SOUNDTRACK: hiatus
[READ: December 20, 2021] Weird Accordion to Al
After writing the “Weird Al” biography, with “Weird Al” himself, Nathan Rabin dug even deeper into his “Weird Al” fandom to write a detailed account of, as the subtitle says, “Every ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Album Analyzed in Obsessive Detail.”
“Weird Al” wrote the (short) introduction and then Nathan drops the needle on “Weird Al” Yankovic, Al’s 1983 debut album.
Nathan goes into varying degrees of detail on each of the songs. Nathan was a rabid “Weird Al” fan from when he was a little kid. And when he talks about how much he loves Al, you can see his deep abiding appreciation for everything Al has done.
Some songs get a paragraph, nut most get a page or so. He usually talks about how much he likes (or loves) the song (and occasionally dislikes). There’s nostalgia in the older songs and jokes and observations about contemporary things as well (Rabin’s politics poke through once in a while. Good thing he’s a smart guy.
Because he did the Al biography with Al, he presumably got a lot of insight into the man and his work. So although sometimes his insights seem like maybe he’s reading too much into a goofy parody, perhaps he’s on to things. Maybe Al’s depth is deeper than rhyming Sharona with Bologna. Which is not in any way to diminish Al’s intelligence. He’s obviously very smart, especially as his later songs indicate.
Rabin’s tone throughout the book is smart and snarky. He talks about the songs and the video (if there is one). He talks about the production quality (or lack thereof) on the first album. He references Dr. Demento (because the Dr is essential to Al’s career). He also references Don DeLillo’s White Noise and says things like “Al is in deconstructionist mode.”
I’m a pretty die hard fan, but I learned a lot of things about some of the songs as well. Like that “Buckingham Blues” started as a parody of “Jack and Diane” (since it’s about Prince Charles (Chuck) and Diane). Al was denied the request and so he made up his own (in Rabin’s words: “Comically Incongruous White Folks Blues”).
And of course, Rabin talks about Tonio K., the unlikely (because no one has heard of him) inspiration for two songs including “Happy Birthday.”
In 3-D showed the world brilliance of Al parodying Michael Jackson (“Eat It”). It also includes “Polkas in 45” Al’s first polka medley of popular songs. I’m also intrigued by Rabin’s timeline for “I Lost on Jeopardy.” I didn’t realize that the (original version of the) show had been off the air for a couple of years already. And that the Alex Trebek version premiered just a few months after the album came out.
It was also fun to realize what some of these earlier songs were about or were inspired by. Since I was young when these earlier albums came out I didn’t realize that, say, “Mr. Popeil” was inspired by the B-52’s. Rabin also really loves “That Boy Could Dance,” a song I barely remembered. He also appropriately loved “Nature Trail to Hell.”
“Dare to Be Stupid” continued Al’s streak. Although Rabin is, appropriately, dismissive of “I Want a New Duck,” a rather poor parody. I learned that Al did not want to make “Girls Just Want to Have Lunch.” The record label forced him to make it and he did not want to, which is why it feels uninspired.
But he also says things that I can’t tell if he’s serious or not When talking about “This is the Life” he refers to Johnny Dangerously as if people don’t love it.
Then came Polka Party, the first Weird Al that I didn’t buy. I was turned off by the idea that it might be an all polka album (I was young and dumb). Plus I didn’t like the James Brown song that “Living with a Hernia” parodied. Turns out I was (for once) in tune with the rest of the country. No one else bought the album either. And it seemed like Al’s career was over.
Rabin picks on “Here’s Johnny” as being kind of lame and predictable since Ed McMahon is such an easy target, but I feel like it’s a catchy goof. Although we agree that “Toothless People” is pretty lame. But who would have expected something this harsh
You know how you know “Ruthless People” was a song no one liked, and no one remembers. Because it’s Mick Jagger solo song.
He’s not wrong.
Rabin also says that The label pressured Al for a holiday song. So he came up with the most demented Christmas song of all time: “Christmas at Ground Zero.”
It seemed like Al’s career was over, but then he came rocketing back with the massive hit “Fat” (from Even Worse). I also found out that “This Song is Just Six Words Long” is a parody of the George Harrison song, yes, but that it was actually a cover of a James Ray song (I refuse to listen to the original out of self-preservation).
And how about this for snark (I can’t tell if he’s serious). He talks about “Velvet Elvis,” a Police style song, and says “they were playing a “Police” songs written not by Sting but by someone more talented, and with a better sense of humor.”
I got a kick out of Rabin’s discussion of “Twister,” the Beastie Boys pastiche of Al doing all three of them in just over a minute.
Up next is Peter & The Wolf, Al’s collaboration with Wendy Carlos. I’ve listened to this a few times, but it has been quite a while. I had no idea that it was basically unavailable anywhere now–no streaming available. I also didn’t know all that much about Wendy Carlos back when I last listened to it. Wendy Carlos is pretty much a genius and I must give this recording another listen.
Rabin is pretty harsh to the UHF soundtrack, which is I find surprising because I love it. Perhaps its just because it has the “Spatula City” commercial on it, but I think it’s a a fun collection of stuff. Plus it has “The Biggest all of Twine in Minnesota” one of the best songs in the world.
I got back into Weird Al in 1992 with his Nirvana parody. My then girlfriend and I also thought that the “Taco Grande” B side of the single was hilarious. The way he enunciates Taco sent us into convulsive fits of laughter.
It interests me that Rabin doesn’t seem to think that “Trigger Happy” is necessarily an anti-gun song because it strikes e as one of the most anti-gun songs ever released just hilariously funny as well.
From there, each album only gets better. The polkas are all top notch (even when I don’t know the songs–as happened on some of the later ones. I can’t complain about that though (like Rabin does) because the polkas are so good.
Alapalooza is spectacular–“Jurassic Park” is a genius reinvention of the weirdo “MacArthur Park.”
Bad Hair Day, with “Amish Paradise” started Al on his rap-based parody career. And the acapella “Since You’ve Been Gone” is just genus.
This book is fun to have Rabin go through the songs with a fine-toothed comb to help you realize things you didn’t know. Like the amount of Soul Asylum that appears on this record. In addition to “Syndicated, Inc” which spoofs “Misery,” but “The Night Santa Went Crazy” is apparently a style song based on “Black Gold.” Its funny that Rabin says this is a Soul Asylum song that no one remembers since it is the title of their greatest hits album.
Running with Scissors allowed Al to return to Star Wars with a song that has really lasted, (and outshines the source material) “The Saga Begins.”
One thing that has always intrigued me is how much Jewish/Yiddish humor Yankovic employs (for someone who is not Jewish). But Rabin gives it his blessing saying that it is done with love and thorough research.
Although I’ll accept that the “One Week” parody “Jerry Springer” isn’t the best subject matter (and that using the then-topical insults dragged Al to Jerry’s level), I am quite shocked at how much he seems to dislike Barenaked Ladies who are certainly kindred spirits to Al.
It also features one of the greatest songs ever–“Its All About the Pentiums,” and one of the greatest long songs ever “Albuquerque.”
Poodle Hat continues the late run of greatness even if Eminem wouldn’t let Al do a video of “Couch Potato.” I guess his original song, whatever it was, was too precious? I agree with Rabin that “Party in the Leper Colony is an odd song for Al to have made at all, much less so far into his career. In fact when he played it live at the first Ill Advised tour, I thought it was from one of his first three or four records Hard to believe he wrote it in 2003.
“Genius in France” is another great long song, this time it’s an homage to Frank Zappa.
Straight Outta Lynwood shines even brighter with the outstanding “White & Nerdy.” And he continued to write outstanding long songs (even if this one is a parody) with the surreal “Trapped in the Drive Thru.”
The book informed me that for Alpocalypse, he asked Charles Nelson Reilly’s wife if she would mind him writing “CNR.” She said as long as he didn’t sing about the stereotypes about him she’d be fine. Well, he went the other way and immortalized the man.
And then came Mandatory Fun and Al’s first number 1 album. The parodies are really superb. “Handy” and “Foil” are outstanding (its funny that they both parody young girls singing, which somehow makes it even funnier. And “Word Crimes” is the best grammar song ever written.
And his originals are great too. That he wrote a Crosby Stills & Nash style song using nothing but corporate jargon is fabulous. And that he finally got around to basing a song on the sound of The PIxies is wonderful. And then he ends it all with yet another epic: “Jackson Park Express.”
Rabin ends the book talking about Medium Rarities which was the bonus disc on the Weird Al boxset (which I did not buy even if came in packaging that looked like an accordion) and is still not available anywhere else.
At first I was kind of bummed that it wasn’t available anywhere but after reading about it, the songs do seem kind of trifling. Although I am very interested in his early songs: “Take Me Down” is the first song he released. He seems to be singing in a deeper voice than ever even though it’s his first song.
The rest of the bonus tracks are demos, instrumentals, a remake of “Happy Birthday” that sounds quite different without the accordion, a Japanese vocals version (of “Jurassic Park”) and a lot of TV theme songs–some of which are quite good. It also taught me about Dr Demento’s Covered in Punk album, which I hadn’t heard of. (Al does an excellent cover of Ramones’ “Beat on the Brat”).
The one big deal on the collection is “Pac-Man”–an era-appropriate tribute to the video games based on The Beatles’ “Tax Man.” The Beatles-love is spot on. Or as Rabin notes, “‘Pac-Man’ just plain rocks, possibly because the Beatles were a really good band.” Plus, the was he assimilates the game’s sound effects into the song is genius. I also agree with Rabin that’s it’s probably for the best that it never got released because it wasn’t quite Al’s time (and I can’t imagine how much would it have cost to get the rights?)
This book is really a lot of fun. And it should make a “weird Al” fan out of anyone who reads it.
Al is pretty awesome and I get a special kick out of knowing that five of his songs might not fit on one side of a 90 minute tape. (Yes, I’m old).
Nature Trail to Hell 5:55
Albuquerque 11:22
Genius in France 8:58
Trapped in the Drive-Thru 10:50
Jackson Park Express 9:05
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