I dunno if it's been mentioned up there at all, but Melanie is a "style parody" of Elvis Costello.
Because I'm a nerd, I made a list years ago, and (not including polkas) his original songs ACTUALLY out-number his straight-up parodies by just a few songs. Otherwise, they're typically split 50/50. (And this list was NOT including unreleased or rare songs like Pacman, It's Still Billy Joel To Me, Take Me To The Liver, Won't Eat Prunes Again, etc...)
Despite being a fan since just before Polka Party (the first album I ever owned my own copy of) I think Hardware Store might be just about one of the most perfect songs he's ever done. Listen to that shit on headphones, particularly the bridge.