The upcoming release of "Alpocalypse", Weird Al Yankovic's newest album has me thinking about the king of musical parody. And that got me thinking about what Weird Al songs are my favorites:
15 I Lost On Jeopardy - Weird Al Yankovic in 3D - 1984 - Parody of "Jeopardy" by the Greg Kinn Band - Who hasn't watched Jeopardy and wondered how these people could possibly know this stuff. Complete with a voice over from Don Pardo, this song tells us how a normal person would fare on the game show.
14 Eat It - Weird Al Yankovic in 3D - 1984 - Parody of "Beat It" by Michael Jackson - Weird Al is at his best when he is parodying superstars. So it was only natural that he take on the king of pop. The video for this song is especially good, with some hilariously geeky dance moves from Al.
13 Perform This Way - Alpocalypse - 2011 - Parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga - In the 80's Al found hugely popular stars like Michael Jackson and Madonna to parody. Now he's found a new, popular, hugely strange artist to poke fun at. Don't be surprised if you hear more Lady Gaga songs done up Weird Al style.
11 It's All About the Pentiums - Running With Scissors - 1999 - Parody of "It's All About the Benjamins" by Puff Daddy - It was inevitable that the tech references in this song would show their age (does anyone still use a single core pentium?), but that doesn't make this song any less funny. With this song Al first showed us his computer geek side.
10 Canadian Idiot - Straight Outta Lynwood - 2006 - Parody of "American Idiot" by Green Day - With this song Al pokes fun at a whole country. It's got some great one-liners ("They thing their accent is so cute; can't understand a thing their talkin' aboot").
9 Whatever You Like - Internet Leaks - 2008 - Parody of "Whatever You Like" by T.I. - This song is timely and funny. It's all about how a cheapskate is going to please his lady. I just love the line, "My wallet's fat. It's full of ones. It's all about the Washingtons."
8 Close But No Cigar - Straight Outta Lynwood - 2006 - Original - This song is completely over the top. It's all about women who are absolutely perfect except for one insignificant detail, but for Al, that's close, but no cigar.
7 Smells Like Nirvana - Off the Deep End - 1992 - Parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana - Many say this is the song that revitalized Al's career. It is definitely one of his best. He pokes fun at Nirvana's incomprehensible singing style.
6 Grapefruit Diet - Running With Scissors - 1999 - Parody of "Zoot Suit Riot" by the Cherry Poppin Daddies - Part of the reason for this song's place on this list is my love of new wave big band. But even so, the lyrics in this one stand on their own ("Grapefruit Diet (Diet!)
Can't have another eclair; Grapefruit Diet (Diet!) I gotta decrease my derriere")
5 Ode to a Superhero - Poodle Hat - 2003 - Parody of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel - This song describes the events of the first spiderman movie. When Al can parody a song like "Piano Man" and recap the movie that popularized superhero films all in one go, it proves his genius.
4 Wanna B Ur Lovr - Poodle Hat - 2003 - Original - This original Weird Al tune is all about smooth talking come ons, Weird Al style. Check out this live version: here
3 Living With a Hernia - Polka Party! - 1986 - Parody of "Living In America" by James Brown - The great thing about this song is how Al delivers it in James Brown's style. Every yelp, ow, and oooh makes us believe that James Brown must have been suffering from a hernia while performing.
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