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: "Bad Hair Day"
Release Date: March 12, 1996
Record Label: Volcano
Preconceived Notions: We are now a few albums deep into the 90's output and maybe because of his less frequent output, it has been greater. Even then, I find myself finding a lot of reasons to admire his work and the results are starting be more consistent. Yes, we have a lot of food songs, but we also have the infamous "Amish Paradise" controversy, which if you look on Wikipedia, is a fascinating battle with Coolio that reflected a high point in his career. Either way, "Alapalooza" wasn't the greatest album, but it wasn't the worst. Mediocre Weird Al is starting to even out, so this may just be pretty good if it's mediocre.
Tracks:
Tracks:
- Amish Paradise
- Everything You Know is Wrong
- Cavity Search
- Callin' in Sick
- The Alternative Polka
- Since You've Been Gone
- Gump
- I'm So Sick of You
- Syndicated Inc.
- I Remember Larry
- Phony Calls
- The Night Santa Went Crazy
Best Song: "Everything You Know is Wrong"
In true fashion, the more self-deprecating the song, the stranger that the direction goes. Also, with one of his best choruses to this point, it is a song all about the failures of the world. It is a fascinating song that works as commentary on believing the wrong thing your entire life (though not specifically religion) only to end up in heaven in the room next to the noisy ice machine. There's countless moments in this song that Weird Al at his best, and I really enjoyed every single moment of it.
Worst Song: "Syndicated Inc."
In true fashion, Weird Al does a song again about TV. While I will admit that he does an excellent job of making the chorus catchy, there is something nauseating about once again name dropping all of these dated TV shows and finding humor in the fact that you watch a lot of TV. Yes, it is a prevalent issue that has never went out of style much like his parodies on food addiction, but we are now 10 albums in and you'd figure that he would be running out of TV material. It is a decent song, but it is also really dated in nature.
Was That a Parody?: "Cavity Search"
While I cannot claim to be the biggest U2 fan, I know enough of their work to recognize their highs and lows. Apparently "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" is not one of them. This song about dental check-ups is pretty solid, though I do find the musical component a little strange. It does sound too much like espionage for a mundane task. Then again, this song about having to pay bills for faulty x-rays is a nice juxtaposition for music like that. Not the best song on the album and arguably less memorable than "Syndicated Inc.," but I still don't associate this song with U2 at all.
Most Dated Song: "Gump"
While Forrest Gump remains an iconic film to a generation, it has just crossed the 20th anniversary this month. I raise the question: Do younger audiences care about Forrest Gump? Much like "Jurassic Park," this is just a recollection of almost the entire plot in song. It is catchy and very fun, but there's very little of value in it being just a song about a really strange man. It doesn't work without the Forrest Gump admiration. This isn't a bad thing, but considering that "Jurassic Park" has the kitschy charm similar to The Land of the Lost theme song, it does come up short.
Strangest Song: "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
I am not entirely sure what is going on with Weird Al, but he'll just get out these insane, violent odes that are surreal masterpieces. For those that thought "Christmas at Ground Zero" was dark, then this is next level. With Santa shooting up neighborhoods and getting arrested, the song goes into some strange directions that reflects Weird Al's penchant for making these narratives have a flow and cadence to them. Maybe it isn't as accessible as his previous Christmas song, but that doesn't stop it from being insanely interesting. However, listening to this and "Trigger Happy" in a post-Columbine universe does make it seem strange solely because he liked to make songs about shooting things.
Great Notes: Hitting three prime members of The Simpsons, Hank Azaria and Nancy Cartwright appear on "Phony Calls" as Moe Szylak and Bart Simpsons respectively over a decade after Tress MacNeille appeared on his debut.
Final Thoughts: Despite being a particularly 90's album based on its musical components, this is a great album that barely comes up short of a masterpiece. Yes, he does hit all of the familiar beats, but he is still experimenting and making wonderful results. There are moments that feel dated, but his craft is very strong and following the uneven "Alapalooza," this is surprisingly concrete. Even the duds are a lot stronger than one would expect. It continues to subvert expectations and creates one of the most impressive careers in music history. The fact that "Amish Paradise" actually sparked legitimate controversy is fascinating. There's too much going right with this album to suggest that Weird Al even truly faltered.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Do I LOVE Weird Al Yet?: I am thinking that I fully embrace his charm at this point. With 10 albums completed, he has a definitive style and I have been suckered in. There is a magic to his performance style that I cannot deny. Anyone who produces over 30 songs that get stuck in my head has to be great. It's unheard of if they don't. I would like to simply say: one more masterpiece and I will say yes.
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 Alternative Polka" (from "Bad Hair Day" - 1996)
4. "The Hot Rocks Polka" (from "UHF" - 1989)
5. "Bohemian Polka" (from "Alpalooza" - 1993)
6. "Polka Party!" (from "Polka Party! - 1986)
2. "Polkas on 45" (from "'Weird Al' Yankovic in 3-D" - 1984)
3. "The Alternative Polka" (from "Bad Hair Day" - 1996)
4. "The Hot Rocks Polka" (from "UHF" - 1989)
5. "Bohemian Polka" (from "Alpalooza" - 1993)
6. "Polka Party!" (from "Polka Party! - 1986)
7. "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. Bad Hair Day (1996)
4. "Weird Al" Yankovic (1983)
5. Alapalooza (1993)
6. Even Worse (1988)
2. Off the Deep End (1992)
3. Bad Hair Day (1996)
4. "Weird Al" Yankovic (1983)
5. Alapalooza (1993)
6. Even Worse (1988)
7. UHF (1989)
8. "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
9. Polka Party! (1986)
10. Peter and the Wolf (1988)
UP NEXT: "Running With Scissors" (1996)
8. "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
9. Polka Party! (1986)
10. Peter and the Wolf (1988)
UP NEXT: "Running With Scissors" (1996)
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