The great musical talents of history include classical conductors like Bach and Mozart, as well as rock legends like Queen and hip-hop artists like the Sugarhill Gang and the Wu-Tang Clan. One music icon that stands on the shoulders of these giants is Weird Al Yankovic, whose claim to fame is parodying the songs of music’s hottest acts. To be parodied by him is a badge of honor. The movieWeird: The Al Yankovic Storyhighlights the definitely not true story of his rise to stardom.
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Weird Al’s storied career has featured many hits. Being that he has been in the business for so long, some of his work has aged better than others. Even though that’s the case, all his songs come from a sincere place, one that invites listeners in on the joke.
7Weird Al Says “G’Day” To Canada
This track goes tothe folks up northfrom the United States. Canadian Idiot is played to the tune of Green Day’s American Idiot, which is a critique of the corporate media and the social climate in the United States during the Bush Era.
Canadian Idiot instead mocks the Canadian stereotype, all in good fun, of course. The track covers their excessive politeness and their love of maple syrup and curling. The song also pokes fun at how it seems like everything is going fine up there compared to the United States.
6Costume Changes Galore
Lady Gaga’s born this way is seen as an anthem ofself-acceptance and pride,especially among the LGBTQIA community. Weird Al took this hit and turned it into a song about the eclectic outfits that Gaga was known to wear in her music videos and public appearances.
Perform This Way became the subject of a dispute between Weird Al and Lady Gaga’s management, who initially refused to allow his then-upcoming album to feature the song. What made this more tragic was that the profits from that song were going to go toward the Human Rights Campaign. Instead, he released the song online for free. Eventually,the dispute was resolved.
5Nerd Pride
The days of the nerd being a social outcast are long gone.Superhero moviesare smashing box office records,Star Warsis a pop culture phenomenon, and celebrities are playing Dungeons and Dragons.
Weird Al’s parody of Ridin’ Dirty from Chamillionaire came out around the time when nerd culture was just breaking into the mainstream. In this track, he brags about his Ping-Pong skills,his libraryof Stephen Hawking books, and his fluency in “JavaScript as well as Klingon.” Weird Al was always unapologetically dorky, and this song is an anthem for his people.
4Weird Al Lives The Simple Life
The world lost rapper Coolio in 2022. His music defined the nineties, including the theme song to theNickelodeon sitcomKenan & Kel. One of his more serious tracks was “Gangsta’s Paradise,” which appeared in the soundtrack for the movie “Dangerous Minds,” and was also featured in the early trailers for the movie adaptation ofSonic The Hedgehog.
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Weird Al turned this song into an anthem for the Amish community. While it does poke fun at their traditional way of life, it also celebrates their work ethic and their devotion to their faith, including their willingness to turn the other cheek.
3The Saga Begins
Don McLean’s American Pie is a cryptic song with many layers. McLean cited the tragic deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson as inspiration for the track, which happened on what became “the day the music died.”
Weird Al’s song, The Saga Begins, played to the tune of American Pie, relates to another tragedy of a young slave boy prophesied to bring balance to the Force, only to fall to the Dark Side and become Darth Vader. The track goes through the events of the first entry of theStar Warsprequel trilogy, including Qui-Gon’s wager with Watto, the Jedi Council refusing to train Anakin, and the failed negotiations on the Trade Federation ship.
2Living The IT Life
Computers have become such a large part of daily life, it is hard to imagine the world without them. People dedicate their entire lives to building and upgrading their home systems, and IT professionals are often seen as saviors in their places of work.
Weird Al brags abouthis IT rigand tech knowledge in It’s All About The Pentiums. He also roasts others for their lack of IT knowledge, saying that they use White-Out to edit typos on their screen, and that “In a 32-bit world, [they]’re a 2-bit user.”
1Fat
Body positivism in media is commonplace now. Prominent magazines are now featuring plus-sized models, and more movies are putting the focus on characters who do not conform to idealized body standards.
Fat, a riff on Michael Jackson’s Bad, was ahead of its time in this way. In his music video, he puts on a fat suit and makeup. While some jokes in this song haven’t aged that well, Weird Al is comfortable in his own skin.
