For the next 15 or so days, this blog will attempt to unprofessionaly review each of "Weird Al" Yankovic's studio albums, along with his movie, UHF, in celebration of the July 15th release of Al's 14th full-length album, "Mandatory Fun."
"Weird Al" Yanokvic, according to my exhaustive search (i.e. 30 seconds of Google browsing) has released 5 non-album tracks since he began his recording career.
"Headline News" was available on two different compilations, "Greatest Hits Volume 2" and "Permanent Record: Al in the Box," and is a parody of the blink-and-you-missed-them Crash Test Dummies "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm." The Dummies created a thoughtful track about the injustices perpetrated on innocent children. Al satirizes the news feed of then-current times, including Michael Fay's Singapore adventures, Tonya Harding's feud with Nancy Kerrigan, and John Wayne Bobbitt's wiener problems. Al not only nails the gravity of the CTDs, but also their lyrical structure. Where the original ending tapers off, Al's version adds more and more ridiculous sound effects to keep people entertained. The video for the song is one of my favorites, and is available here. Keep an eye out for legendary novelty music champion Dr. Demento and musical comedienne Judy Tenuta as Lorena Bobbitt.
"Polkamon" was recorded for the soundtrack to the second Pokemon
animated film, and features Al stringing together names of a bunch of
the pocket monsters to a polka beat. "Polkamon" takes a standard Al format, the polka, and gives it a bit of a twist, as he typically will use the polka beat to mash together choruses to various pop hits in an entertaining way. The best part of this song, for me, is the breakdown about two thirds of the way through the song. While not my favorite Al song, it is the best thing to ever happen in the history of Pokemon.
"Spy Hard" was recorded for the movie of the same name, and is performed in the style of a non-specific James Bond theme, complete with orchestra. The song (and Al) were used for the opening credits for the film, and is a great parody of Bond openings, featuring the typical silhouetted women and color-changing backgrounds. A second version of the song can be heard over the end credits, which changes a few lyrics to the past tense. One of Al's most impressive musical moments takes place at the end of the song, where he holds a high note for an especially long time. Al has said that no looping was used to achieve the effect.
Al's only duet, "I Need a Nap" was recorded for Sandra Boynton's "Dog Train" children's book and CD, and also features Oscar winning actress Kate Winslet. They tell pretty much every toddler's story. "I was happy before, but I'm not anymore, and why there's a change I don't know." By the end, Al and Kate are at odds with one another, as he wants to keep going, and Kate cries 'Make him stop!' This song often comes to mind around 2-3pm, especially if the baby hasn't had her nap yet, either.
Finally, Al released (for free!) a parody of James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' entitled 'You're Pitiful.' 'Pitiful' was supposed to be the lead parody for 'Straight Outta Lynwood,' and Al had Blunt's permission to do the parody, but then Blunt's record company balked at the release. Apparently, they thought that an Al parody would pigeonhole Blunt, making him seem a one-hit wonder. As Al already had Blunt's permission, he released the song for free on his website. My favorite moment of the parody happens early on, as Al mocks the false start of Blunt's song, where the 'My Life Is Brilliant' line is done once, then 4 bars of instrumental, then done again.
Next up, "Weird Al" Yankovic's debut record, the cleverly titled "Weird Al" Yankovic.
