You know the hits. Eat It. White & Nerdy. Amish Paradise.
“Weird Al” Yankovic is a pop culture icon. Pretty much every important artist over the past four decades has earned the badge of honor of having Weird Al parody one of their songs.
He’s released 10 Gold or Platinum albums and has won 5 Grammys (from a whopping 17 nominations).
He’s one of the few artists in history to earn a Top 40 hit in four straight decades from the ‘80s to the ‘10s. His music videos are legendary. And he’s made memorable movies and tv shows, too.
With a career like that, Al should surely be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, right? I rank him highly on the list of Rock Hall snubs.
Yankovic recorded many excellent original songs over the years. But in this piece, I’m here to do a deep dive on all 72 parody songs that he has released.
I’m excited to take on this assignment because I’ve been a Weird Al fan since “Eat It” in 1984. I’ve seen nearly his entire career, and I’ve also been fortunate to interview him a couple times over the years to gain some insight into his creative process.
That said, this list is just one person’s opinion. I expect hardcore Al fans to disagree with some of these choices, like ranking “Toothless People” so high and “Couch Potato” so low. Feel free to share your own list in the comments!
Notes About This Exercise
This list includes every parody that Yankovic publicly released. They all appeared on one of his albums, except “You’re Pitiful,” which was offered as a giveaway on his website.
The list does not include his style parodies, which are original songs. The list also does not include concert-only parodies like “It’s Still Billy Joel to Me” and the T. Pain-meets-Gilligan’s Island spoof “I’m in Love (With the Skipper)” – though I do recommend seeking those out!
The Ranking Categories
These rankings aren’t just based on vibes. I’ve come up with a detailed scoring system (yes, I spent way too much time on this) that ranks each song in four distinct categories:
1. Humor (1 to 15 points)
How funny is it? Does it have clever lyrics? Would it be funny even if the listener doesn’t know the original song? This category carries the most weight, since it’s most important.
2. Originality (1 to 10 points)
Does it cover a fresh topic that Al hasn’t done many times before? Is it about an unexpected topic, like hernias or punctuation? Or is it another food or tv parody?
3. Replication (1 to 10 points)
From a musical perspective, how closely does the parody match the original version? Do the music and vocals sound almost exactly the same?
4. Bonus: Cultural Significance (up to 5 points)
I’m assigning up to 5 bonus points for songs that were big hits and/or have proven to be fan favorites that stood the test of time.
That means the highest possible score is 40.
Ties are broken by:
a) Whichever has the highest Bonus score
b) Whichever has the highest Humor score
c) My own personal opinion
Ranking Every Weird Al Parody: Counting Down From 72 to 1
Let’s count down these parodies from worst to first!
72. The Brady Bunch (12 points)
Scoring: Humor 4, Originality 3, Replication 5
From Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
Parody of Men Without Hats’ “The Safety Dance”
Best line: “You can watch 60 Minutes, even Captain Kangaroo / But there’s only one set, so whatever you watch / Well, you know I gotta watch it too”
Yankovic’s “I Love Lucy” tribute song “Ricky” worked so well on his debut album, he decided to go back to the tv well with “The Brady Bunch.”
There’s not much to this one. The first verse is a list of tv shows, and the second verse is the actual Brady Bunch theme show lyrics sung to the tune of “The Safety Dance.”
Al doesn’t have any truly awful songs, but something has to be last on the list, and “The Brady Bunch” is it.
71. Syndicated Inc. (13 points)
Scoring: Humor 2, Originality 3, Replication 8
From Bad Hair Day (1996)
Parody of Soul Asylum’s “Misery”
Best line: “Think I’m losing my sanity / I’m addicted to Regis & Kathie Lee”
There really aren’t any jokes in “Syndicated Inc.” A huge chunk of the lyrics is nothing more than reciting the names of television programs. Al had already tackled that subject better on “I Can’t Watch This.”
So while this one nicely replicates the original track, it forgets to be funny. To wit, an actual verse of the song: “MASH and All in the Family / The Munsters and Mayberry R.F.D. / I will always be busy / Watching my TV.” The cool accordion solo keeps this one from ranking last on the list.
70. Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch (14 points)
Scoring: Humor 7, Originality 3, Replication 4
From Dare to be Stupid (1985)
Parody of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”
Best line: “Don’t ask ’em to dinner or breakfast or brunch / Cause girls, they wanna have lunch”
Al knew he couldn’t duplicate the little-girl tone of Cyndi Lauper’s voice, so instead he chose to use a deep, grating register for his “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” parody. Or maybe he chose that voice out of spite for his label, who refused to release the Dare to be Stupid album unless he included a Lauper parody.
The voice is an amusing comedic choice, but it grows old and makes the song a challenging listen. Combine that with the off-putting sound effects and the recycled lyrical topic of food, and we get a stinker.
69. Stop Draggin’ My Car Around (16 points)
Scoring: Humor 6, Originality 5, Replication 5
From Weird Al Yankovic (1983)
Parody of Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty’s “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”
Best line: “For 20 dollars and my ’64 Plymouth maybe I could get a second-hand Schwinn”
The least-effective parodies are those that basically take one joke and stretch it into an entire song. That’s the case with the Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty send-up “Stop Draggin’ My Car Around,” which is predictably about a car being towed.
The funniest moments come when Al exaggerates Nicks’ pained “Hey!” falsetto background yelps in the last two choruses.
68. Theme from Rocky XIII (Aka ‘The Rye or the Kaiser’) (17 points)
Scoring: Humor 7, Originality 4, Replication 6
From Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
Parody of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”
Best line: “Stay away from the tuna, it smells funny tonight / But you just can’t go wrong with the rye or the kaiser”
On its surface, “The Rye or the Kaiser” just recycles the lunch meat / sandwich theme of Yankovic’s debut single “My Bologna.” The difference here is that he’s imagining a world where the champion from the Rocky movie gets old and out of shape, and has to start working at a deli.
That creative twist helps redeem the song to some degree. It’s catchy, but that’s mostly because “Eye of the Tiger” is a badass song that never gets old.
67. 30 Rock Theme Parody (18 points)
Scoring: Humor 5, Originality 5, Replication 8
From Squeeze Box (2017)
Parody of the 30 Rock Theme Song
Best line: “We really do love our fans, yes, both of you”
Yankovic created lyrics for an instrumental tune with his rewrite of the 30 Rock theme song for a 2012 episode of the sitcom.
It’s only 30 seconds long, and features just a few jokes, but it’s cool the way Al wrote his melody to match the instrumentation. The full episode of the show is worth seeking out.
66. Lousy Haircut (18 points)
Scoring: Humor 5, Originality 7, Replication 6
From Squeeze Box (2017)
Parody of the Prodigy’s “Firestarter”
Best line: “I’m so angry at my idiotic barber”
On The Weird Al Show, his kid’s program from 1997, he did a brief parody of the Prodigy’s techno scorcher “Firestarter,” written entirely about the goofy hairstyle of singer Keith Flint.
The song is fine, although it works much better as a video. The visual of Al dancing maniacally while wearing eyeliner, rave clothing, and Flint’s devil horn reverse mohawk is peak silliness. It’s a shame that show didn’t last longer, if only so we could’ve seen more mini-parodies like this one.
65. Achy Breaky Song (18 points)
Scoring: Humor 9, Originality 3, Replication 6
From Alapalooza (1993)
Parody of Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart”
Best line: “Tie me to a chair and kick me down the stairs / Just please don’t play that stupid song no more”
“Achy Breaky Song” is an odd one in Al’s catalog. The track is one of his few parodies that directly mocks the original, as he sings about how “stupid” Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” was.
Al calls it “the most annoying song I know.” But is a parody using that same melody any more tolerable?
One mildly amusing part of the song is when Al lists a bunch of artists that he finds annoying, schlocky, or torturous, including Debby Boone, Yoko Ono, Tiffany, New Kids on the Block, Barry Manilow, Vanilla Ice, the Bee Gees, and the Village People.
64. You’re Pitiful (19 points)
Scoring: Humor 5, Originality 6, Replication 8
Free download; does not appear on any album (2006)
Parody of James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful”
Best line: “My life is brilliant / What, was I too early? / I’m sorry, should I… / Do you wanna start over, or / Keep going? Okay… now? / My life is brilliant…”
Thank goodness James Blunt refused permission for Yankovic to officially release “You’re Pitiful,” because that forced Al to go back into the studio to think of a new idea, which became “White & Nerdy.”
Initially, Blunt blamed Atlantic Records for the refusal, but years later, he acknowledged that it was his decision. His reasoning? He thought it was mid. “It’s generally not my favorite of (his) parodies,” Blunt told a journalist. “I think it was a safe one. It wasn’t as exciting as some others.”
He’s not wrong. Ballads generally don’t work great for parodies. This one offers weak insults of people who work in convenience stores and play video games. It’s hard to imagine that this would’ve been a successful lead single.
63. King of Suede (19 points)
Scoring: Humor 5, Originality 6, Replication 7, Bonus 1
From Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
Parody of the Police’s “King of Pain”
Best line: “We got all kinds of sweatshirts, you can take your pick / With the collars ripped off, like in that Flashdance flick”
The Police’s “King of Pain” becomes a track about a guy running a clothing store on “King of Suede.” It’s not necessarily the most fertile topic for comedy, but Yankovic does a good job of creating a story with clever turns of phrase, and he capably captures Sting’s vocal nuances.
This might be the least-known track that Yankovic released as a single. It reached #62 on the Hot 100 without the benefit of a music video.
62. Inactive (20 points)
Scoring: Humor 7, Originality 5, Replication 8
From Mandatory Fun (2014)
Parody of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive”
Best line: “Near comatose, no exercise / Don’t tag my toe, I’m still alive”
Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive” was one of the biggest rock hits in a while, so Al would naturally want to take a crack at spoofing it.
There’s not enough humor to be found from the topic of being lethargic and “never moving from this spot.” But Al’s band does a nice job of capturing the power and force of the original.
61. I Want a New Duck (20 points)
Scoring: Humor 7, Originality 5, Replication 8
From Dare to be Stupid (1985)
Parody of Huey Lewis & the News’ “I Want a New Drug”
Best line: “He’d better mind his manners / Better do just what I say / Or he’s gonna be duck pâté”
Before starting this exercise, I thought “I Want a New Duck” might end up at the bottom of this list, because its premise is so pointless.
Listening to it now reveals that it’s better than I had remembered. Musically, it sounds close to the original, aside from the quacking, of course. And some of its lines are so ridiculous – “I want a new duck / Not a swan or a goose” – that you have to laugh.
60. Pac-Man (20 points)
Scoring: Humor 7, Originality 7, Replication 6
From Squeeze Box (2017)
Parody of the Beatles’ “Taxman”
Best line: “I love to gobble up those dots / Keep pumpin’ quarters in the slots”
Recorded in 1981 and played on the Dr. Demento Show before lawyers shut down its initial release, “Pac-Man” finally made it to an Al-bum on the 2017 Squeeze Box compilation.
The parody is a tribute to the pellet-eating arcade game character who was sweeping the nation. Al does an admirable job finding the funny, given that it’s a short song with few lyrics. The Pac-Man “game over” sound effect at the end is a nice touch.
59. Phony Calls (20 points)
Scoring: Humor 8, Originality 7, Replication 5
From Bad Hair Day (1996)
Parody of TLC’s “Waterfalls”
Best line: “You went through the New York City phone book and prank called them all”
The Jerky Boys album of prank phone calls had come out a few years before this song, and was funnier than what Al was able to do in a 3-minute mid-tempo ballad parody, so “Phony Calls” never quite caught on as a fan favorite.
Funniest moment: Al yelping “Listen to me” and “Yo, hear me!” in a Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes voice. Second funniest moment: The Simpsons bridge, which lifts audio from one of Bart’s prank calls to Moe’s Tavern.
58. Do I Creep You Out? (21 points)
Scoring: Humor 6, Originality 8, Replication 7
From Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)
Parody of Taylor Hicks’ “Do I Make You Proud”
Best line: “Every time I shake your hand now / Wanna stick your fingers in my mouth”
Flash-in-the-pan American Idol winner Taylor Hicks had a brief hit with the generic “Do I Make You Proud,” one of the most quickly-forgotten #1 songs in history.
Yankovic turns it into a tale of a stalker who seems more demented than dangerous. It’s only mildly amusing, but the song doesn’t have a lot of lyrics, so Al didn’t have much to work with. I’ve always been revolted by that line about pit stains… but I suppose that’s the point of the song, isn’t it?
57. Cavity Search (21 points)
Scoring: Humor 7, Originality 5, Replication 9
From Bad Hair Day (1996)
Parody of U2’s “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me”
Best line: “Numb me, drill me, floss me, bill me”
I love listening to “Cavity Search,” because it’s such a hard-hitting rock song. The guitar riff is fierce and intoxicating. But that’s all due to the power of the original. The parody itself isn’t his best.
Al had already done “Toothless People,” so another dental-themed track falls short in the originality category. I do love his falsetto on the line “Let me rinse and spit.”
56. Ode to a Superhero (21 points)
Scoring: Humor 8, Originality 6, Replication 7
From Poodle Hat (2003)
Parody of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”
Best line: “Cause we’re all in the mood for a hero now / And there’s evil doers to fight”
“Sling us a web, you’re the Spiderman,” Al sang on his “Piano Man” parody. I imagine that hardcore Spiderman fans (I’m not one) would rank this much higher.
Al does a great job of telling the story, nicely re-using phrases from the original Billy Joel track, like “But then one day…” and “Cause we’re all in the mood for….” Still, it comes off as a lesser “Jurassic Park” or “The Saga Begins.”
55. Grapefruit Diet (21 points)
Scoring: Humor 8, Originality 4, Replication 9
From Running With Scissors (1999)
Parody of Cherry Poppin’ Daddies’ “Zoot Suit Riot”
Best line: “Who’s real flabby? Yes I am”
By 1999, Yankovic had supposedly sworn off writing songs about food, but he surprisingly returned to that subject again with “Grapefruit Diet.”
At least this one is musically adventurous, taking on the big band swing revival that Cherry Poppin’ Daddies were a part of. Alas, this is only the second funniest grapefruit-related piece of comedy in pop culture, behind Aziz Ansari’s bit about rapper 50 Cent learning what a grapefruit is.
54. Lasagna (21 points)
Scoring: Humor 9, Originality 5, Replication 6, Bonus 1
From Even Worse (1988)
Parody of Los Lobos’ “La Bamba”
Best line: “Ay, you-a pass the lasagna / A-don’t you get any on ya, you sloppy pig”
Weird Al brings a bad Italian accent to “Lasagna,” his “La Bamba” parody. This one focuses less on jokes and more on creating an extensive list of Italian dishes.
But at least the harmonies are nice, the accordion solos are appealing, and there’s a weird gargling solo that adds some extra comedy.
53. Couch Potato (21 points)
Scoring: Humor 9, Originality 3, Replication 8, Bonus 1
From Poodle Hat (2003)
Parody of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself”
Best line: “King of Queens jumped the shark the first minute / I can’t believe Richard Simmons ain’t in it”
Eminem was a cultural figure just screaming out to be mocked, but Al goes easy on him with a television-themed parody that has nothing to do with the rapper, and features a mystifyingly simple chorus that just lists the names of cable TV channels.
The interesting part of this parody is seeing the way Al crafts lines to match the rhyming patterns of the original track, like when he rhymes “reality,” “humanity,” “family,” “profanity,” “insanity,” “crap and pee,” “depravity” and “happily.”
52. Handy (22 points)
Scoring: Humor 7, Originality 7, Replication 8
From Mandatory Fun (2014)
Parody of Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy”
Best line: “I got 99 problems but a switch ain’t one”
“Your heating bills are shocking / I can solve that with some duct tape and some caulking,” Yankovic raps on “Handy,” his ode to the world of carpentry and home repair.
Al gets in a few nice puns and double entendres: “Need a guy who’s a master with the plaster, huh? / Let me be your stripper / Taking off lacquer, no one does it quicker.”
51. Another Tattoo (22 points)
Scoring: Humor 7, Originality 8, Replication 7
From Alpocalypse (2011)
Parody of B.o.B’s “Nothin’ on You”
Best line: “At every job interview, they’re just so impressed / Cause I got all my ex-wives on my chest”
Rapper B.o.B has been mostly forgotten these days, except in conspiracy theory circles, as he’s an outspoken flat earther who refers to science as a “cult.”
But in 2011, he was at the peak of his fame, thanks to the #1 hit “Nothin’ on You” featuring Bruno Mars. Yankovic turns that song into a commentary on tattoo culture. Even if it’s not the funniest song in his catalog, he does a great job of listing as many possible weird tattoos as possible.
The Top 50 Weird Al Parodies (50-1)
50. Whatever You Like (22 points)
Scoring: Humor 8, Originality 6, Replication 8
Standalone single (2008), then on Internet Leaks (2009) and Alpocalypse (2011)
Parody of T.I.’s “Whatever You Like”
Best line: “It’s all about the Washingtons”
“We can clip coupons all night,” Al raps on “Whatever You Like,” a song about trying to scrape by in a bad economy. He reassures his girl that he’ll buy her Top Ramen, tater tots, pork & beans, mac & cheese, and White Castle, while riding the city bus and buying Goodwill underwear.
He sings, “Baby I can give you anything you please / Even share my government cheese.” What a romantic! “Whatever You Like” was the only parody which had the exact same title as its original.
49. Homer and Marge (22 points)
Scoring: Humor 7, Originality 7, Replication 7, Bonus 1
From Squeeze Box (2017)
Parody of John Mellencamp’s “Jack & Diane”
Best line: “Her heart was as big as his stomach was large”
Al tried to do a “Jack & Diane” parody in the ‘80s, but John Mellencamp turned him down. Two decades later, Al got his chance to do a little ditty about Homer and Marge on a 2003 episode of The Simpsons.
The track continued over the end credits, where, in possibly the only self-referential moment in Al’s music, he sang: “Weird Al sayin’ / Oh yeah, the credits go on / Long after the viewer’s interest is gone.”
48. Trash Day (23 points)
Scoring: Humor 9, Originality 6, Replication 8
From Poodle Hat (2003)
Parody of Nelly’s “Hot in Herre”
Best line: “Hey, I think them rats gettin’ big!”
The contrast between Nelly’s “I am getting so hot, I wanna take my clothes off” and Yankovic’s “Hey, you disgusting slob, you gotta take the trash out” is certainly something.
“Trash Day” is perfectly fine, but for me, in terms of subject matter, it’s a little too reminiscent of “Livin’ in the Fridge.”
47. Addicted to Spuds (23 points)
Scoring: Humor 10, Originality 5, Replication 8
From Polka Party! (1986)
Parody of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love”
Best line: “Your greasy hands, your salty lips / Looks like you found the chips”
Here’s yet another food parody, but at least this song is just about one particular vegetable. That specificity leads to greater comedy, as Al unleashes a barrage of potato jokes.
“I’ve often seen them whipped, but they just can’t be beat,” he sings. The best pun comes with “I understand how you must feel / I can’t deny they’ve got appeal,” which could also be heard as “a peel.”
46. Taco Grande (23 points)
Scoring: Humor 10, Originality 6, Replication 7
From Off the Deep End (1992)
Parody of Gerardo’s “Rico Suave”
Best line: “Y usted, Eugene? Why’s your face turning green? / Don’t you like pinto bean?”
“Taco Grande” is to the Spanish language and Mexican food what “Lasagna” was to the Italian language and food. In that sense, it’s not very original.
But Yankovic makes it humorous by rapping in Spanglish while discussing common Mexican dishes. “I love to stuff my face with tacos al carbon / With my friends or when I’m all alone,” he insists.
45. TMZ (24 points)
Scoring: Humor 9, Originality 9, Replication 6
From Alpocalypse (2011)
Parody of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me”
Best line: “They’re out there praying you’ll have a big meltdown / And take ’em on a little car chase through this whole town”
Weird Al takes on the celeb gossip outlet TMZ on his Taylor Swift parody. Is he attacking TMZ, or the famous people who get skewered on that website?
When I interviewed Al in 2011, just before the release of Alpocalypse, he explained that he’s taking both sides: “Like a lot of my songs, it’s a gray area in terms of its viewpoint. I think once you listen to the song, you won’t really be able to tell if I’m siding more with the paparazzi or siding more with the celebrities.”
“TMZ” loses a couple points for changing the key of the song, but that was a sacrifice worth making, because Swift was ripe for parody, and Al obviously couldn’t stay in her original vocal range.
44. Pretty Fly for a Rabbi (24 points)
Scoring: Humor 9, Originality 8, Replication 7
From Running With Scissors (1999)
Parody of the Offspring’s “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)”
Best line: “The parents pay the mohel and he gets to keep the tip”
The Offspring’s “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” was a putdown of uncool white guys, so Al just had to tweak that a bit to make it an ode to Jewish culture, with every imaginable reference from the yarmulke and the bar mitzvah to bagels and accounting.
This one relies on stereotypes, but as usual for Weird Al, it’s done lovingly, with no ill intent. It was actually a minor hit in Australia.
43. The White Stuff (24 points)
Scoring: Humor 10, Originality 6, Replication 8
From Off the Deep End (1992)
Parody of New Kids on the Block’s “You Got It (The Right Stuff)”
Best line: “Nothing gets me high as that sandwich cookie does”
“I love the white stuff, baby / In the middle of an Oreo,” Yankovic sang, turning a New Kids on the Block song about a young crush into a tribute to the frosting in the middle of the famous “sandwich cookie.”
Al sings a lot about the sugar highs and health perils of ODing on Oreos: “Had so many my pancreas just went into shock.” He brags about rubbing the white frosting on his roast, which sounds kind of icky, and mixing it in with his coffee, which actually sounds delicious.
42. The Plumbing Song (25 points)
Scoring: Humor 10, Originality 8, Replication 7
From Off the Deep End (1992)
Parody of Milli Vanilli’s “Baby Don’t Forget My Number” and “Blame it on the Rain”
Best line: “If hairballs, grease and goo won’t let the water through / Blame it on the drain, yeah yeah”
“The Plumbing Song” is unique because it mashes up two Milli Vanilli tracks. You get the sense that Al couldn’t decide whether to record “Baby Don’t Forget My Plumber” or “Blame it on the Drain,” so he puts both together into a short medley. It’s a fun technique that perhaps he should’ve tried more often.
Weird Al sings about the pipe expert “makin’ service calls in his overalls.” The lyrics include the astute observation, “Betcha this guy makes more than my lawyer / If he works for one day, costs you half a year’s pay.”
Fun fact: This is the only Diane Warren song that Yankovic ever parodied.
41. A Complicated Song (25 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 8, Replication 6
From Poodle Hat (2003)
Parody of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated”
Best line: “Life without a head kinda makes me irritated”
This parody of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated” starts with a simple verse about being “Constipated” from eating too much pizza. That concept isn’t strong enough to carry a whole song, so Al smartly changes the subject for verse #2 to a story about accidentally falling for a family member (“How was I supposed to know we were both related?”)
The changing topical matter is effective, because it builds anticipation and makes the listener wonder where verse #3 is headed. The payoff comes with the final hook, “Why’d I have to go and get myself decapitated?,” as Al sings about a dude who makes the mistake of standing up on a roller coaster.
40. She Drives Like Crazy (25 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 9, Replication 5
From UHF (1989)
Parody of Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy”
Best line: “Even hitchhikers just say no”
Driving seems like a fertile topic for comedy, and Yankovic successfully found lots of good one-liners in “She Drives Like Crazy.”
Yankovic sings, “Even hitchhikers just say no,” “You just hit another tree / These fender benders are killin’ me,” and “When you drive, I can’t relax / Got your license from Cracker Jacks.”
Neither his falsetto nor his regular voice sound much like Fine Young Cannibals’ Roland Gift, but it’s still a solid track with some good jokes.
39. My Bologna (25 points)
Scoring: Humor 9, Originality 6, Replication 5, Bonus 5
From Weird Al Yankovic (1983)
Parody of the Knack’s “My Sharona”
Best line: “Walkin’ down the shopping aisles, shopping aisles / Fillin’ up my basket with Oscar Mayer”
“My Bologna” deserves respect merely for being Yankovic’s first professional release, and still one of his signature songs.
The lyrics may not be hilarious as standalone jokes, but the comedy comes from the novelty of hearing a popular rock song rewritten as an ode to cheap deli meat. That formula – dedicating a full song to a mundane topic – would prove to be one of Al’s most successful parody techniques over the years.
38. Livin’ in the Fridge (26 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 7, Replication 8
From Alapalooza (1993)
Parody of Aerosmith’s “Livin’ on the Edge”
Best line: “You try to save a little bit if your home cookin’ / Couple weeks later, got a scary lookin’ specimen”
“Livin’ in the Fridge” is an underrated parody. There’s a lot of humor to be found in imagining the old, moldy leftovers in the back of someone’s fridge.
The funniest line in the song, when taking context into account, is when Al sings “If you can name the object in that baggie over there / Then mister, you’re a better man than I.”
It’s extra-funny because of how sincere Steven Tyler is when he sings the original line, “If you can tell a wise man by the color of his skin / Then mister, you’re a better man than I.” Al takes Tyler’s dead-serious, anti-racism message and turns into a silly, frivolous line about a mystery object that’s been chilling for too long.
37. Spam (26 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 6, Replication 9
From UHF (1989)
Parody of REM’s “Stand”
Best line: “The tab is there to open the can / The can is there to hold in the spam”
REM’s “Stand” was a quirky song with unusual lyrical construction, and Al got to play with that on “Spam.”
Sometimes, the funniest parody lines come when Al only has to change a single word, or a few syllables. Thus, Michael Stipe’s “Stand in the place where you live” becomes “Spam in the place where I live” and “Carry a compass” becomes “Carry a thermos.”
The original features the lines “Think about direction…” and “Think about the place where you live” several times each. Making the most of his comedic opportunity, Al decided to write those lines differently every time they came up:
“Think about nutrition, wonder what’s inside it now.” “Think about selection, are there different flavors now?” “Think of expiration, better read the label now.” “Think about the way it’s processed, wonder if it’s some kind of meat.”
36. Canadian Idiot (26 points)
Scoring: Humor 10, Originality 7, Replication 8, Bonus 1
From Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)
Parody of Green Day’s “American Idiot”
Best line: “They treat curling just like it’s a real sport”
Sometimes, the obvious parody is the right one. Transforming “American Idiot” into “Canadian Idiot” was logical, and Al knew our neighbors to the north wouldn’t be offended by silly stereotypical jokes about maple syrup, hockey, Celine Dion, and “their stupid Monopoly money.”
It’s a fun, lighthearted song, with a bit of a twist at the end: “It’s gotta mean they’re all up to something / So quick before they see it coming / Time for a pre-emptive strike.”
35. Tacky (26 points)
Scoring: Humor 9, Originality 6, Replication 9, Bonus 2
From Mandatory Fun (2014)
Parody of Pharrell’s “Happy”
Best line: “I’m dropping names almost constantly / That’s what Kanye West keeps telling me”
“Tacky” is similar to “You’re Pitiful,” only instead of listing behaviors that are pathetic, it lists behaviors that are cringe, like wearing ugly outfits, using coupons on a date, and threatening waiters with a bad Yelp review.
So it’s not the most creative song. But most of us like it – probably because of its fun energy and bubbly spirit, and because of that awesome single-shot music video with a bunch of celebrity cameos.
34. Perform This Way (26 points)
Scoring: Humor 10, Originality 6, Replication 7, Bonus 3
From Alpocalypse (2011)
Parody of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”
Best line: “I’ll wrap my small intestines ’round my neck / And set fire to myself on stage”
Al skewers Lady Gaga herself (and her Little Monsters) on “Perform This Way.” This was his first electropop hit, and it came together quickly after Gaga’s management insisted on hearing the completed song before giving permission.
The Gaga song has a couple of sections that are both serious in tone and tricky in terms of lyrical construction, making them difficult to spoof. But Al found a way, turning “A different lover is not a sin, believe capital H-I-M” into “I’ll wear a porcupine on my head / On a W-H-I-M.”
He also transformed Gaga’s near-rap “You’re Black, white, beige, chola descent / You’re Lebanese, you’re Orient” into “I’m strange, weird, shocking, odd, bizarre / I’m Frankenstein! I’m Avatar!”
33. Here’s Johnny (27 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 8, Replication 8
From Polka Party! (1986)
Parody of El DeBarge’s “Who’s Johnny”
Best line: “I got a letter from him just the other day / He said, ‘You may already be a winner!’”
Ed McMahon was the Tonight Show sidekick known for saying “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!” Al offered up an ode to Ed in his parody of the El DeBarge hit “Who’s Johnny.”
I’ve noticed that some younger Al fans don’t fully appreciate this song. Of course, it helps to be old enough to remember the Johnny Carson version of The Tonight Show.
And only those of a certain age will get lines like, “I got a letter from him just the other day / He said you may already be a winner,” a reference to seeing McMahon’s face on the Publisher’s Clearing House sweepstakes letters than every American constantly received in the ‘80s. This line is a clever misdirection, because the listener initially thinks it’s an actual letter, rather than a spammy sweepstakes mailer.
Kudos to Al for capably mimicking the weird, computer-sounding background vocals in the bridge.
32. Toothless People (27 points)
Scoring: Humor 12, Originality 7, Replication 8
From Polka Party! (1986)
Parody of Mick Jagger’s “Ruthless People”
Best line: “Ain’t got a tooth in their heads now, how vile”
Mick Jagger’s “Ruthless People” was dark and moody, and it’s always funny when Al gets to adapt that kind of persona. This is a textbook example of a song that many fans don’t give a chance, simply because the original wasn’t a hit. But they should, because it’s funny.
On “Toothless People,” Yankovic gets to run through every possible dentistry joke. “They never have to buy toothpicks or dental floss!”
The high point is the bridge, which opens into a sunnier melody as Al sings, “You need something to show your dentist the next time he makes you say ‘ahh’ / You don’t wanna have to wind up eating all of your food through a straw!”
31. Isle Thing (27 points)
Scoring: Humor 12, Originality 6, Replication 9
From UHF (1989)
Parody of Tone Loc’s “Wild Thing”
Best line: “Mrs. Howell had it goin’ on, but Mr. Howell was meaner / Ginger and Mary Ann could’ve used some funky cold medina”
Yeah, it’s another song about a tv show. But this one is funnier than some of the others, because it was Weird Al’s first full-length hip hop parody.
At the time, we didn’t know whether Al would ever parody a rap song. It was a joy to hear him tackle a genre that seemed so far away from his usual work. That gave “Isle Thing” an extra layer of humor that might not be immediately apparent to younger fans who only listened to this song years later.
It was comical to hear Al incorporate hip hop lingo into the story of Gilligan’s Island, dropping in words like crib, illin’, fly, homeboys, cold, and fine young thing. The narrator’s perspective on the show was funny and accurate: “Those homeboys brought an awful lot for just a three-hour tour.”
Rapping in an impressively deep voice, Yankovic cleverly incorporates the name of Tone Loc’s other hit song: “Ginger and Mary Ann could’ve used some funky cold medina.”
30. Money for Nothing / Beverly Hillbillies (27 points)
Scoring: Humor 9, Originality 6, Replication 10, Bonus 2
From UHF (1989)
Parody of Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing”
Best line: “Old Jed was shootin’ at some food / When all of a sudden right up from the ground, there / Well, there came a bubblin’ crude”
Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler insisted on playing guitar on Al’s “Money for Nothing” parody, which obviously goes a long to making sure the parody replicates the original. The harmonies are terrific, and Al’s “Beverly Hillbillies” yelps in place of Sting’s “I want my MTV!” are a great ending.
This one doesn’t rank higher because it follows the “write a parody about an old tv show, without being particularly funny” template that Al established on earlier tracks like “The Brady Bunch.”
29. I Love Rocky Road (27 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 7, Replication 7, Bonus 2
From Weird Al Yankovic (1983)
Parody of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock N Roll”
Best line: “I love rocky road, so won’t you go and buy half a gallon, baby?
“I Love Rock N Roll” is one of the great songs in rock music history. There’s a lot of comedy to be found in the act of taking such a hard rocker and spoofing it accordion-style.
I’ve always loved the line “Keep a couple quarts in my locker at school.” Just picturing melting ice cream dripping out of a school locker is a funny visual.
28. I Can’t Watch This (28 points)
Scoring: Humor 12, Originality 6, Replication 10
From Off the Deep End (1992)
Parody of MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”
Best line: “Those Siskel & Ebert bums oughta go home and just sit on their thumbs.”
Off The Deep End was such fun for Weird Al, as he got to take on some of the most ripe-for-parody artists, like Milli Vanilli, New Kids on the Block, Gerardo, Nirvana, and MC Hammer, who might have been the most obvious parody target in all of music.
Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” becomes “I Can’t Watch This.” “I hooked up 80 channels and each one stunk,” Al rapped, summing up the theme of the song. He also got in a nice burn of movie reviewers Siskel & Ebert, who had panned his movie UHF a few years earlier.
Another ingenious idea: Yankovic turns the boring instrumental sections into a chance to play actual clips from famous commercials, like “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”
27. Alimony (28 points)
Scoring: Humor 12, Originality 8, Replication 8
From Even Worse (1988)
Parody of Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony”
Best line: “Well, she took my house, my car, my shoes, and my toothbrush too”
“Alimony” takes the coveted #27 slot on my list of the best Weird Al parodies. Al didn’t sing a lot about relationships, at least in his parodies. That makes it somewhat unique to hear him musing about divorce on his sendup of “Mony Mony,” written by Tommy James and remade by Billy Idol.
Al takes the opening line, “Here she comes now, say Mony, Mony” and rewrites it as, “Here she comes now, wants her alimony.” From there, we’re off to the races with a tale about a sad-sack guy whose ex-wife is taking every penny she can get.
Yankovic adds fake crowd noise to re-create Idol’s live version. He delivers a strong rock vocal as he sings, “First she took my nest egg / Then she took the nest.” Meanwhile, the “Yeah (yeah!)” call-and-response section becomes “Debt (debt!)”
26. Party in the CIA (28 points)
Scoring: Humor 12, Originality 10, Replication 6
From Alpocalypse (2011)
Parody of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA”
Best line: “Tappin’ the phones like yeah / Shreddin’ the files like yeah”
“Party in the CIA” is a creative track in which Al plays a CIA agent bragging about classified dossiers, interrogations, and waterboarding. And it’s even funnier because these dark subjects are set to the upbeat, happy pop tune of “Party in the USA.”
Al sings, “I’ve done a couple of crazy things that have almost gotten me dismissed / Like terminate some head of state who wasn’t even on my list.” Sadly, he’s too on the money when he sings, “Need a country destabilized? / Look no further, we’re your guys!”
25. Headline News (28 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 7, Replication 7, Bonus 3
From Permanent Record (1994)
Parody of Crash Test Dummies’ “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”
Best line: “They got paid for their sound bytes / And sold their TV movie rights”
Released as a single from Al’s first box set Permanent Record, “Headline News” only reached #104 on the singles chart but got a good amount of MTV airplay, as it tackled three big news stories of the day: An American teen who got caned in Singapore as punishment for spray painting; the Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan figure skating scandal; and Lorena Bobbitt, the woman who cut off her husband’s junk.
The Crash Test Dummies original was so strange that it was a good target for parody. But that’s still no excuse for bringing back those awful fart sounds!
24. Jurassic Park (28 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 7, Replication 7, Bonus 3
From Alapalooza (1993)
Parody of Richard Harris’ “MacArthur Park”
Best line: “A huge Tyrannosaurus ate our lawyer / Well I suppose that proves they’re really not all bad”
As a slower song that parodied a very old tune from 1968, “Jurassic Park” was an odd choice for a lead single. It didn’t chart on the Hot 100, though its creative Claymation music video, including a scene where a fierce dinosaur bites the head off Barney, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video.
With dinosaur sound effects and fake strings designed to mimic an orchestra, “Jurassic Park” is an impressively complex track. And it’s one of the few songs where Al really belts, when he croons the “oh nooooo!” refrain.
23. Jerry Springer (29 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 8, Replication 10
From Running With Scissors (1999)
Parody of Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week”
Best line: “They’re always swearin’, cursin’, kickin’ butt and pointin’ blame / On the air they don’t care, they’ve got no shame”
Barenaked Ladies’ “One Week” was a strange song with a lot of words about weird subjects. That makes it ideal for a parody about the bizarre daytime talk show culture of the 1990s. Al sings about Jerry Springer, who “puts the sin in syndication” with his shows about “weirdos” like “cheatin’ lovers and cousins that marry.”
“Jerry Springer” impresses with its attention to detail. Even members of Barenaked Ladies have spoken about how impressed they were with the way Al broke down the instrumental track and replicated all the intertwining guitar parts.
22. eBay (29 points)
Scoring: Humor 12, Originality 8, Replication 8, Bonus 1
From Poodle Hat (2003)
Parody of Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way”
Best line: “Tell me why I bid on Shatner’s old toupee / They had it on eBay”
Surprisingly, the most enduring song on Poodle Hat is the boy band parody “eBay,” a sendup of the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way.”
Yankovic accurately describes eBay culture, referencing “A++” feedback, shipping items in bubble wrap, and buying beanie babies “new with tag.” Among the funny items Al’s character purchases: William Shatner’s old toupee, an Alf alarm clock, and a Kleenex used by Dr. Dre.
21. Bedrock Anthem (29 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 7, Replication 9, Bonus 2
From Alapalooza (1993)
Parody of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” and “Give it Away”
Best line: “Wear a loincloth, natural fiber / Be the first Rolling Stone subscriber / Got a pterodactyl for a windshield wiper”
Al employs misdirection on his Flintstones parody, by spoofing the opening verse of “Under the Bridge” before the song morphs into a re-done version of the funk-rock classic “Give it Away.”
Chili Peppers bassist Flea famously didn’t like the song, but it’s an amusing summary of life in the prehistoric cartoon. From the perspective of Fred Flintstone, Al sings, “Got a car, gonna push it with my feet now” and “Got a baby elephant vacuum cleaner.”
The Top 20: Best Weird Al Yankovic Parodies (20-1)
20. Ricky (29 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 8, Replication 7, Bonus 3
From Weird Al Yankovic (1983)
Parody of Toni Basil’s “Mickey”
Best line: “Why don’t you serve your casserole and make them disappear, Lucy?”
The only true duet in Al’s catalog is this funny spoof of Toni Basil’s “Mickey.” Morphing the cheerleader chants of the original with the actual I Love Lucy theme was a creative idea.
This one doesn’t have a lot of gut-busting laughs, but those who remember the sitcom will appreciate how Al captures the full essence of the show in three verses. This was actually his first charting single, reaching #63 on the Hot 100.
19. Another One Rides the Bus (29 points)
Scoring: Humor 12, Originality 9, Replication 9, Bonus 4
From Weird Al Yankovic (1983)
Parody of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust”
Best line: “We’re already packed in like sardines, but we’re stoppin’ to pick up more”
Famously debuted as a live performance on the Dr. Demento Show with Al’s future drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz banging on his accordion case, “Another One Rides the Bus” remains one of Al’s most enduring parodies.
This song is extra funny because every bus rider can relate to the pain of lines like, “We’re already packed in like sardines, but we’re stoppin’ to pick up more!”
The song became a centerpiece of Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, as part of the pool scene featuring numerous celebrity cameos.
18. I Think I’m a Clone Now (30 points)
Scoring: Humor 12, Originality 10, Replication 8
From Even Worse (1988)
Parody of Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now”
Best line: “I can be my own best friend and I can send myself for pizza”
Yankovic was way ahead of his time with “I Think I’m a Clone Now.” This song sounded like science-fiction in 1988, but the advances in cloning technology have made it potentially relevant.
Set to the tune of Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now,” Al sings about cloning himself: “Look at the way we go out walking close together / I guess you could say I’m really beside myself.”
He paints a picture of a dude creating a carbon copy of himself, allowing the listener to imagine how convenient it would be to have two of themselves: “I can stay at home while I’m out of town.”
Al delivers another clever pun with “Every pair of genes is a hand me down,” playing on the common habit of siblings having hand-me-down jeans.
17. Foil (30 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 9, Replication 9, Bonus 1
From Mandatory Fun (2014)
Parody of Lorde’s “Royals”
Best line: “And the Illuminati know that they’re finally primed for world domination”
After one verse and one chorus, “Foil” seems like it’s on track to be the most lame, boring parody in history. A whole song about wrapping sandwiches in aluminum foil?
But then comes the twist. The second verse is about the Illuminati, the “faked moon landing,” and wearing a tinfoil hat while spouting conspiracy theories. It might be the best twist in any Yankovic song. Also: Those sweet falsetto harmonies!
16. Yoda (30 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 7, Replication 7, Bonus 5
From Dare to be Stupid (1985)
Parody of the Kinks’ “Lola”
Best line: “Well, I’ve been around, but I ain’t never seen / A guy who looks like a Muppet, but he’s wrinkled and green / Oh, my Yoda”
Yankovic’s first Star Wars homage was “Yoda.” Al covers all the quirks about Yoda, the “wrinkled and green Muppet” who trains Luke Skywalker, though Al warns, “I know Darth Vader’s really got you annoyed / But remember if you kill him then you’ll be unemployed.”
“Yoda” gets the max number of bonus points, because the song has been used for years as a joyous show closer in concert, and it’s one of his signature songs.
15. (This Song’s Just) Six Words Long (31 points)
Scoring: Humor 12, Originality 10, Replication 9
From Even Worse (1988)
Parody of George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set On You”
Best line: “Couldn’t think of any lyrics / No, I never wrote the lyrics / So I’ll just sing any old lyrics / That come to mind, child”
This spoof of George Harrison’s 1987 comeback hit “Got My Mind Set on You” is perhaps Al’s most criminally-overlooked parody. It’s brilliant because it’s so meta.
As a kid, this song had me rolling on the floor in laughter. I had no idea you could write a song about writing songs. Al gently needles the repetitiveness of Harrison’s hit (and its peculiar overuse of the word “child”), while breaking down the construct of pop music itself.
“Couldn’t think of any lyrics,” Al sings to open the first verse. “No, I never wrote the lyrics / So I’ll just sing any old lyrics / That come to mind, child.”
Each verse brings more hilarity. “This song’s got nothing to say / But I’m recording it anyway.” “They’re paying me plenty of money / To sing this song, child.” Then he says he’s run out of his ideas, so he needs to fill time by throwing in a sax solo.
I don’t know of any other song that so thoroughly deconstructs the entire songwriting process.
14. Gump (31 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 8, Replication 9, Bonus 3
From Bad Hair Day (1996)
Parody of the Presidents of the United States of America’s “Lump”
Best line: “He’s Gump, he’s Gump / He’s kinda square / He’s Gump, he’s Gump, he’s Gump / What’s with that hair?”
“Gump” made Bad Hair Day one of the few Al-bums to produce two big MTV hits, following on the heels of “Amish Paradise.”
Forrest Gump was such a strange character that it was easy for Yankovic to write about his eccentricities and toss in memorable lines from the movie, like “Stupid is as stupid does” and “Life is like a box of chocolates.”
13. The Saga Begins (31 points)
Scoring: Humor 11, Originality 7, Replication 9, Bonus 4
From Running With Scissors (1999)
Parody of Don McLean’s “American Pie”
Best line: “My my, this here Anakin guy / May be Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry”
Yankovic famously wrote “The Saga Begins” before the Star Wars: Episode I movie even came out, relying on leaked scripts circulating on the internet that turned out to be accurate.
The impressive hook feels like it probably took forever to write, since the wording is so precise to match the rhyme structure of almost every original syllable: “My my, this here Anakin guy / May be Vader someday later, now he’s just a small fry.”
“American Pie” has a lot of short couplets that become instantly funny when changed to Star Wars-themed lyrics, like “A lot of folks were croakin’ / The battle droids were broken” and “Their response, it didn’t thrill us / They locked the doors and tried to kill us.”
12. Trapped in the Drive Thru (32 points)
Scoring: Humor 14, Originality 8, Replication 9, Bonus 1
From Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)
Parody of R. Kelly’s “Trapped in the Closet”
Best line: “I says, ‘No’ / She says, ‘Yes’ / I says, ‘No’ / She says, ‘Yes’ / I says, ‘No’ / She says, ‘Yes, oh, here’s your keys’”
Realizing he couldn’t possibly outdo the theatricality and ridiculousness of “Trapped in the Closet,” Weird Al goes in the opposite direction with his R. Kelly spoof, creating an 11-minute story about waiting in line at a fast food drive thru.
It’s a humorous contrast between the dramatic, emotional instrumentation and the mundane lyrics about fastening seat belts, turning on the radio, and searching for loose change in the car. Somehow through all that, Al has the listener glued to the story. If he ever gets considered for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, this should be one of the songs presented as evidence.
Take note also of Yankovic’s most beautiful falsetto ever, on the line “I said ‘Is the chili ok?’ / She said ‘You finished that yesterday!’”
11. I Lost on Jeopardy (33 points)
Scoring: Humor 13, Originality 8, Replication 9, Bonus 3
From Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
Parody of Greg Kihn’s “Jeopardy”
Best line: “I was there to match my intellect / On national tv / Against a plumber and an architect / Both with a PhD”
Greg Kihn’s “Jeopardy” perfectly teed up Weird Al’s parody about the game show. Al hits all the familiar notes, like the Daily Double, the Potpourri category, and the parting gifts. And there’s the novelty of actual Jeopardy announcer Don Pardo reading out a lengthy list of insults, like “You don’t even get a lousy copy of our home game!”
“I Lost on Jeopardy” is one of Al’s better parodies from his early years in terms of replicating the sound of the original. They really nailed the synths and guitars, and band members Steve Jay and Jim West do a great job on the hook and the falsetto cooing of the chorus.
10. Confessions Part III (34 points)
Scoring: Humor 15, Originality 9, Replication 10
From Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)
Parody of Usher’s “Confessions Part II”
Best line: “I killed your goldfish accidentally / Just replaced it with another one”
The highest-ranking parody on our list that didn’t earn any bonus points (because it wasn’t a single) is the gem “Confessions Part III,” which might be the best parody Al ever did in terms of exactly replicating the original. Every syllable, every pulsing synth note, every falsetto shriek matches Usher’s song.
The lyrics are a serious of appalling admissions: “And by the way your diamond ring is cubic zirconium,” “Gave you buttered toast I dropped and picked up off the floor,” “There’ve been times when I peed in your sink,” and “FYI it was not a cold sore.”
The vocal performance is also one of Al’s best, ranging from belting to falsetto to sexy whispers. His exaggerated “Nowww” at 1:20 has me laughing every time.
The background harmonies are so exquisite that I sometimes play this song on repeat just to hear them again, especially those little exclamations at the end of lines, like “I borrowed your chapstick from you” and “First I told you ’bout that skank that I was cheating with with.”
9. Living with a Hernia (35 points)
Scoring: Humor 14, Originality 10, Replication 10, Bonus 1
From Polka Party! (1986)
Parody of James Brown’s “Living in America”
Best line: “He took my trousers off / Told me to cough”
This one’s hilarious because it’s totally WTF. Who writes a song about different types of hernias? No other song in popular music would include the line “Got a bulge in my intestinal wall.” The bizarre lyrics, paired with the showmanship and pizzazz of the original James Brown track, result in a parody that is funny for multiple reasons – and those are the best kind.
The best moment is when Al and his soulful backup singers do a call-and-response of the various types of hernias. “Strangulated! Lumbar Hernia! Richter’s Hernia! Obstructed! Inguinal!” Those might be the 10 most bizarre seconds of music ever played on the radio.
This one has a lot of deceptively funny touches. Like the use of the word “trousers” instead of pants or jeans: “He took my trousers off / Told me to cough.” And the constant jokes about the perils of dealing with an injury in a sensitive area: ”Hurts me bad / In a tender location.”
The song ends on a perfect note when Al turns Brown’s signature “I feel good!” into “I feel bad!” In a just world, this would’ve been a Top 10 hit.
8. Fat (35 points)
Scoring: Humor 14, Originality 7, Replication 10, Bonus 4
From Even Worse (1988)
Parody of Michael Jackson’s “Bad”
Best line: “Your butt is wide / Well mine is too / Just watch your mouth / Or I’ll sit on you”
As great as “Eat It” was, “Fat” is an even better illustration of Weird Al’s ability to replicate the persona of Michael Jackson. Al nails MJ’s vocal tics and hits all the “woo!” and “sha-mon!” exclamations.
“Fat” has too many great one-liners to list them all. Among the best: “When you’re only having seconds, I’m having twenty-thirds,” “My shadow weighs 42 pounds,” “When I walk out to get my mail, it measures on the Richter scale,” “When I’m goin’ to the movies, I take up seven rows,” and “When I sit around the house, I really sit around the house.”
I remember this song as a huge hit, but somehow it only peaked at #99 on the Hot 100, making it one of the best songs ever to peak at #99. Maybe I just saw the video a million times on MTV. That clip so perfectly skewered MJ’s “Bad” subway video that it was awarded the short-lived Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video.
7. Word Crimes (36 points)
Scoring: Humor 14, Originality 10, Replication 10, Bonus 2
From Mandatory Fun (2014)
Parody of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”
Best line: “You should never write words using numbers / Unless you’re seven, or your name is Prince”
The grammar nerd in Al comes out in “Word Crimes,” an educational song that covers common but annoying language mistakes, like the phrase “could care less,” misuse of “literally” and “irony,” and using “it’s” as a possessive.
He tackles contractions, dangling participles, and Oxford commas, while dropping in LOL puns like “cunning linguist.” Most impressively, Al delivers this lesson while impressively replicating all of the different voices of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.”
The song went viral and landed at #39, giving Al a Top 40 hit in four straight decades, joining elite company like Madonna and Michael Jackson.
6. Like a Surgeon (36 points)
Scoring: Humor 14, Originality 10, Replication 9, Bonus 3
From Dare to be Stupid (1985)
Parody of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”
Best line: “Like a surgeon, hey / Cuttin’ for the very first time / Like a surgeon / Got your kidneys on my mind”
Madonna famously came up with the idea for a “Like a Surgeon” parody, and Weird Al delivered with one of his funniest efforts to that point. Sometimes the stars just align, and the original song lines up just right for a parody, like the way “Touched for the very first time” easily becomes “Cuttin’ for the very first time,” and how “Feels so good inside” becomes “When I reach inside.”
This one has a lot of funny one-liners, like “It’s a fact, I’m a quack” and “My patients die before they can pay.” The song also features a couple of more demented lines, like “I’ll pull his insides out and see what he ate.” Some of Al’s best original songs involve demented humor (see “The Night Santa Went Crazy”), so it’s nice when his darker side peeks through in a parody.
The music video is even funnier than the song, featuring Yankovic writhing around on the floor, just like the material girl herself.
5. Eat It (37 points)
Scoring: Humor 14, Originality 8, Replication 10, Bonus 5
From Weird Al Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
Parody of Michael Jackson’s “Eat It”
Best line: “Don’t want no Captain Crunch, don’t want no Raisin Bran / Well don’t you know that other kids are starving in Japan? / So eat it, just eat it”
The song that took Weird Al to the next level was “Eat It,” a heavy rotation video on MTV, a #12 hit on the charts, and a Grammy winner for Best Comedy Recording.
Michael Jackson was the biggest star on the planet, and Al poking harmless fun at him made for great comedy. The video was especially groundbreaking, featuring a shot-by-shot remake of the iconic original.
Kids related to Al playing the role of the scolding parent, singing, “Well, don’t you know that other kids are starving in Japan, so eat it!” There’s a good chance Al’s career would have been much shorter had “Eat It” not launched him into stardom when it did.
4. It’s All About the Pentiums (38 points)
Scoring: Humor 15, Originality 10, Replication 10, Bonus 3
From Running With Scissors (1999)
Parody of Puff Daddy’s “It’s All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)”
Best line: “Play me online? Well you know that I’ll beat you / If I ever meet you, I’ll control-alt-delete you”
“It’s All About the Pentiums” is one of the three Al parodies that gets a perfect score in the three main categories of Humor, Originality, and Replication. It got some MTV airplay, but wasn’t a big enough hit to earn the full five Bonus points.
The replication of the instrumentation of the “It’s All About the Benjamins” rock remix was spot-on. Working under an extreme time crunch with his album deadline looming, Yankovic wrote these lyrics in a hurry, and somehow did some of his best work.
The computer puns are off the charts as Al verbally takes down his rival with a series of brutal disses. Al offers typical rap braggadocio but with a tech spin, in lines like “If I ever meet you, I’ll control-alt-delete you,” “What kinda chip you got in there, a Dorito?,” “You’ve got your own newsgroup, alt.total-loser,” and “You’re just about as useless as jpegs to Helen Keller.”
3. White and Nerdy (39 points)
Scoring: Humor 15, Originality 9, Replication 10, Bonus 5
From Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)
Parody of Chamillionaire’s “Ridin’”
Best line: “I know Pi out to a thousand places / Ain’t got no grills but I still wear braces”
Al says he brought his entire life history to “White & Nerdy,” and it shows. He had pages and pages of notes of the nerdy things he’d done in his life, and those made for a fun hip hop parody that became his first Top 10 Billboard hit and first Platinum-certified single.
The track became one of his signature songs, a remarkable achievement nearly three decades into his career. “White & Nerdy” shows that Weird Al has really mastered the art of rap music, offering a genuinely impressive flow that even Chamillionaire respected.
2. Amish Paradise (40 points)
Scoring: Humor 15, Originality 10, Replication 10, Bonus 5
From Bad Hair Day (1996)
Parody of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”
Best line: “Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1699”
Here’s one of two Al tracks to earn a perfect score in our ranking system. “Amish Paradise,” one of the most original parodies he ever recorded, turns Coolio’s tale of the plight of inner city youth into an analysis of Amish life.
Al’s version mimics Coolio’s mannerisms for maximum comedy: “Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows, fool!” This one has so many lyrical gems: “I take a look at my wife and realize she’s very plain,” “Even Ezekiel thinks that my mind is gone,” “We sell quilts at discount price,” “My homies agree I really look good in black, fool,” “We’re all crazy Mennonites,” “My brother, I might have to get Medieval on your heinie.”
Side note: While Al always laughs off the question of whether Amish people have heard the song, pointing out that they don’t exactly have access to audio technology, I have some Amish relatives (the more modern types who are allowed to drive cars and have cell phones) who have heard “Amish Paradise” and think it’s funny.
1. Smells Like Nirvana (40 points)
Scoring: Humor 15, Originality 10, Replication 10, Bonus 5
From Off the Deep End (1992)
Parody of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Best line: “Well, we don’t sound like Madonna / Here we are now, we’re Nirvana / Sing distinctly, we don’t wanna / Buy our album, we’re Nirvana”
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the song of a generation, a track universally acknowledged as one of the 20 most influential songs in music history. And “Smells Like Nirvana” is simply flawless. Weird Al roars into the grunge era with this tune about how no one can understand the words of the original.
Al goes all-out on this one, adding a kazoo solo and barnyard animal noises. He even finds humorous ways to put words into the mumbling parts of “Teen Spirit,” like the droning vocal between verses, which Al turns into “don’t know, don’t know, don’t know,” and the closing yelling section, which becomes “Sayonara, sayonara.”
All three members of Nirvana loved Al’s song, providing perhaps the ultimate compliment. Kurt Cobain called Al “America’s modern pop-rock genius” in his journal.
This song re-established Yankovic as a commercial and critical success after a few years away, making it one of the most important songs of his career. The spot-on music video (they got the same janitor!) makes the song even more memorable. Rolling Stone even included it on their list of the Top 100 music videos of all-time.
Weird Al Parodies: Scores By Album
Here are the average parody scores by studio album according to this exercise.
30.6 Straight Outta Lynwood
29.6 Even Worse
28.6 Running With Scissors
28.0 Off the Deep End
28.0 Polka Party!
26.8 Mandatory Fun
26.3 UHF
25.3 Alapalooza
25.2 Weird Al Yankovic
25.0 Bad Hair Day
25.0 Dare to be Stupid
24.4 Alpocalypse
23.8 Poodle Hat
23.6 In 3D
That’s it for my completely subjective list of the best “Weird Al” Yankovic parodies! Want to rank your own? Click this link for a downloadable version of the spreadsheet I used. Feel free to change the values, add new categories, do whatever you like to make your own lists.
Make sure to read our argument for Weird Al’s potential induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
What do you think are the best Weird Al parodies? Leave a comment with your own favorites!
Last Updated on September 6, 2026