Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun

[Alinite27]

Spoiler:

My Own Eyes -- What an amazing song! To start with, this is my favorite music genre. For those that have mentioned a Nickleback vibe, I definitely have felt that too, but they certainly completely nailed the Foo Fighters also. This song has great potential for a concert spot, and I can't imagine how awesome it would feel to rock out at a SRO show to the guitar on this song. The hits completely sweep you away. An amazing piece of work.

Jackson Park Express -- I had been looking forward to this long song ever since the concert in Port Chester, NY, where I found out there would be one. What would Al pull off? This was a tremendous story of non-verbal communication. I absolutely love that neither ever actually spoke a word. I'm going to Chicago in 10 days, and look forward to visiting the Jackson Park Express and 53rd Street. Maybe I will find her and give her a look that says, Al made an amazing album.

Sports Song -- I would be really surprised if this wasn't recorded with a band. And I can't wait to see the video for the song, that we know WAS recorded with a marching band. Being in the band all through high school and college, it definitely hits home along with being around sports, so much. It is also a really funny take on the "figurative sense" of fight songs.

Word Crimes -- One reason this song is very impressive has to be due to the personal nature of it for Al. We've always seen his takes on grammar through his social media, and when he has a chance to take that on in song, it only has one way to turn out. There are many great lines, and laugh-out moments, especially when I was typing up the lyrics while listening. There are so many little things that are easy to miss, and when they hit you, are hilarious.

Mission Statement -- Amazing style-parody of CSNY. I grew up listening to them, and Al definitely nailed them perfectly. I really like the contrast of the lyrical content to the musical content, especially at the end where the joke greatly intensifies. Then, you're hit with the downsizing which feels similar to Skipper Dan in a dark point-of-view. This would be higher for me if I thought it had a chance of being performed in concert.

NOW That's What I Call Polka -- I love that Al chose Wrecking Ball and Timber for the polka. I thought Timber had a high chance of being one of the parodies on the album. Wrecking Ball could have been overlooked, but it didn't swallow up pop-culture for awhile. Also, being a Miley Cyrus fan(when she was sane at least), I'm happy that she has been parodied and polkacized. I slightly dislike all the sound effect gags, and wonder how this will come off, as well as, how they will pull this off, in concert.

Tacky -- I knew this song was really over with kids when I was working in a middle school this past Spring. It was basically all I heard, so I figured Al would do something with it. I really enjoyed the chorus and the breakdown of this song. The duet with, I think Lisa Popeil, was perfect. The lyrical content is very high, and well pulled off with the high-energy vibe of the original. I could see some fans listening, and actually thinking, Well, I might just be Tacky, too.

Lame Claim to Fame -- A very strong original. I haven't heard much of SCOTS, so I feel like if I familiarized myself with more of their stuff, that this song would be even better. I do like the feel of the song. However, I don't think it is an original that would play off well in concert. I wonder how it will play off in years ahead. I can't help but think that the celebrity references will feel dated, but that always somewhat happens in Al's stuff.

First World Problems -- I'm not a big fan of the Pixies. Really all that I have seen, though, has been when Al sang with them. So, I may need to listen to more stuff. Anyway, this song came off good and had good subject matter. Amanda was used well in the duet, too. I really enjoyed when she was singing First World Problems, that the sound alternated from the right and left speakers. A nice little touch. Interesting her laughing at the end of the song.

Inactive -- This was one of the songs I was least looking forward to seeing parodied. However, I do think Al did something here that was worthy of mention. He capitalized on the tone of radioactive to bring a feel to Inactive of everything being shut down. I kind of got a WALL-E vibe, of how much society is being consumed with Inactiveness that the deep tones of the bass played off. This would be fun to see in the medley of the concert.

Foil -- Royals was probably my favorite parody target, and Al pulled off the sound well. The song itself, though, I can't help but feel like its tame. It's too short, and the subject matter is just kind of there. Plus, being a Math teacher, I'm dissapointed that Al didn't pull off the First, Outer, Inner, Last method. We can always hope for a concert only verse? C'mon Al!!!!

Handy -- Definitely a retread of I'll Repair For You, as has been said. But, I don't think that's a bad thing here. It was an idea that allowed Al to get the album out, as soon as possible, not to mention that Fancy was on the top of the charts when Al's parody came out. It's a great thing for Al whenever he's able to pull that off, and it will be more of an occurence when he's able to digitally release his material from now on.

[NJAlFan]

Best to Worst:

1.Handy
2.First World Problems
3.My Own Eyes
4.Foil
5.Word Crimes
6.Now That's What I Call Polka!
7.Tacky
8.Jackson Park Express
9.Lame Claim To Fame
10. Mission Statement
11.Sports Song
12. Inactive

I really can't stop listening to Handy. I love how current it is too.

[Bruce the Duck]

Inactive -- I kind of got a WALL-E vibe, of how much society is being consumed with Inactiveness that the deep tones of the bass played off.

Spoiler:

Oh, how awesome would it be to see a fan made video of this using Pixar clips. It could use not just "WALL-E," but also the fat guy from "Toy Story 2" when he was sleeping "in Cheeto dust."

Spoiler:

Lame Claim to Fame -- I can't help but think that the celebrity references will feel dated, but that always somewhat happens in Al's stuff.

Spoiler:

A lot of the references already are dated, such as Steven Segal and "Wayne's World 2." But in this case, I think having very dated references actually helps the song because it makes the "claim to fame" even more "lame."

[tomatochives]

Here are my first reactions (without spoilers):

Handy - Brilliant
Lame Claim To Fame - Neat
Foil - Predictable
Sports Song - Fantastic
Word Crimes - Genius
My Own Eyes - Amazing
NOW That's What I Call Polka! - Not long enough
Mission Statement - Too long
Inactive - Startlingly sad
First World Problems - Perfect
Tacky - Great
Jackson Park Express - Wonderful

Rating: 8/10

(Opinion liable to change )

[mellow weasel]

1. My Own Eyes - it ROCKS ! I'd love the sound of it even if it wasn't funny.
2. Word Crimes - I'm a bit of grammar nazi myself, so I loved it.
3. First World Problems - again, rocks.
4. Jackson Park Express - perfect balance of "aww <3" and "WTF"
5. Handy
6. Tacky
7. Inactive - what's with the sound ? That's not how I remember "Radioactive"...
8. Foil - that change of topic mid-song somewhat bothers me.
9. Lame Claim To Fame
10. NOW That's What I Call Polka!
11. Mission Statement
12. Sports Song - I don't like the musical style.

Overall, I like the originals more than the parodies.

[Yup.]

My rank (and thoughts)

Spoiler:

1.) Foil- I loved all the different directions it went in (THE FOIL HATS! )
2.) Tacky- Was not expecting it to be as funny as it was, pretty much because I know multiple people who are SCARY alike to this song.
3.) NOW That's What I Call Polka!- Earned $20 off my dad because Gangnam Style was in it. Also, the first polka since Polka Power that I knew every song.
4.) Word Crimes- Brilliant. Just perfect. I knew this song was gonna be really good, and my expectations were still blown away. I was hooked after EVERYBODY SHUT UP.
5.) Handy- Really, really funny. I wish he would've done something with the "who dat, who dat" part. (Who dat, who dat? Al Yank-o-vic!)
6.) Sports Song- Way to write an uplifting, happy song about sports, Al.
7.) First World Problems- Again, just like Tacky, can name multiple people who can relate to this song.
8.) Jackson Park Express- Really funny love story. Beats If That Isn't Love any day.
9.) My Own Eyes- Eh, it was okay. Not saying I hated it, but not saying I love it either. Really freaken catchy though.
10.) Lame Claim to Fame- Al, Kim Kardashian's birthday is October 20th. Come on man, you had so many other options!
11.) Inactive- Hmm, it was alright. I chuckled at it. It was funny, just not the funniest.
12.) Mission Statement- It might be because I didn't really understand the lyrics just from listening to them, but it was catchy.

[Bruce the Duck]

Spoiler:

10.) Lame Claim to Fame- Al, Kim Kardashian's birthday is October 20th. Come on man, you had so many other options!

Johnny Carson would probably be the only name there that is well-known enough to use. Maybe Michael Crichton. But remember Al's songs are never autobiographical. He's playing a character, so it really doesn't matter what day of the year he chooses to use there.

Spoiler:

I tried to find out if the lead singer of SCOTS was born on October 21st, but I couldn't find his birthday listed anywhere.

BTW, Al's bio on that site says that he's parodied *NSYNC. Did I miss something or do they think "I Want it That Way" was *NSYNC?

[Kevbo1987]

I already have to update this. It's funny how quickly these things change:

1. Word Crimes
2. Jackson Park Express
3. First World Problems
4. Tacky
5. Lame Claim to Fame
6. Foil
7. Mission Statement
8. Handy
9. NOW That's What I Call Polka
10. Inactive
11. Sports Song
12. My Own Eyes

[QuantumError]

Spoiler:

1. My Own Eyes - I've been a huge fan of Foo Fighters for a very long time. In fact, the first music video by Weird Al that I ever saw was on VH1's Top Funny Ass Videos and it was also the first time I ever heard of Foo Fighters (they played Learn To Fly). I just love the energy of the song and Al did such a great job modeling this after them.

2. Lame Claim To Fame - I have never heard the original artist that this was meant to sound like, but the whole premise of the song is pretty great. I love the chorus too, I often find myself rewinding back to the chorus several times on a play-through of this song.

3. Inactive - The first time I ever got to hear Radioactive was actually from people on here referencing to the song, so I checked it out, and it really got through to me. It does remind me quite a bit of You're Pitiful, but that's okay, I like this song much more.

4. NOW That's What I Call Polka! - The top of the list of my favorite polkas before this were Polkarama, Polka Power, and Polka Face. This new one isn't the absolute top one of my favorites, but among those three, it holds some major staying power. There were a couple songs in it that I never heard prior to this. I look forward to memorizing this to sing along with when I drive to work.

5. Word Crimes - The concept behind this is genius. I'm really not a big fan of Robin Thicke or Blurred Lines, but it's funny how Al was able to make something like this funny.

6. Tacky - When the original song came out, I listened to it quite a bit, it had real smooth vocals and an upbeat vibe to it. Al's version just blows the original out of the water.

7. Jackson Park Express - I like how this all just seems to be one major day dream..Not as high up on my list as Albuquerque , but as far as long songs go, it beats Trapped In The Drive Through and Genius In France. I've only listened to it through to the end twice, so I may become more appreciative of it as I hear it in different atmospheres. MAJOR LOL to "I glanced down at her shirt for a second in a way that clearly implied, I like your boobs." That is probably one of the funniest lines I have ever heard Al say.

8. Foil - This turned out pretty much just how I was expecting it to. The first half about spoiled food was somewhat mediocre and kinda rehashed Livin' In The Fridge. The second verse was very good. But as I've seen several other members mention, this really should have gone into a third verse. I DO, however, love the harmonies in this song. Al sounds great in it.

9. Mission Statement - This song is okay. I like the sound behind it and it gets a few laughs out of me. I don't have much to say good or bad about it right now though.

10. Handy - I've mentioned it a couple times before this, but the lyrics, for the most part, don't really get a rise out of me...and I listened to Fancy a LOT to familiarize myself with this. I know it is nitpicking, but I really would have preferred if Al song an octave lower. I understand this is a song where the lyrics aren't supposed to be the big reason for enjoying this song, but it's just kinda bland to me. If Al really isn't pushing a primary big single, I really understand why this isn't the lead. There are going to be a lot of people, primarily kids I bet, that don't really find this song worth listening to. It's not so bad that I'll be skipping this song in my playlist, but until I see a video for this song, It is going to be on the lower half of my favorites list.

11. First World Problems - I've never been a real big fan of The Pixies (so shoot me!), so musically, this one didn't hold too much of an attraction like most of the other songs did. There were some great lines in the song, I always laugh pretty hard at the part about Amazon.

12. Sports Song - I really do not like this song. I mean, there are some pretty funny lines in this..But to begin with, there isn't a single sport that I watch, follow, or play. Second, the high school band sound it has really gives me a headache. This will probably be pretty funny for other people who watch sports, but this doesn't get my vote for favorite songs..

[uwvark]

Spoiler:

Here's my after listening to the album 27 times this weekend list FIXED

1. WORD CRIMES- Best song on the album no doubt
2. Inactive - Epic
3. First World Problems - I told you it would grow on me.
4. Jackson Park Express - Too funny
5. Lame Claim To Fame - Catchy
6. Sports Song - I like the concept, YOU SUCK!
7. Handy - Hoped this would be better
8. My Own Eyes
9. Foil
10. Tacky
11. Polka
12. Mission Statement