Me and Dave were talking on the phone, and we raised up a curiosity question.

Does anybody know what the oldest song parodied on Amiright actually is?

Let's talk about old music.

Does anybody know what the oldest song parodied on Amiright actually is?


I did a quick lookup on a couple of songs - "Amazing Grace" and "Auld Lang Syne" and Wikipedia did not have a date for when the music was written (Although the lyrics for "Amazing Grace" were penned in 1772 and the proto-lyrics for "Auld Lang Syne" earlier still). This may be an unanswerable question.

Although if someone wants to write a parody of this song, I think we may have a winner.

I did a quick lookup on a couple of songs - "Amazing Grace" and "Auld Lang Syne" and Wikipedia did not have a date for when the music was written (Although the lyrics for "Amazing Grace" were penned in 1772 and the proto-lyrics for "Auld Lang Syne" earlier still). This may be an unanswerable question.

Although if someone wants to write a parody of this song, I think we may have a winner.


Parodying any other language would be tough... Expecially "Hurrian", a language that I think no longer exists.

Has anyone done a parody for "Greensleeves", a broadside ballad registered at the London Stationer's Company in 1580, allegedly written by King Henry VIII.

Has anyone done a parody for "Greensleeves", a broadside ballad registered at the London Stationer's Company in 1580, allegedly written by King Henry VIII.


Yep, there are 5 parodies of Greensleeves.

Yep, there are 5 parodies of Greensleeves.
IMO, that will be the oldest song, but Geoffrey Chaucer write any songs in The Canterbury Tales?

Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn. The words were written late in 1772 by Englishman John Newton. They first appeared in print in Newton's Olney Hymns (1779), which he worked on with William Cowper.

Not saying it's the oldest, but I know that it's what is known about that song, which far predates the 1893 Happy Birthday piece.

Auld Lang Syne" is a poem and song by Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759–1796), although the same phrase is used in similar poems by Robert Ayton (1570–1638), Allan Ramsay (1686-1757) and James Watson (1711) as well as older folk songs predating Burns.

It is well-known in many English-speaking countries, and it is often sung at the stroke of midnight on the 31st December, New Year's Eve. Like many other frequently sung songs, the melody is better remembered than the words, which are often sung incorrectly, and seldom in full.

The song's (Scots) title may be translated into English literally as "old long since", or more idiomatically, "long long ago" or "days gone by". In his retelling of fairy tales in the Scots language, Matthew Fitt uses the phrase “In the days of auld lang syne” as the equivalent of “Once upon a time.” In Scots syne is pronounced like the English word sign — IPA: — not as many people pronounce it.

The Alphabet Song: 1835

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 1761

Star Spangeled Banner: 1812, but originally a poem, officially a song not long after and official by Navy in 1889

America The Beautiful: 1893