Next Lead Single

[TMBJon]

It seems like a lot is riding on Al's next lead single. If he can produce another White & Nerdy, he will really be on a roll at this point in his career. Given that we already know most of the rest of the album, it's clear that if he comes up with a BIG hit, he would have a solid album to support it. It seems pointless to ask "do you think Al can do it?" but I guess the more poignant question would be what does Al have to do in order to meet that level of hit? In this day and age, does he have to do a very ubiquitous artist aka the Michael Jackson or Lady Gaga route, or should he go for a lesser known artist matched with a genius comedy idea aka the Chamillionare or Coolio route? In my opinion the latter always works out better.
I remember Bruce the Duck once postulated that the thing all of Al's most successful hits have had in common is that they make fun of someone, rather than just being about something. I always thought that was sort of a generalization, and even if it was true it's still pretty vague.
What do others think it would take for Al to hit gold two albums in a row? What advice would you give him as he starts looking around this fall for his next lead?

[Orthography Enthusiast]

I think BTD was completely offbase about the making-fun thing. What Al IDEALLY needs is a monster hit with music that a lot of people actually like, coupled with a subject of humor that a lot of people IDENTIFY with. White & Nerdy didn't go viral because a lot of people wanted to make fun of nerds, It got passed around, commented on, linked, and purchased (can't forget the purchasing part) because people RECOGNIZED themselves, friends, loved ones as nerds. And think of the surprising longevity of eBay. Widely popular tune, widely-indulged-in activity.

[anthontherun]

I think W&N hit the mark in pretty much every way possible...but anyone who could relate to "Amish Paradise" is unlikely to have heard the song.

What it takes is something immaculately clever that stands out from the flood of parodies of any given hit song on YouTube...which I know is obvious and doesn't really say a whole lot, but I don't think turning "Beat It" into "Eat It" would really cut it these days. "Whatever You Like" too was sort of a dud. And I think it's generally accepted that "You're Pitiful" as a free download = "Hey, cool, free bonus Al song!" while "You're Pitiful" as a lead single = "Anybody could've written this, who cares."

But when I heard "I Want it That Way," the parody opportunities seemed endless, yet "I bought on eBay" was a stroke of genius I would've never thought of.

[weirdojace]

Yeah... it needs to be a parody of a massively popular song, and the subject matter needs to be something that everybody can identify with. Or just finds really freakin funny.

Hopefully he can do it. But a lead single is what either makes or breaks a Weird Al CD.

[TMBJon]

Hopefully he can do it. But a lead single is what either makes or breaks a Weird Al CD.

This is the heart of what I was trying to say, and while Al has had many massive singles, he has only had two massive hits back to back once: Eat It and Like A Surgeon, and these were so early in his career it's almost unfair to count them. And as Poodle Hat demonstrated, without the lead single in place it doesn't matter how good the rest of the album may be. The other thing that gives me pause is the fact that Al was apparently totally content with making You're Pitiful his lead single for Straight Outta Lynwood. Seriously, we should all be thanking Atlantic Records for stepping in.

[Orthography Enthusiast]

I think at this point even Al must secretly be kind of grateful to Atlantic Records.

[mrmeadows]

Breakdown of each album's lead single: (I'm doing this at work, so if it feels rushed....that's because it is!)

RICKY (WAY): His first, so hard to gauge. At this point, this was still a "novelty" song, but it was marginally successful. I remember the music video getting a lot of airplay, probably because it was so different. (Another key to success: a good music video.) Attributes: Pop culture reference everyone with a TV connected to, and parody of a fun, upbeat song.

EAT IT (In-3D): The one he's known for. Still, in hindsight one of his weaker parody ideas; anyone could have come up with that idea, but Al did it first. And he took a simple concept and made it hilarious. Also, a great music video parody to go along with it right as MTV was in it's heyday = score. Attributes: parody of HUGE mega-star and song; about food.

LIKE A SURGEON (Dare to Be Stupid): Another big hit, supposedly suggested by Madonna herself. Like the above, not the most ingenious concept (if Madonna can come up with it, there you go) but the execution was great. Attributes: again, a parody of a huge mega-star; about. . .surgery?

LIVING WITH A HERNIA (Polka Party!): Al's first flop. Personally, I think it's a hilarious parody, and a nice change of pace from his previous hits. That is, the concept was not the least bit obvious. However, that didn't translate into record sales. Attributes: parody of a marginally successful song featured in a "Rocky" sequel and sung by an aging James Brown; again about medical-related subject, but this time a specific ailment; forgettable music video.

FAT (Even Worse): Rebounded with this hit, going back to the Michael Jackson well. A very "jokey" song, with oodles of fat jokes throughout. Coupled with one of his all-time best music videos, this helped make Even Worse his most successful album since In-3D. Attributes: another MJ song; relatable to many people; in the end, I submit it was the hilarious video that really put this one over the edge and made Al relevant again.

MONEY FOR NOTHING/BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (UHF): Odd choice, but it was actually featured in the film that this is a soundtrack for, so it was the default lead parody. Not a success, but then neither was the movie. Attributes: parody of older song by has-been band; shorter than original; like "Ricky" about a specific TV show.

SMELLS LIKE NIRVANA (Off the Deep End): Amazingly successful parody of popular grunge band. One of first parodies to actually spoof the artists themselves in the actual lyrics. Took Al to a new level. Attributes: parody of a niche genre, but a nonetheless ubiquitous song/band at the time; fantastic music video; parody subject was the band being spoofed.

JURASSIC PARK (Alapalooza): Parody of somewhat obscure, maudlin song from the 60's, re-tooled to be about hit movie of the modern era. Disappointing sales after success of OTDE. Interesting experiment to use a parody of an older song for the lead, but it ultimately failed. . .in this case. Attributes: first "classic" song spoof; first parody based on a movie plot; Claymation music video that was pretty much ignored by an already waning MTV.

AMISH PARADISE (Bad Hair Day): Another bounce-back album for Al, and his most popular album to date. First lead parody based on a rap song (would not be his last), and a really inspired parody concept. Attributes: parody of rap song featured in popular movie; about...the Amish?; decent music video that got some play; controversy in the press (Al vs. Coolio feud)

THE SAGA BEGINS (Running with Scissors): Risky return to spoofing a classic song/popular movie as the lead parody, but this time he was successful. Reason? He chose the right song, and the right movie. "American Pie" is more well-known (and liked) than "MacArthur Park", and Star Wars is, well...Star Wars. Attributes: Popular classic song + popular classic/modern movie = sales; music video (not widely circulated on MTV).

COUCH POTATO (Poodle Hat): Back to rap, spoofing biggest rap artist at the time. A somewhat successful album, but not a blockbuster. Music video planned, but stymied by Eminiem. Attributes: rap parody; about TV; "list" song; no music video; more controversy!

WHITE & NERDY (Straight Outta Lynwood): More rap, this time of a more obscure rap artist (outside of those who listen to rap, anyway.) Subject matter attracted many who would likely be fans of Al in the first place (i.e. nerds.) Internet played more of a role in getting word out. Attributes: relatable subject matter; not based on a universally popular/known rap song, but about universal theme. Viral music video. (Buh-bye, MTV.)

CONCLUSION: After hitting and missing so many times, it seems Al struck a real chord with "Amish Paradise" and never really looked back. Even the most disappointing album between BHD and now (in terms of sales) did fairly well. Seems like his biggest hits seem to have specific targets (i.e. fat people, nerds, Nirvana, the Amish), while songs targeting movies and television do less well ("The Saga Begins" being the exception). While Al needed to target mega-stars (Madonna, MJ) early on to build his name, going with the Coolios, Chamillionaires, and Don McLean's of the world hasn't worked out too badly for him as of late. Seems to me that parody concept is key, and the combination of choosing the right song (not necessarily artist) to go with a highly original concept will translate into success. And a good music video never hurts, either.

[Mystik Tomato]

Mr Meadows, I believe that you forgot WYL, but that failed because it's a parody about a no-name artist about food. (With a couple of economy jokes thrown in.)

[TMBJon]

Mr Meadows, I believe that you forgot WYL, but that failed because it's a parody about a no-name artist about food. (With a couple of economy jokes thrown in.)

1) WYL is not a lead-off single.
2) T.I. is NOT a no-name artist!!

[Grom]

Yeah! He's a two-initial artist!