It's that time of our lives again. The parody composer Weird Al Yankovic has released his latest album "Mandatory Fun." Upon listening to it, I was left with one feeling: Why are people obsessed with this guy? He did a lot of good songs, but there's a lot of untapped material that I am unaware of. For the next two weeks, I will be listening and reviewing each day Weird Al's discography from "'Weird Al' Yankovic" to "Mandatory Fun" with thoughts on the highs and lows and answer the eternal question: Do I LOVE Weird Al Yet?
Album: "Alapalooza"
Release Date: October 5, 1993
Record Label: Rock 'n Roll Records, Scotti Brothers
Preconceived Notions: Following up the great "Off the Deep End," I am very excited about Weird Al's next album solely because I feel like he has come into form. He understands the parody better than ever and his lyrics are just as clever. In fact, his original songs are particularly fresh and exciting as well. I wonder what other 90's songs he will take on, though hopefully they have stood the test of time better than the Milli Vanilli and New Kids on the Block parodies.
Track Listing:
Track Listing:
- Jurassic Park
- Young, Dumb & Ugly
- Bedrock Anthm
- Frank's 2000" TV
- Achy Breaky Song
- Traffic Jam
- Talk Soup
- Livin' in the Fridge
- She Never Told Me She Was a Mime
- Harvey the Wonder Hamster
- Waffle King
- Bohemian Polka
Best Song: "Jurassic Park"
I should know better than to doubt the power of his opening songs. More than any other trope, this is one that admire a lot. In particular, setting the song to the iconic "MacArthur" park is fascinating because the original is dull and tacky. This new version sounds like something absurd and exciting. Yes, Jurassic Park may be just as dated as many other of Weird Al's subject choices, but it works on the sole merits of being a song about this kooky theme park full of dinosaurs. It is all sorts of wonderful.
Worst Song: "Livin' in the Fridge"
I know that the craft on this song is really solid and the Aerosmith parody is pretty solid. However, the one problem with listening to Weird Al's entire discography back-to-back is finding the tropes that you hate. These food parodies are not winning too many points from me. Also, while the song focusing on rotten food is a new angle, it is still a song about food. Maybe one day, when I am removed from this experiment, I will get the appeal of these songs, but maybe "Eat It" was a bad call to start a career on and have to live up to those expectations for the rest of your life.
Was That a Parody?: "Frank's 2000" TV"
While it is considered an original song, I must bring up this simple statement: THIS is how you do an R.E.M. parody. The organic alternative rock band is a modest bunch who sing about modest things. This is an exploitation of the contrary with a great song about buying the biggest TV imaginable and making a big deal out of it. Yes, it does occasionally fall more into Weird Al's marketing parodies, but there's enough creativity and charm in this original tune that I cannot help but like it. This is so much better than "Spam" that it's ridiculous.
Most Dated Song: "Achy Breaky Song"
Yes, we all know Billy Ray Cyrus' "Achy Breaky Heart" as this annoying ear worm. It was inescapable in the 90's. However, there is a strong sense that this meaning is lost to modern audiences for many reasons. Notably, the subversion of making fun of bad songs while parodying a bad song isn't going to hold up if you don't know the original bad song. To make matters worse, there are a lot of references to mediocre musical artists, some of which I don't know about, that leave me baffled. I get the message and appeal of the song, but it is all reliant on how well you know these references, which are distinctly 90's.
Strangest Song: "Bedrock Anthem"
Yes, this song is just as dated as "Brady Bunch" or "The Isle Thing," but I have to give it conceptual props. There is something beautiful to skewering The Flintstones archetypes to Red Hot Chili Peppers' two most popular songs at the time. I enjoy the sound clips that accompany it as well. The real moment of brilliance, possibly for the foreseeable future, is the fading out moments where Weird Al ends up saying "Yabba dabba doo" alongside a Mel Blanc version in such an innocuous way that I can't help but love it.
Great Notes: "Talk Soup" is not an exceptional song, but what puts it over the edge is the story that according to Wikipedia, he wrote the song for the eponymous E! Channel program, got approval down to the exact same lyrics, and they didn't use it. That is all sorts of beautiful.
Final Thoughts: The album is more sporadic than "Off the Deep End," but it still has the confident charm that I have come to expect. Yes, the back half is particularly weak and unmemorable, but there's so much inspired moments that it remains impossible to write Weird Al off. He has a pattern that works, and I can't fault it, even if this ranks as one of his minor works. "Jurassic Park" remains a great cut that I will hope to begin associating with the actual film. Even the orchestration is getting clever. Did I mention how brilliant the last half of "Bedrock Anthem" is? Sure, there's a lot of moments that play as b-sides, but it still is a fun and engaging album for the moments that count.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Do I LOVE Weird Al Yet?: It's about the same as "Off the Deep End," but I feel worried that I am doomed to get my hopes up only to have them shattered when the next album falls a few pegs shy of the brilliant ones.
Polka Ranking (All Albums)
1. "Polka Your Eyes Out" (from "Off the Deep End" - 1992)
2. "Polkas on 45" (from "'Weird Al' Yankovic in 3-D" - 1984)
3. "The Hot Rocks Polka" (from "UHF" - 1989)
4. "Bohemian Polka" (from "Alpalooza" - 1993)
4. "Polka Party!" (from "Polka Party! - 1986)
2. "Polkas on 45" (from "'Weird Al' Yankovic in 3-D" - 1984)
3. "The Hot Rocks Polka" (from "UHF" - 1989)
4. "Bohemian Polka" (from "Alpalooza" - 1993)
4. "Polka Party!" (from "Polka Party! - 1986)
5. "Hooked on Polkas" (from "Dare to Be Stupid" - 1985)
Ranking (All Albums)
1. Dare to Be Stupid (1985)
2. Off the Deep End (1992)
3. "Weird Al" Yankovic (1983)
4. Alapalooza (1993)
5. Even Worse (1988)
2. Off the Deep End (1992)
3. "Weird Al" Yankovic (1983)
4. Alapalooza (1993)
5. Even Worse (1988)
6. UHF (1989)
7. "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
8. Polka Party! (1986)
9. Peter and the Wolf (1988)
UP NEXT: "Bad Hair Day" (1996)
7. "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
8. Polka Party! (1986)
9. Peter and the Wolf (1988)
UP NEXT: "Bad Hair Day" (1996)
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