The Great Al Debate Topic

[MarsBar]

I don't know...

Everyone else has made a lot of good points, but everyone i know seems to enjoy W&N, because the original is currently the flavour of the month. Same thing with AP when it was popular.

I think if CP had a video (or at least if Al had been on MySpace at that point), he could've done very well.

[Mystik Tomato]

I think CP woulda been good & really popular at the time.

But I think it's the longevity of Al's songs that make them really popular, and then sell for 10+ years. Eat It, for example, hasn't lost relevence, and thats why Al was the 'Eat It Guy' for so long. Because people were familiar with the subject matter.

CP, however, is full of TV shows that I've never even heard of, or ones that have been canseled in the 3 years since CP, and many of them weren't shows that are really considered 'classic'.

[Kevbo1987]

Couch Potato probably would have done well, but I highly doubt it would have done as well as White and Nerdy. Couch Potato is a funny song, but it's about TV shows. Most people who aren't fans would probably just chuckle and move on. White and Nerdy really has people talking. I think it's a combination of the popularity of the song and the nerd stereotypes presented throughout the song. Most people who consider themselves to be nerdy can identify with quite a bit of the song, and it allows them to laugh at themselves.

[Bruce the Duck]

I think "Couch Potato" would have been a lot more successful, but not as successful as W&N. Everyone has made excellent points here, and I'd rather not just repeat what everyone already said. But I'll add that if you look at Al's BIGGEST hits, there are basically 6 major ones:

Eat It
Like a Surgeon
Fat
Smells Like Nirvana
Amish Paradise
White & Nerdy

Now, what those parodies all have in common is that the original songs were all still relevant and popular when the parodies were released. With the exception of "Polka Party!" which lost a lot of sales due to the cover and title, I think, and "Poodle Hat," which suffered from not having a video, none of the other albums had current, relevant parodies. For those others he chose to parody older songs, which economically wasn't the best decision, even though the songs may have been great.

Had CP had a video, it certainly would have been among those already listed above. It was current. It was a parody of Eminem, who is the rap equivalent of Nirvana or Michael Jackson in terms of success and popularity. And the topic was current and relevant.

But as others have already pointed out, the topic of the song has earned Al much more attention than the original song. But it's not just about "hitting people where they live" as others have said. Al's been getting props and recognition from the rap community! With his past rap parodies, I think he was easily dismissed and thought of as a joke by much of the rap community, if thought of at all. But with this song, he's making fun of himself for being a nerd, but at the same time doing it with as much "flow" as many well-established rappers.

So, in conclusion, I think CP might have been as popular as "Amish Paradise" or "It's All About the Pentiums," but definitely not as popular as "White and Nerdy."

[crazymelon]

Yeah, I think that CP could never have been as big as W&N. It definitely has better lyrics and more to relate to.

[kaztaylor]

Another factor that may or may not have contributed is what I call the Black Dog factor. No casual Al fan can ask, "White and Nerdy? Is that the one that goes...?" In W&N, Al says the phrase "white and nerdy" 30 times! How many times does he say the phrase "Couch Potato" in that song? Zero. A casual fan could hear "Couch Potato" on the radio (and while I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony...) and never know the name of the song. The dj MIGHT mention it, or he might just say "here's the new 'Weird Al' song" or "Here's 'Weird Al' doing a parody of Eminem's 'Lose Yourself.'"

And of course OE hit the nail on the head as ALways; W&N is truly the ultimate nerd theme song. The geeks will inherit the Earth! (We're the only ones who know how to run it...)

Eminem was a bigger star then than Chamillionaire is now, but ChaM is on his way up, and Em was and is apparently on his way down, which could account for the difference in the parodies' popularity. (And from what little I know of both men, ChaM up and Em down is the way it should be! I have been so impressed with ChaM's graciousness about W&N; I'm actually considering buying his record...it'd be my first rap CD, that's for sure.)

...what was the question?