Al In A Day's Work: Weird Al Albums Ranked
About a year ago, my older brother and I took a road trip to Syracuse, New York to see Weird Al Yankovic perform on his Strings Attached 2019 tour.
In preparation, I listened through the entire discography in order, sharing my thoughts via WhatsApp chat with my brothers. My younger brother was severely pained by my inability to use my phone keyboard correctly, so below is an edit of my comments, with the many many many typos all cleaned up.
I've added a few new comments and revisions, but this is mostly my thoughts while listening to the albums.
Reading Nathan Rabin's book evaluating every Weird Al song has since changed my opinion in a few cases, but I'm really just mentioning it so I can endorse the book and put an extra hyperlink in this post.
Enjoy my ramblings on one of the greatest musical artists of our lifetime. and also this playlist of one original and one parody per album, plus a couple non-album tracks.
"WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC
Made sense at the time. The parodies are funny and the musicianship is there. The range of genres is impressive and a sign of good things to come.
But it mostly sucks.
"Mr. Frump" is a good gag, "Another One Rides the Bus" is classic and a cool origin story. As a Simpsons and Futurama fan, I get a kick out of hearing Tress Macneille on "Ricky."
But the only truly good song here is "Happy Birthday."
And no polka?!
"WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC IN 3-D
In 3-D is a whole other story.
The higher production values are obvious and the choice of parodies is a lot better. These songs are more enduring, and the parodies themselves are smarter and performed better.
"Theme from Rocky XIII" is spot on musically, with the lyrics front and centre.
"Eat It" and "I Lost on Jeopardy" are stone-cold classics. I’ve never heard the original "Jeopardy", and I don’t care to.
He's also leveraging star power in fun ways. "I Lost on Jeopardy" features Don Pardo. Ron Popeil's sister Lisa sings on "Mr. Popeil," and evidently gave Weird Al singing tips too (she is a vocal coach). The song itself suffers from not being enough like the B-52s. The Fred Schneider voice isn’t there, and Al makes the sound too much his own.
But this strategy of not doing a voice works well for "Buy Me a Condo," where the watered-down reggae sound matches the lyrics and makes the song fun.
Then there’s the band that gets to flex a bit on "That Boy Could Dance" and "Nature Trail to Hell," which is also a great precursor to the longer, dark story songs Al does.
The polka is boring and lacks a clear theme, but it lays great groundwork.
Also, "King of Suede" is a nice example of where elaboration in the parody results in a better song than the original. A lot more fun, with busier instruments. Just wish he had the confidence to extend that outro.
Big improvement from first album, but lots of room to grow too
Also, social commentary: "if you like the six o’clock news, you'll love Nature Trail to Hell." Nice.
DARE TO BE STUPID
All four parodies are classics and hilarious; yes, I even like "Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch." The rest of the album is weaker. Possibly the dullest polka. Many tracks feel kind of sparse and trebly. Not enough hand in production I guess: too clean sounding.
Genre expansion is nice: doo-wop, new wave, and ragtime make for some fun stuff, especially "Slime Creatures" and "Dare to Be Stupid."
"Yoda" is a real standout. "This is the Life" is better than I remember and also has better production than most of the rest.
Overall, though, a lot of Dare to be Stupid is forgettable.
Could "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch" be a bolder feminist anthem than the original, or even "She Bop"?
"Relax" is a weird choice to end the polka given the usual Al goal of family friendly, but I suppose it's subtle enough. Rabin notes that Al frequently dips into naughty territory on the polkas.
POLKA PARTY!
It's easy to see why Polka Party! represents a low point in his career. Very little stands out. The parodies are poorly chosen. Up to this point, he did a great job of identifying enduring songs that are often immediately recognizable now. Even the exceptions, like "Jeopardy," take on new life in the parody that itself becomes classic.
On this album, though, I would not have been able to identify which of the songs are direct parodies without looking them up. This may be just as much an indication of how low a point in time this was for pop music in general. Though "Sledgehammer" and "Sussudio" make it onto the polka, so that’s something.
The polka is the best yet. More creative spins on the arrangements and in the ordering of the songs.
"Christmas at Ground Zero" is one of the best Christmas songs to date.
And then there's "Dog Eat Dog," the hidden gem of this album—of Al's career even. A great negotiation of the Talking Heads sound and Weird Al’s aesthetic. The David Byrne imitation is wonderful, especially in the "Once in a Lifetime" bridge section. "This is not my beautiful stapler!" One of my fave Al Songs. But this is the only reason to come back to this album.
Oh, I guess "Addicted to Spuds" is the exception RE: parody choices, but that song sucks. The parody lyrics are great, but the song sucks.
EVEN WORSE
The title is ironic. Not even worse, but rather the best so far.
You can hear much more confidence in all aspects of the music. The parodies are sharper and come into their own as songs.
On "I Think I'm a Clone," Al is a better singer than Tiffany, and he knows it. He plays the song prettier and more restrained; it's a fuller song that's less reliant on synthesizer and drum machine.
The band comes into their own too. You can tell from the awesome squealing guitar in "Alimony" that's much more unfettered than the original.
Production is bigger. The originals are not just jokes, but strong songs in their own right. The confidence shows in how this album relies not at all on auditory gags and funny singing styles. Instead, the lyrics carry the humour alone atop well conceived and produced melodies.
"Melanie" and "Good Old Days" are dark, but cut the words and they are pretty songs. "You Make Me" is fun, and "Velvet Elvis" is impassioned and beautiful.
A huge turnaround from Polka Party.
Oh, no polka?!
Beastie Boys "Twister" is fantastic too. A hint at Al's rapping talent that will grow in later years.
UHF/ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK AND OTHER STUFF
UHF is my favourite movie and the soundtrack is pretty great too. I love the story of Mark Knopfler's involvement on "Beverly Hillbillies." Al's guitarist, Jim West, worked meticulously to get the riff right, but then Knopfler only agreed to allow the parody if he could play on it himself. And then he played it way looser.
Al had done these TV show songs before, but "Isle thing" is special since it is a story about watching the show, not just about the show. Huge improvement on the "Brady Bunch" formula.
"Spam" retroactively makes "Stand" a better song.
This album is much more in a rock comfort zone. No new genre experiments but for "Isle Thing's" sort of rap sound.
"Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota" is my favourite Weird Al song. The finest example of the long, bizarre story songs. Some would say "Albuquerque" is the pinnacle, but my heart is in "Minnesota." This one would be great to hear with the orchestra.
Narrator: It was
"Fun Zone" is probably my second favourite of his songs. He uses it as intro music, so I would love to hear it fleshed out at the show with the orchestra.
Narrator: I was not at all disappointed.
Polkas are back and bigger than ever. But it's all Stones songs, so ick.
The bits from the movie make this album extra special. Strong parodies all around. "Generic Blues" delivers. Everything is done with the confidence emerging on the previous album but perhaps safer.
OFF THE DEEP END
The Nirvana parody sounds so much thinner than the original, and it relies on funny sounds in a way we haven’t heard in a couple albums. I like the idea of the lyrics parodying the song itself, as was the case for "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long." But I dislike "Smells Like Teen Spirit" so much that I can’t enjoy the parody either.
Parts of this album feel stale and boring, like the Rico Suave parody and "I Was Only Kidding," which feels like retreading old ground. "You Don’t Love Me Anymore" is the same.
The other parodies are great as parodies, but not as songs. We see some good rapping chops on "Can’t Watch This." "White Stuff" is classic, and the "Plumbing Song" is easily overlooked, probably cause Milli Vanilli, but it is done really well, especially since it's two parodies in one. Love that. We'll see it again on the next album.
Some originals here are good. "When I Was Your" age is fierce and has a great melody. "Airline Amy" has a dated style, but it's a gentle, genuine-sounding song.
Polka draws on a lot of pre-grunge hits, making more of the album feel irrelevant, or just too much like earlier stuff.
I often like Beach Boys inspired songs, if not the band itself. But "Trigger Happy" is not so good. It used to make me laugh as a kid, but it doesn't age well
ALAPALOOZA
Despite the impeccable rendition of "Give It Away/ Under the Bridge," Alapalooza sounds largely untouched by the Grunge movement, except in the meatier quality of sound and the thicker bass lines.
Parodies are great all round, with "Jurassic Park" a standout for having less bizarre lyrics than the original. And the video is burned in my brain.
The polka may be the best of them all since its just "Bohemian Rhapsody." "Angry White Boy Polka" might give it a run though.
The originals are still locked in the retro rock sound, but there’s a funk and soul influence felt on "Talk Soup" and "Waffle King." The subject matter is more diverse than ever, and that's nice even if the music is stale in places. Even on say "Traffic Jam" and "Talk Soup," though, the already dated sound is accompanied by lusher textures and Al belting as never before, and with a grittier, more controlled voice.
His vocal strength is felt most of all on "Frank's 2000-Inch TV," which also deserves the orchestral treatment. The harmonies on that track are lovely.
Narrator: this was a disappointing absence in the live show.
BAD HAIR DAY
Speaking of lovely vocals, the growth continues on Bad Hair Day with "Since You've Been Gone," an acapella track.
That album is very close to me for a specific reason. The one and only time I skipped school, in grade 6, I think, I blasted Bad Hair Day, and also Live's Throwing Copper, while playing Paladin's Quest on the SNES. That was when I finally made some real progress in that game, and "Calling in Sick" has been a sort of anthem for me ever since.
So I love it.
It's also a sign of Al finally breaking out of the mid- and late-80s sound into the present. Fully embracing alternative here in the originals like "Calling in Sick" and "I Remember Larry".
"Syndicated Inc." Is done much prettier than the original and it works really well.
"Phony Calls" is less successful, but "Amish Paradise" is unforgettable.
"The Night Santa Went Crazy" is another favourite of mine.
The "Alternative Polka" is the one to draw on the music I grew up with. It's not the best polka, but reminds me of a time when I was first developing my own musical taste.
Definitely my fave album so far.
Oh, and it may be a poor choice of U2 song to parody since it's long forgotten, but it's also far better than most of what U2 did in the 90s
RUNNING WITH SCISSORS
Running with Scissors was after his image change, but he also ups his artistry too. Vocals go big here with greater power and range. "All About the Pentiums" is an especially strong effort, and the best rap parody yet (wait til the next album).
Songcraft hits new heights on "Your Horoscope for Today" and of course "Albuquerque," the longest, most epic of the catalogue.
Parodies are mixed. I love The Barenaked Ladies, and while "One Week" is a poor example of their sound, it's also a fine song. Yet Al's take on it, "Jerry Springer" is astoundingly weak, musically and lyrically. The Offspring parody, "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi," is cute and tickles me as a Jew.
The other parodies are phenomenal. "The Saga Begins" is one of the classics, and easily the best thing to come out of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
"Grapefruit Diet" capitalized on the short-lived swing revival and reminds us of what the appeal was.
But the style parody "Germs" is not great. A straight Nine Inch Nails parody might have been better.
The polka takes me back to grade 8. So far, it's my fave. It feels more interpretive and less parodic than the other polkas (except "Bohemian")
Album has some lows, but overall, very strong.
POODLE HAT
If there were any doubt as to Al's abilities as a songwriter and artist, "Hardware Store" is the song to set the record straight. The vocal arrangements on that are incredible. It's "a complicated song" and inspiring. The fast singing bridge section is one of the best examples of Al's vocal talent.
The album sees more branching out, the desire of an artist to explore and grow and try new things without being held back by the tried and true formulas. The stylings are as diverse as ever and there are two rambling, weird songs. "Albuquerque" opened some doors for what Al could do, and "Genius in France" is almost as long, and weirder musically if not lyrically.
"Wanna B Ur Lovr" is less out there, but also pretty long and silly. Its also indicative of how the album turned the wordplay up to 11. It's got an endless string of silly pick up lines. Then there’s the amazing, pun-filled, Bo Diddly styled "Party at the Leper Colony," and the Bob Dylan mumble, "Bob," sung entirely in palindromes.
Most parodies are wonderful. "Couch Potato" makes Eminem palpable, though "Trash Day" is awful.
"Ebay" is as beautiful as the backstreet boys original, and Al does all the harmonies.
It took way too long for him to tackle "Piano Man," but the Spiderman movie themed parody is, like "Saga Begins" before it, the best thing to come out of that movie.
Best polka of all, really sending up the utter crap that was early 2000s rock—stale post-grunge, rap rock, nu metal, rock revival. Turns all that into something worth listening to.
So, Poodle Hat is pretty great.
The lyrics on these last two albums are a big step up, more creative and branching out to other ideas. A lot less sameness to the ideas than on previous albums, despite "Grapefruit Diet" being a rehash of "Fat."
STRAIGHT OUTTA LYNWOOD
Straight Outta Lynwood testifies to the sorry state of popular music in the mid-2000s. I have only heard the original of 1/5 parodies, and I don’t care to hear the rest. "White and Nerdy" shows off amazing rap skills, but I don’t like the song.
"Canadian Idiot" is obvious, but better than the original. Not that that means much. The Taylor Hicks parody is well done, but forgettable
The other 2 are easy targets, if funny.
Originals here are a little weirder than usual. "Pancreas" is a bizarre medley of genres that’s a fun They Might Be Giants type science lesson.
The polka is pretty great and draws on the better stuff from the era in the form of indie rock and hip hop.
"Don’t Download This Song" is a great send up of the ensemble song for a cause and its sarcastic self-righteousness message remains pertinent.
The best is "I'll Sue Ya," even if the Rage Against the Machine style parody is nearly 10 years late. So, a few good songs and a lot of forgettable, weak stuff. Production is better than ever though.
Oh, "Virus Alert" is also pretty good.
ALPOCALYPSE
Alpocalypse came out around the same time I accepted that I was out of touch with what was popular.
So, I am surprised at how much I enjoyed the parodies.
The album is upbeat and fun, a great summer album. My only complaint is the Doors style parody, "Craigslist." It's great for a Doors send up, but it remains too much of the Doors to be likeable.
Otherwise, I can’t even choose a favourite original. I thought “CNR” would be it, the one song I heard before, but "Skipper Dan" is super fun, and "Ringtone" is cool, while "Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me" is really nice, a softer counterpoint to the rest of the album.
"If That Isn’t Love" is great. Makes me want to get in to Hanson.
The one weak parody is "Perform this Way," whose lyrics are merely an extension of Gaga's brand and a compliment to her, not at all a parody. The Simpsons episode about her had the same problem.
The polka is a lot of stuff I mostly don’t know, but musically among the best.
This album has Al exploring the full range of his voice, especially on "Craigslist" and "Another Tattoo"
MANDATORY FUN
Mandatory Fun is more of a mixed bag. I dislike most of the parodies' original versions. Imagine Dragons? Gross. Iggy Azalea and Robin Thicke? Just as gross. The lyrics are of course great. The “Word Crimes” video is a handy class opener on grammar day.
You can only do so much with these dull songs.
I was much happier with the fluffy, lively, upbeat parodies chosen for Alpocalyse
Even the one I do like, "Happy," is so well produced in the original that the parody can’t charm in the same way.
I wasn’t familiar with the original, but "Mission Statement" is brilliant in all ways.
The originals are somewhat better. I love the Offspringy "My Own Eyes" (Wikipedia says it is a Foo Fighters style parody, but I hear The Offspring in it much more).
I Love the Pixiesy "First World Problems."
"Jackson Park Express" is the most ambitious of the long story songs, but just doesn’t do it for me. Doesn’t have the verve of "Albuquerque" or the like.
Polka is another testament to the crappy sound of the time.
I loved the creative way videos were released for this album, but it is a middling one at best.
Disagree with me? Tell me what you think.
Albums Ranking:
Bad Hair Day
Poodle Hat
Alapalooza
Alpocalypse
Even Worse
UHF
In 3-D
Running With Scissors
Dare to be Stupid
Mandatory Fun
Straight Outta Lynwood
Weird Al
Off the Deep End
Polka Party