# "Weird Al" gives Pharrell the "Tacky" treatment **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107 "2014-07-14T21:40:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/221 "2014-09-03T22:37:50Z")
How does a movie write words? People write words, not movies. The movie “Se7en” doesn’t write words, so it can’t write words with numbers. You should never write words using numbers Unless you’re 7 Or your name is “Prince” He’s clearly referring to _people_, like every other line in the song. People who are 7. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/222 "2014-09-04T14:12:26Z")
> [@gonzoron](#): > > And yet would know who Prince is? And that he uses numbers for letters in song titles? Al still attempts (and succeeds) to remain hip to the youngsters, but there are gags for all ages in his best songs. I’m sticking with my interpretation. The video rather clearly demonstrates that he’s literally saying it’s okay to write words with numbers if you are seven years old. The movie “Se7en” isn’t referenced at all. But the real reason for the line is to set up the Prince joke. The reference to Prince is a double edged one; aside from the fact Prince has written a number of songs with numbers in the titles, he’s also been a jackass to Yankovic. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2014, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107/223 "2014-09-04T15:15:14Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The reference to Prince is a double edged one; aside from the fact Prince has written a number of songs with numbers in the titles, he’s also been a jackass to Yankovic. That may be overly harsh, but Prince has famously turned down Yankovic’s requests to parody his songs. [Here’s one cite:](http://radio.com/2014/07/18/weird-al-interview-prince-word-crimes-tacky-mandatory-fun/) > [@](#): > > But Yankovic, who is noted for always asking for permission from the artist prior to lampooning one of their tunes, still has one major holdout from over the years: Prince. > > And what better way to mess with the singer than to get a little jab in during a song — namely “Word Crimes,” his parody of Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines” — that laments writing words using numbers? > > “I like to needle Prince every now and then just because he’s the one guy that’s always said no and never has given a reason; I don’t know why,” Yankovic said, laughing, in a recent interview with [Radio.com](http://Radio.com). “I hate to keep picking on him after all this time, but it’s just so fun!” > > Prince’s aversion to a Weird Al parody — seen by many as a sign that they’ve truly made it in the industry — goes back decades, and Al recalls an instance in the 1980s when he received a mysterious telegram from the rocker with a strange request. > > “I got a telegram from Prince’s office, and this was in the ’80s, this was for the American Music Awards, and apparently I was going to be sitting in the same row as Prince,” Yankovic recalled. “We got a telegram asking that I not establish eye contact with Prince during the course of the show, which, OK, I can get that, I understand, you don’t want to be looked at, that’s fine. So I sent a telegram to him immediately saying, ‘Yes, I don’t want Prince to be looking at me, either. It goes both ways, buddy!'” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-al-gives-pharrell-the-tacky-treatment/693107.md?page=11)