration, idea, suggestion, whatever. It doesn't cost the spin-off author anything, and is a nice gesture to the original author.

"I thought that it would be unwise to make it public knowledge that I had asked you for a brush up lesson on my punctuation skills"
Why? Because it would embarrass you? Seems it makes you a more conscientious writer who prefers his writing to be correctly punctuated. It's just my opinion, clearly at odds with most of the world, that it's more embarrassing to post parodies rife with mistakes of simple English, though few others seem to care. I'd think your conscientiousness would be to your credit. But you didn't have to be specific. A simple "thanks to TT for review, feedback, and suggestions on the early drafts" covers all bases. I've credited other authors in that generic fashion, though can't immediately recall the titles.

"I thought that it was a bit cheeky to ask in the first place"...
Apparently, not cheeky enough to prevent you from asking :-) :-)
My email address is posted (via recaptcha) at each song, precisely to afford contact for any reasonable reason. And I could have said, "No, thanks." Flattered at having been asked, not cheeky.

"but now everyone who reads the comments page will know who to contact for their brush up lesson"
...know *whom* to contact :-) http://www.amiright.com/parody/60s/thebeatles2006.shtml

"you could be bombarded by 95% of the site users!"
Hasn't been a problem so far. (wink) Most authors don't want any help, it seems, and probably get enough of TT's pedanticism in the parodies and footnotes. Most aren't as perfectionist as moi, and don't really seem to care about punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc. (result of txt msging? cul8r?) which is probably a good thing for them -- makes life easier for them.

I made the exchange in public because you chose not to.

Since I'm (obviously) not skilled in the social arts, I explained the situation privately to a couple of friends, independently of each other, after the first MG, and before this one. They both agreed unhesitatingly that some little shout-out was totally called for. So this was an opportunity to bring it up.

I appreciate your trying to protect me from other readers doing the same thing that you did, but that sounds a little strange as one writes or reads it. Nonetheless, it does show how each person on Earth thinks differently from the others, and I appreciate your response.

I have a "mandatory" parody to post next week (and maybe a "just for fun" to post also), but other than that, methinks it's time for another break anyway. Got income taxes and other stuff to do; maybe this was a minor straw that broke the turtle's shell. Cheers,mate.
Andy Primus @ TT - January 29, 2010 - Report this comment
“So now I know what you thought was right (not to give credit where due.)” - I’ve got no problem with giving credit where due. “He’s Bovine” by The Chiffons: “A special thanks to TT for supplying me with the title”. As I said, I didn’t want to be the one who lets everyone know that it’s OK to contact you for punctuation help. If I’d put it on the parody, and other people started asking you to proof read theirs, it would have been my fault that you’re getting all the hassle.

“Why? Because it would embarrass you?” - Nope, because of the reason stated above. “Tommy Turtle” by BB King: “I’ve been trying to improve my punctuation and need a bit of advice on semicolons & colons…”. I wouldn’t have put that on the parody if I had been embarrassed about asking for help. You offered a tip: “Punctuate” by The Beatles.
Most of the site users seem to be in the same position as I was. I learnt it all at school (over 30 years ago) but was suffering from “Use it, or lose it”. This is the first time since my school exams that I’ve ever needed to do “fiddly writing” (joining all of them short pieces together). You don’t need to use it all for everyday writing, as you can break anywhere you like and make do with just the commas & full stops. The reason I needed to re-learn it was because you don’t get that option when you’re trying to fit it into a predetermined space (and especially if that space is the M-G song).

“I appreciate your trying to protect me from other readers doing the same thing that you did, but that sounds a little strange as one writes or reads it.” Again, it was just me not wanting to be the catalyst that starts the stampede. I’ve got no problems in asking for something, after all, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get”. Iechyd da.
TT - January 29, 2010 - Report this comment
No problem; miscommunication; we're cool, 'k?

And I haven't been stampeded despite posting the email for almost a year now, and am happy to help anyone with a question (not just punctuation), as time permits. For the record, you're the first to have asked. (Isn't that exciting? You're my first!) Cheers!

The author of the parody has authorized comments, and wants YOUR feedback.

Link To This Page

The address of this page is: http://www.amiright.com/parody/misc/gilbertsullivan104.shtml For help, see the examples of how to link to this page.

This is view # 1930