# Best song on Weird Al Yankovic's Running With Scissors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 15, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289 "2010-10-15T20:40:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/1 "2010-10-15T20:40:00Z")
Al’s first album on a much bigger record label (Volcano, a division of Sony), and they promoted the hell out of it. This was also when VH-1 fell in love with Al, and he was almost constantly on that channel. Al decided to be a bit edgier with this album (the lyric “transvestite” appears in two songs…strangely enough, there’s a third song ABOUT a transvestite) and moved a bit away from the formula he’d be following the last decade and a half. This was also when I hit my Al fandom peak, seeing them perform 10 times on that tour, and even hooking up with an Al-Gal or two after a couple shows. IMO, this was one of Al’s best albums. He hit it on the nail with both the parodies AND originals, and it had one of his best polkas (still doesn’t beat Polka Your Eyes Out tho!). Having the Weird Al Show theme song is the one song that really felt out of place. - = Wannabe, Flagpole Sitter, Ghetto Superstar, Everybody, Walking On the Sun, Intergalatic, Tubthumping, Ray of Light, Push, Semi-Charmed Life, The Dope Show, Mmm Bop, Sex & Candy, Closing Time ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/2 "2010-10-15T20:52:36Z")
There are _so many_ great songs on this album, I was hoping the multiple choice would be enabled! The flat-out parodies (especially _The Saga Begins_, _It’s All About the Pentiums_ and _Pretty Fly for a Rabbi_) are _so_ spot-on that it’s hard not to vote for them. The more flat-out funny stuff, like _Your Horoscope For Today_ and _Albuquerque_, which crosses the line from just surreal and absurd to truly funny about halfway through), pretty much all of the songs on this album rock! ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/3 "2010-10-15T21:11:46Z")
_It’s All About The Pentiums_. Hands down. _The Saga Begins_ is great and comes out of a better original song, but it’s just not quiiite as good in my view. _Albuquerque_ is a piece of brilliance, but it’s not something I’ll listen to over and over again. _That’s Your Horoscope For Today_ is a lot of fun since it’s a style parody of Mighty Mighty Bosstones and ska in general, which makes me happy. The one sour note on this album, oddly, is _Grapefruit Diet_. I freaking love _Zoot Suit Riot_ and I was happy to see he’d taken it on, but it just seemed a little half-hearted. “Yeah, it’s another food parody. Ha ha. Moving on.” And for once, the music actually wasn’t as good as the original. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/4 "2010-10-15T21:21:11Z")
_Pretty Fly for a Rabbit_? I like that 🙂 I voted for _The Saga Begins_. ---
**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 15, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/5 "2010-10-15T21:24:44Z")
Albuquerque is, by my count, about 6 minutes too long. The Saga Begins wins it, for me. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/6 "2010-10-15T21:30:56Z")
Oops, that was a typo. It’s Pretty Fly For a RABBI One little piece of trivia - the donut verse from Albuquerque took the lyrics from a really really old (this was pre 1st album) Weird Al song called I’m Stupid Blues, which was musically similar to Generic Blues. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/7 "2010-10-15T22:03:13Z")
No love for the Zydeco of “My Baby’s In Love With Eddie Vedder”? ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/8 "2010-10-15T22:43:38Z")
After I listen to the whole CD (yes I still listen to CDs), I relisten to \*The Saga Begins \* and _Your Horoscope For Today_ The Horoscope song pretty much sums up my opinion on horoscopes, and _The Saga Begins_ has such great lines. > [@Al](#): > > Did you see him hitting on the Queen? > Though he’s just 9 and she’s 14? Brian ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/9 "2010-10-16T00:02:14Z")
Voted for Albuquerque. The one sour note on the album, for me, is Germs. But I’m not really a NIN fan. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/10 "2010-10-16T02:37:39Z")
Another bit of trivia, there was an alternate version of The Saga Begins recorded for Radio Disney. The above quoted line was changed to “do you see him _talking to_ the Queen?” … see what I mean about Al being a lot edgier on this album!!! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/11 "2010-10-16T04:38:47Z")
Polka Power is one of Al’s finest medleys, but I voted for Albuquerque, and do you wanna know why? 'cause I had my tray table up, and my seat back in its full upright position! ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/12 "2010-10-16T05:12:25Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Polka Power is one of Al’s finest medleys, but I voted for Albuquerque, and do you wanna know why? > > 'cause I had my tray table up, and my seat back in its full upright position! I thought you were going to say “I hate sauerkraut” (sp?) Brian ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/13 "2010-10-16T05:16:15Z")
The album starts strong, and “Albuqerque” is amazing, but I think “Truck Driving Song” is the worst thing he’s ever done. It’s the one Al album I cannot sit through from start to finish, and that song is why. ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/14 "2010-10-16T15:06:18Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > The album starts strong, and “Albuqerque” is amazing, but I think “Truck Driving Song” is the worst thing he’s ever done. It’s the one Al album I cannot sit through from start to finish, and that song is why. I think it’s arguably the strongest album he’s done, and for me _Truck Driving Song_ is a really strong track. _Germs_ and _Albuquerque_ are the ones that, for me, don’t quite resonate. I was first aware of this album due to hearing _The Saga Begins_ on the radio while on vacation. I hadn’t bought a Weird Al album in a while, and wasn’t listening to the radio much. I heard this come on and I thought, “Hmm…that sounds a lot like Weird Al.” Once I found out it was, I went and bought the album on the strength of that track alone. This was the first Weird Al album where I wasn’t familiar with the original versions of some of the parodies (_All About the Pentiums_ and _Pretty Fly for a Rabbi_), and yet they’re among my favorite. I think that’s the real testament to his talents; I don’t need to know the originals to appreciate the parodies. I mean, c’mon - “You’re about as useless as jpegs to Helen Keller?” Genius. As for _Truck Driving Song_ I love it for a few reasons. Firstly, the music itself is pretty good. Maybe not awesome, but Weird Al doesn’t venture into the Country genre very much, and it’s a pretty respectable country song. I particularly like the pedal steel guitar. Secondly, it’s nice to hear Al use his lower register more; it’s not too shabby a voice. Thirdly, and most importantly, I like the ambiguity of the song. On first listen I assumed, like I suspect most people did, that it was a song about a male truck driver who cross-dresses. That’s funny, especially when you contrast the “blue collar” nature of the work with the singer’s concern over his appearance. But on repeat listens, I realized it _could_ be a song where the “singer” is actually a woman, but by using a male vocal creates an image of what a lot of us imagine a female truck driver typically looks like; pretty tough and butch, hard-drinking and chain-smoking. Now take _that_ character and put her in a feathered boa, sequins, chiffon, and high heels. Still funny. I have probably just expended more thought on _Truck Driving Song_ than it could ever possibly merit, but I have wondered if I’m the only person who has ever considered a different interpretation than the transvestite one. ---
**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 16, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/15 "2010-10-16T23:15:48Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > No love for the Zydeco of “My Baby’s In Love With Eddie Vedder”? I voted for it–one of Al’s best originals. You know, except for Grapfruit Diet and Albuquerque–neither of which I liked–this would be a near-perfect album. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/16 "2010-10-16T23:44:15Z")
Many good ones on this one but I voted for ‘The Saga Begins’ for one reason… Running with Scissors came out June 29, 1999. Episode One came out May 19, 1999. Either Al had access to advance knowledge or he managed to conceive, write, record and master ‘The Sage Begins’ within six weeks of the release of the movie. That includes printing, marketing, and distribution. ---
**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 16, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/17 "2010-10-16T23:57:08Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Either Al had access to advance knowledge or he managed to conceive, write, record and master ‘The Sage Begins’ within six weeks of the release of the movie. That includes printing, marketing, and distribution. Neither. [He wrote it - with only a few minor mistakes - based on rumours.](http://www.theforce.net/jedicouncil/interview/weirdal.asp) He made a few tweaks after actually seeing the movie, but they were small things. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/18 "2010-10-18T22:54:32Z")
Don McLean liked “The Saga Begins” so much that he apparently sometimes inadvertently starts singing that instead of American Pie. How cool is that? ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/19 "2010-10-19T14:56:14Z")
I went with “Jerry Springer.” It was a tough choice, but that one cracks me up every time with the fast paced, white trash lunacy. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2010, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-song-on-weird-al-yankovics-running-with-scissors/557289/20 "2010-10-19T15:01:00Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Don McLean liked “The Saga Begins” so much that he apparently sometimes inadvertently starts singing that instead of American Pie. How cool is that? Pretty darn cool. I got the CD for “The Saga Begins”. However, I was listening to it the other night, and “Your Horoscope for Today” is pretty damn funny.