I find it really crazy that you guys do not have a better subscriber number! You two are so much better than most other critics on here! I watch you more than any of the others!
Not just a parody. The music video for "Fat" is a direct copy of "Bad" at practically a frame by frame level. You can find side-by-side comparisons of the two on RUclips and it's uncanny. It was intentional, of course, but the level of precision, especially before digital editing, is amazing.
Believe this is the original set and the original dancers. Michael Jackson was very supportive of weird al when he made two parody songs based on Michael Jacksons own songs.
White and Nerdy is my favorite. I guess we should say that it's a parody of Flo Rida's Riding Dirty. Since both Phil and Sam come come a hip hop background, they might not need to watch the original first. Maybe. If they haven't heard that song, that's probably a must first. And even though this is my favorite Weird Al song, I still think doing Michael Jackson's Bad and then Weird Al's Fat is probably best before White and Nerdy. They build off of each other when it comes to truly appreciation this man's brilliant creativity.
Yeah, The Saga Begins.... Oh my, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye Sayin', "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi
The person who wrote "American pie" (name escapes me right off) said that whenever he sings the original song, he has to concentrate on the words, else he'd start to sing "the saga begins"! That's shows how much Weird Al puts into his works, that the original artist has to focus on not slipping into Al's tribute!
If you want to hear a parody of a more modern song, you can try “word crimes” parody of Blurred lines. Or “Tacky” a parody of Pharrell’s “Happy”. Or foil a parody of Lorde’s Royals”
Weird Al is brilliant, and all class. He asks permission even though by law, he doesn’t need permission to do a parody. He never ridicules the artist or original message, and he never uses foul language.
@@SaverioP My bologna was first and yes, same band since the late 80s when they added the keyboard player. Another one rides the bus was still an early one though.
Weird Al didn't need the artist's permission to do a parody. But, if the artist didn't want him to do it, he didn't...out of respect. MJ loved these parodies so much that he Weird Al to do more of his songs.
To be clear, if the artist didn’t give him the go ahead, but he had enough of it already done, some of them he would still perform live (in part or whole), but would not do a studio recording of it. That was the main stipulation.
@@raybernal6829 Prince refused him enough times until he just took it as a permanent no. I'm guessing it was taken as a "don't call me, I'll call you" thing.
Actually, the career of Weird Al Yankovic started in the late 1970's with his parody of My Sharona, the #1 hit by The Knack. It was entitled My Bologna.
Well, "My Bologna" was the first that got him a record deal but he had other songs aired by Dr. D a few years prior, starting with "Belvedere Cruisin'" in 1976 (the same year he graduated H.S. early at the age of 16)
The "Beat it" video got so much coverage we almost had it memorized. That made us love how much attention to detail Weird Al gave in this parody. He's never failed to make us smile.
Weird Al's early hits all centered around food. His first big song "My Bologna" was a parody of The Knack's "My Sharona", and debuted on the Dr. Demento show in the late 70's. (He owes his career to the good Doctor, who plucked his demo out of the pile of stuff that would get sent to his show every week, and declared him a genius.) He said this song was inspired by the things his mom would say to him to get him to eat his dinner. It's so catchy and such a perfect parody that to this day, I cannot hear Jackson's song without singing the lyrics to Al's. (Michael loved it, by the way.)
dr. demento encouraged his audience to send in their own demented tapes. i got a couple of mine played on the air about the time he discovered al, but never achieved .001% of his success. they were fun times,though. people like barnes and barnes,su-lu,and damaskus were coming up with new songs almost weekly.
All I ask is that you guys be sure to listen to the original songs before you listen to the parody, if you haven't already heard the original. And for more recent original songs with official videos, watch those too because after Eat It, he really leaned into video parody as well the associated song. You'll miss a lot if you haven't watched the original video as well. Examples of that would be Amish Paradice, Fat, Whaite & Nerdy. And once you get into the 90s, his music and overall production quality of his videos is impressive.
This is a shot-for-shot parody of "Beat It". Michael Jackson was a huge fan of Weird Al, and for "Fat" (a parody of "Bad") Michael Jackson loaned Weird Al the set they filmed the original on.
Weird Al is a genius. Most artists supported his parodies (except for Prince). Basically, if Weird Al did one of your songs, you know you’re top tier. Also, this video copies the original Beat It video scene for scene, verbatim. It’s awesome. Got to do Amish Paradise next!
This was Al's first actual hit. It peaked at #12 on the Hot 100 chart in 1984. Some of his other parodies floated around the middle of the chart but not that high. He didn't score big again until the brilliant "Smells Like Nirvana" peaked at #35 in 1992. As good as "Amish Paradise' was it only peaked at #53 in 1996. Weird Al finally had his biggest hit with "White and Nerdy," which topped out at #9 in 2006.
My favorite Weird Al song (original, I think) is "One More Minute" during which he tells all the things he would rather do than to spend one more minute with this woman. It includes things like spending eternity eating shards of broken glass, to sticking his nostrils together with Krazy Glue, to cleaning all the bathrooms in Grand Central Station with his tongue.😂😂😂😂😂
If you want to stay in that classic era, and have heard Joan Jett and the Blackhearts do "I Love RocknRoll", then you also have to listen to his "I Love Rocky Road."
I believe i heard that Al didn't want to do this song, but the studio at the time demanded it of him, so it was a song done under duress, and he quarter-assed it.
Weird Al makes sure the music is as good as the original, the dancers and everything involved is first class and that is what makes him timeless and hilarious.
Michael was a huge fan of Weird Al and allowed him use of the original set. When he parody Bad, Al also used the same subway station. A Legally, Al doesn't need to get permission for the artist. However, he has a point of getting the artists's blessing. This how he has thrived for so long. He has outlasted most of the acts he has parody. Also Al's band has the same members since he started. In BeatIt, the guitar solo was performed by Eddie Van Halen. In the parody, producer Rick Derringer, performed the solo. The guitarist in the video is Jim West. Jim was hired after the song was recorded, he is an excellent (and extremely underrated guitarist). He has won several awards and released several albums but Hawaiian Slack Key albums. In fact, his entire band is very talented and they can play just about any type of genre you can think of.They take recording music very serious and try to get it as close to the original as possible. When Al did a parody of the Dire Straits song Money for Nothing (for the uhf movie), Mark Knoepfler agreen under one condition. He had to play the guitar on the recording (along with Guy Fletcher on keyboards). About half of the songs on any given alums are orginals and most of them what he calls style parody. not parodys of particular song but a song in a style of an artist or genre. Take for instance his song Dare to be Stupid. This is a style parody of Devo.
For a parody you don't need permission, but Al always got it first. MJ LOVED Al he even helped him with the videos, he got the same dancers to appear in Al's Eat It video.
Not only is he brilliant for writing lyrics that match the flow and the music, he is also talented enough to perform in their style and sound. All before even mentioning the genius of his videos.
Al’s been around since the 70s - any of us who regularly listened to Dr Demento are familiar with him for hits like “My Bologna” and “Another One Rides the Bus”.
Great reaction, Phil and Sam!!! I've seen Weird Al live in concert twice in my life, and both shows were outstanding!!! Al and all the members of his band are extremely talented musicians, and they put on one hell of a show!!! They played for at least 2 hours straight without taking a break, and they did multiple costume changes depending on the song they were performing.
Love this song! It's about 50/50 Parodies vs original songs. The famous guitar solo, originally performed by Eddie Van Halen, was reproduced by Yankovic's producer, Rick Derringer. According to Yankovic, when he presented his lyrics to Jackson for review, he did not know how Jackson would react. Jackson thought it was amusing and agreed to allow it. How about 'Rick Derringer - Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo' next please. Cheers.
Weird Al inspired me to write a parody song. I call it the world's first gluten-free song. It is to the tune of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore" and it's called "You Don't Bake With Flour Anymore". I have done it a few times with female friends at karaoke gatherings.
As soon as Weird Al had the budget for some production value, he focused on making the parodies sound as close to the quality of the originals as possible, and it made all the difference in the world.
Novelty songs were a thing during the fifties and the sixties. For some reason they faded off the radio after that. There was a syndicated radio show called "Dr Demento" and he played all these novelty songs that otherwise would not get air play. Weird Al got his start on this show with his first song, "My Bologna." None of the other artists on this syndicated radio show ever made it into the mainstream, but Weird Al went on to a measure of fame. When MTV videos were popular Weird Al had videos on the channel. From "Like a Surgeon" to "I Lost on Jeopardy" to "Its All About the Pentium" and so much more he found his niche in the music business. Have fun.
Even more when you realize those are often pastiches that are the result of Al & band meticulously studying how the targeted band/group sounds in order to parody their style. "Date to be Stupid" is an obvious example as it is so obviously in Devo's style but isn't an all out parody of any single Devo song.
And it's truly amazing that the band has only ever grown, no attrition over the past 40+ years - something that is very rare in the music industry. (Plus they're an exceptionally talented bunch in order to pull off the whole gambit of musical genres covered over Al's 150(+)-song discography)
Al's first songs ("My Bologna" - "My Sharona" & "Another One Rides the Bus" - "Another one Bites the Dust") got air play in late 1980 - his first (of 14) studio album was released in 1983.
Al’s been at it since 1979. Parodies are considered free speech but the only drama he had was with Coolio who didn’t want him to parody Gangster’s Paradise, but his management said it was OK. Coolio was pissed about it for a while but he’s the one who later apologized and said that “if MJ was cool with it, who am I to complain” and that going against Al was a “dumb” career move. Think about that, Al’s so respected that someone apologized *to him* for being upset that he used their song without permission. Kurt Cobain said he knew Nirvana had made it when Al came to them for permission to do Smells Like Nirvana. He supposedly also said “…is it gonna be about food?”
Even with Prince, who I understand could be kind of uptight about things like that, there wasn’t drama. Al would ask, Prince would say no, and things went on that way until Al just gave up, and accepted that Prince wasn’t interested.
@@LadyIarConnacht Sure, but in fun, and not what would really qualify as drama. I would never expect Al to pass up a chance to do a little elbow nudging.
@@0okamino There was definitely drama, since at one award ceremony that both Prince and Weird Al attended, Al was approached by some of Prince's representatives, and 'advised' not to make eye contact with Prince. It may or may not have been because of Prince telling him to give that message, but the existence of the message is pure drama.
Must see “Another One Rides The Bus” (Another One. It’s The Dust by Queen), “My Bologna” (My Sharona by The Knack) and “I Love Rocky Road” (I Love Rock n Roll by Joan Jett). These were from his first album which so how far ahead of his time he was
Yes, Weird Al is most known for his "Parodies".... Alot of Artist Consider it a mark of "Making It" when Weird Al makes a parody of their song...... Michael Jackson, appreciated Weird Al's Work so much that for some of songs that he hooked them up with the Choreographers, Dancers, Sets, Wardrobe...... Think of the skill Weird Al has cause he can sing in the style of the original Artist..... I believe, The only artist that he did as a request was Madonna.... She made a comment to him along the lines of "I can't believe you ain't made a parody of "Like a Virgin"... So Weird Al wrote/recorded "Like a Surgeon" Before Weird Al we had Ray Stevens..... Weird Al opened the door for Cleatus T Judd.......
If I recall correctly Madonna said in an interview that she is surprised Al hasnt done Like a Surgeon to her Like A Virgin and so he went ahead and actually did it, i think it was the only case he used an artist suggestion.
Weird Al is also a great live performer. Costumes, choreography, and the band is so tight! If you watch the original video along with it, Weird Al really reps the original.
'Eat it' was from 1984... Michael Jackson himself gave Weird Al Yankovic the OK and loved his parody... Weird Al's first single was in 1979 - and accordion parody of 'My Sharona' by The Knack called 'My bologna' got the attention of (the late) vocalist/ guitarist Doug Fieger who recommended that The Knack's label sign Weird Al (When Fieger met Weird Al, he was gifted w/ a large bologna) In 1980, Weird Al did a parody of Queen's #1 hit 'Another one bites the dust' ... ('Another one rides the bus') and actually performed it on TV. Weird Al had his own band by 1982 and was finally signed in 1983 to a struggling label Scotti Bros. Records and his first album had a parody of Tony Basil's hit 'Mickey' (made into 'Ricky')... and Joan Jett's "I love rock n' roll" (made into "I love rocky road") But it was his Michael Jackson spoof 'Eat it' that elevated Weird Al Yankovic to superstardom... especially after MTV made the music video a hit in 1984 from his second album 'In 3D'...
Michael loved Al, he helped him secure the set for "Eat It" he also helped with the subway set used for Bad (Fat). He started out recording in his bedroom then dorm room and sending the tapes to Dr. Demento show where he was one of the most requested acts. He never recorded a song without permission if he wrote a song and the artist said no he might preform it but never record it. Over 40years you got some catching up to do. Fat is another Michael song, Other one rides the bus (Queen), My bologna (Knack), Living in an Amish Paradise(Coolio), White and nerdy( Chamillionaire). And the stars that show up in his videos: Dick Van Patten, Florence Henderson Donny Osmond pretty good for a white guy(Pretty Good for a Rabbi). he is still going strong he has a new song dropping this Friday 7-19.
One of my favorite concerts was when we took our teenagers to see Weird Al. It was an amazing show with all the costume changes. My husband had to have the "Amish Paradise" t-shirt.....that's probably our favorite video/song.
You really can't go wrong with anything including the recent film. His singing and composition is always on point. So if visual appeal and pound for pound sight gags I would say either Living With A Hernia or Like A Surgeon. There is so much happening in those videos and Al is just top tier wild in them.
Welcome back to the world of Weird Al. There is a side-by-side video of Beat It next to Eat It that allows you to see the remarkable detail Al put into this video. It's a great watch. What should be next? Quite a catalog, probably close to 150 parodies, plus a catalog of accordian jams. From early Madonna and Puff Daddy. One of my favs is Gangsta's Paradise, done Amish Style. And being somewhat a geek, Don McLean's American Pie set in the world of Star Wars, especially the version with Star Wars clips. ie.. "their response didn't thrill us, they locked the door and tried to kill us".
He started out just him, his accordion and a percussionist. His first song with instruments was I Love Rock Road. You should check that one out. Joan Jett's guitarist actually performs on that one.
The earliest parody was Queens Another One Bites The Dust, titled Another One Rides The Bus! Love it 💘. There's Like A Surgeon/Madonna, I Love Rocky Road/ Joan Jett,or. My Bologna/ The Knack's My Sharona. Check them out.
He’s an absolute genius, to prove that check out his song “Bob”, (parody of Bob Dylan’s song Subterranean Homesick Blues) the entire song is done in palindrome which is hard enough but to also make each line rhyme is both short of brilliant.
Welcome to the club!!!!!! I have to add that what I have always loved about his videos and songs is the fact he gets the flow of the song down perfect. The best thing is to watch the original song first then the parody. I suggest "White and Nerdy" as it is one of my favorites but so many others would say "Amish Paradise" or "Fat" or "Couch Potato" like i said welcome to the club
Weird Al is an adaptable genius and seems to be able to parody any style, while also making snide references to popular culture - and his band can play anything. Some of the absolute best imo are Fat, Word Crimes, All About the Pentiums, Hardware Store, Party in the CIA, Smells Like Nirvana, Amish Paradise and of course White and Nerdy. By the way, Michael Jackson loved Weird Al and let him use his original "Bad" set to make "Fat."
Thanks for your reaction! The Michael Jackson parodies were very good because Michael Jackson loved him and encouraged and assisted with making the parodies. My favorite is "Smells Like Nirvana" as it is also very good because Kurt Cobain loved it and assisted with any support he could help with when the video was made.
You might consider the Weird Al song “I’m Fat” which is a parody of Michael Jackson’s “I’m Bad”
Just Fat. Parody of (just) Bad.
I find it really crazy that you guys do not have a better subscriber number! You two are so much better than most other critics on here! I watch you more than any of the others!
Not just a parody. The music video for "Fat" is a direct copy of "Bad" at practically a frame by frame level. You can find side-by-side comparisons of the two on RUclips and it's uncanny. It was intentional, of course, but the level of precision, especially before digital editing, is amazing.
Worth noting that it’s from the album _Even Worse._ 😄
I'd say both Eat It and Fat are required viewing.
Believe this is the original set and the original dancers. Michael Jackson was very supportive of weird al when he made two parody songs based on Michael Jacksons own songs.
It was. In fact, the gang leader in white was MJ's choreographer from the original.
Yes, it was and they were. The main dancer in white throughout the video was the original choreographer as well.
I'm just surprised they managed to find someone to match Eddie Van Halen's solo.
Michael was a diva,but had a sense of humor 😊
I believe it was Rick Derringer who also produced the album.
Next, Weird Al must be "Amish Paradise." It's one of his best! 😂
Yes!!
Yes it's a good one
I agree. Hope they know the original, Gangster's Paradise.
They may not like Hip Hop, so I don’t know they will like this one. 😂
I concur!
White and nerdy is a classic.
Yes!
White and Nerdy is my favorite. I guess we should say that it's a parody of Flo Rida's Riding Dirty. Since both Phil and Sam come come a hip hop background, they might not need to watch the original first. Maybe. If they haven't heard that song, that's probably a must first. And even though this is my favorite Weird Al song, I still think doing Michael Jackson's Bad and then Weird Al's Fat is probably best before White and Nerdy. They build off of each other when it comes to truly appreciation this man's brilliant creativity.
@kurtpflegl30 isn't it by Chamillionaire?
@@jomc6734 You are right! My bad! Thanks for the correction!
@@kurtpflegl30 Chamillionaires Riding dirty
More Weird Al please. Everything he does is GOLD.
I'd say platinum instead
You have a stressful day at work? Put some Weird Al on & you'll be smiling & laughing in no time!😎👍
@@christineobrien7707 Ive seen Weird Al live, i never get stressed anymore
He does a Star wars parody to American Pie. Absolutely one of the best!
Yeah, The Saga Begins.... Oh my, my this here Anakin guy Maybe Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin', "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi
agreed!
The person who wrote "American pie" (name escapes me right off) said that whenever he sings the original song, he has to concentrate on the words, else he'd start to sing "the saga begins"! That's shows how much Weird Al puts into his works, that the original artist has to focus on not slipping into Al's tribute!
@@thebeardedbrony9586 Don McLean
Yes, that's the name that always wants to escape!
If you want to hear a parody of a more modern song, you can try “word crimes” parody of Blurred lines. Or “Tacky” a parody of Pharrell’s “Happy”. Or foil a parody of Lorde’s Royals”
Handy would another one they should react to also
The Lorde parody is called "Foil"
Al is a PROFESSIONAL, no simple parodies for him. He built a career MASTERING the parody genre!
Weird Al is brilliant, and all class. He asks permission even though by law, he doesn’t need permission to do a parody. He never ridicules the artist or original message, and he never uses foul language.
I think he started out with, "Another One Rides the Bus."
Him and an accordian, iirc.
And drummer playing accordion case and squaking horns and whistles. The same drummer who plays in his band to this day.
Yes! First time I saw Weird Al was on the Tom Snyder Show! MTV hadn't made it's debut just yet!
Not sure, I think My Bologna parody of The Knack’s My Sharona was before Another One Rides The Bus.
@@matthewdrake4385his band has been the same since the start.
@@SaverioP My bologna was first and yes, same band since the late 80s when they added the keyboard player. Another one rides the bus was still an early one though.
Weird Al didn't need the artist's permission to do a parody. But, if the artist didn't want him to do it, he didn't...out of respect.
MJ loved these parodies so much that he Weird Al to do more of his songs.
To be clear, if the artist didn’t give him the go ahead, but he had enough of it already done, some of them he would still perform live (in part or whole), but would not do a studio recording of it. That was the main stipulation.
He did specifically ask Al not to parody "Black or White" because of the song's message. Al's version was going to be "Snack All Night".
One artist(of a few) that didn't give permission was Prince.... 😕
@@raybernal6829 Prince refused him enough times until he just took it as a permanent no. I'm guessing it was taken as a "don't call me, I'll call you" thing.
@@raybernal6829 Paul McCartney also refused permission for parodies.
Weird Al needs to be inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio
😂 He needs to be inducted into all of them because, he's not just R&R! 😊
Like a surgeon.
Another One Rides the Bus.
I Love Rocky Road
Actually, the career of Weird Al Yankovic started in the late 1970's with his parody of My Sharona, the #1 hit by The Knack. It was entitled My Bologna.
Well, "My Bologna" was the first that got him a record deal but he had other songs aired by Dr. D a few years prior, starting with "Belvedere Cruisin'" in 1976 (the same year he graduated H.S. early at the age of 16)
The "Beat it" video got so much coverage we almost had it memorized. That made us love how much attention to detail Weird Al gave in this parody. He's never failed to make us smile.
Weird Al's early hits all centered around food. His first big song "My Bologna" was a parody of The Knack's "My Sharona", and debuted on the Dr. Demento show in the late 70's. (He owes his career to the good Doctor, who plucked his demo out of the pile of stuff that would get sent to his show every week, and declared him a genius.) He said this song was inspired by the things his mom would say to him to get him to eat his dinner. It's so catchy and such a perfect parody that to this day, I cannot hear Jackson's song without singing the lyrics to Al's. (Michael loved it, by the way.)
Not entirely true. A lot of them were centered around food. But, certainly, not all of them. "Another One Rides the Bus", for example.
dr. demento encouraged his audience to send in their own demented tapes. i got a couple of mine played on the air about the time he discovered al, but never achieved .001% of his success. they were fun times,though. people like barnes and barnes,su-lu,and damaskus were coming up with new songs almost weekly.
I like that Dr Dimentos picture is above his bed.
His very first song played on Dr. Demento was Belvedere Cruising, about his family's car and not a parody. 1976.
@@mustangdebbie56 dr. demento actually bought that car from al. it can be seen in a piece done on dr. d on the tv show real people from 1982.
I sing this song when I cook dinner or lunch for my kids.
This song on the radio and MTV almost as much as Beat It was. It's absolutely perfect.
There are so many momisms in this song. That just made it all the funnier to us because we knew these phrases so well already.
Eat It was released in 1984. It was his second hit, and the one that really launched his career.
All I ask is that you guys be sure to listen to the original songs before you listen to the parody, if you haven't already heard the original. And for more recent original songs with official videos, watch those too because after Eat It, he really leaned into video parody as well the associated song. You'll miss a lot if you haven't watched the original video as well. Examples of that would be Amish Paradice, Fat, Whaite & Nerdy. And once you get into the 90s, his music and overall production quality of his videos is impressive.
Al's attention to detail is astounding
Weird Al is awesome! Some more Weird Al: Fat, Like A Surgeon, White & Nerdy, Amish Paradise, Living With A Hernia, Tacky
This is a shot-for-shot parody of "Beat It". Michael Jackson was a huge fan of Weird Al, and for "Fat" (a parody of "Bad") Michael Jackson loaned Weird Al the set they filmed the original on.
Michael gave him the rights and even taught him some moves.
Al learned by watching the video. He didn't actually meet MJ until after the parodies.
MJ helped produce both Fat & Eat It
@@tschillintsoulntai9285 no, but he did allow them to use the set from his Badder video, the one with the kids recreating the Bad video.
Weird Al is a genius. Most artists supported his parodies (except for Prince). Basically, if Weird Al did one of your songs, you know you’re top tier. Also, this video copies the original Beat It video scene for scene, verbatim. It’s awesome.
Got to do Amish Paradise next!
This was Al's first actual hit. It peaked at #12 on the Hot 100 chart in 1984. Some of his other parodies floated around the middle of the chart but not that high. He didn't score big again until the brilliant "Smells Like Nirvana" peaked at #35 in 1992. As good as "Amish Paradise' was it only peaked at #53 in 1996. Weird Al finally had his biggest hit with "White and Nerdy," which topped out at #9 in 2006.
My favorite Weird Al song (original, I think) is "One More Minute" during which he tells all the things he would rather do than to spend one more minute with this woman. It includes things like spending eternity eating shards of broken glass, to sticking his nostrils together with Krazy Glue, to cleaning all the bathrooms in Grand Central Station with his tongue.😂😂😂😂😂
Yes, "One More Minute" a Weird Al original (in the doo-wop style) and is my favorite song of his, too!
Definitely in my top three of his originals, and I definitely suggest it to people as one of the lesser known gems!
If you want to stay in that classic era, and have heard Joan Jett and the Blackhearts do "I Love RocknRoll", then you also have to listen to his "I Love Rocky Road."
I believe i heard that Al didn't want to do this song, but the studio at the time demanded it of him, so it was a song done under duress, and he quarter-assed it.
Weird Al makes sure the music is as good as the original, the dancers and everything involved is first class and that is what makes him timeless and hilarious.
Michael was a huge fan of Weird Al and allowed him use of the original set. When he parody Bad, Al also used the same subway station.
A
Legally, Al doesn't need to get permission for the artist. However, he has a point of getting the artists's blessing. This how he has thrived for so long. He has outlasted most of the acts he has parody.
Also Al's band has the same members since he started. In BeatIt, the guitar solo was performed by Eddie Van Halen. In the parody, producer Rick Derringer, performed the solo. The guitarist in the video is Jim West. Jim was hired after the song was recorded, he is an excellent (and extremely underrated guitarist). He has won several awards and released several albums but Hawaiian Slack Key albums.
In fact, his entire band is very talented and they can play just about any type of genre you can think of.They take recording music very serious and try to get it as close to the original as possible.
When Al did a parody of the Dire Straits song Money for Nothing (for the uhf movie), Mark Knoepfler agreen under one condition. He had to play the guitar on the recording (along with Guy Fletcher on keyboards).
About half of the songs on any given alums are orginals and most of them what he calls style parody. not parodys of particular song but a song in a style of an artist or genre. Take for instance his song Dare to be Stupid. This is a style parody of Devo.
"All about the Pentiums". My favorite Weird Al
Weird Al's parodies are second to none. The fact he recreated the music video down to every detail is commendable
For a parody you don't need permission, but Al always got it first. MJ LOVED Al he even helped him with the videos, he got the same dancers to appear in Al's Eat It video.
Weird Al is pure gold.
Weird Al's attention to detail, along with his legit musical skill, is what makes him the master of musical parody.
"ONE MORE MINUTE" is a twisted love song of sorts, but it is an original of Al's! you really should check it out!
Not only is he brilliant for writing lyrics that match the flow and the music, he is also talented enough to perform in their style and sound. All before even mentioning the genius of his videos.
Al’s been around since the 70s - any of us who regularly listened to Dr Demento are familiar with him for hits like “My Bologna” and “Another One Rides the Bus”.
Great reaction, Phil and Sam!!! I've seen Weird Al live in concert twice in my life, and both shows were outstanding!!! Al and all the members of his band are extremely talented musicians, and they put on one hell of a show!!! They played for at least 2 hours straight without taking a break, and they did multiple costume changes depending on the song they were performing.
Love this song! It's about 50/50 Parodies vs original songs. The famous guitar solo, originally performed by Eddie Van Halen, was reproduced by Yankovic's producer, Rick Derringer. According to Yankovic, when he presented his lyrics to Jackson for review, he did not know how Jackson would react. Jackson thought it was amusing and agreed to allow it.
How about 'Rick Derringer - Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo' next please. Cheers.
Never knew it was Rick on that solo was just about to google it when I read this 👍🏻
Weird Al inspired me to write a parody song. I call it the world's first gluten-free song. It is to the tune of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore" and it's called "You Don't Bake With Flour Anymore". I have done it a few times with female friends at karaoke gatherings.
That’s hilarious! I wonder if he takes suggestions or just composes them himself so that he doesn’t have to worry about royalties.
As soon as Weird Al had the budget for some production value, he focused on making the parodies sound as close to the quality of the originals as possible, and it made all the difference in the world.
'Party in the C.I.A.' and 'Handy' are a couple of his that I have always liked.
Novelty songs were a thing during the fifties and the sixties. For some reason they faded off the radio after that. There was a syndicated radio show called "Dr Demento" and he played all these novelty songs that otherwise would not get air play. Weird Al got his start on this show with his first song, "My Bologna." None of the other artists on this syndicated radio show ever made it into the mainstream, but Weird Al went on to a measure of fame. When MTV videos were popular Weird Al had videos on the channel. From "Like a Surgeon" to "I Lost on Jeopardy" to "Its All About the Pentium" and so much more he found his niche in the music business. Have fun.
His original songs show just what a great talent he is.
Even more when you realize those are often pastiches that are the result of Al & band meticulously studying how the targeted band/group sounds in order to parody their style. "Date to be Stupid" is an obvious example as it is so obviously in Devo's style but isn't an all out parody of any single Devo song.
One band said you know you made it when Weird Al does your song
Wasn't just some random band. That was Kurt Cobain.
Weird Al not only does great parodies....he also has a world class top notch live band.
And it's truly amazing that the band has only ever grown, no attrition over the past 40+ years - something that is very rare in the music industry. (Plus they're an exceptionally talented bunch in order to pull off the whole gambit of musical genres covered over Al's 150(+)-song discography)
"Another One Rides The Bus" is a favorite of mine. You will love it.
Weird Al is the best. He doesn't disappoint.
"White and nerdy" is another great song and the video is hilarious, and also features a few celebrities. Great reaction as always!
Al's first songs ("My Bologna" - "My Sharona" & "Another One Rides the Bus" - "Another one Bites the Dust") got air play in late 1980 - his first (of 14) studio album was released in 1983.
Al’s been at it since 1979. Parodies are considered free speech but the only drama he had was with Coolio who didn’t want him to parody Gangster’s Paradise, but his management said it was OK. Coolio was pissed about it for a while but he’s the one who later apologized and said that “if MJ was cool with it, who am I to complain” and that going against Al was a “dumb” career move. Think about that, Al’s so respected that someone apologized *to him* for being upset that he used their song without permission. Kurt Cobain said he knew Nirvana had made it when Al came to them for permission to do Smells Like Nirvana. He supposedly also said “…is it gonna be about food?”
😂
Even with Prince, who I understand could be kind of uptight about things like that, there wasn’t drama. Al would ask, Prince would say no, and things went on that way until Al just gave up, and accepted that Prince wasn’t interested.
@@0okamino And Al picked on Prince in his epic song Word Crimes.
@@LadyIarConnacht Sure, but in fun, and not what would really qualify as drama. I would never expect Al to pass up a chance to do a little elbow nudging.
@@0okamino There was definitely drama, since at one award ceremony that both Prince and Weird Al attended, Al was approached by some of Prince's representatives, and 'advised' not to make eye contact with Prince. It may or may not have been because of Prince telling him to give that message, but the existence of the message is pure drama.
Must see “Another One Rides The Bus” (Another One. It’s The Dust by Queen), “My Bologna” (My Sharona by The Knack) and “I Love Rocky Road” (I Love Rock n Roll by Joan Jett). These were from his first album which so how far ahead of his time he was
Weird Al has been doing this since the late 70s. His first we’ll known song was probably My Bologna, a parody of My Sharona
Michael actually helped Al get the original set and many of the same dancers.
Like a Surgeon is one of Al's that you should check out.
Word Crimes and Tacky are my favorite. 😀Oh, and Foil is brilliant, too.
love how he uses the same actors and locations
Yes, Weird Al is most known for his "Parodies".... Alot of Artist Consider it a mark of "Making It" when Weird Al makes a parody of their song......
Michael Jackson, appreciated Weird Al's Work so much that for some of songs that he hooked them up with the Choreographers, Dancers, Sets, Wardrobe......
Think of the skill Weird Al has cause he can sing in the style of the original Artist.....
I believe, The only artist that he did as a request was Madonna.... She made a comment to him along the lines of "I can't believe you ain't made a parody of "Like a Virgin"... So Weird Al wrote/recorded "Like a Surgeon"
Before Weird Al we had Ray Stevens..... Weird Al opened the door for Cleatus T Judd.......
If I recall correctly Madonna said in an interview that she is surprised Al hasnt done Like a Surgeon to her Like A Virgin and so he went ahead and actually did it, i think it was the only case he used an artist suggestion.
Michael Jackson LOVED Weird Al and would often suggest songs he could parody.
Weird Al is also a great live performer. Costumes, choreography, and the band is so tight!
If you watch the original video along with it, Weird Al really reps the original.
'Eat it' was from 1984... Michael Jackson himself gave Weird Al Yankovic the OK and loved his parody... Weird Al's first single was in 1979 - and accordion parody of 'My Sharona' by The Knack called 'My bologna' got the attention of (the late) vocalist/ guitarist Doug Fieger who recommended that The Knack's label sign Weird Al (When Fieger met Weird Al, he was gifted w/ a large bologna)
In 1980, Weird Al did a parody of Queen's #1 hit 'Another one bites the dust' ... ('Another one rides the bus') and actually performed it on TV.
Weird Al had his own band by 1982 and was finally signed in 1983 to a struggling label Scotti Bros. Records and his first album had a parody of Tony Basil's hit 'Mickey' (made into 'Ricky')... and Joan Jett's "I love rock n' roll" (made into "I love rocky road")
But it was his Michael Jackson spoof 'Eat it' that elevated Weird Al Yankovic to superstardom... especially after MTV made the music video a hit in 1984 from his second album 'In 3D'...
Michael loved Al, he helped him secure the set for "Eat It" he also helped with the subway set used for Bad (Fat). He started out recording in his bedroom then dorm room and sending the tapes to Dr. Demento show where he was one of the most requested acts. He never recorded a song without permission if he wrote a song and the artist said no he might preform it but never record it. Over 40years you got some catching up to do. Fat is another Michael song, Other one rides the bus (Queen), My bologna (Knack), Living in an Amish Paradise(Coolio), White and nerdy( Chamillionaire). And the stars that show up in his videos: Dick Van Patten, Florence Henderson Donny Osmond pretty good for a white guy(Pretty Good for a Rabbi). he is still going strong he has a new song dropping this Friday 7-19.
So many parodies to like, one of my favorites is "Perform This Way" (parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga).
One of my favorite concerts was when we took our teenagers to see Weird Al. It was an amazing show with all the costume changes. My husband had to have the "Amish Paradise" t-shirt.....that's probably our favorite video/song.
A 12/10 indeed! The choreography was spot on too!
You really can't go wrong with anything including the recent film. His singing and composition is always on point. So if visual appeal and pound for pound sight gags I would say either Living With A Hernia or Like A Surgeon. There is so much happening in those videos and Al is just top tier wild in them.
I saw an amazing side by side comparison between this and the original. It is spot on to the “tee”. Dance moves, garments, sets, everything!
This is like frame for frame. The dedication is unreal.
Michael LOVED these -- gave him all the old set pieces
White and Nerdy is Weird Al's best song, in my opinion.
Welcome back to the world of Weird Al.
There is a side-by-side video of Beat It next to Eat It that allows you to see the remarkable detail Al put into this video. It's a great watch.
What should be next? Quite a catalog, probably close to 150 parodies, plus a catalog of accordian jams. From early Madonna and Puff Daddy. One of my favs is Gangsta's Paradise, done Amish Style. And being somewhat a geek, Don McLean's American Pie set in the world of Star Wars, especially the version with Star Wars clips. ie.. "their response didn't thrill us, they locked the door and tried to kill us".
Michael Jackson really liked Weird Al and the parodies.
michael jackson loved al and gave him full permission to use his songs..
He started out just him, his accordion and a percussionist. His first song with instruments was I Love Rock Road. You should check that one out. Joan Jett's guitarist actually performs on that one.
He's actually been around longer than 1987. He first started getting his music played on the radio in 1976.
Amish Paradise, I’m Fat, White and nerdy, living with a hernia, There is so many that are all good.... it's a rabbit hole...love his stuff.
Huge, weird talent! Always love me some Weird Al!
I remember Weird Al from the Dr. Demento show back in the '80s, so he's definitely been around awhile.
The earliest parody was Queens Another One Bites The Dust, titled Another One Rides The Bus! Love it 💘. There's Like A Surgeon/Madonna, I Love Rocky Road/ Joan Jett,or. My Bologna/ The Knack's My Sharona. Check them out.
Hahahaha you can't go wrong with Al lol a great artist! Many great songs!❤🙏
You guys should check out his song "Hardware Store". It's one of his originals and his rap skills are insane.
He’s an absolute genius, to prove that check out his song “Bob”, (parody of Bob Dylan’s song Subterranean Homesick Blues) the entire song is done in palindrome which is hard enough but to also make each line rhyme is both short of brilliant.
Also Wierd Al was shocked by : Garlfunkel & Oats 😂😂😂😂
Jackson was a bid fan of his and worked closely with him for the music and videos.
Welcome to the club!!!!!! I have to add that what I have always loved about his videos and songs is the fact he gets the flow of the song down perfect. The best thing is to watch the original song first then the parody. I suggest "White and Nerdy" as it is one of my favorites but so many others would say "Amish Paradise" or "Fat" or "Couch Potato" like i said welcome to the club
I love I lost on jeopardy by him. Great tune.
Weird Al is an adaptable genius and seems to be able to parody any style, while also making snide references to popular culture - and his band can play anything. Some of the absolute best imo are Fat, Word Crimes, All About the Pentiums, Hardware Store, Party in the CIA, Smells Like Nirvana, Amish Paradise and of course White and Nerdy. By the way, Michael Jackson loved Weird Al and let him use his original "Bad" set to make "Fat."
Foil and The Saga Begins are epic!! White and Nerdy also!
Thank you for reacting to Weird Al! Love his parody videos!!
You guys should check out his song "The Saga Begins" it's a parody of Don McLean's "American Pie",
You need to listen to Weird Al's version of Bye Bye Miss American Pie. It's all about Star Wars.
AL IS A LEGEND! He actually has a new track coming out this week!
Michael ^loved* this song. That’s why his dancers are in the video.
An original song by the Weird Al is "This is the Life" which was used in opening of the Movie Johnny Dangerously.
Tacky (Happy), Foil (Royals), or Word Crimes (Blurred Lines)...so many to choose from!
Thanks for your reaction! The Michael Jackson parodies were very good because Michael Jackson loved him and encouraged and assisted with making the parodies. My favorite is "Smells Like Nirvana" as it is also very good because Kurt Cobain loved it and assisted with any support he could help with when the video was made.
Mike loved it a most the back up guys were in his video too
This was one of my very favorite Al parody's. So so so funny!
Weird Al is and was successful because he truly commits to the art of parody
A reactor actually synchronized both videos together and they are so similar.
On split screen... Incredible