Weird Al’s B-sides: Deep cuts from the master of music parody
If you’re not familiar with the entire Weird Al oeuvre, then you might be missing out. Sure, the music parody maestro is pretty well known for his recent Mandatory Fun album, his ’80s hits like, “Eat It” and his mid-career zingers like, “Amish Paradise,” but come on, that’s only scratching the surface. True Weird Al fans know the deep cuts. And true Weird Al fans are ready to hear them all, this summer, during Al’s just announced world tour. Yes, the line-up will likely be jam-packed with the songs everybody knows and love, but we’re also hoping for a few cassingle B-sides. For example, ALL of these:
“eBay”
Know what rhymes with eBay? “I Want It That Way,” by the Backstreet Boys. Then, Weird Al basically just lists off a bunch of ridiculous things you can buy off of the website. The chorus includes: “Tell me why I need another pet rock.”
“Spam”
Weird Al might be at his best when he takes an incredibly popular song and transforms it into an absurd song about an absurd thing. Take, for example, his take on R.E.M’s “Stand,” in which he turns into his ode to the food, Spam.
“Polka Power!”
So, Weird Al loves polka music and actually plays the accordion. But you know this, right? Usually, his albums always include a polka medley, which is just a compilation of the most popular songs of the day, but set to a polka tempo. It’s basically That’s What I Call Polka. It’s hard to figure out the best one of the bunch, but “Polka Power” includes the Spice Girl’s “Wannabe.”
Bear in mind, this is about a 12 minute song. But, it’s about the city in New Mexico! And you know what else took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico? Breaking Bad. The song is unfortunately not about Breaking Bad, but I bet if we ask Weird Al nicely, he’ll kindly update the lyrics to include Walter White. And thankfully, the Internet has already made an “Albuquerque” Breaking Bad music video. So please, enjoy.
How about a Disney-themed Weird Al song? This one isn’t even a parody song, but instead an original song about a Skipper on the World Famous Jungle Cruise. And if you’ve ever known a Skipper on the Jungle Cruise, it’s kind of alarmingly 100% true.
“Gump”
Maybe you’ve thought to yourself, “I wish there were more songs about Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump!” Well, Weird Al has your back. Set to the tune of The Presidents of the United State’s “Lump,” he sings about Forrest sitting on a bench, and then some.
Which superhero is in question here? It’s Spiderman. Weird Al croons away on his piano, lamenting about Spiderman’s woes set to the tune of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” The best line might be, “Sling us a web, you’re the Spiderman!”
If you’ve ever wanted a song to sing while you take out the trash, Weird Al has you covered. Oh, and it’s set to Nelly’s “Hot In Herre.”
Image via here.