# Lady Gaga denies Weird Al **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118 "2011-04-20T18:53:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/21 "2011-04-20T20:20:40Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > [I turned up this list](http://www.11points.com/Music/11_Artists_Who_Wouldn%27t_Give_Weird_Al_Permission_For_a_Parody). I knew about Eminem, Coolio, and James Blunt, but the rest were news to me. From the linked article: > [@](#): > > Daniel Powter. In a classic, classic case of someone misunderstanding his status on the music food chain, Daniel Powter wouldn’t give permission to Al to parody “Bad Day”. He just refused. > > Until… right before Al was set to hit the studio to record his new album and Daniel Powter had a change of heart. In a rare double denial, Al said it was too late, and he rejected Powter. Powter hasn’t been heard from since. As I literally have no idea who Daniel Powter is, I found this entry on the list high-larious. Prince turning Al down repeatedly was news to me, also, and disappointing. I actually think Prince has a pretty good sense of humor about himself. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/22 "2011-04-20T20:25:36Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > **Joey P** , Al says in his blog post that the video for the song was going to be awesome. I’ll agree that the song on its own is sort of meh for me. I mean, it’s not awful, but I’ve heard a lot better parodies from Weird Al. Maybe we need to look at this from the other side. Maybe Lady Gaga said no to Al not because she doesn’t want him doing a parody, but because she just plain doesn’t like the song. On the one hand it seems like kind of a bitch move to make him jump through all those hoops before saying no (based on reading the OP and nothing more) when she could have just said no right off the bat, OTOH, maybe she was thinking about saying yes, but by the time the song was written she was ‘meh’ about it also. As much as I really don’t like most of her music, it’s anything but ‘meh’. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/23 "2011-04-20T20:27:06Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Prince turning Al down repeatedly was news to me, also, and disappointing. I actually think Prince has a pretty good sense of humor about himself. I have friends who’ve toured with Prince and they report that he has no sense of humor at all, especially about himself. ---
**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:** [April 20, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/24 "2011-04-20T20:28:49Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > \ > Prince turning Al down repeatedly was news to me, also, and disappointing. I actually think Prince has a pretty good sense of humor about himself. Prince does things for Prince reasons. He said recently that he thinks the internet is over - I love his music deeply, but I don’t look to him for reason and logic. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/25 "2011-04-20T20:29:11Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Coolio didn’t like Amish Paradise and says he said no, but Al insists Coolio said yes initially(and I believe Al). What apparently happened was that Yankovic contacted Coolio through intermediaries (which is routine). The message was sent back to Yankovic that Coolio had been asked and had given his permission. So Yankovic recorded and released the parody. It then came out that apparently the intermediaries had not actually asked Coolio - they had just given the permission and said it was from him. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/26 "2011-04-20T20:37:32Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Maybe we need to look at this from the other side. Maybe Lady Gaga said no to Al not because she doesn’t want him doing a parody, but because she just plain doesn’t like the song. Or maybe she was offended by the fact that, from a technical standpoint, Al’s lyrics make it a much better song. I just read the lyrics for both, and hers are filled with strained rhymes and barely scans. “No matter black white or beige Chola or Orient made” Seriously, that is some mediocre songwriting. Al’s parody on the other hand scans, rhymes well and has clever internal rhymes. No contest. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/27 "2011-04-20T20:43:28Z")
The view counter is stuck at 330. Al broke YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/28 "2011-04-20T20:44:58Z")
Honestly, I think it was probably too soon is all. Born This Way is still getting some serious airplay, and she likely didn’t want a song with the same tune causing confusion between the two in the public mind. If Al had waited 6 months, or had picked one of the songs off her previous album to parody, I bet she would have been fine with it. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/29 "2011-04-20T20:52:34Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Honestly, I think it was probably too soon is all. > > Born This Way is still getting some serious airplay, and she likely didn’t want a song with the same tune causing confusion between the two in the public mind. If Al had waited 6 months, or had picked one of the songs off her previous album to parody, I bet she would have been fine with it. I feel like she could have mentioned this before putting Al through the rigamarole of writing and producing the song, though. It’s not like it’s a secret that he uses the same tune as the actual song. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/30 "2011-04-20T20:53:05Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Honestly, I think it was probably too soon is all. > > Born This Way is still getting some serious airplay, and she likely didn’t want a song with the same tune causing confusion between the two in the public mind. If Al had waited 6 months, or had picked one of the songs off her previous album to parody, I bet she would have been fine with it. From his post, the album wasn’t going to be released for another eight weeks. By the time Al’s parody came out, it would work perfectly, she would be off promoting her next single and Al’s parody would renew interest in her original which would be flagging. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/31 "2011-04-20T20:54:11Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Honestly, I think it was probably too soon is all. > > Born This Way is still getting some serious airplay, and she likely didn’t want a song with the same tune causing confusion between the two in the public mind. If Al had waited 6 months, or had picked one of the songs off her previous album to parody, I bet she would have been fine with it. Good answer. Woulda been cool if he did uhm…well, her most famous song (IMHO, as it’s the only one I know) - “Bad Romance.” I think it’s a better song than “Born This Way” and we all know Al could have come up with some fine lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/32 "2011-04-20T21:05:37Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Honestly, I think it was probably too soon is all. > > Born This Way is still getting some serious airplay, and she likely didn’t want a song with the same tune causing confusion between the two in the public mind. If Al had waited 6 months, or had picked one of the songs off her previous album to parody, I bet she would have been fine with it. One of Al’s consistent challenges when doing parodies is that he has to strike while the iron is still hot – doing a parody of a song that’s a year old doesn’t work, as the material is now stale. Getting it out while it’s still very much in the public’s thoughts is a critical part of making the parody effective. Consequently, he almost never records parodies months in advance of an album release, opting instead to wait to the last minute before going into the studio to write and record parody material. Basically, Gaga has just been a humourless idiot for saying no. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/33 "2011-04-20T21:10:59Z")
I guess I just don’t see how Weird Al has made a career of this stuff. No disrespect intended for his fans here, but beyond 8-12 year olds I can’t comprehend the appeal. Don’t get me wrong, when I was in the age I mentioned I thought he was a laugh riot, but now I just shake my head with wonder. It’s her song. If she doesn’t want it used I don’t see how anyone can fault her for it. For me it’s no different than artists/writers who don’t want their songs used for commercials. It’s something she created. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/34 "2011-04-20T21:11:02Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > [I turned up this list](http://www.11points.com/Music/11_Artists_Who_Wouldn%27t_Give_Weird_Al_Permission_For_a_Parody). I knew about Eminem, Coolio, and James Blunt, but the rest were news to me. That link also explained why he was asking for permission, as he’s not obliged to. Apparently it’s on principle, which is fairly admirable. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/35 "2011-04-20T21:14:12Z")
One wonders if Ms. Gaga was as courteous in asking Madonna before recording the song in the first place. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/36 "2011-04-20T21:14:41Z")
Breaking news: (or whatever) [TMZ link:](http://www.tmz.com/2011/04/20/weird-al-yankovic-lady-gaga-rejected-born-this-way-parody-perform-this-way/)Lady Gaga – I Didn’t Reject Weird Al Yankovic. Seems like a weird bit of he said she said. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/37 "2011-04-20T21:15:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > What apparently happened was that Yankovic contacted Coolio through intermediaries (which is routine). The message was sent back to Yankovic that Coolio had been asked and had given his permission. So Yankovic recorded and released the parody. It then came out that apparently the intermediaries had not actually asked Coolio - they had just given the permission and said it was from him. Well, that’s Coolio’s story after the fact, and his entourage is almost guaranteed to “remember” it that way. The record producers and Al himself remember a somewhat different story. ---
**Author:** ![beartato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@beartato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beartato)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/38 "2011-04-20T21:40:31Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > One wonders if Ms. Gaga was as courteous in asking Madonna before recording the song in the first place. 😛 Pretty much what I was going to say! Madonna’s given her blessing to Weird Al in the past for parodying; he should have just asked her for permission to do this song and claimed confusion later. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/39 "2011-04-20T21:46:02Z")
> [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](#): > > I guess I just don’t see how Weird Al has made a career of this stuff. No disrespect intended for his fans here, but beyond 8-12 year olds I can’t comprehend the appeal. > > Don’t get me wrong, when I was in the age I mentioned I thought he was a laugh riot, but now I just shake my head with wonder. How sad that you seem to have forgotten what fun is. I suppose all those artists who consider it an honor to be parodied by Al are children too. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118/40 "2011-04-20T21:48:58Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > How sad that you seem to have forgotten what fun is. I suppose all those artists who consider it an honor to be parodied by Al are children too. Thanks for the laugh. No longer liking Weird Al=forgetting what FUN is. Good stuff. Melodrama, we have arrived! How sad it is that you think that everything we enjoyed when we were younger automatically translates to adulthood. Aw, now we’re both sad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lady-gaga-denies-weird-al/579118.md?page=3)