Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you need to know what satire is? Do you want some advice for writing it? Satire is a powerful literary device that will help enhance the impact of your writing, songwriting, and poems. Keep reading What Is Satire and How to Write It to learn what it is and how it works.
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What Is Satire and How to Write It: What Is Satire?
Satire is a type of humor that’s used for social commentary.
It does this by using:
- Irony: Irony is a form of humor where the underlying meaning of the words has the opposite meaning from its surface meaning. (Example: Saying, “I love you too” just after someone has insulted you.)
- Hyperbole: Hyperbole uses exaggeration to highlight your point or for comedic effect. (Example: “My suitcase weighs a ton.”)
- Parody: Parody pokes fun at an art form by making a cleverly altered version of the original. (Example: Straight No Chaser’s The Twelve Days of Christmas.)
Satire is used to criticize people, groups, or even whole societies.
- It can be insightful, witty, or both.
- It provides biting commentary on the ridiculous or unjust elements in a culture.
- To make satire work, you must have a good sense of humor, and you must have a thorough understanding of your subject.
What Is Satire and How to Write It: Examples of Satire in Songwriting
Since this is a music website, let’s look at some examples of songs that make wry observations on songwriters, songwriting, and record labels.
Video: Back in the USSR
Back in the USSR, written by Paul McCartney, makes fun of the Beach Boy’s tendency to write about how great the USA is – particularly California.
- However, instead of the USA, he sings about arriving back in the USSR (i.e., the old Soviet Union), which was the polar opposite of the USA during the cold war.
- Compare the Back in the USSR lyrics with California Girls and Surfing USA, and you’ll see that McCartney parodies lines from both these songs.
Video: California Girls
Video: Surfin’ USA
Video: Hook
Hook by Blues Traveler pokes fun at songwriting craft.
- A hook in a song is the part that “hooks” you in and gets you to listen.
- The Hook’s lyrics highlight how shallow song lyrics can generally be.
- That is, too many songwriters depend on strong music to bail out poorly written lyrics.
Video: Love Song
Love Song by Sara Bareilles seems to be a song about a girl who refuses to write a love song for her boyfriend.
- Instead, it’s a song Bareilles wrote in response to pressure from her record label to write a hit love song.
- However, she wasn’t feeling it, so every attempt she made got a lukewarm response from the record label, which made her doubt herself.
- Then, she got angry and wrote a song about not writing a love song, and ironically, gave the label the hit they craved.
What Is Satire and How to Write It: How Do I Use It in My Writing?
First, you need to figure out what to write about.
- What boils your blood? What things do you think are absurd? That’s your subject.
- Next, take the absurd elements of your subject and use hyperbole to focus your audience’s attention on their flaws, showing how ludicrous they are.
- As we saw in the examples above, irony and parody are also useful literary devices to help you get your point across.
Having said that, be careful not to take things too far.
- You’re trying to get people to think, even as they’re laughing.
- Satire is an avenue for social change and not just an excuse to ridicule people.
- Plus, you should strive to use it to make positive social changes instead of negative ones.
Be sure to make it clear that you’re writing satire. Songs like “Short People” and “Fight for Your Right” have been mistakenly taken to endorse prejudice and partying rather than critically commenting on these subjects.
Here Are Resources That’ll Help You Write Better Poems and Songs
If you want to study the above songs in more depth, here are the artists’ sheet music.
Also, here are additional songwriting resources.
Final Thoughts
Takeaway points:
- Satire is a type of humor that’s used for social commentary.
- Satire is used to roast people, groups, or even whole societies.
- To make it work, you need to have a good sense of humor, and you must have a thorough understanding of your subject.
Have fun writing!
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