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'Tacky' by Weird Al Yankovic

It has a unique sound and I enjoy it. In fact I think Lorde is one of the best up and coming artists and wish great things for her.

Hell, she ain't even 18 yet, so who knows what's in store?
Well, if you were to base it on other teenage pop stars... a downward spiral?

I managed to know reasonably well all the songs he was parodying except for "Fancy". And that shit's so bad it's not even worth being parodied.
 
Here's 'Foil' (featuring Patton Oswalt)
That's one's kinda meh. I suppose they can't all be great.

Agreed. The "twist" in it only has impact on the first watch, whereas seeing familiar actors dressed, well, tacky in "Tacky" warrants rewatching. And "Word Crimes" is just epic, I think it will be hard for him to top that one.

May I just say that I've appreciated him more ever since he shaved his trademark but gross looking mustache and got rid of his dad-glasses? I mean, I realize that's his classic look, but still.
I dunno. I like his classic looks. There's something ... erm .. classic about it.

Now if his long, curly hair is ever trimmed, then all bets are off.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
 
I'm going to have to disagree here.

All of Al's best songs are parodies of classics:

"American Pie"
"Another One Bites the Dust"
"Bad"
"Like a Virgin"
"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
etc.

I'd bet most of these songs will be all but forgotten within ten years. And the parodies will go the way of "Amish Paradise" where the parody outlives the original. And while it's a funny song, it's nothing compared to the parodies of those I listed above.

I hope you're not referring to those 5 songs when talking about "these songs will be all but forgotten"... they are actual legit classics. Hopefully you're talking about some of the other songs like Blurred Lines, Royals, and Happy, which I don't see becoming classics.
 
That's because you're not a teenager right now. You aren't going to be nostalgic for the music of now in 10 years but the kids now will be.
 
I hope you're not referring to those 5 songs when talking about "these songs will be all but forgotten"... they are actual legit classics. Hopefully you're talking about some of the other songs like Blurred Lines, Royals, and Happy, which I don't see becoming classics.
Isn't that what I said? :confused:
 
(*) This is an overlooked factor. One thing about some of Al's previous albums is that the songs have been great but the references have been out-of-date by the time the album eventually gets published. But this time it seems Al is literally right on top of current music.
I'm going to have to disagree here.

All of Al's best songs are parodies of classics:

"American Pie"
"Another One Bites the Dust"
"Bad"
"Like a Virgin"
"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
etc.

I'd bet most of these songs will be all but forgotten within ten years. And the parodies will go the way of "Amish Paradise" where the parody outlives the original. And while it's a funny song, it's nothing compared to the parodies of those I listed above.

While I can certainly see "Blurred Lines" as being a flash-in-the-pan (I've virtually forgotten it aleady), I'm not so sure I'd say the same for Royals or Happy. The first time I ever heard those I genuinely thought 'Those Are Classics Of The Future', particularly in the case of Happy.

Anyway, the point I was trying to make isn't necessarily about the original songs being remembered fondly into the future, more that the songs themselves are strong enough that they lift Al's parodies. His versions are stronger because the originals are already excellent songs, something we've seen a lot this year. Your example is a good one, even if nobody ever did remember Gangsta's Paradise, the point is that it *was* a strong song in itself, which is the basis for why Al's parody was also excellent. I guess I'm saying that parodies are only really as good as the thing they are parodying. :)
 
"Foil" is damn near perfect for me, as is "Tacky," and "Word Crimes." I really like "Handy," and "Sports Song" as well. I still have my CD sitting on my desk, but I'm not playing it until I've watched all of the videos. Since this is his last official label release, I'm taking my time.
 
Well it might not be his last official release, last I read this is just the end of his contract and he's going to see where things go, he may sign for another contract.
 
Well it might not be his last official release, last I read this is just the end of his contract and he's going to see where things go, he may sign for another contract.

True, but this is definitely the last album on this label, one he's been with for 30 years, so it's a bit special to me. :D
 
Well it might not be his last official release, last I read this is just the end of his contract and he's going to see where things go, he may sign for another contract.

I would respect his decision to retire, but god I really wish he would stick around in time to do another Star Wars Parody.

I've heard the album, and it was very good. The song I've heard the most so far, for some reason, is Jackson Park Express. Also loved Word Crimes and Foils.
 
One song he did that isn't technically a parody (its one of the songs he does that is in the style of a certain artist, but not a parody of a specific song) that I actually laughed out loud to a few times was Jackson Park Express (done in the style of someone named Cat Stevens, whose name I recognize but don't know any of his songs).
Ummm, not heard album, but Cat Stevens was well known in the 70s (yes I'm old), and had a big hit with 'Peace Train':

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6mKMV0d2cs[/yt]
 
I hadn't even noticed that Al was invited to play Sir Issac Newton in his ERB with Bill Nye. Seems appropriate... :lol:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yis7GzlXNM[/yt]
 
I hope you're not referring to those 5 songs when talking about "these songs will be all but forgotten"... they are actual legit classics. Hopefully you're talking about some of the other songs like Blurred Lines, Royals, and Happy, which I don't see becoming classics.
Isn't that what I said? :confused:

Oh, I must have misinterpreted you. Yes, that's exactly what you said, sorry.

I blame it on the common literary mistake of people saying "be all but ____" when what they actually mean is " be _____". When you're saying something is all but, you literally mean it is everything but. I thought you were saying songs like Teen Spirit and American Pie will be forgotten, which I disagree with.

Kinda like "I could care less", when people actually mean "I couldn't care less".
 
That's because you're not a teenager right now. You aren't going to be nostalgic for the music of now in 10 years but the kids now will be.

I'm a full grown adult and I'm enamored with her voice. Her writing is meh, for example:

I'm kind of over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air

Great commentary! Followed by:


Wait, that's how you end the line? Depth followed by annoyed dismissal.

But she's young. She'll grow. I think she has a bright future ahead of her. And Royals is one of those new classics, I think.
 
^There's never been a polka video, ever (except for these ones) :

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWxs8jGJPww[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_KM6ltc9iM[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rtUt-FMOKg[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YYQOKP1JHU[/yt]
 
I managed to know reasonably well all the songs he was parodying except for "Fancy". And that shit's so bad it's not even worth being parodied.
Truth.




Hey, check this out!
[Yankovic] On doing a parody of Frozen's "Let It Go":

You know what, I was very close to doing a parody called "Make It So" about Star Trek: The Next Generation… but then I checked online, and of course, somebody had done that already. And apparently it had gotten enough attention online to make the Disney legal department ask them to take it down! I couldn't think of an idea that I liked as much as "Make It So," so… I gave up!
 
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