Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Top 10 Original "Weird Al" Yankovic Songs

You mean he did more than just "Eat It"?




Greetings everyone, and welcome to the first Rave Up Music review post of 2014! I am your host, Barius, and I must say, 2013 was a very…interesting year for all of us here at Rave Up Music. We looked at pop music of the 80s, a weird industrial metal album featuring Rob Halford, an epic Christopher Lee album, the uniqueness of Lordi and Powerglove, and enough Christmas music that will last anyone until next Christmas. Yeah…2013 was a bit weird, and it is going to get a bit weirder as we take a look at our first subject of 2014: the King of Parodies himself, “Weird Al” Yankovic! And yes, that was a lame transition, but they cannot all be good ones…

"Look, Ma! No Glasses!...Or brain!"

During my pre-teens, I would constantly listen to the music of “Weird Al” as much as the music of Metallica, KISS, and AC/DC. Like many people, I got into “Weird Al” when I first received his compilation album, The Food Album, and immediately enjoyed his parody of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” which made into “Eat It.”

An awesome comparison between the Jackson and Yankovic videos…

As a mainstay of parody music since 1979, “Weird Al” has this skillful way of parodying the biggest music artists of the time, ranging from Michael Jackson and Nirvana to Lady Gaga and Eminem. Yankovic’s live show is one of the most entertaining shows I have had the fortunate to see. The shows are filled with costume changes to match the song Al and the band are performing, and even some comedic clips, including AL-TV, in which Al “interviews” celebrities in comedic fashion.

This Kevin Federline interview is one of my personal favorites…

While many people know of “Weird Al’s” parodies, such as “Amish Paradise,” “White & Nerdy,” “Smells Like Nirvana,” and “Perform This Way,” very few realize the Yankovic is a very competent composer, and has a wide array of original material. Sometimes his original songs follow a specific style of music or a band, but they also are unique in that Yankovic-style of music.  A lot of his originals are just as catchy, memorable, and funny as his parodies, and today on Rave Up Music, I am playing tribute to the crazy genius himself by counting down the Top 10 Original “Weird Al” Yankovic Songs!


10. “This Is The Life” from Dare to Be Stupid


Originally released as a part of the soundtrack for the film Johnny Dangerously, “This Is The Life” demonstrates Yankovic’s ability to write in music styles of the 1920s and 1930s, including elements of ragtime music. This song is about having an overly lavish lifestyle, including hiring somebody to chew your own food. Though it is a song written in the style of 1920s music, I do get a kick out of the very out of place 80s rock guitar solo, and even the record scratching sounds. It is not the wackiest of Weird Al’s songs, be it is a nice little ditty to start off this countdown.


9. “Skipper Dan” from Internet Leaks and ALpocalypse


This song is for all of those out there who are not exactly in the job they dreamed of doing when they get out of college and into the real world. Granted, it does seem a bit extreme to use the example of working on the Jungle Cruise ride; most people would be lucky to get a job working at McDonald’s or Walmart. Anyway, this song is a good example of one of Al’s most common themes in his songs: laughing at the misfortune of others, also known as “Schadenfreude.”

Oh, Avenue Q…we will get to you someday…

Another song style original, this time a la Weezer, “Skipper Dan” tells the story of a man who was praised for his amazing acting skills, but once he is out of college, all he could get is a job being a tour guide on Disneyland, which honestly, I know people who would do anything to work at Disneyland. Granted, most of them do not really want to grow up, but I digress… The song is really catchy, and a chorus that you will be singing along with. This is a great example of Al’s ability to write a song about any subject matter.


8. “UHF” from UHF


Back in 1989, Yankovic wrote and started in the film UHF, and although it was not a commercial success, it has gained a cult following, and a bit more recognition for its style of comedy. The song is theme to the film, and it is one of Yankovic’s original that is not written in the style of another artist. The guitar riff is really upbeat, yet fits the wackiness of Al. The song describes the UHF station in the film, and how it is an alternative to what the mainstream stations are putting on today. There is not much else I can say about this one, but just check it out, and enjoy it.


7. “Since You’ve Been Gone” from Bad Hair Day


This short little song shows how good Yankovic can arrange his voice in multiple parts, layers and harmonies. Even though it is a nice a cappella tune, it is still has “Weird Al’s” brand of humor of seeing people in pain, but the punch line for this one is too good that I dare not say it here. Just check out the song for yourself.


6. “One More Minute” from Dare to Be Stupid

For many of us out there, we have had our heart broken by someone we thought really thought love. Weird Al is also no stranger to this subject, as this song was written when his then-girlfriend broke up with him before he started working on the Dare to Be Stupid album. To deal with it mentally, Al wrote this song about all the things he would rather do instead spending any more time with her.

In true Weird Al fashion, the examples are to the extreme and just straight up hilarious. My personal favorite is cleaning the bathrooms in Grand Central Station with his tongue. Disgusting... To give the song a little bit more humor, the song is written in a doo-wop style, a style common for love ballads of the 1950s. Singing the song very straight and only giving it a bit of wackiness near the end really get a big laugh out of me. Overall, “One More Minute” is another example of Al’s ability to perform music of any style, and make it funny and serious all at the same time.


5. “The Night Santa Went Crazy” from Bad Hair Day


You know those Christmas classics that your family listens to and sings along with every holiday season? Songs like “White Christmas,” “Deck the Halls” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”? Yeah, this is not one those songs.

Yankovic’s second Christmas song (the first being “Christmas at Ground Zero” from the album Polka Party) tells the story of when Santa completely lost it and started killing his elves and reindeer, and destroying his workshop. You know the perfect subject matter for your kids to enjoy! In all seriousness, the song gets really gritting and very dark, especially if you listen to the “Extra Gory Version,” which I am not going to post here; I will let you seek that one on your own. Despite the nature of the song, it actually has that Christmas charm to it musically, even when the guitars get a bit heavy on the pre-choruses.

“The Night Santa Went Crazy”: Proving that not even Christmas is a safe from the comedy of
“Weird Al” Yankovic.


4. “Don’t Download This Song” from Straight Outta Lynwood

Written in the style of one of those charity songs like “We Are The World,” “Don’t Download This Song” warns of dangers of downloading music illegally, which actually has some relevance to this day…somewhat…Like any good charity song, the chorus is infectious and really drives the point of the song. You can really hear the passion in Al’s voice about a subject that hurts him so much. I mean, how else is he going to be able to afford another solid-gold humvee if we keep illegally downloading the music of “Weird Al” Yankovic?

As a guy growing up during the advent of illegal downloading, I get a chuckle out of this song, especially when Yankovic released this song for free on his MySpace page. Like a lot of Al’s songs, it is filled with great pop culture references, including Metallica’s drummer Lars Ulrich’s infamous fight against Napster, and the then-recent arrest of Tommy Chong, helping to make this song be as over-the-top as possible.


3. “You Don’t Love Me Anymore” from Off the Deep End

Boy, “Weird Al” really has a problem with some of the women he has dated, hasn’t he? Written in the style of an acoustic rock ballad, Al reflects on his girlfriend who seems to find every possible way to kill him, including slamming the barbeque lid on his head or disconnect the brakes on his car. Boy, I am just glad that I have never had a girlfriend do any of that to me…at least, as far as I know…

Anyway, this song really captures the essence of every acoustic rock ballad of the 1980s and 1990s: slow, simplistic guitar riffs, sensitive vocals, and a melodic line very sweet and nice to listen to, with the occasional belting of a note (well, as much belting for Yankovic). The humor of Yankovic is on full display, and for me, it is the right amount to help someone through any break-up or heartbreaking moment. So yeah, “Weird Al” can actually give you feelings and emotions…besides the feeling of your side splitting from laughing too much.


2. “Dare to Be Stupid” from Dare to Be Stupid (Duh…)

For a lot of people that I know to be “Weird Al” fan, this song tends to be their favorite original song from him, and with good reason: it is really funny and really good. Written in the style of Devo, Weird Al fills “Dare to Be Stupid” full of wacky, insane ideas and pairs them up with over-the-top synthesizers, electronic drums and boisterous vocals. Every aspect of the song is catchy, and will get stuck in your head. In live performances, this is one of the best songs to get audience participation, with everyone shouting “Dare to Be Stupid” all together, and Al egging people on to sing louder, and saying he cannot hear us.

The song is so popular it was even featured on the film Transformers: The Movie, during a scene when a bunch of robots known as the Junkions appear, and it acts as their theme. Like the song, the Junkions are spewing out pop culture references, and are just a hoot to watch. While “Dare to Be Stupid” is one of Al’s best songs, in my opinion, it is not his best song…


1. “Albuquerque” from Running with Scissors



When “Weird Al” released this song back in 1999, he placed it at the end of his Running with Scissors, deciding that it would be an endurance challenge for listeners get through the 11-minute plus epic. He also hoped to annoy a few people along the way. As a result, he has released what I consider to be his best original song, as well as an unexpected fan favorite. The song captures everything that is the music of “Weird Al” Yankovic. It has catchy music, over-the-top humor, pop culture references, and the unique way Al can tell a story, which is so bizarre that you cannot help but see where it is going to go. It also demonstrate the musicianship of Yankovic’s long serving band of drummer John “Bermuda” Schwartz, bassist Steve Jay, guitarist Jim West, and keyboardist Ruben Valtierra. Everything in this song works perfectly, and truly captures the spirit and humor of one of the best comedians of all time, which is why I feel “Albuquerque” is deserving of being the Number One Original “Weird Al” Yankovic Song!


And those are the Top 10 Original “Weird Al” Yankovic Songs! If you feel that I missed a few songs, feel free to leave a comment of your favorite songs. Regardless of what is your favorite song, we can all take comfort in the fact that no matter what popular music or pop culture brings to all of us, you can be sure that “Weird Al” Yankovic will be there to make fun of it, and continue to entertain us until the end of his days on this planet.

Well, that brings us to the end of another Rave Up Music post. Tune in next time, as we dive into another…interest album...Until then, I am Barius, and I will leave with a video of Yankovic shredding. Enjoy, and keep on rockin.’



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