He is known in particular for humorous songs which make fun of popular culture or parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts, or both. His works have earned him three gold and five platinum records in the U.S.
Songs on Yankovic's commercially released albums
Yankovic has written hundreds of songs over his entire career; however, listed below are the tracks that have appeared on his commercially released albums. These include his fourteen studio albums and seven compilation albums.
Each song's listing states the album or albums on which it appears, and whether the song is an original or a parody. Some songs are "style parodies", in which Yankovic emulates the general sound of a group without directly parodying one of their songs. These are listed as "Original, in the style of . ... "
Original, in the style of "Dick's Automotive" by The Rugburns.[1] Final section repeating the word "Albuquerque" parodies the end of "Education" by The Kinks.
The "noise" song appears as a hidden track on most CD releases. It starts playing after ten minutes of silence at the end of the "You Don't Love Me Anymore" track. Inspired by Nirvana's hidden track on Nevermind.
Original, in the style of Devo, particularly "Big Mess". The video references "Whip It," "Satisfaction," "Beautiful World," "Jocko Homo," and "Smart Patrol". After one line, Al lip-syncs 'Yes!', taken from the Devo song "Explosions".
Original – "Fun Zone" does not really have lyrics. People occasionally say "yeah" and other similar phrases, but it's generally just instrumental. In the movie UHF, an excerpt of the song played in the background when Stanley rode out in the miniature fire engine at the beginning of an episode of Stanley Spadowski's Clubhouse. Originally written for the TV show Welcome to the Fun Zone.
Original, in the style of James Taylor, particularly "Only One." In one of Al's many appearance's on The Dr. Demento Show, he described this song as something one might expect to hear if James Taylor and Charles Manson ever collaborated on a song.
Parody of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies. Lyrics recount three well-known tabloid stories of 1993 and 1994. In order, the capsulized stories are those of Michael P. Fay, who was caned in Singapore for vandalism, Tonya Harding, who hired Shane Stant to club the kneecap of her figure-skating rival Nancy Kerrigan, and Lorena Bobbitt, who emasculated her husband after he sexually assaulted her. Though these stories sounded horrific, a humorous slant was necessarily added, especially after the mass amount of press each story garnered.
Original, in the style of "Calling All Girls" by Hilly Michaels. Reversing a segment of the song near the end reveals the hidden backwards message "Wow, you must have an awful lot of free time on your hands".[4]
Parody of "Living in America" by James Brown. The video was shot on the same stage where Brown's scenes in Rocky IV, which featured "Living in America", had been shot.
Original, in the style of The B-52's, particularly "Rock Lobster" and "There's a Moon in the Sky".[1] Refers to Ron Popeil. Ron Popeil's daughter sings backing vocals.
Original, in the style of doo-wop. In concert, Al emulates Elvis Presley's mannerisms by giving concert-goers scarves from around his neck and having himself followed by a bodyguard as he walks through the audience.
Parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. The video was shot on the same sound stage as the original, and featured the original janitor and many of the original extras.
Original, in the style of Midnite Vultures-era Beck and Prince. Title is a play on Prince's tendency to omit vowels from song titles and takes from an actual song from his self-titled album.
"Beverly Hillbillies/Miss You", a parody of "Miss You" by the Rolling Stones[15]
"Brain Freeze", from The Simpsons episode "That '90s Show", originally aired in April 2008. A parody of the fictional song "Shave Me" by Sadgasm, Homer Simpson's grunge band in the episode, "Shave Me" being a spin on "Rape Me" by Nirvana.
A polka medley performed at a 1982 Missing Persons concert including parts of "Jocko Homo", "Homosapien", "Sex Junkie", "T.V.O.D.", "Bad Boys Get Spanked", "TV Party", "Janitor", and "People Who Died"[15]
Yankovic's official website has the following note:[38][39]
Unfortunately, there are a lot of song parodies floating around the Internet being attributed to Al which are in fact done by somebody else. "Star Wars Cantina", "Windows 95 Sucks", "Living La Vida Yoda", "Combo No. 5", "What If God Smoked Cannabis", "He Got The Wrong Foot Amputated" (the list goes on and on ... some of the titles are unprintable in a family-friendly web site) – these songs are NOT by Al. If you want to verify whether or not a song is actually by Al, check the Catalogue page.
Because Yankovic is arguably the most successful parody artist, songs posted to file sharing networks are often misattributed to him due to their humorous subject matter. Much to the disdain of Yankovic, this includes songs that are racist, sexually explicit, or otherwise offensive. A young listener who had heard several of these offensive tracks by way of a file sharing service confronted Yankovic online, threatening a boycott due to his supposedly explicit lyrics.[40]
Yankovic cites these misattributions as "his real beef with P2P sites":
If you do a search for my name on any one of those sites, I guarantee you that about half of the songs that come up will be songs I had absolutely nothing to do with. That particularly bothers me, because I really try to do quality work, and I also try to maintain a more-or-less family-friendly image – and some of these songs that are supposedly by me are just ... well, vulgar and awful. I truly think my reputation has suffered in a lot of people's minds because of all those fake Weird Al songs floating around the Internet.[3]
A list of songs not by Yankovic can be found at The Not Al List. Alternatively, a list of all commercially released songs recorded by Yankovic can be found on his website.
Poodle Hat is the eleventh studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on May 20, 2003. It was the fifth studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop of the early-2000s. The album's lead single, "Couch Potato", is a parody of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. The single failed to chart, although the album's song "eBay" eventually peaked at 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles in 2007.
Bad Hair Day is the ninth studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on March 12, 1996. It was Yankovic's last studio album for the Scotti Brothers label before it was purchased by Volcano Entertainment in 1999. The album produced an array of hit comedy singles; lead single "Amish Paradise", which lampoons both Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" and the Amish lifestyle, charted at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Gump", which parodies "Lump" by the Presidents of the United States of America and the movie Forrest Gump, reached at No. 102.
Off the Deep End is the seventh studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1992. This album was the first album self-produced by Yankovic, after six albums with Rick Derringer. Recorded between June 1990 and January 1992, the album was a follow-up to the unsuccessful soundtrack to Yankovic's 1989 film UHF. Off the Deep End and its lead single "Smells Like Nirvana" helped to revitalize Yankovic's career after a lull following his last hit single, "Fat", in 1988.
Even Worse is the fifth studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on April 12, 1988. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between November 1987 and February 1988, this album helped to revitalize Yankovic's career after the critical and commercial failure of his previous album Polka Party! (1986).
Dare to Be Stupid is the third studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 18, 1985. The album was one of many Yankovic records produced by former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between August 1984 and March 1985, the album was Yankovic's first studio album released following the success of 1984's In 3-D, which included the Top 40 single "Eat It".
"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D is the second studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on February 28, 1984, by Rock 'n Roll Records. The album was one of many produced by former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between October and December 1983, the album was Yankovic's follow-up to his modestly successful debut LP, "Weird Al" Yankovic.
"Weird Al" Yankovic is the debut studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. The album was the first of many produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Mostly recorded in March 1982, the album was released by Rock 'n Roll Records as an LP and on Compact Cassette in 1983.
"My Bologna" is the debut single by American musical parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic, originally released in December 1979. It is a parody of the Knack's hit song "My Sharona". Yankovic originally wrote the lyrics while he attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California; the original version of the parody was recorded in a bathroom across the hall from the campus radio station, KCPR, at which Yankovic had worked as a DJ. The title refers to Bologna sausage, specifically the Oscar Mayer brand popular in the United States. Yankovic sent "My Bologna" to Dr. Demento, who aired the song on his nationwide radio program, The Dr. Demento Show. The song was a hit on the program, and eventually gained the number one spot on Dr. Demento's "Funny Five" countdown.
"Another One Rides the Bus" is a song by comedy musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was released in February 1981 and is a parody of Queen's song "Another One Bites the Dust". Yankovic's version describes a person riding in a crowded public bus. It was recorded live on September 14, 1980, on the Dr. Demento Show, hosted by Barret "Dr. Demento" Hansen. Accompanying Yankovic was Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz, who would go on to be the artist's long-time drummer.
Permanent Record: Al in the Box is a four disc compilation box set of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on September 27, 1994. The album, released by Scotti Brothers Records so that the label could make monetary projections for the fiscal year, collects Yankovic's favorite songs from his first eight studio albums. The collection also includes alternate versions of "My Bologna", "Happy Birthday", "UHF" and the new single, "Headline News", a parody of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies. It peaked at number 104 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"I Love Rocky Road" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic about a man's obsession with rocky road ice cream. It is a parody of the Arrows' 1975 song, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", originally sung and written by Alan Merrill, in the style of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
"Yoda" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from his third album, Dare to Be Stupid (1985). It is a parody of the song "Lola" by the Kinks. Inspired by the events of the movie The Empire Strikes Back, the song is told from the point of view of Jedi-in-training Luke Skywalker and concerns his dealings with Master Yoda on the planet Dagobah. The song was initially written and recorded in 1980, during the original release of The Empire Strikes Back and achieved success on The Dr. Demento Show; however, securing permission from both Star Wars creator George Lucas and "Lola" songwriter Ray Davies delayed the physical release of the song for about five years.
Straight Outta Lynwood is the twelfth studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on September 26, 2006, the title drawing inspiration from hip hop group N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton. It was the sixth studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-2000s. The album's lead single, "White & Nerdy", is a parody of Chamillionaire's hit single "Ridin'". The single debuted at #28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #9 the following week; "Canadian Idiot", a parody of Green Day's "American Idiot", also charted, peaking at #82.
"I Lost on Jeopardy" is a song by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic from his second album, "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D, released in 1984. The song is a parody of "Jeopardy" by The Greg Kihn Band, released in 1983, and its refrain "Our love's in jeopardy". The parody's lyrics center on the game show Jeopardy!, and features a guest vocal from Don Pardo, who announced for Jeopardy! from 1964 to 1975. The music video uses a set inspired by the 1964-75 version of the game show, and in addition to Pardo, features cameos from the show's host Art Fleming as well as Dr. Demento and Greg Kihn. The song was released just prior to the revival of Jeopardy! in 1984, though contrary to popular theory, the revival was already in the works and was not inspired by Yankovic's song.
Another One Rides the Bus is the debut extended play (EP) by American parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was released in 1981 by Placebo Records. The title song is a parody of English rock band Queen's 1980 single "Another One Bites the Dust". The EP also features three other songs, all of which are original recordings. All four songs on Another One Rides the Bus later appeared on Yankovic's eponymous debut studio album; the three original songs were re-recorded for the album, while the title song is the same version that appears on the EP.
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing comedy songs that often parody specific songs by contemporary musicians. He also performs original songs that are style pastiches of the work of other acts, as well as polka medleys of several popular songs, most of which feature his trademark accordion.
Alpocalypse is the thirteenth studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 21, 2011. It was the seventh studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the late 2000s and early 2010s. The album's first single, "Whatever You Like", was released almost two and a half years prior to the release of the album, and the single peaked at number 104 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album's final single, "Perform This Way", was released digitally on April 25, 2011, but failed to chart.
Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic is a 15-album box set by American comedy musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on November 24, 2017. Squeeze Box marks Yankovic's second box set since 1994's Permanent Record: Al in the Box.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a 2022 American biographical musical parody film directed by Eric Appel, in his feature directorial debut, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Al Yankovic. The film is a satire on musical biopics and is loosely based on Yankovic's life and career as an accordionist and parody songwriter. It stars Daniel Radcliffe as Yankovic, along with Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson in supporting roles.
References
The style parody artists for Straight Outta Lynwood are thanked in the "Special thanks to ..." page of the album's booklet.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
