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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:06 pm
by weird user
The song Twister is really short, and sound slike a commercial advertisement. So does anybody know if Al had written that for a Twister commercial that was never produced (I think the TV appearances at the official site would have mentioned Al being in a Twister commercial if it was made)?

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:19 pm
by lookatthenumbersinIandlaugh
the lyrics are actually the lyrics of a Twister jingle, he just performed it in the style of the beastie boys

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 6:23 pm
by weird user
lookatthenumbersinIandlaugh @ Apr 3 2007, 05:19 PM wrote: the lyrics are actually the lyrics of a Twister jingle, he just performed it in the style of the beastie boys

Oh, I thought he wrote it himself. That's what I get for not knowing about Al in 1988 and asking my parents to buy me a copy of Even Worse on the day it came out.

Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2007 11:25 pm
by Bruce the Duck
Don't worry. It's a pretty common misconception. Everytime the subject of original rap songs comes up, I have to remind (or point out to) some people that "Twister" is actually a cover and not an original composition.

But it would have made a really good commercial if they used Al's version. :Y

Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 5:58 am
by weird user
So Al has performed straight-forward covers of at least two songs without including them as parts of polka medleys (George of the Jungle and Twister). Are there any other Al songs that were straight-forward covers like these (I'm not sure if Bohemien Rhapsody should count.. It was retitled Bohemien Polka, and the music was changed, and the album referred to it as a parody, but the lyrics are exactly the same).

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:23 am
by U62
Bruce the Duck @ Apr 3 2007, 02:25 PM wrote: Don't worry. It's a pretty common misconception. Everytime the subject of original rap songs comes up, I have to remind (or point out to) some people that "Twister" is actually a cover and not an original composition.
Interesting. Can you post the lyrics to the original version?

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:31 am
by Bruce the Duck
weird user @ Apr 3 2007, 10:58 PM wrote: So Al has performed straight-forward covers of at least two songs without including them as parts of polka medleys (George of the Jungle and Twister). Are there any other Al songs that were straight-forward covers like these (I'm not sure if Bohemien Rhapsody should count.. It was retitled Bohemien Polka, and the music was changed, and the album referred to it as a parody, but the lyrics are exactly the same).
Well, it depends how you define covers.

I would consider "Bohemian Polka" a cover because it is essentially the same lyrics set to the same music, only the music is done in a different style. It's just like "Twister" in that regard.

"Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies" MIGHT be considered a cover rather than a parody, since the lyrics were directly just the lyrics to the "Beverly Hillbillies" TV show. That one's kind of in a category by itself since it's not really a cover (the music is completely different) and it's not really a parody.

"Peter and the Wolf" is not a song, but as a composition, it is a pretty straight forward adaption of the original. The story is pretty much unchanged. Al just adds his own brand of humor and style to the telling of the story.

"George of the Jungle" stands as the only completely straight cover. In fact, the only difference AT ALL between the original and Al's version is that it's a different singer and band doing it. The instrumentation and everything is exactly the same.

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:40 am
by Bruce the Duck
U62 @ Apr 5 2007, 06:23 PM wrote: Interesting. Can you post the lyrics to the original version?
Here's a link to a video of the original commercial.

Lyrics:
Twister wrote: Milton Bradley has a new one
It's the Twister
Gets you all twisted and tangled
It's the Twister

Spin the spinner and call the shots
Twister ties you up in a knot
That's Twister
Yeah Twister

Right foot blue (right foot blue)
Left hand red (left hand red)
Left right yellow blue green
Yeah Twister

Ya gotta play Twister in your stocking feet
Standing on this crazy colored sheet
That's Twister
Yeah Twister

Who makes the best games in the world?
You've gotta get it
Yeah, Twister
From MB

I believe there were other versions of the theme song also, including lyrics closer to the ones Al used.

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 7:22 pm
by U62
Cool, thanks for the link Bruce. I'd never seen the original Twister commercial before.

Go Sanjaya!

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 6:51 am
by Big Spoon
It's funny. I never knew that before. This has always been one of my least favorite songs of Al's, but now knowing what exactly it is, I like it a lot more.