childofthespiral wrote:There's a legal definition of a parody?
My God, yes. In fact, much of US copyright law centers around what is and is not "fair use," and parody, as strictly defined below, falls under this realm:
Although a parody can be considered a derivative work under United States Copyright Law, it can be protected from claims by the copyright owner of the original work under the fair use doctrine, which is codified in 17 USC § 107. The Supreme Court of the United States stated that parody "is the use of some elements of a prior author's composition to create a new one that, at least in part, comments on that author's works." That commentary function provides some justification for use of the older work.
So you can see how Smells Like Nirvana, Achy Breaky Song, etc fit quite neatly under the "parody" designation. Though, in my opinion, Al is commenting on the original song in every parody he does, simply in the nature of equating the subject matter in both songs.
childofthespiral wrote:So all the parody songs that don't fit the definition are.... what?
Lyrical adaptations.
I couldn't tell a dirt clod from a plate of caviar.