"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...

• "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus
• "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People
• "Best Song Ever" by One Direction
• "Gangnam Style" by Psy
• "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen
• "Scream & Shout" by will.i.am featuring Britney Spears
• "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye featuring Kimbra
• "Timber" by Pitbull featuring Kesha
• "Sexy And I Know It" by LMFAO
• "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz
• "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams

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.