If you’re just joining us, we’re in the middle of our blog series on great contemporary songs by genre. Check out our previous posts on Story Songs, Dramatic Up-Tempos, Dramatic Ballads, and Comedic Up-Tempos for Women by clicking on the corresponding links.
This week, we’re featuring five of our favorite comedic up-tempos for men. Finding good, well written comedic songs for men can be a challenge. A good comedy song must have strong lyrics with music that doesn’t get in the way. But they also need to be character driven so the laugh doesn’t feel forced. Luckily we have plenty of talented writers on our site who know how to nail a comedy song.
Fly At Me
Music by: Kim Oler
Lyrics by: Alison Hubbard
Performed by: Dane Stokinger
From their musical, The Little Women comes this charming uptempo that would be completely appropriate for any Golden Age audition (hello summer stock?!). Handsome shy boy, Laurie, is surprised by his sudden feelings for his childhood pal, Jo. I love the lyric, “I never noticed that the girl next door / was a girl / before today.” With its sweeping melody, and beautifully developed character writing, this is great way for a tenor to show off his voice and still show he can be funny.
Until He’s Mine
Music & Lyrics by: Stuart McMeans
Performed by: Anthony Johnson
Have you ever had an entire relationship in your mind before it even began? Well in Stuart McMeans’ song, “Until He’s Mine,” this character does just that. He finds himself ogling a man in the World Literature section of a bookstore and makes up their entire love story. My favorite line? “He’s into spiritual shit / Has a butt that can’t quit / I might not be complete until he’s mine.” Written for a Broadway Baritone, this song has a real contemporary feel and lets the singer show off his lyric line as well as his comic chops.
Inside Out
Music & Lyrics by: Andy Monroe
Performed by: Andy Monroe
Comedic songs for bass baritones are hard to come by but here’s a great option by Andy Monroe from his musical, Chasing Garbo. This quiet, introverted man is dying to let out his inner superhero. Who among us hasn’t felt like that?!
Angora
Music by: Rob Kendt
Lyrics by : Justin Warner
Performed by: Kurt Robbins
This Spanish influenced comedic uptempo was written for a musical about Z-movie director Edward D. Wood. It celebrates Ed’s favorite fabric in which to cross-dress which just happen to come from fluffy turkish rabbits. It’s comedy comes from Ed’s intensity. A fun song to sing and show off your baritone-ness.
Someday
Music & Lyrics by: Michael Patrick Walker
Performed by: Noah Galvin
A great song for a young belt tenor, Michael Patrick Walker’s pop rock song is about a bullied high schooler who dreams about the day when it gets better. While the subject matter is serious, the writer finds comedy in the boy’s take on his father’s advice to just talk to his bully instead of fighting, and in the the character’s vision of the future and in how he will get back at the bully “someday.”
Check back next week for our next blog in the series: Comedic Ballads for Women.
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