I’m sure everyone has heard this piece, which is often referred to as Can-Can. It comes from Offenbach’s melodrama/operetta, “Orpheus in the Underworld.” It’s based on the ancient Greek myth in which Pluto, god of the underworld, captures Eurydice and takes her down to Hades. When she realizes she is dead, she sings “La mort m’apparaît souriante,” which roughly translated means, considering the context, “Death ain’t so bad when you’re married to a god.” The Galop is a dance conducted for the God, Jupiter, who’s bored at a party, and it succeeds in livening things up.
In 7th grade, my best friend and partner in comedy, Kerry Wade, sang a parody of the Galop to its melody. It went:
“Can-can, yes I can, I can-can, yes I can, I can-can, yes I can,
I know I really can, can-can, yes I can.” Repeat until laughter overwhelms you.
Here’s the full overture.
Kurt Nemes' Classical Music Almanac 