"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...

• "Last Resort" by Papa Roach
• "Chop Suey!" by System of a Down
• "Get Free" by The Vines
• "Hate to Say I Told You So" by The Hives
• "Fell in Love with a Girl" by The White Stripes
• "Last Nite" by The Strokes
• "Down with the Sickness" by Disturbed
• "Renegades of Funk" by Rage Against the Machine
• "My Way" by Limp Bizkit
• "Outside" by Staind
• "Bawitdaba" by Kid Rock
• "Youth of the Nation" by P.O.D.
• "The Real Slim Shady" by Eminem

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.