# Amish Paradise: Why was Coolio so mad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2006, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475 "2006-10-06T07:10:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/21 "2006-10-06T18:59:10Z")
And as I alluded to above, he wouldn’t be ripping off Coolio, he’d be ripping off Stevie Wonder. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/22 "2006-10-06T19:06:19Z")
Thanks **acsenray** , I always assumed permission was needed because Al always sought it, but as others have pointed out, that was just Al being respectful. ---
**Author:** ![Alma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alma)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/23 "2006-10-06T19:17:39Z")
This is just my own wild speculation, but it sure seems like attention-grabbing on the part of Coolio. Weird Al does a parody, it becomes successful, then Coolio complains that the song was too important and serious to be taken so lightly. So he gets to remain genuine in his persona, gets more attention from his “argument,” and gets more money from sales of both records. All this may depend on how much he knew about it, or how much he actually cared about it, but it sure seems like he got exactly what he wanted. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/24 "2006-10-06T19:31:44Z")
Count me in among the “Coolio’s ego thought his song was too high-falootin’ important for a parody” crowd. It’s also worth mentioning that Al’s latest album was delayed due to a reverse of the Coolio situation: Al wrote [“You’re Pitiful,”](http://weirdalshow.com/mirror/yourepitiful.mp3) a parody of “You’re Beautiful,” with the blessings of James Blunt. But then Blunt’s label squelched the parody, and Al had to write additional songs for [“Straight Outta Lynwood”](http://www.weirdal.com/music.htm) to make up the difference. And since the only reason for the song to get yanked from the album was because of the suits, Al’s made it available as a free download instead. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LateComer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b5ac83/32.png) [@LateComer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LateComer)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/25 "2006-10-06T19:54:51Z")
[QUOTE=Dragwyr] He actually did do that song, but it never was released on an album. I think he actually perfomed it live a few times though. [/QUOTE] I’ve heard it live a couple of times in the last several years. He always busts out non-album parodies live, such as his brilliant parody of the Offspring’s “Keep 'em Seperated” called “Keep 'em Seperated” (about laundry). He did one when I saw him in 2000 that was a parody of Celene Dion’s Titanic song that had something to do with a pizza delivery guy (can’t remember the specifics). ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/26 "2006-10-06T20:28:20Z")
Am I the only Weird Al fan too out-of-touch with popular music to know what he’s parodying anymore? ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/27 "2006-10-06T20:36:07Z")
Ok, now I’m confused…if parodies are protected, how could the record company block the James Blunt parody? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/28 "2006-10-06T20:40:59Z")
[QUOTE=Nonsuch] Am I the only Weird Al fan too out-of-touch with popular music to know what he’s parodying anymore? [/QUOTE] No. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/29 "2006-10-06T20:43:55Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Ok, now I’m confused…if parodies are protected, how could the record company block the James Blunt parody? [/QUOTE] I don’t have any inside scoop on Weird Al, but my guess is that it has something to do with Yankovic’s own preference to move forward with a parody only after securing permission. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/30 "2006-10-06T20:54:58Z")
[QUOTE=Nonsuch] Am I the only Weird Al fan too out-of-touch with popular music to know what he’s parodying anymore? [/QUOTE] No, but that’s what Wikipedia’s for. 🙂 It certainly clarified “Stuck in the Drive-Thru” and “Confessions Part III” for me. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/31 "2006-10-06T21:34:31Z")
I knew I was getting old when I listened to “Poodle Hat” and had no idea what about 3/4 of the songs on the polka medley were… ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/32 "2006-10-07T01:05:05Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] I knew I was getting old when I listened to “Poodle Hat” and had no idea what about 3/4 of the songs on the polka medley were… [/QUOTE] And “Ode to a Superhero” was the only parody whose original I knew. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/33 "2006-10-07T01:09:54Z")
As is already mentioned, one can parody a song without getting permission as per _Campbell v. Acuff-Rose_. However, Al always gets permission and pays royalties, presumably so that there are no hard feelings with the artist being parodied. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2006, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/34 "2006-10-07T01:31:54Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] Ok, now I’m confused…if parodies are protected, how could the record company block the James Blunt parody? [/QUOTE] It costs time and money to push the issue. Volcano Records was disinclined to spend that time and money. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/35 "2006-10-07T02:13:00Z")
Related (but not really) was anyone else blown away by the scene in WA’s version that is shown in reverse and is great including the lip-sync! Is there any thing of this length in any other video. It seems like it ran for a long segment of the video compared to most small reverse sequences. Sorry. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2006, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/36 "2006-10-07T03:24:23Z")
[QUOTE=Nonsuch] Am I the only Weird Al fan too out-of-touch with popular music to know what he’s parodying anymore? [/QUOTE] It hadn’t occurred to me that keeping up (somewhat) with top 40 like my husband and I do has the additional bonus of making Al’s stuff better for us. Plus, there’s a lot of great music around these days. Honestly. We just bought “Straight Outta Lynwood,” and it’s kinda hit-and-miss. “White and Nerdy” is absolutely brilliant, we love “Canadian Idiot” (for the obvious reason), and “Polkarama” is as good as any of his polkas. Some of his original stuff is weak as usual, and “Trapped in the Drive Thru” is an almost 11 minute long boring slice of life, and the album suffers from missing the James Blunt parody, but a solid outing, as usual. I have a mental picture of 50 Cent listening to Al’s polka version of “Candy Shoppe,” and it just kils me. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/37 "2006-10-07T03:40:19Z")
[QUOTE=Nonsuch] Am I the only Weird Al fan too out-of-touch with popular music to know what he’s parodying anymore? [/QUOTE] No. I heard the album a couple of weeks ago, and didn’t know a single thing on it. Reading the liner notes, I’d never heard of any of the songs nor most of the artists. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2006, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/38 "2006-10-07T04:17:47Z")
[QUOTE=rjung] It’s also worth mentioning that Al’s latest album was delayed due to a reverse of the Coolio situation: Al wrote [“You’re Pitiful,”](http://weirdalshow.com/mirror/yourepitiful.mp3) a parody of “You’re Beautiful,” with the blessings of James Blunt. But then Blunt’s label squelched the parody, and Al had to write additional songs for [“Straight Outta Lynwood”](http://www.weirdal.com/music.htm) to make up the difference. And since the only reason for the song to get yanked from the album was because of the suits, Al’s made it available as a free download instead. 😃 [/QUOTE] And earned Atlantic Records a spot of (dis)honor in the “White and Nerdy” video… ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/39 "2006-10-07T19:38:30Z")
[QUOTE=Nic2004] Related (but not really) was anyone else blown away by the scene in WA’s version that is shown in reverse and is great including the lip-sync! Is there any thing of this length in any other video. [/QUOTE] Weird Al is a fan of the Zucker/Abrams/Zucker films (he even appeared in all three _Naked Gun_ movies), and the backwards scene in the _Amish Paradise_ video is inspired by a similar backwards scene in the ZAZ film _Top Secret!_ The ZAZ influence (sight gags-a-plenty) obviously rubs off in the videos that Al directed, especially _Fat_ (one of my favorites) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475/40 "2006-10-07T19:40:06Z")
My mistake- Al did not direct the _Fat_ video, although it is a good example of his sense of humor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amish-paradise-why-was-coolio-so-mad/375475.md?page=3)