Weird Al Yankovic's 16 best song parodies
Since his earliest song parodies were first broadcast on radio's "Dr. Demento Show" in the late 1970s, Weird Al Yankovic has turned Top 40 hits into satirical gems -- and with the rise of MTV, into catchy music video spoofs as well.
Click through this gallery's video players to watch the very best of Weird Al.
"My Bologna" (1979)
Yankovic's first bona fide radio hit was "My Bologna," a parody of the Knack's "My Sharona."
Ooh, my little hungry one, hungry one
Open up a package of my bologna.
Ooh, I think the toast is done, the toast is done.
Top it with a little of my bologna.
"Another One Rides the Bus" (1981)
"Another One Rides the Bus" (1981)
("Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen)
"Eat It" (1984)
"Eat It" (1984)
("Beat It" by Michael Jackson)
Don't want to argue, I don't want to debate
Don't want to hear about what kind of food you hate.
You won't get no dessert 'till you clean off your plate
So eat it.
Don't you tell me you're full.
Just eat it (eat it), eat it (eat it),
Get yourself an egg and beat it!
Have some more chicken, have some more pie
It doesn't matter if it's boiled or fried
Just eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it.
"I Lost on Jeopardy" (1984)
"I Lost on Jeopardy" (1984)
("Jeopardy" by The Greg Kihn Band)
"Like a Surgeon" (1985)
"Like a Surgeon" (1985)
("Like a Virgin" by Madonna)
I was last in my class
Barely passed at the institute
Now I'm trying to avoid, yeah,
I'm trying to avoid
A malpractice suit.
Hey, like a surgeon
Cuttin' for the very first time
Like a sur-ur-ur-ur-geon
Organ transplants are my line.
By 1985 Weird Al had already become a staple on MTV. Wondering why the comic singer hadn't yet made fun of one of her songs, Madonna purportedly suggested the title of this parody herself.
"One More Minute" (1985)
"One More Minute" (1985)
Yankovic parodied doo-wop singing combos in this original composition, whose lyrics spoke to the eternal heartbreak of love, or not.
That's right, you ain't gonna see me cryin'
I'm glad that you found somebody new
'Cause I'd rather spend eternity eating shards of broken glass
Than spend one more minute with you.
"Dare to Be Stupid" (1986)
"Dare to Be Stupid" (1986)
The cult rock group Devo -- a familiar sight in the early days of MTV -- may defy description, but Yankovic's "Dare to Be Stupid" comes as close to capturing the absurdist vibe of the band as possible.
"Smells Like Nirvana" (1992)
"Smells Like Nirvana" (1992)
("Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana)
What is this song all about?
Can't figure any lyrics out
How do the words to it go?
I wish you'd tell me,
I don't know
Don't know, don't know, don't know, oh no
Don't know, don't know, don't know...
"Amish Paradise" (1996)
"Amish Paradise" (1996)
("Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V.)
Even though song parodies are protected forms of free speech, Yankovic usually asks permission from artists before taking his aim at one of their hits, and is rarely told no. A controversy brewed around his parody of Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" -- Had permission been granted? Were sensitivities offended? -- but allegedly the two made amends. The success of "Amish Paradise" (#2 on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart) probably didn't hurt.
"The Saga Begins" (1999)
"The Saga Begins" (1999)
("American Pie" by Don McLean)
Oh, my, my, this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later -- now he's just a small fry,
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye,
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi,"
"Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi."
Yankovic created this ode to the first of the "Star Wars" prequels without having access to a script, but hit pretty close to the mark regardless.
Also of note was another of Yankovic's "Star Wars" ditties, "Yoda," patterned after "Lola" by The Kinks.
"It's All About the Pentiums" (1999)
"It's All About the Pentiums" (1999)
("It's All About The Benjamins" by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs)
"eBay" (2003)
"eBay" (2003)
("I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys)
Gonna buy a slightly-damaged golf bag
Gonna buy some Beanie Babies, new with tag
From some guy I've never met in Norway
Found him on eBay.
"White & Nerdy" (2006)
"White & Nerdy" (2006)
("Ridin'" by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone)
Yankovic grew up in the L.A. suburb of Lynwood, Calif. -- a nerd who took accordion lessons and graduated as his high school's valedictorian at age 16.
"So when I write a song like 'White & Nerdy,' that comes from personal experience -- there's a lot of personal experience that goes into that!" he told CBS News' Lee Cowan.
"Party in the CIA" (2011)
"Party in the CIA" (2011)
("Party in the U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus)
"Trapped in the Drive-Thru" (2006)
"Trapped in the Drive-Thru" (2006)
(R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet")
At nearly 11 minutes, this is Yankovic's longest song to date, and expresses a wonderful banality as a couple tries to get something to eat at a drive-thru burger joint.
Now a woman on a speaker box
Is sayin' "Can I take your order, please?"
I said "Yes indeed, you certainly can
We'd like two hamburgers with onions and cheese."
Then my wife says "Baby, hold on, I've changed my mind!
I think I'm gonna have a chicken sandwich instead, this time"
I said "You always get a cheeseburger!"
She says "That's not what I'm hungry for."
I put my head in my hands and screamed,
"I don't know who you are anymore!"
The voice on the speaker says "I don't have all day!"
"Word Crimes" (2014)
"Word Crimes" (2014)
"Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke, featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I.)
Grammarians, rejoice: There is a song for you.
If you really wanna
Leave out that Oxford comma
Just keep in mind
That "be", "see", "are", "you"
Are words, not letters
Get it together
Use your spellchecker
You should never
Write words using numbers
Unless you're seven
Or your name is Prince.
For more info:
- weirdal.com (Official site)