Students gathered on the Green to watch three groups perform at the 18th annual Yam Slam, coordinated by AP Literature teacher Lisa Otsuka, during lunch on Wednesday. The seniors in her class prepared songs with lyrics inspired by Invisible Man, a novel included in the curriculum.
“Take it Easy” by Eagles
The Yam Slam kicked off with a parody of the song “Take It Easy” by the Eagles. The group included Aidan Sharp, Eli Hart, Cole Johnstone, and Zachary Quintana on vocals; Joshua Carriel on guitar; and Emile Freeman on drums. The audience clapped along to the group’s music, including Carriel’s impressive guitar solo that added a bright flair. “I think it was just fun just seeing how you understand these lyrics, and it’s kind of like an inside joke, because you have to read the book to understand the lyrics,” Carriel said.
Original Lyrics:
Well I’m a-running down the road trying to loosen my load
I’ve got seven women on my mind
Four that want to own me, two that want to stone me
One says she’s a friend of mine
Parody Lyrics:
Well I’m a-running round New York tryna get me a job
Seven letters, surely one will do
Four I’ve given up on, two I can’t rely on
One that just might pull through
“Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations
To continue the fun, the “Black & Blue” group performed a parody of “Build Me Up Buttercup” by The Foundations. The members—Max Spier, Emile Freeman, Amari Witt*, Kealy Bryman, Ruby Stone, Connor Bae, Dane Hansen, Emma Mulcahy, Nina Tangilanu, and Brady Phan—wore matching t-shirts on stage. Bryman led the performance with crisp, commanding vocals, while Hansen’s stunning saxophone solo drew some of the loudest cheers of the afternoon.
“I love that Ms. Otsuka not only lets us take tests, and I know it’s an AP class, [but] it’s not the most serious thing ever,” Stone said. “We get to do stuff like this [and] have fun with what we’re learning, which is really nice.”
Original Lyrics:
To you, I’m a toy, but I could be the boy you adore
If you’d just let me know (Ba-dah-dah)
Although you’re untrue, I’m attracted to you all the more
Why do I need you so? (Hey, hey, hey)
Parody Lyrics:
To you I’m a cog, but I could be your dawg
If you could see, see me through the fog
Crystal fruit, all untrue, but I still look up to you,
Who knows why? Why I’m so black and blue?
“This Love” by Maroon 5
To wrap up the performances, the “Seven Letters” group, including Jack Bullard, Molly Gray, Cubby Derrough, Allie Orzechowski, Elise Koo, Josie Weiss, Auden Jones, and Elise Miller, sang and played along to “This Love” by Maroon 5. Bullard strummed along on the ukulele, accompanied by Derrough on guitar, elevating the performance.
“I think we did a great job bringing the energy and the emotion right where our music talent falls short,” Bullard said.
Original Lyrics:
This love has taken its toll on me
She said goodbye too many times before
And her heart is breaking in front of me
And I have no choice, ’cause I won’t say goodbye anymore
Parody Lyrics:
This life has made me invisible
They punched my face, too many times before
And my mouth is bleeding in front of them
But I have no choice, I won’t say social quality
The crowd-pleasing event ended with students cheering for the three groups. The winner will be announced on M-A Today after spring break.
*Amari Witt is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
