A few of them are true parodies. Amish Paradise clearly fits by juxtaposing the “wholesome” nature of the Amish vs. the violent gangster lifestyle.
I agree though that most don’t quite fit the bill of being true parody, which is why it’s wise for Al to gain the permission of the artist before releasing one.
Those would be style parodies. I suppose they fit even more than the typical song parodies, since they could be seen as a direct comment on the original the artist. Devo said that Dare to be Stupid was a better Devo song than anything by Devo.
About half. It’s fairly clear in context here that “parody” means a song that is literally an existing song, recorded by someone else, in which Yankovic inserts different lyrics, as distinct from songs where he wrote the music.
NOTE: A few people have nominated “Bob.” “Bob” is actually an original song; I know it sounds Bob Dylanesque and that’s who the video parodies, but it’s not actually a Bob Dylan song. I know it’s a parody of style, but it is not correctly in this category; I’ll list it in the original song thread when we get there.
Weird Al’s songs almost all fall into one of three groups:
Parodies in which Al uses silly lyrics (of his own composition) on top of the melody of a popular song (e.g., Eat It, Amish Paradise, I Lost on Jeopardy, etc.)
Original parodies, in which he’s making a parody of a particular musical style or genre, and in which Al has written both the music and the silly lyrics (e.g., One More Minute, Dare to Be Stupid, etc.)
Polka parodies, in which he plays a popular song (or snippets of several popular songs, in a medley) in “polka style,” usually with his accordion; what is “original” to Al in these is the arrangement, as he’s usually using both the original lyrics, and the original melodies.
Amish Paradise
Bohemian Polka (If this is disallowed for not being a medley… Ode to a Superhero)
eBay
Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies
Now That’s What I Call Polka
The Saga Begins
White and Nerdy
My first cut had about twenty; I narrowed it down to seven but I think I front-loaded his career in doing so.
Yoda
Stop Draggin’ My Car Around
Eat It
I Lost On Jeopardy
Smells Like Nirvana
Amish Paradise
White And Nerdy
Yoda - a harbinger of Al’s self-aware musings on pop and nerd culture.
Stop Draggin’ - a perfect reflection on late 70’s Californa culture, with accompaniment by Musical Mike Kiefer.
Eat It - the shot-for-shot music video clinches this one’s place in the firmament.
I Lost On Jeopardy - I think Greg Kihn was the first performer to really consider an Al parody as a compliment. Plus, I love Jeopardy.
Smells Like Nirvana - a career comeback for Al after “UHF”'s poor box office. Gets in some playful digs at Kurt Cobain’s vocal quality.
Amish Paradise - Wordsmithing and another great video.
White And Nerdy - A nerdcore classic.
I can’t believe I left out:
Another One Rides The Bus, Ricky, I Can’t Watch This, Isle Thing, Bohemian Polka, Achy Breaky Song, It’s All About The Pentiums, A Complicated Song, Perform This Way
I have no idea how I’m going to narrow down his originals / pastiches.
