Top 20 Weird Al Parodies
#20: “Living with a Hernia” (1986)
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Parody of “Living in America” by James Brown “Living in America” is one of James Brown’s greatest songs, next to “I Got You (I Feel Good)”, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”, and “Get Up Offa That Thing”. Though, we weren’t expecting a patriotic song about America’s many landmarks to turn into an education on an unfortunate medical condition. Weird Al’s spin on the Godfather of Soul’s hit, “Living With a Hernia”, takes Brown’s gritty singing and smooth grooves and turns them into a hilarious tune about what it’s like to have a hernia. The bridge even replaces Brown’s listing of cities with a list of the various hernias we could potentially get. And the way Al closes the song is pure gold.
#19: “I Love Rocky Road” (1981)
Top 10 Weird Al Parodies
Parody of “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts At one point or another, you’ve heard the iconic song from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “I Love Rock ‘N Roll.” But have you heard the Weird Al rendition? As the third song on his debut album, Al turns the legendary rock song into one about ice cream. It stands apart in his catalog, as Al and his band spoof the original’s rhythms with his signature accordion as well as some hand farts. While Rocky Road might not be our favorite ice cream flavor, this jam was wedged into our heads every time we went to the ice cream shoppe or peeked inside our freezer.
#18: “TMZ” (2011)
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Parody of “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift In the early 2010s, Taylor Swift was ascending to star status faster than many could ever hope to achieve. So, why not sing about the pains of fame in a parody of one of her own songs? Weird Al turns Swift’s “You Belong With Me” from a semi-innocent love song into a nightmarish scenario in dealing with the paparazzi, specifically the folks at TMZ. Not only does the song highlight the stressful situations celebrities experience with the paparazzi, it also points out how frequent these incidents were at the time. The song holds weight even today. No matter which side of the coin you’re on, “TMZ” is still worthy of being called one of Weird Al’s best.
#17: “It’s All About the Pentiums” (1999)
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Parody of “It's All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)” by Puff Daddy Parodying Puff Daddy’s “It’s All About the Benjamins”, this song is one that many tech geeks might relate to, specifically those who are constantly upgrading their computers. “It’s All About the Pentiums” is three and a half minutes of Weird Al bragging about how much better his PC is than yours, and the dorkiness is in full glory here. In addition to the super nerdy insults, the mesh of hip-hop and hard rock works incredibly well. Of course, some of the hardware he boasts is beyond obsolete today. But in our eyes, it makes the song even funnier.
#16: “Canadian Idiot” (2006)
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Parody of “American Idiot” by Green Day Green Day taught us all about “American Idiots” and why you shouldn’t want to be one. But what about us Canadians? What does our “Canadian Idiot” look like? Well, according to Weird Al, like just about everyone. He teases Canadians about their accents, notoriously overly-polite demeanor, weird currency, and of course, love for beer and hockey. Don’t worry, we know it’s all in good fun. And he also points out some of the pros of living in Canada. Hilarious from start to finish, we love every second of this parody. Anyone else wanna make Weird Al an honorary Canadian?
#15: “I Lost on Jeopardy” (1984)
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Parody of “Jeopardy” by The Greg Kihn Band He may have lost on “Jeopardy!”, but Weird Al won at making parody songs and videos. This vintage Al tune was released a few months before the classic game show got the modern reboot that we’re most familiar with today. The video features original host Art Fleming presiding over Al’s over-the-top loss as well as announcer Don Pardo and even a cameo by Greg Kihn, the artist Al was spoofing. While Kihn was a good sport, this is another example of the parody outlasting the original.
#14: “Foil” (2104)
Parody of “Royals” by Lorde This parody starts in familiar Weird Al territory: food, or rather, how His Weirdness likes to avoid bacteria by storing his uneaten food in aluminum foil. But then, it takes an unexpected turn, launching into Illuminati-style conspiracy theories for the song’s second verse. Of course, Al brings it back as only he can in the final chorus, by singing about how foil can be used not only to preserve food but also to make hats that block alien and government mind probes. The video for this song features an appearance by Patton Oswalt, who, of course, reveals himself to be a lizard person at the end.
#13: “Yoda” (1985)
Parody of “Lola” by The Kinks Weird Al knows his fans, and his fans know and love “Star Wars.” Al’s first trip to a galaxy far, far away happened early in his career. He cleverly made the tale of Luke Skywalker’s training on Dagobah at the hands of everyone’s favorite diminutive green Jedi fit the tune of “Lola” by The Kinks. It was a real crowd-pleaser that remains one of his most popular songs. While listening to “Yoda” isn’t the same as actually watching “The Empire Strikes Back,” it’s still an out-of-this-world treat for Weird Al and “Star Wars” lovers alike.
#12: “Another One Rides the Bus” (1981)
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Parody of “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen Things started taking off in a major way for Weird Al with this single. A clear parody of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”, “Another One Rides the Bus” illustrates the pains and grievances of riding on an overcrowded bus. However, the song itself isn’t overcrowded, consisting mostly of Al’s accordion with longtime drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz on percussion. It’s a simple tune, but it shows just how much potential Al had. It’s also just entertaining to hear a cruder version of a Queen classic. Additionally, Queen guitarist Brian May has expressed his fondness for Weird Al’s parody. We hope Freddie Mercury liked it, too.
#11: “The Saga Begins” (1999)
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Parody of “American Pie” by Don McLean Don McLean’s “American Pie” is a powerful ballad about the tragic plane crash now known as “The Day the Music Died”. Given its serious subject matter, it might seem like a poor choice for a parody. However, Weird Al’s version, which recounts the events of “Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace”, manages to be funny without coming off as disrespectful to the original work. McLean himself has been very warm to the song and even admits to almost singing it by accident during some of his performances. Even if you don’t love the “Star Wars” prequels, there’s still plenty to love about this song.
#10: “Couch Potato” (2003)
Parody of “Lose Yourself” by Eminem “Lose Yourself” is widely considered to be one of Eminem’s finest songs, perhaps his best. And Weird Al’s parody is both hilarious and technically impressive. Not only does he once again deliver a goofy and memorable song, he also manages to match the grit and roughness of Eminem’s voice. The only difference is that one is rapping about the challenges of making it in the music industry and the other is rapping about watching as much TV as possible. So, you know, different priorities. We just wish Eminem had given Al permission to make that music video.
#9: “Like a Surgeon” (1985)
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Parody of “Like a Virgin” “Like a Virgin” is one of Madonna’s most iconic songs as well as one of her most provocative. Weird Al’s take on this hit isn’t exactly risque. But it is hilarious. “Like a Surgeon” finds Al as one of the most incompetent surgeons ever conceived of, singing about his occupation while operating on one unlucky patient. Compared to Madonna’s playful and flirty tone, Weird Al sounds far more insane, but in a funny way. Still, we can only hope we never have an operating room experience remotely close to what we hear about in this song.
#8: “Tacky” (2014)
Parody of “Happy” by Pharrell Williams Pharrell Williams had already established himself as a musical genius in the 2000s. But “Happy” took his fame to a new level. Now, take that heartwarming tune and give it a more negative and judgemental tone, and you have the Weird Al version. “Tacky” describes a vast array of petty and off-putting behaviors that might cause some to call you the titular adjective. If your car still has a “YOLO” license plate and is covered in bumper stickers, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad person. But you might need to make a few changes in your life.
#7: “Smells Like Nirvana” (1992)
Parody of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana Nirvana recorded many great songs. But “Smells Like Teen Spirit” had by far the most cultural impact. However, some of Kurt Cobain’s singing, in this classic tune and others, can be just a little hard to understand, and Weird Al pokes fun at this aspect in his parody. The song consists of Al trying to remember the lyrics to the song only to break out singing nonsensical words and phrases. Despite the gibberish and random noises thrown in, “Smells Like Nirvana” is a fun and lighthearted tease at Nirvana’s style. And Cobain considered it a clear sign that his band had become a success.
#6: “Word Crimes” (2014)
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Parody of “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell Williams and T.I. Weird Al Yankovic has a big dictionary and he wants everyone to know it, or at least to know that he really cares about proper grammar. Not only is this song a funny lecture on how people misuse grammar, it also provides several grammatical lessons, all to the tune of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” While some took offense to the innuendo in the original and criticized its video for being sexist, the only people who’d likely object to this parody are those guilty of spreading the incorrect grammar Al calls out.
#5: “eBay” (2003)
Parody of “I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys At one point or another, we have all splurged our hard-earned cash on frivolous and ridiculous things. This was very much a problem when eBay was exploding in the early to mid-2000s. Weird Al perfectly encapsulates this era with his parody of “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. Some of the absurd items he describes here are indeed the kind you could find on eBay, and the rhythm of the original song works surprisingly well. It’s just a shame that this catchy tune never got the music video it so rightfully deserved.
#4: “Party in the CIA” (2011)
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Parody of “Party in the U.S.A.” by Miley Cyrus Lyrics about covert assassinations, waterboarding, and plotting coups may not intrinsically lend themselves to a fun party song. But that’s exactly where Weird Al went with his parody of the Miley Cyrus hit “Party in the U.S.A.” The video for this song is animated and lets us follow Al from his first day at Langley through his missions and missteps, taking a cavalier and jovial attitude about some rather intense situations agents face, or at least those they face in dramatic movies. The sarcasm is palpable and vintage Weird Al.
#3: “Amish Paradise” (1996)
Parody of "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio feat. L.V. If you’re at all familiar with iconic rap and hip hop songs of the 90s, you’ve most likely heard “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio and L.V. Unfortunately, Coolio was not so warm to Weird Al’s parody, even if the lyrical work was just as brilliant. “Amish Paradise” has retained its status as one of Weird Al’s best songs thanks to its portrayal of Amish life with an urban vibe and Al’s remarkable rhyming talents. And if you haven’t already, you absolutely need to watch the music video. Then, you’ll understand why “Amish Paradise” boasts more than 124 million views on YouTube. Even Coolio later admitted his disdain for the song before was “stupid”. No word yet on what the Amish think of it, though.
#2: “Fat” (1988)
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Parody of "Bad" by Michael Jackson This wasn’t the first instance of Weird Al parodying a Michael Jackson song. Anyone remember “Eat It”? But between the two, we have to give it to “Fat”. The jokes in this song hit at such a rapid-fire rate and get more ridiculous as the song progresses. Al and his crew went as far as to spoof the music video for Jackson’s “Bad” almost shot for shot. Even with such a drastic change of lyrics and topic, we find ourselves jamming to this as much as we did with the King of Pop’s original work.
#1: “White & Nerdy”
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Parody of “Ridin’” by Chamillionaire feat. Krayzie Bone Despite being half the length of Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone’s “Ridin’”, “White & Nerdy” is without a doubt Weird Al’s best parody. His rapping skills go above and beyond here, matching the original artists’ cadence, pacing, and rhyming. On top of that, the music video, which also features beloved comedy duo Key & Peele, is magnificently produced with its camera work, sets, and costuming. In addition to being Weird Al’s first top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, “White & Nerdy” was also his first single to be certified Platinum. Chamillionaire himself praised Weird Al’s parody. And he also reportedly thanked him at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. Pretty cool for a nerdy guy, huh?
