The Daughter was introduced to Weird Al Yankovic on the release of his July 2014 album, Mandatory Fun, which opened at #1 on the Billboard charts, the first comedy album since 1963 to top the charts. She went away for about a week to Grandma and Grandpa’s house in mid-August, spending time with her 13 y.o. twin cousins and she comes home a Weird Al maven.
This is not a bad thing, mind you. I’ve been following the musician’s career for about three and a half decades, back when it was primarily him playing the accordion on songs such as My Bologna (parody of The Knack’s My Sharona) and Another One Rides the Bus (take on Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust)- versions you can hear HERE – before his sound got more sophisticated and full with I Love Rocky Road (Joan Jett’s I Love Rock and Roll), Eat It (Michael Jackson’s Beat It) and Ricky (an I Love Lucy pastiche based on Mickey by Toni Basil).
The Daughter asked if I’ve done an ABC Wednesday Y is for Yankovic; why, yes, I have.
She came up with her Top 10 videos. All of the songs can be found HERE except the newest ones, indicated with an *, which can be found on the Weird Al main page.
10. Handy* (home repair, based on Fancy by Iggy Azalea)
9. Like a Surgeon (based on Like a Virgin by Madonna)
8. Fat (based on Michael Jackson’s Bad)
7. Eat It
6. I Lost on JEOPARDY! (about the TV game show, based on the Greg Kihn Band’s Jeopardy)
5. White and Nerdy (parody of “Ridin'” by Chamillionaire)
4. Foil* (about the aluminum wrap, based on Royals by Lorde)
3. Word Crimes* (about linguistic sins, based on Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke)
2. Amish Paradise (based on Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio)
1. First World Problems* (style parody of Pixies)
She challenged me to come up with my own list, but it’s so changeable. Here’s a snapshot in time:
10. Trapped In The Drive-Thru (based on Trapped in the Closet by R. Kelly)
9. Dare To Be Stupid (style parody of Devo)
8. Stop Forwarding This Crap To Me (style parody of Jim Steinman, who wrote a lot for Meat Loaf)
7. Tacky* (based on Happy by Pharrell Williams)
6. Gump (about the movie character Forrest Gump, based on Lump by The Presidents of the United States of America)
5. Mission Statement* (every business cliche you hate, a style parody of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
4. Amish Paradise
3. I Lost on JEOPARDY! – since I have, this HAD to be on the list
2. Word Crimes*
1. Smells Like Nirvana (parody of Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana)
But her affection for Foil, Handy, and especially First World Problem may alter my list.
She also insisted that The Wife, less seeped in Yankovicmania, make her list:
5. Like A Surgeon
4. Fat
3. Eat It
2. Tacky
1. Word Crimes
He looks quite impressive even in my “blasĂ©” eyes, lol !
These could be in any order, but they’re definitely my idea of top-drawer Weird Al:
King of Suede (from “King of Pain,” the Police)
Bob (after Bob Dylan, especially “Subterranean Homesick Blues”)
Bohemian Polka (the Queen song you think it is)
Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me (after any number of Jim Steinman sub-operas)
Craigslist (best Doors pastiche ever)
Jurassic Park (it’s frightening in the dark)
This latter track is the one that convinced me of his genius: the backing in the last verse carefully reproduces a random Hal Blaine drum fill from the Richard Harris recording, a quarter-century earlier.
I can’t even listen to the original Queen song without it turning it into “Another One Rides The Bus” in my head. It’s all the fault of Dr. Demento.
Glad you are introducing your daughter to some quality music! Word Crimes is awesome; Amish Paradise is one of the best. His American Psycho parody was probably one of the most intelligent things I’ve ever seen.
So glad you’ve exposed The Lydster to the fine art performances of Weird Al!! 🙂