"THE STAR WARS CANTINA"

"THE STAR WARS CANTINA" PARODY SONG

"The Star Wars Cantina" Comedy Parody Song by Mark Jonathan Davis hit the airwaves in January 1997 to coincide with the theatrical release of the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition movies.

MJD's sci-fi spoof features lyrics about the original Star Wars movie trilogy (Episodes IV, V, VI), and includes audio sound bites inspired by the original films.

"The Star Wars Cantina" has become a huge hit around the galaxy, and remains one of the all-time most requested songs on the internationally syndicated "The Dr. Demento Show."

The parody has also received airplay on hundreds of radio stations from coast to coast and around the world, including Radio Disney, Star98.7/Los Angeles, Z100/New York City, the Jonathon Brandmeier Showgram, and on the syndicated airwaves of The Premiere Radio Networks. It was also featured in Entertainment Weekly, StarWars.com, and The Star Wars Insider.

"The Star Wars Cantina" is currently available on MJD's 2020 album "The Parody Songs That Destroyed Earth," streaming on all music platforms and downloadable at markjonathandavis.bandcamp.com

"THE STAR WARS CANTINA" MUSIC VIDEO

"The Star Wars Cantina" Comedy Parody Song
Written and Performed by Mark Jonathan Davis

"The Star Wars Cantina" by Mark Jonathan Davis
Lyrics written by Mark Jonathan Daviss
Parody of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana"
© Copyright 1997-2020 Mark Jonathan Davis
Published by IdeatownUSA (ASCAP)

MJD also paid tribute to Star Wars on his 2015 Richard Cheese album "The Lounge Awakens: Richard Cheese Live at Mos Eisley Spaceport Cantina." The CD version included "The Star Wars Cantina" parody song as a hidden bonus track.

"The Lounge Awakens" can be streamed and downloaded on all music platforms, and the CD is on sale at shop.richardcheese.com

In 2017, backstage at Jimmy Kimmel Live, MJD met Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill.

MJD gave Hamill a copy of the "The Lounge Awakens" CD, and Hamill praised the album in a December 2017 tweet.

HISTORY OF "THE STAR WARS CANTINA" PARODY SONG

"The Star Wars Cantina" Comedy Parody Song was written, produced, and performed by Mark Jonathan Davis. It's a parody of Barry Manilow's 1978 disco hit "Copacabana."

The track was recorded in late 1996 at PRN studios in Sherman Oaks, California, and released to radio stations in January 1997.

The music was played by Bryce Johnson, the background vocals were sung by MJD and Loretta Mendoza, and the track was engineered by MJD with help from James Arnold Taylor, Rob "Iceman" Izenberg, and Larry Morgan.

In February 1997, MJD's "The Star Wars Cantina" parody song made its debut on The Dr. Demento Show, and was later distributed to hundreds of radio stations via the Premiere Radio Networks.

In December 1997, "The Star Wars Cantina" parody song was released on Dr. Demento's "Basement Tapes 6" compilation CD.

Over the next few years, "The Star Wars Cantina" comedy parody song became quite popular online via millions of "bootleg" versions on Napster and other file-sharing platforms, many of which incorrectly credited MJD's song to "Weird Al" Yankovic.

In spring 1999, MJD released a home-made CD titled "Naboo Road," which contained MJD's new 1999 parody song "The Phantom Medley" (see below).

The album also featured several spoken-word comedy bits, including MJD's impersonations of Johnny Carson and Bob Hope doing standup routines about Star Wars.

The "Naboo Road" album is out of print and is not currently available online.

In the 2000's, MJD produced a new music video for "The Star Wars Cantina," featuring a scrolling crawl of the parody lyrics; the graphics were directed by Gary Reisman.

The music video was updated in 2020, to coincide with the release of MJD's new album "THE PARODY SONGS THAT DESTROYED EARTH."

All of MJD's comedy albums are available at markjonathandavis.bandcamp.com and on iTunes, AppleMusic, Spotify, and other streaming platforms.

PRESS / INTERVIEWS

MARK JONATHAN DAVIS INTERVIEWED ABOUT "THE STAR WARS CANTINA PARODY SONG" ON THE "REBEL FORCE RADIO" PODCAST"!
"Star Wars Lounge Lizards"
March 5, 2021

"If Weird Al is the grandfather of all STAR WARS parody songs, then Mark Jonathan Davis AKA Richard Cheese is the crazy uncle. Mark has been providing tons of Star Wars laughs over the past 2 decades via albums like “The Lounge Awakens” and songs like "The Star Wars Cantina" and “The Phantom Medley”. We’re pleased to welcome him into The Cantina for fun conversation all about his Star Wars parodies, fandom and more."
http://www.rebelforceradio.com/shows/2021/3/5/star-wars-lounge-lizards

STARWARS.COM
"RICHARD CHEESE: STAR WARS SWINGS!" by Bonnie Burton
May 12, 2006

The lounge-singer extraordinaire talks about love, ladies, and the Modal Nodes Bith band.

Shocking as this may sound to some fans, lounge-singer extraordinaire Richard Cheese never watched the Star Wars films as a young lad, but instead when he was an older, wiser adult playing a gig with his band in a cocktail lounge -- much like Max Rebo and his bizarre-looking band mates.

"I never saw the Star Wars movies in theaters; I guess the whole Star Wars thing passed me by the first time around," Cheese confesses. "I mostly watched films like the Maltese Falcon, Goldfinger, and anything with Frank, Sammy or Dino in it. Then, a few years ago, I played at a hotel cocktail lounge that had one of the Star Wars movies playing on a big-screen TV, as sort of background eye candy. It looked like a crazy heist flick, just like Ocean's 11. This gang of good guys was trying to knock off the biggest casino in the galaxy, the Death Star. So I had the rest of the movies sent to my room, and I watched them between sets. I was struck by the 'futuristic' vibe in the movies. I guess the 'Wars' take place in space or something. Not normally my scene, but I dug the chick with the hair and the electric swords -- those were swingin'. Oh, and the floating car was a gas."

Once he saw the films, especially with the Modal Nodes Bith band happily playing for Mos Eisley Cantina patrons, Cheese was hooked. "When I saw that cantina scene, with the big band playing, it really knocked me over," Cheese continues. "What a great sound, what a happening bunch of cats, what giant heads! That's my favorite scene in all the movies; I watch that movie again and again, just to see that band playing. It's dynamite. I'd love to see the full performance, not just the two tunes that made it into the movie. Tell Dr. Lucas to send me the footage, huh?"

Cheese's confession of being new to Star Wars fandom might be easier to grasp when fans learn that the singer has only existed less than a decade. The lounge-singer is actually the alias for actor/comedian/singer Mark Jonathan Davis, who has been writing, producing, and performing comedy novelty songs for nearly 25 years, including tribute parodies like "The Star Wars Cantina" and "The Phantom Medley." Working also as a jingle singer, and doing guest stints on such TV shows as "News Radio," "Batman: The Animated Series," and "The Man Show," Davis has created many memorable singing characters over the years, including network mascot Johnny Chimes at NBC Television, and Paul the 55-year-old-intern, Shakespeare Man, and Bob Hope at KROQ-FM/Los Angeles.

But his most recent incarnation of Richard Cheese, a lounge singer who sings popular rock and rap songs in the Las Vegas lounge-act style, is probably the most famous. As Richard Cheese, Davis recruited a band and recorded lounge covers of '90s alternative rock hits resulting in his first album, Lounge Against the Machine, released in 2000. Four more records followed: Tuxicity (2002), I'd Like a Virgin (2004), Aperitif for Destruction (2005) and The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese (2006). Cheese is featured in the Dawn of the Dead movie soundtrack (2004), and has appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," "Opie & Anthony," Howard Stern, CNN, MTV, and on NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly" as the show's house band. Cheese has performed hundreds of concerts around the world, including sellout shows in New York, Los Angeles, London, Las Vegas, and sometimes Yavin.

Unlike his Cheese alter-ego, Davis is quick to point out that he's been a fan of Star Wars since he was a kid. "I saw the first Star Wars movie in Phoenix, Arizona when I was in sixth grade," Davis says. "It had been in theaters for about two weeks, but there were already kids in my school who had seen it multiple times. By the end of that year, I had seen it six times. This was before VCRs and videotapes, so I didn't see it again for years. I remember a few years later that the first Star Wars movie was broadcast on TV and simulcast over a radio station, and we painstakingly recorded the entire audio soundtrack on to cassettes. Even though I didn't have a videotape of the movie, I still 'watched' Star Wars by listening dozens and dozens of times, memorizing the dialogue and sound effects over the years. I really became an aficionado of the SFX for that first film. I even got to meet Tomlinson Holman and Ben Burtt some years later!"

His love for the saga was so apparent that his childhood classmates gave him an endearing nickname. "I was the shortest kid in my class in elementary school, so I was nicknamed Little Jawa at one point," Davis smiles. "I accepted this dubious honor, and dressed as a Jawa for Halloween, complete with small penlight flashlights attached to my glasses frames for eyes."

As an adult, Davis showed his appreciation in other ways. "I did a number of parody songs about Star Wars, the most popular one being 'The Star Wars Cantina,' a spoof of Barry Manilow's 'Copacabana.' I released it in 1996, around the time of the Special Edition movies, and it became a big hit on radio stations and among fans. Then, when Episode I came out, I did a parody medley called 'The Phantom Medley,' which was lots of fun. This was before the mainstream Internet, so it was folks like Dr. Demento who gave my parodies their earliest airplay and support. Dr. Demento used to play other Star Wars parodies, like Weird Al's 'Y-O-D-A,' and I think it was great to learn that Star Wars fans and novelty-song fans were part of the same audience. It gave me confidence to know that I wasn't the only geek out there."

Even when he transforms himself into Richard Cheese, he still likes to show his love for Star Wars. As Cheese, he has his own distinct thoughts about the real theme of the films as only an old-fashioned crooner could describe. "It's really about the two chicks -- Princess Leia and Queen Amidala," Cheese explains. "I think those two broads are what everyone was fighting about. It's not about the galaxy or the Trade Federation or freedom or peace; it's about the babes. Kill my uncle and aunt, blow up my planet, cut off my hand, whatever you want, just as long as I get the girl with the crazy hairdo at the end. To quote Rodgers and Hart, 'Believe me sir I much prefer the classic battle of a him and her.' Star Wars isn't about war; it's about boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy travels around the universe and gets girl back. And those girls are hot, well worth all the trouble and severed limbs. And I don't care if you're Luke Skywalker, Ben Kenobi, Darth Vader, or even the wrinkly, old Emperor: a dame is a dame is a dame!"

In addition to his theories about love, ladies and Star Wars, Cheese has a few changes he'd like to make to the classic musical score. "I love a symphonic score as much as the next guy, but I wish there was more lounge music in the Star Wars movies," Cheese says. "Instead of 'Luke's Theme,' how about playing 'The Summer Wind?' Every time Darth Vader enters a scene, play 'When Joanna Loved Me' or 'Call Me Irresponsible.' And R2-D2 and C-3PO should be accompanied by the song 'Tangerine' every time. And of course, Han Solo's theme should undoubtedly be 'Come Fly with Me,' right? But don't change that cantina band, man! Those guys groove!"

Speaking of the cantina, Cheese is quick to point out that Wuher, the Mos Eisley bartender might just be one of the most underappreciated characters in the galaxy. "That Mos Eisley bartender deserves some sympathy," Cheese says. "He had no wait staff, no bouncers, no help whatsoever. I've played in dives like that, and it's no picnic for the employees. So, please, remember to tip generously, no matter what planet you're on, because those barkeeps are working hard for you alien folk. And tip the band...they need extra money to pay for their giant hats."

When Cheese performs in front of his fans, he can't help but pay tribute to the saga on occasion, often reminding his audience to not take the dark side too seriously. "Last year, we started playing the Imperial March theme in our live Las Vegas shows," Cheese says. "But, instead of doing it in a serious way, we bounce it with a jazzy swing arrangement. I think it's a metaphor for what happened to the evil Empire. They were stiff and uptight, and the Rebellion loosened them up a bit. That's a good example for all of us; whether you're a Sith Lord, an Ewok, or that way-too-skinny chick on Kamino (I prefer some meat on my clones), music is the one thing that everyone likes, no matter which side you're on. Good music, especially lounge music, surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together. And if your horn players have giant heads, all the better."

To find out more about Richard Cheese and his music, visit his official site www.richardcheese.com.
--- Interview for starwars.com by Bonnie Burton at LucasFilm

Is that Wedge Antilles---or MJD?

THE STAR WARS INSIDER
"SKYROCKERS" - issue #69
Summer 2003

In its Summer 2003 issue, the official magazine of the The Star Wars fan club, The Star Wars Insider, published a list of "Cantina Lounge Lizards" on page 43. The list included this entry:

Mark Jonathon Davis -- Star Wars Cantina / The Phantom Medley

Hey! They spelled MJD's name wrong! Felgercarb!

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"Flashes: Parody Of The Week" by Erin Richter
1998

"Parody Of The Week" - What's that sci-fi tune with the salsa beat on the radio these days? It's "The Star Wars Cantina," a spoof written by writer/producer/singer and self-proclaimed Star Wars geek Mark Davis. Herewith, an excerpt (sung to the tune of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana").

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"Mock Menace" (The Phantom Medley) by Jeff Jensen, page 8
July 9, 1999

"The Phantom Medley" - Comedian Mark Jonathan Davis scored a radio hit two years ago with "The Star Wars Cantina," set to the tune of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana." Now he's done "Medley" (available via mich.ideatown.com), which borrows from 16 different tunes. Davis is planning on a holiday follow-up, "Let's Kill Jar Jar Binks for Christmas."

STAR 98.7 FM RADIO / LOS ANGELES
"The Ryan Seacrest Show"
May 20, 1999

In May 1999, in conjunction with the release of "The Phantom Menace" in theatres, MJD was interviewed about his "The Star Wars Cantina" parody on the Ryan Seacrest & Lisa Foxx afternoon radio show on Star98.7/Los Angeles. Star98.7 played the song numerous times that week.
During this interview, MJD was talking on a payphone in the back of a restaurant!

[interview audio coming soon]

"THE PHANTOM MEDLEY" PARODY SONG

"The Phantom Medley" parody by Mark Jonathan Davis & The X-Swing Fighters was released in May 1999, to coincide with the release of "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace." The parody is a medley of 16 witty ditties about the Star Wars cinematic universe.

"THE PHANTOM MEDLEY" lyrics

"The Phantom Medley" (1999)
(Parody about "Star Wars")
Written by Mark Jonathan Davis

(OH SUSANNA)
Well, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away-a
This guy in black was on the track of the rebels led by Leia
Hey, Luke Skywalker
They fried your uncle and aunt
So he left Tatooine with a light sabre in his pants

(ALOUETTE)
You can bet I
Want to be a Jedi
There is no try
Only do

(ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT)
Use, use, use the force
Trust me, Luke, it's neato
Listen to Ben
He'll tell you when
To launch your torpedo

(THE CAISSONS GO MARCHING ALONG)
It's a ship
That is flown
By that Indiana Jones
And the Falcon goes flying along

(RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES)
He is Darth Vader
He's a Jedi hater
He dies much later
In episode six

(ON TOP OF OLD SMOKEY)
Obi-Wan Kenobi
All covered in brown
He may cut your arm off
If you screw around

(LA BAMBA)
Ba-da-la-da-da-la Boba
He's the bounty hunter after Han
Under that armor, he's got nothing on

(POP GOES THE WEASEL)
I love the Star Wars movies
A trio without equal
And now it's time for Episode One
Pop goes the prequel

(LA CUCARACHA)
The Phantom Menace, The Phantom Menace
Who're ya gonna see it with?
Share a Cola with Sebulba
Or have some popcorn with the Sith

(JINGLE BELLS)
Jar Jar Binks
Jar Jar Binks
His floppy ears are giant
They rendered 'im
With a Pentium
Let's hope he's Y2K compliant

(CAMPTOWN RACES)
Watch pod races in the heat
Ka-Boom, Ka-Boom
Anakin needs a booster seat
Oh the Tatooine day

(SHE'LL BE COMIN' ROUND THE MOUNTAIN)
They'll be flyin' round Naboo when they come
They'll be fightin' battle droids of the Federation
Hey those light sabres
Sound just like electric razors
They'll be flyin' 'round Naboo when they--

(COME ALL YE FAITHFUL)
Come all ye forceful, to the THX theatre

(HALLELUJAH)
Queen Amidala, Amidala, Amidala
She's a hot tamale, Natalie, marry me!

(HAVA NAGILA)
The saga, starts with Obi-
Wan Kenobi and Qui Gon-Jinn

Those guys were Jedis
With light sabres and hair extensions

Anakin's a little boy
But someday, he will destroy
The Jedi knights, in galactic fights
With ships and battle droids

He knew
R2
D2 on Naboo

Luke and Leia, Ben and Yoda
Jabba, Chewie, Han and Boba
Ewoks, Jawas, and the Gungans
And that guy from Pulp Fiction

Ships attacking, creatures biting
and Darth Maul was Kung Fu fighting
Good and Evil, Fate and Mystery
And the coolest toys in retail history
Episode One...
Shut up, the movie has begun

(SHAVE AND A HAIRCUT)
That's The Phantom Medley
The End

"The Phantom Medley" by Mark Jonathan Davis
Lyrics written by Mark Jonathan Davis
© Copyright 1999 Mark Jonathan Davis
Published by IdeatownUSA (ASCAP)

The X-Swing Fighters is an all-encompassing moniker for the team of talented musicians, performers, and creative types who contributed their performances, professionalism, and time to MJD's Parody "The Phantom Medley." Here's a brief credit list:

Lyrics, Vocals, and Arrangement: Mark Jonathan Davis
Drums, Guitars, Keyboards and other music: Mitchell Sigman
Horns: Eric Jorgenson, Mario Gonzales, Vince Denham
Choir Vocals: Melissa Disney
Additional Lyrics: Rob "Iceman" Izenberg
Recording Engineers: James Taylor, Rob Izenberg, Eric Caver

ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASES

Here are some press releases about "The Star Wars Cantina" and "The Phantom Medley" parody songs.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FOR "THE STAR WARS CANTINA"
January 22, 1997

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (OR JUST TAKE YOUR OWN SWEET TIME)
January 22, 1997

"THE STAR WARS CANTINA"
HILARIOUS PARODY SONG RELEASED
TO COINCIDE WITH STAR WARS TRILOGY

MOS EISLEY SPACEPORT, TATOOINE - Radio stations around the galaxy are playing "The Star Wars Cantina," a novelty song performed by writer/comedian Mark Jonathan Davis. The song is a parody of Barry Manilow's 1978 disco hit "Copacabana," and pays timely tribute to the release of the Star Wars Special Edition film trilogy.

"With the new versions of the Star Wars movies coming out," said Davis to himself, because he was typing this, "I thought it would be fun to sing the praises of everyone's favorite films."

After spending a few frantic weeks sneaking into advance Star Wars screenings, Mark headed for the recording studio. Three days later, "The Star Wars Cantina" was completed.

"The Star Wars Cantina" tells of the Mos Eisley Cantina, the creature-infested tavern on Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine. There, Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet with Millenium Falcon pilots Han Solo and Chewbacca, and the four heroes encounter plenty of trouble and adventure in the seedy sci-fi saloon.

"The Star Wars Cantina" was written, produced, and sung by Mark Jonathan Davis, who writes, produces and sings promo jingles for NBC. He has been writing and performing parody songs since he began working in radio in the early 1980's. Many of his comedy songs have received national airplay and media coverage, including "Rice Rice Baby," "La Isla Gilligan," "We Love Barney Fife," and "Jeannie's Diner," which airs on Nick At Nite as a music-video promo for I Dream Of Jeannie.

You can hear "The Star Wars Cantina" on hundreds of radio stations in every corner of the United States universe, from KIIS-FM/Los Angeles to Z-100/New York City. The parody is receiving frequent coast-to-coast airplay on morning shows and station top-request countdowns, thanks to nationwide distribution on the Premiere Radio Networks, Olympia Radio Networks, and the Westwood One Radio Networks.

"The Star Wars Cantina" made its debut on the nationally-syndicated Dr. Demento Show, and charted as the #2 most requested song of the year on Dr. Demento's 1997 Funny Twenty-Five Countdown. In early 1998, "The Star Wars Cantina" qualified for nomination in the "Best Spoken Word Comedy" category for the 1997 Grammy Awards, although it did not get officially nominated.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE FOR "THE PHANTOM MEDLEY"
May 10, 1999

"THE PHANTOM MEDLEY"
HILARIOUS PARODY SONG RELEASED
FOR STAR WARS EPISODE ONE

THEED PALACE, NABOO - Radio stations around the galaxy are playing "The Phantom Medley," a new comedy novelty song performed by writer -comedian Mark Jonathan Davis & The X-Swing Fighters. The zany song features a swingin' medley of 16 witty ditties about everyone's favorite sci-fi film phenomenon, Star Wars.

"With Episode One: The Phantom Menace coming out,"said Davis to himself, because he was typing this, "I thought it would be fun to pay tribute to the biggest movie of the millenium with a mighty musical medley."

"The Phantom Medley" sings the story of Star Wars, from Luke and Leia to Obi-Wan and Anakin. Parodying familiar tunes like "On Top Of Old Smokey" ("Obi-Wan Kenobi"), "La Bamba", ("La Boba"), and "Come All Ye Faithful" ("Come All Ye Force-ful"), "The Phantom Medley"; is an intergalactic tour de force.

Davis visited the Star Wars universe in 1997 with "The Star Wars Cantina," a spoof of Barry Manilow's "Copacabana." "The Star Wars Cantina" is still one of the most popular parody songs on the internet, and continues to be a frequent #1 request on The Dr. Demento Show.

You can hear "The Phantom Medley" (and "The Star Wars Cantina") on hundreds of radio stations around the planet, from Star98.7/Los Angeles to The Jonathon Brandmeier Show to Z-100/New York City. Both parodies are receiving frequent coast-to-coast airplay, thanks to distribution on the Premiere Radio Networks, Westwood One Radio Networks, and the nationally syndicated Dr. Demento Show.

"The Phantom Medley" was written, produced, and sung by Mark Jonathan Davis, who creates promo jingles for NBC and CBS. He has been writing and performing parody songs since he began working in radio in the early 1980's. His other popular parodies include "Rice Rice Baby,""La Isla Gilligan," and "Jeannie's Diner," which airs on Nick At Nite and TVLand as a music-video
promo for I Dream Of Jeannie.

Or just call, and he'll play it for you over the phone.

"The Star Wars Cantina" (C) Copyright 1996 Mark Jonathan Davis
"The Phantom Medley" (C) Copyright 1999 Mark Jonathan Davis
Unauthorized use, distribution, performance, reproduction, and/or sale is illegal.
All rights reserved.
Star Wars and Star Wars character names are registered trademarks.

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