World of Weird Al Yankovic

Skippy wrote:"Albuquerque" is the most original song Al has ever written. It does not seem to be influenced by any song of any genre and is a remarkable achievement of composi--what? What's this? Oh. Never mind.

The first time I heard that, it broke my heart.

Anyways, regarding TWAST, I've thought of it as a style parody of Saturday morning cartoons and TV shows in general.

Skippy wrote:I went with 1995, right in the middle of the whole ska/punk thing, but I didn't put a lot of thought into that date. The Bosstones are definitely the most recognizable group to come out of that movement, so I have no problem with focusing on them.

I think Reel Big Fish "Sell Out" was 1996, as was Goldfinger "Here In Your Bedroom." Bosstones was 1997, and the utter explosion of ska bands was mostly 1998. The only mainstream ska in 1995 that I can think of is No Doubt, which doesn't sound much like Horoscope.

Looking in the Truck Drivin' Song thread, I think I made the connection by listening to a bunch of songs on YouTube. Someone else mentioned "Six Days on the Road" as sounding pretty similar, but I don't remember offhand.

TMBJon wrote: I think Reel Big Fish "Sell Out" was 1996, as was Goldfinger "Here In Your Bedroom." Bosstones was 1997, and the utter explosion of ska bands was mostly 1998. The only mainstream ska in 1995 that I can think of is No Doubt, which doesn't sound much like Horoscope.

The Bosstones' "Someday I Suppose" came out in 1993 and that was a pretty big song for them. Not as mainstream as "Impression," but it kind of got the ball rolling for them.

Looking in the Truck Drivin' Song thread, I think I made the connection by listening to a bunch of songs on YouTube. Someone else mentioned "Six Days on the Road" as sounding pretty similar, but I don't remember offhand.

Well, if nothing else, he's got the lowest voice of the truck singers I've listened to. Musically, I'm still not really hearing anything that feels definite, but I've changed the date to 1965 to fit his career more closely. If it's anyone in particular, then it's probably him. (The most popular truck song I know of is "Convoy" and it sounds nothing like TDS.)

And now for the nice, refreshing, virtually controversy-free Poodle Hat. We all know the story of "Hardware Store," the failed style parody of The Presidents of the United States of America that was re-worked into a true original song, so let's move on to the lepers and get the arguing out of the way.

"Party at the Leper Colony" is generally referred to as a Bo Diddley style parody, although other artists are sometimes mentioned. This is because of the prominent drum part, which is of course the famed Diddley beat. But when I listen to Leper Colony, it does not sound like Bo Diddley in any other way. I've discussed this before, but I feel like it's very close musically to Bruce Springsteen's "She's The One" (after the 1:15 mark or so.) The vocals do follow the pattern of a typical Diddley beat song (everything from "Willie and the Hand Jive" to "I Want Candy.") Maybe it's not enough to call it a Springsteen style parody, but it's more than we have to call it a Diddley style parody.

"Wanna B Ur Lovr" is based on the Midnite Vultures album by Beck, specifically "Peaches & Cream."

"Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" is a style parody of Ben Folds Five (moreso than Ben's solo stuff, although there's not much difference.) There isn't a lot lifted from specific songs, but it has elements of "Philosophy," "Song for the Dumped," (NSFW language) and "Steven's Last Night in Town."

"Bob" is primarily based on "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream" (can't find a video of it that's actually Dylan singing) with the harmonica bursts borrowed from "Subterranean Homesick Blues" (among others.)

"Genius in France" is a whole bunch of Frank Zappa songs. Check TheLazenby's list for a good rundown. The real problem with this one is picking a date for it, since it covers a good stretch of Zappa's pop/rock career.

Id say GiF could be placed in 72. A few musical cues can be taken from 200 Motels from 71 and the most obvious Im The Slime riff from 73. A good bit of the song takes from around the same timeframe

minnick27 wrote:Id say GiF could be placed in 72. A few musical cues can be taken from 200 Motels from 71 and the most obvious Im The Slime riff from 73. A good bit of the song takes from around the same timeframe

Cool, thanks.