Monday, July 14, 2014

"Weird Al" Yankovic: 'Mandatory Fun'

And here we are at the end of my 'Weird Al' journey, at least for now.  Al has been a part of my life, a constant, since I was first able to think about music.  The depth of his skill is often overlooked as he's the just seen as being a funny guy, but, especially as his later albums show, Al is quite a musical craftsman.  He can pick out the things which uniquely identify an artist, and re-work them in his own image.  Through his humor and musical choices, he holds a mirror up to pop culture to say, 'LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!'  Now, at the end of a long period of record contracts, we have what may be "Weird Al" Yankovic's last album release, though nothing is set in stone.  According to Al, here in the YouTube age, when anyone can put up a parody of something in seconds, it may not make sense to wait until he has a full album's worth of material before releasing something, so we may get less Al, but more often.

As a theme, 'Mandatory Fun' is my second favorite album concept, after 'Alpocalypse.'  The title may have a double-meaning, as it's also the last contractually obligated record on Al's contract.  Al's usage of various classic propaganda material, along with the teasers and other materials leading up to the release has helped build the excitement, and now, here it is. 

By the way, if you haven't listened to it yet, and you plan to, there will obviously be some spoilers along the way.

In something of a surprise, the lead song, 'Handy,' has ended up being my least favorite song on the album.  'Handy' is a parody of 'Fancy' by Iggy Azalea.  While he effectively matches Iggy's cadence and rhyme scheme, even having 'Han-day' match her pronunciation of 'Fan-say,' only one joke really stands out in this ode to home repair: 'I got 99 problems, but a switch ain't one.'  Like 'The Plumbing Song' and the concert-only 'I'll Repair For You,' there's just not enough great material to work with.

I like when Al turns me on to a new band, and thanks to 'Lame Claim to Fame,' I've had the pleasure of looking up Southern Culture on the Skids. Al's song is reminiscent of SCOTS' 'Camel Walk.' My particular lame claim to fame is that Maria Shriver once autographed books for the bookstore I was working in.  I hope they were all hers...

'Foil' is a parody of Lorde's 'Royals.'  Al's lyrics describe the usual use for aluminum foil of keeping food safe, and then leads into using it for tinfoil hats.  While a fun idea, the parody cuts off well before the end of the original song, leading me scratching my head as to why Al couldn't figure out more for the bridge and final chorus of the original.

'Sports Song' is the song Al wrote when there was a petition going around for him to be the halftime entertainment at the Superbowl.  Here, Al generically supports his team while putting down the other team- 'Your sports team is vastly inferior/ A simple fact that's plainly obvious to see.'

'Word Crimes,' a parody of Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines,' is my favorite parody on the album.  Here, Al takes issue with the many, many people who can't seem to understand the difference between lesser and fewer, or 'doing good' and 'doing well.'  By taking advantage of the various rap and sung sessions of the original, Al fits in more examples than I expected.  Throw in a little jab at Prince, and you've got a great parody.

'My Own Eyes' is a straight Foo-Fighters style rock song describing the many strange things Al has witnessed.  Of all the songs on the album this is the one I'm most looking forward to hearing live.

'NOW That's What I Call Polka' handles song transitions better than any of the other polkas, blending the end of certain songs directly into the start of the next.  Included here are...
Perhaps he finished the polka medley too early, but I was hoping to hear a few other songs.  I think 'Let It Go' might have been great somewhere in here, as Al's never done a Disney song.  Florida Georgia Line and Nelly's 'Cruise' would have made sure a touch of country found it's way to the album, and 'When I'm Gone (The Cup Song)' would have been a great way to finish the song.  It also feels like Al took a bit too much time with 'Wrecking Ball' and 'Get Lucky,' which may have squeezed out a few other songs. I especially like what he did with 'Thrift Shop' here, though.

'Mission Statement' is a Crosby, Stills, and Nash style parody full of the type of corporate jargon that some of the same hippies who popularized CSN now use on a daily basis in their corporate sell-out jobs.  While not big on the 'laugh out loud' moments, like 'Bob,' the concept is the joke.

'Inactive' is a parody of Imagine Dragons' 'Radioactive.' While covering material somewhat already done before in 'Fat' and 'You're Pitiful,' Al's production really stands out.  While many parodies of this song are available on the internet, it'd be hard to find one that ao well copies the original song's nuances.

'First World Problems,' a style parody of The Pixies, also features guest vocals from Amanda Palmer, which partly explains that picture that popped up of him, Amanda, and her husband, author Neil Gaiman.  Do you have that friend who complains about how their internet went down, and what a hardship it was to wait to finish binge-watching 'House of Cards?' They might take offense to this song.

'Tacky' is the last parody on the album, and the first video released.  Al describes a variety of tacky behaviors to the tune of Pharrell Williams' 'Happy,' a song so ubiquitous that I think my mom would even recognize what this is a parody of.  (Look!  A dangling participle!  Word crime!) While the song starts with common enough tacky behavior (socks with sandals, etc.), eventually we get examples like 'If I'm bitten by a zombie, I'm probably not telling you.'  Tacky indeed.

'Jackson Park Express,' like many of Al's album closers, is the grand epic of the CD.  Through a series of non-verbal cues, Al constructs an entire relationship with a stranger on the bus.  While it's not quite up to the standards of 'The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota' or 'Albuquerque,' I really appreciate the creativity involved in taking meaning of the smallest gestures.

Well, that's it. 15 album reviews in 15 days, and even a movie review.  To the folks who've been reading this, I'm thankful.  I admit, it's been a bit of a vanity project, but for the uninitiated, I hope it's provided some insight as to what sets Al apart from the rest of the funny musicians that might be out there.  I still think it's amazing that Al has outlasted and outsold many of the artists he's satirized along the way, and continue to look forward to whatever Al decides to do next.  In the meantime, there's probably going to be interviews and TV appearances galore over the next few weeks, and hopefully a tour.  I'll see you at the 'Weird Al' show.
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"Weird Al" Yankovic: 'Alpocalypse'

'Alpocalype' was a long time coming- there was nearly a five year gap between albums, the longest of Al's career.  In the meantime, though, Al sated his fan's thirst by periodically releasing new songs from the album over iTunes as singles.  As a result, when the new album came out, fans had already heard almost half of the album, which made the first listening experience a bit of a let-down.  Taken as a whole, though, Alpocalypse is one of Al's best works.  For the deluxe edition, Al incljuded a DVD with videos for 10 of th songs; the other two eventually had videos released as well on his concert DVD.  Alpocalypse is my favorite of Al's CD covers, as an ecstatic Al waves from his horse while leading other horsemen of the apocalypse through a cloud of fire.

'Perform This Way,' a parody of Lady Gaga's 'Born This Way' almost wasn't even on the album at all, due to what turned out to be a lack of judgment on one of Gaga's assistant's part.  While it's a decent enough parody of Gaga's public persona, picking on Gaga's wardrobe choices seems almost too easy for Al, and there aren't that many laugh-out-loud jokes within the material. And the video creeps me out.

'CNR' is a White Stripes-like ode to a frequent panelist of TV's 'Match Game,' Charles Nelson Reilly through a bunch of Chuck Norris-like jokes.  'Charles Nelson Reilly won the Tour de France with two flat tires and a missing chain.' Al and his band did an even better, acoustic rendition of this song for NPR's 'Tiny Desk Concert' series.

'TMZ,' a parody of Taylor Swift's 'You Belong With Me,' describes the constant hounding that even minor celebrities face thanks to the ever-present cameras of the gossip giant.   Tom Kenny, a veteran voice actor who worked on the Transformers animated film (where Al's 'Dare To Be Stupid' was used on the soundtrack) plays the part of a TMZ narrator.

'Skipper Dan' is one of my favorite Al originals, and is the upbeat story of a once up-and-coming theater actor who now captains a ship on Disney's Jungle Cruise.  Yes, Jungle Cruise employees tend to love the song.  Failed actors...not so much.

'Polka Face' is unique among Al's polka medleys in that he uses the opening song ('Poker face,' of course') to both open and close the song.  In some ways, Al combined some of the songs to tell a narrative in the middle of the song.  Thanks again to Wikipedia, here are the songs included:
The use of 'The Polka King' Frankie Yankovic was also a nice touch.

'Craiglist' combines the all-purpose internet want-ads with the style of The Doors, as Al perfectly mimic's Jim Morrison's vocal mannerisms.  The keyboard parts are authentic as well, as Al got Ray Manzarek (keyboardist for The Doors) to play on the song. The video is also reminiscent of Morrison's penchant for Native American imagery and desert images that have nothing to do with the song.

'Party in the CIA' is my favorite parody of the album, as he takes Miley Cyrus' 'Party in the USA' and re-works it to a spy who's very happy doing the dirty work.  The light, playful tone combined with the idea of assassinating South American dictators shows off Al at his twisted best.

'Ringtone' is the only true let-down for me on the album.  While parodying the style of certain Queen songs, there's just not enough humor in an annoying ringtone to last for a whole song.

'Another Tattoo,' a parody of Bruno Mars 'Nothing on You,' is a close second to being my favorite parody.  'At every job interview they're just so impressed/ Cuz I got all my ex-wives on my chest.' describes the attitude of a couple people I've interviewed myself in the past.

'If That Isn't Love' once again features a guest keyboard player, this time in the form of Taylor Hanson, whose upbeat, piano-driven pop style is imitated here, as some poor schlub tries to express the depth of his affection, 'And when we're at parties, I don't talk about your spastic bladder/ And when you're cleaning the guttes on the roof, I'll hold the ladder!'  Oddly enough, my wife isn't as amused as I am about this song, and after I did her the favor of playing over and over and over for her.

'Whatever You Like,' a parody T.I.'s song of the same name, and was the first time Al was able to release a single of his parody while the original was still #1 on the charts.  Rather than going the rapper's route of bestowing mansions and yacht's, Al promises his girlfriend the best one can do on a more limited income.  There's quite a few moments that make me chuckle in the song.

'Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me' is a song in the style of Meatloaf's collaborations with Jim Steinman ('I Would Do Anything for Love,' etc.).  Do you have that friend on Facebook who forwards everything to you- especially stuff everyone else already saw months ago?  Then you get the frustration Al expresses in this song.  you'll probably even recognize a lot of the examples.  I'm always tempted to send a link to this song back whenever someone forwards me emails like this, but I'm not sure my mom would get the joke.

You are required to be here tomorrow.  It will be entertaining.  We will have Mandatory Fun.
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Sunday, July 13, 2014

"Weird Al" Yankovic: 'Straight Outta Lynwood

'Straight Outta Lynwood's biggest hit almost wasn't.  When he started looking for a lead parody, he asked James Blunt to do 'You're Pitiful' to the tune of 'You're Beautiful.'  Blunt agreed, but not so much his record company.  So, even before we got a new album, Al released the song online to whet our appetites for the upcoming album.  This album was released in a dual disc edition, featuring animated videos for all 6 original songs on the album as a DVD on the reverse side of the CD. 

In place of Blunt's song, Al went looking for another hit, and came across Chamillionaire's 'Ridin',' which Al quickly changed to 'White and Nerdy.' Chamillionaire liked the parody so much he put it up on his MySpace page (remember those?).  The song became Al's only top 10 hit, reaching number 9 on the Billboard charts.  Quite an achievement for someone who had his first record deal over 30 years before.  'White and Nerdy' is not only my wife's favorite song, but it's in my top 5 parodies as well.  It's video also has twice as many YouTube views as 'Ridin,' proving once again that Al sometimes remains more popular than the artists he parodies.

Going in a completely different direction, 'Pancreas' is the Beach Boys song that could have been, if Brian Wilson had been more interested in writing about body organs than surfing and girls.  Various musical cues harken back to the Beach Boys' heyday, along with the layered harmonies and mid-song changes.  Very well arranged and produced.

'Canadian Idiot' just might be my oldest daughter's favorite song.  Something about picking on our neighbors to the north just tickles her funny bone.  The parody of Green Day's 'American Idiot' plays off our American superiority complex to great effect.

Speaking of the American way, 'I'll Sue Ya' is a Rage Against the Machine style-parody mocking some of the ridiculous lawsuits that get brought to national attention. 'I sued Starbucks cuz I spilled a frappacino in my lap, and brr it was cold!' I am tempted to sue Ben Affleck for no reason, though.

'Polkarama!' is this album's polka medley, and again, it's even better then last album's  Featured here are...
(Thanks, Wikipedia).   From the moment the polka opens with 'The Chicken Dance,' the momentum doesn't let up.  Also, Al finally gets a Weezer song in ('Buddy Holly was cut from 'Polka Power!' at the band's request).  A particular highlight is Al's choice of music for 'Candy Shop.'

'Virus Alert' describes the ludicrous affects that a new virus is going to have on your computer- similar to those virus warnings your mom emails you about.  'It's gonna melt your face right off your skull/ And make your iPod only play Jethro Tull.'

'Confessions Part III' follows up on Usher's 'Confessions Part II,' and recites a further list of shortcomings to a woman whom the narrator has already told he's been cheating on with a woman who's having his child.'  The spoken word breakdown is my favorite part of this song.

'Weasel Stomping Day' is a festive song describing the activities of the title holiday.  'Put your Viking helmet on/ Spread that mayonnaise on the lawn/ Hi-D-Ho it's Weasel Stomping Day.' The behind-the-scenes video on the DVD shows some of the lengths Al went through to get perfect crunched weasel sounds.

'Close But No Cigar' is a song reminiscent of the band Cake.  Al has said that this song is somewhat based on an acquaintance who would be dating women, and then find the tiniest thing wrong with them and break up.  A lot of fun similes populate the lyrics, but 'she got me all chocked up like Mama Cass' is about as harsh as Al has been since 'Another One Rides the Bus.'

'Do I Creep You Out' is a parody of American Idol winner Taylor Hicks' 'Do I Make You Proud.'  It wasn't that big of a hit, and that's too bad, as Al's stalker mentality combine easily with the American Idol format (low key start, key change, big finish complete with vocal ad libs over background vocalists, and audience applause at the end). An overlooked gem on the album.

'Trapped in the Drive Thru' is Al's longest parody.  As Al felt that the original song was already a bit strange, he decided that his version would be about something completely average, a couple taking a trip to get some burgers.  A decent parody, it's almost the parody version of 'Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota.'

'Don't Download This Song' is fun due to it's non-commital to the issue at hand.  While it's never obvious if the narrator truly encourages someone to download songs, it's obvious that the practice of the RIAA of suing little girls and elderly ladies is also not favored.  To further confuse the issue, this was the first song actually released for the album...as a free download.  I imagine quite a few people ignored the title warning.

Next time, prepare yourself for...the AlPocalypse
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Saturday, July 12, 2014

"Weird Al" Yankovic: 'Poodle Hat'

'Poodle Hat' brought Al his third Grammy, It takes the multi-media experience of 'Running with Scissors,' and goes even further.  With all of the original songs, you can access instrumental versions of the songs, and certain other mixes.  My favorite is the 'vocals only' mix of 'Hardware Store.'  The biggest problem is that running the files means trying to find an older version of QuickTime and Windows that will actually run them.  I can use iTunes to run the 'Home movie,' but have relied on This link to get some of the audio mixes.

'Poodle Hat' leads off with 'Couch Potato,' a parody of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself.'  Oddly, when Al asked for permission to do the parody, Marshall was OK with it, but said no to the video- even though Eminem himself had taken to mocking other celebrities in his videos.  Lyrically, the song treads on familiar territory, listing lots of television shows.  Vocally and musically though, Al is able to capture Eminem's cadence and rhyme schemes very well, making this song stand out from some of his other TV-themed parodies.

'Hardware Store' is an Al original, and one his best.  The multiple vocal layers combined with the power tool sound effects and the driving beat all combine to make a wonderful cacophony of sound.  If I were ever to teach high school chorus, I'd make them learn this song...which is probably one the reasons I don't teach high school chorus.

'Trash Day' is a parody of Nelly's 'Hot in Herre,' changing the chorus to 'rotten here.' Nelly's little falsetto leaps and ad libs are imitated well here. A likeable song, but not a top favorite, either.

'Party at the Leper Colony,' rhythm-wise, is a Bo Diddley homage, and describes a party where folks' body parts are coming off at random.  Sure, it's juvenile humor at its worst, but with lines like 'There's somebody in the hot tub, I don't know who/ Wait a minute, it looks like Stu,' I can't help but grin.

'Angry White Boy Polka' features...
The first two songs are particularly well-done, as Al's accordion solo on 'Last Resort' and vocal arrangement on 'Chop Suey' do a fine of paying homage to the originals.  I also like the doo-wop version of 'Last Nite.

'Wanna B Ur Lovr' is a style parody of Beck, specifically of Beck imitating Prince, if that makes sense.  Here, the world's worst pick-up artist tries to seduce a lady in a series of less and less subtle innuendos.  Musically, the song is a lot of fun, especially during the 'Girl you must be Jamaican' breakdown at the end.  In concert, Al normally takes time this song to pay special attention to females throughout the audience.

'A Complicated Song,' a parody of Avril Lavigne's 'Complicated,' feels like Al couldn't quite think of one theme for a parody, and with a few of them.  Taking one-by-one, each verse is amusing, but as a whole, the parody just doesn't gel for me.

'Why Does This Always Happen to Me?' is an Al original, featuring Ben Folds on piano.  It parodies the selfish thinking that we all get into sometimes, though (of course) Al goes a bit overboard by the end.  But I think we've all been angry at one time or another when a favorite TV show is interrupted by some news report that doesn't immediately affect us, although most of us haven't stabbed a boss for hounding us about getting toner.

'Ode to a Superhero' is a parody of 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel.  Al uses the accordion to do a couple of the solo parts, and it fits in seamlessly.  Al re-tells most of the first Spider-Man movie in verse.  'With great power comes great responsibility/ That's the catchphrase of old Uncle Ben./ If you missed it don't worry they'll say the line/ Again and again and again.'

'Bob' is one of the most clever ideas Al has done.  The song consists exclusively of palindromes, set to a late-60s Dylan-esque tune.  The video for the song also captured Dylan's 'Subterranean Homesick Blues' look and feel- a style that was also copied by INXS for their video 'Mediate.'

'EBay' is my favorite parody on the album.  He takes the Backstreet Boys, 'I Want It That Way,' and describes the huge range of items one can find at the online auction giant, including 'A Kleenex used by Dr. Dre.'

'Genius in France' is an ode to Frank Zappa, and features Frank's son Dweezil playing the opening guitar lick.   Al's band really steps up their game on this one, inventing Zappa-like sounds where none had existed before. Once again, Al closes the album in epic fashion, as the song is nearly 9 minutes long. 

Next time, Al achieves a career milestone when he comes Straight Outta Lynwood.

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Friday, July 11, 2014

"Weird Al" Yankovic: Running With Scissors

'Running With Scissors' is the first album of the Internet age for Al.  I distinctly remember the internet (specifically, alt.music.weird-al) going all a-flutter when Al posted the tiniest square of an album cover on his website.  Then we got a little more of the cover, and a little more, until the whole cover was revealed.  Then came the endless speculation that now seems typical for a new Al project among his fans.  Spoilers are now starting to come out for 'Mandatory Fun,' but I'm avoiding them until I can hear the whole CD.  As I've already paid for the CD, I'm not above listening to a leaked copy if it should appear, but I'd rather not know more than song titles until I hear it for myself.

'Running With Scissors' is the first multi-media experience on one of Al's CDs.  Putting the CD into a computer (especially if you have QuickYime) lets you click on a 'SECRET FILE,' which is a series of clips taken from a Disney Channel special from 1996 called 'There's No Going Home,' showing Al returning to his California roots, including interviews with his parents and grandfather, 'Blind Lemon' Yankovic. 

'The Saga Begins' is the lead parody from RWS.  Back in 1999, excitement was high for the upcoming Star Wars film, and with a first line of 'A long, long time ago...,' Don MacLean's 'American Pie' was a great parody target.  Al did a lot of research on the Internet for spoilers so that he could release the song and album as soon as possible after Episode I's premier, and even paid $500 to attend a charity screening to confirm the details in his song.  I love the promotional image for the song, with Al's shadow taunting him, created in response to the image of young Anakin walking along with a Vader shadow. The video was conceived as 'Star Wars, Unplugged,' as Al plays in a small Tatooine cantina surrounded by a group of Star Wars-type aliens.

'My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder' is a zydeco-style original from Al.  As an accordion virtuoso, it seems natural that Al would at some point find his way to this musical style. Lots of fun observations about how a guy like Eddie Vedder seems so sullen all the time. 'Yeah, he's her very favorite slacker multi-millionaire.'

With 'Pretty Fly (For a Rabbi),' Al finally got to do a parody of the offspring.  Al had originally toyed with the idea of doing 'Pretty Fly for a Jedi,' but decided a more epic, classic song was needed for Episode I.  Instead, we get a hard rock ode to the new rabbi in town, sprinkled with plenty of Yiddish and Hebrew expressions.

Next comes 'The Weird Al Show Theme'  Al had a short-lived Saturday morning kid's show back in 1997 on CBS.  As it was on at a different time every week, or sometimes not at all, I didn't get to see more than one episode of the show until it came out on DVD in 2006.  The show struggled to find a balance between Al's humor and CBS' desire to have an educational children's program, but there are a lot of funny bits.  While having the theme song is nice, I would have preferred a 'real' Al original in its place.

'Jerry Springer,' as a title, had a lot of people scratching their heads before hearing it.  It turned out to be a parody of Barenaked Ladies' 'One Week.'  Al had been a fan of BNL for a while (and they were even on 'The Weird Al Show' as musical guests), and now had a song that had become popular enough to parody.  Al nails BNL's rapid-fire style during the verses, and includes simulated Springer guest dialog during the instrumental break.

'Germs' is a style parody of Nine Inch Nails, and is my favorite original song on the album.  Al takes the anger and occasional paranoia of Trent Reznor and applies it to microscopic things he can't control.  Al's instrument, rhythm, and vocal choices leave do doubt as to whom he's paying homage to.

'Polka Power' was Al's best polka medley to date.  The 'doo doo doo' during 'Semi-Charmed Kind of Life,' followed by Marilyn Manson leading directly to Hanson are some of my favorite moments.  The song appropriately closes with 'Closing Time.'  Thanks to Wikipedia, here's a full list of the songs included:
Al original 'Your Horoscope for the Day' kicks off the second half of the album.  Inspired by The Onion's horoscope section, Al came up with his own predictions, and set them to ska music reminiscent of bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  Al even brought in members of ska band Reel Big Fish to be the horn section.  Mine? 'Gemini: Your birthday party will be ruined once again by your explosive flatulence/ Your love life will run into trouble when your fiance hurls a javelin through your chest.'  He was half-right.

'It's All About the Pentiums' is Al's take on Puff Daddy (featuring a whole host of real musicians)'s 'It's All About the Benjamins.'  The video featured Al in full rap gear bragging about his computer skills, as well as guest appearances from Drew Carey and Emo Phillips. My favorite line is 'You're just about as useless as jpegs to Helen Keller.'

'Truck Driving Song' is a style parody of the sub-genre of country that focuses on big rig operators.  Here our narrator seems like your average trucker, until he reveals that he's 'driving a truck with my high heels on.' From there, he gets more and more descriptive of his cross-dressing habits.  Or maybe the narrator is a woman with a very deep voice.

'Grape Fruit Diet' is a parody of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies 'Zoot Suit Riot,' which was part of the swing music resurgence of the late 90s.  Once again, Al is fat, and 'makes sumo wrestlers look like Kate Moss.'  A great parody target, but going back to territory that he's covered before so well in 'Fat' makes this song seem a little less clever than some of the other parodies on this album.

'Albuquerque' is a style parody of The Rugburns 'Dick's Automotive,' which I didn't discover until years later.  At 11 minutes and 23 seconds, it's Al's longest song, and is quite epic.  Al bravely started doing this song in concert during the Straight Outta Lynwood tour a few years later.  When playing in the eponymous town, he got to the part near the end where he loses his train of thought, and started the whole thing over again, turning it into a 20 minute-plus song.  This song is difficult to listen to in the car, because it always seems to be playing just as we reach our destination, and then I have to start it over next time we get in the car.

Top to bottom, 'Running With Scissors' is one of my favorite Al CDs, and would be a great starting place for anyone wondering what this 'Weird Al' guy is all about.  Next time, we take a look at what's underneath Al's 'Poodle Hat.'

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Wednesday, July 9, 2014

"Weird Al" Yankovic: 'Bad Hair Day'

'Bad Hair Day' starts a new phase of Al's career.  In my mind, I think of his career as 'the early years' (Everything up to 'Even Worse'), 'the middle years' ('Even Worse'-'Alapalooza.') and 'the modern era.  Al had slowly been taking more control over his product, and with Bad Hair Day, Al was fully in the driver's seat, producing the album and directing both of its videos, as he would do for the next few albums.  This album is also starts a trend of Al's in terms of the song order- Tracks 1, 3, 7, 9, and 11 are parodies, track 5 is the polka medley, and tracks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 are original songs.  This pattern continues through the upcoming 'Mandatory Fun,' if the leaked track list is to be believed.

'Amish Paradise' is one of Al's best known parodies, and for good reason.  Taking the gangsta rap stylings of Coolio's 'Gangster's Paradise' and turning them to describe the technology-eschewing religious community was a stroke of genius.  The CD cover and other promotional materials also parody Coolio's distinctive hair style.  The video did not directly parody the original (which showcased parts of the movie 'Dangerous Minds,' where it was included on the soundtrack), but did feature The Brady Bunch's Florence Henderson imitating one of Michelle Pfieffer's signature moments from the movie and video.  Also, in the last few moments of the song, we see a lot of stuff going in reverse while Al continues to sing the lyrics.  In reality, Al learned to (mostly) lip synch the song backwards for this stunt.  One of Al's most impressive videos.

'Everything You Know Is Wrong' is a style parody of They Might Be Giants, and includes references to some of their songs (notably 'Everything Right Is Wrong Again' and 'My Evil Twin.').  The stream of consciousness storytelling that Al employs here will also serve as a template of sorts for songs like 'Albuquerque.'

'Cavity Search' is a parody of U2's not-quite-a-hit 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,' which Al changes to 'Numb Me, Drill Me, Floss Me, Bill Me.'  Al takes us with him on a trip to the dentist, complete with authentic dental drill sound effects and the obligatory screams of pain. Al had originally asked for permission to use U2's 'Numb,' re-doing it as the text from 'Green Eggs and Ham,' but the estate of Dr. Seuss declined.  The same estate that let Mike Meyers make a travesty of 'The Cat in the Hat' and authorized really weird animated adaptations of 'Horton Hears a Hoo' and 'The Lorax.'  A Google search for 'Weird Al Green Eggs and Ham' can show early results of what might have been, though it might be helpful to familiarize yourself with U2's video for 'Numb.'

'Callin' In Sick' is a grunge-style song owing a lot to Nirvana's 'Lithium,' among other songs.  Al takes the frustration and self-empowerment of early grunge and channels it into taking a day off from work. this song often came to mind during one of my prior jobs.

'The Alternative Polka' blends together many so-called 'Alternative' songs in a traditional Al polka medley.  The songs included are (hats off to Wikipedia)...
Al's polka medleys continues to improve over time, and this was his best to date.  I like the misleading start of using Beck's original guitar lick before going into full-on polka mode.  Also, the sound effects used before and during 'Closer' help set this medley apart.

'Since You've Been Gone' is a quick 'a capella' ditty about how much pain the narrator is in after his girlfriend leaves him.  SYBG was the first Al song I ever performed for an audience, as my roommate and a friend of ours performed it as part of a church retreat talent show a few months after the album came out.  Dave in particular got major props for doing the bass part ('Yap yap dooby dow bap bap dooby doom dooby dow dooby doo dooby dow...) Still a favorite, and the last line always makes me smile.

'Gump' is a parody of The Presidents of the Untied States of America's 'Lump,' retelling the highlights of the popular film 'Forrest Gump.'  In the video, a Forrest Gump stand-in gets into exaggerated versions of situations in the movie as Al and friends play the song in a nearby park and splashing in a fountain, in imitation of the original band's playing in a swamp.  Here, Al adapted a bald wig to emulate TPOTUSA's lead singer, Chris Ballew.

'I'm So Sick of You' is an Al original.  Shortly after this song came out, a friend of mine broke up with his girlfriend.  I still remember him latching onto the lyrics 'Well that disgusting noise you make when you laugh gives me a throbbing migraine/ (Can't stand ya, I just can't stand ya).'  In this case, these lyric really struck home.  I made an extra effort around this girl not to say anything amusing to keep her from assaulting my ears with her laughter.

'Syndicated, Inc' is, in my opinion, the weakest parody on the album.  Al takes Soul Asylum's minor hit 'Misery,' and turns it into another list of TV shows.  However, Al replaces the guitar solo with an accordion solo that works so well, one might thing that the original had it in there as well.  I sometimes wonder if other parodies that were rejected for this album ('Laundry Day' from The Offspring's 'Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated),' 'Gee I'm a Nerd' from the Beatle's recently released 'Free as a Bird,' and I'll Repair For You,' from The Rembrandt's 'Friends' theme 'I'll Be There For You') might have replaced this rather lackluster parody.

'I Remember Larry' is a nice warning to all those pranksters out there about what could happen when things get carried too far.  This song also contains Al's second backwards message during one of the instrumental breaks.  'Wow you must have an awful lot of free time on your hands' is the message.  Yes.  Yes I do.

'Phony Calls' is a parody of 'Waterfalls' by TLC, about the various prank phone calls made (kind of a prank thing going on here).  Instead of parodying Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopez's rap, though, Al includes a clip from the Simpsons of one of Bart's famous prank calls to Moe's Tavern.

The album closer is, once again, the most twisted song on the album, the holiday classic 'The Night Santa Went Crazy,' describing Saint Nick's drunken rampage through the North Pole.  This song has the feel of Soul Asylum's 'Black Gold,' another indication that maybe 'Misery' wasn't a first choice to parody.  Al's original lyrics to this song was apparently deemed too graphic for the record, so the version here is the softrned version. However, one of the b-side tracks featured on the 'Amish Paradise' single is the 'Extra Gory Version' of the song, featuring an even more depressing third verse.

'Bad Hair Day' remains one of my favorite Al releases, with a lot of great original songs and some decent parodies.  Until I update this blog again, Go Outside and Play or Something.  Try Running With Scissors.
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"Weird Al" Yankovic: 'Alapalooza'

Spoofing the title to the popular concert festival 'Lollapalooza,' 'Alapalooza' contains four parodies, a polka medley, and seven original tunes as a follow-up to the prior year's 'Off The Deep End.' While a couple of the parodies are a little strained, Al's original songs are stronger here than his last effort.

'Jurassic Park' leads off the album, and is a parody of Richard Harris' 'MacArthur Park.'  Unlike the original, Al's version makes sense.  This song continues a trend of Al using older songs as source music for movie-related humor, first seen with 'Yoda,' and continued in future albums with 'The Saga Begins' and 'Ode to a Superhero.'  The video was done in claymation, and spoofs a lot of the scenes from the film 'Jurassic Park' and includes a cheer-inducing scene where a dinosaur much like PBS's Barney gets his head bitten off.  I think the claymation allowed Al's dinosaurs to do a bit more squishing and bloodletting than might have been acceptable in a (very expensive) live action version or a more traditionally animated video. 

'Young, Dumb, and Ugly' is meant to be a heavy metal, AC-DC-ish original.  The protagonist's ideas of bad behavior ('We drink milk right from the carton/ And save our library books til they're WAY overdue') is fun, though Al's voice is stretched a bit too thin on the track.

'Bedrock Anthem,' a parody medley of The Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Under The Bridge' and 'Give It Away' is a tribute to The Flintstones.  For whatever reason, this song doesn't really work for me.  There's a lack of humor in his description of the Flinstone's world, and more just fitting ideas into the rhyme scheme of the song.

'Frank's 2000" TV' is, in my opinion, the album's best track.  With a cheery sound reminiscent of R.E.M.'s less serious material, Al describes a TV that would (at a 16:9 HD ratio) be approximately 81 feet high and 145 feet wide.  Yeah, I did the math.  While you may not be able to 'watch the Simpsons from thirty miles away,' it is conceivable that Robert DeNiro's mole might actually be 10 feet wide.

'Achy Breaky Song' is a parody of Billy Ray Cyrus' 'Achy Breaky Heart,' and Al's first country music parody.  Al picks on how obnoxious that song got in the previous years, being played way too much on country radio.  Proceeds from the song were donated to the United Cerebral Palsy Association, as Al thought it was a bit 'mean-spirited.'  I kinda like it for that, though, and it reminds me of the unreleased 'It's Still Billy Joel To Me.'

'Traffic Jam,' an Al original, owes a lot to Prince's up-tempo material, particularly 'Let's Go Crazy.'  As the once-symbol-named musician has routinely turned down Al for a parody, this is the closest we'll get to one.  When I'm playing it in my car, I honk along in the appropriate spots, to the dismay of fellow drivers (and sometimes my passengers as well).

'Talk Soup' was commissioned by E! to be the new theme song for their show of the same name, but wasn't used.  In some ways, it's the late 90s equivalent of 'Midnight Star,' but I think the subject matter was covered more entertainingly by Al a few records later with 'Jerry Springer.'

'Livin' in the Fridge' is a food parody of Aerosmith's 'Livin' on the Edge.' As the song puts it, 'There's something gross in the fridge today, I don't know what it is.'  We've all been there.  Or at least I have.  I might be there right now.  Let me go check...

...yup.  Unidentified frozen objects.  Luckily, I have important stuff to do like blogging about "Weird Al" Yankovic, so I don't think I'll be cleaning the fridge today.

'She Never Told Me She Was a Mime' is, in my opinion, the weakest track on the album.  Like 'Airline Amy,' apparently being in love with a person in a specific occupation just doesn't lend itself to a whole lot of laughs.

'Harvey The Wonder Hamster' is a quick little ditty previously featured on Al-TV specials, and included by numerous fan requests.  Probably 14 or so.  Anyway, it probably didn't cost much to do, as it had already been recorded, so why not.  It makes my kids laugh, and its brevity works in its favor.

'Waffle King' is my favorite parody on the album.  While musically similar to 'Talk Soup,' the growing sense of megalomania as the song builds is subtly handled, becoming more and more ridiculous.  It may not be inconceivable that a waffle chef could get his picture in People magazine, but by the end, he's asking people to grovel at his feet for his waffles.  I love the use of the horn section, the background singers ('He's the wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-waffle king', and the ad libs as the song fades.  This was originally slated for 'Off The Deep End,' and was originally included as the B-side to the 'Smells Like Nirvana' single.

'Bohemian Polka' is the only time since 'George of the Jungle' that Al has covered someone else's material in full.  Here, Al takes the Queen song recently re-popularized by the movie 'Wayne's World,' and rearranges it to a polka beat.  Like 'The Hot Rocks Polka,' sticking with one artist (and in this case, one song) means the novelty wears thin after a bit, and is my least favorite of Al's polkas.  Still, trying to do an outright parody of the song might have proven difficult, especially with another song from the 70s already parodied on the album. 

Next album, Al has a bad hair day, but manages to release one of my favorite CDs anyway.
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