What's Most To Blame For Perform This Way's Lack Of Success

[Orthography Enthusiast]

I am NOT a hæþen. Quite the contrary; I live in a condo.

And to try and un-derail this train, I think Perform This Way would have done a lot better if the release schedule had not been derailed by the Gaga Saga.

[Teh Dingo]

Maybe it was the French mispronunciation all along

[weirdojace]

I voted for "it's just not very good." Like Bruce the Duck said, parodying the biggest artist or #1 song isn't what makes a hit Weird Al track. It's having a good idea for a parody. White & Nerdy exploded because it's a good song, not because Al parodied the latest and greatest music sensation. And sometimes I don't think Al realizes this. (Scratch that, he doesn't realize that at all most of the time. Freakin' Couch Potato...)

Amish Paradise is a great song and has staying power. White & Nerdy is a great song and has staying power. Perform This Way is a disposable parody making fun of a pop singer that people won't be making jokes about 10 years from now.

Parodying Lady Gaga wasn't the issue. If he took the time to make something really, really good, he could have turned a Gaga parody into a huge hit. There wasn't anything wrong with Al's decision to parody Lady Gaga, it was his execution. At the end of day, it's about whether or not the song itself was good.

[anthontherun]

I think Jace brings up a good point in that a huge problem with PTW is that it's definitely of the moment. That's not meant as a slight on Lady Gaga or a commentary on her staying power--FWIW I definitely expect her to still be a noteworthy artist for a decent while, albeit on a smaller scale--but it's built around a phenomenon that people will sooner than later grow weary of: namely, "ZOMG, that Gaga wears some wacky outfits!" It's not going to be relevant forever, whereas people are always going to eat and have surgical procedures, and there will always be Amish people and nerdy white guys.

Of course, that doesn't explain why "Smells Like Nirvana" has remained one of his most timeless lead parodies...but in its defense, the lyrics are much more clever and the original song is far more iconic--not to mention way better--than "Born This Way." But maybe that's a rare case where you have that one song that envelopes pop culture in such a way that the parody will inevitably stand the test of time. After all, "Eat It" is far from a lyrical masterpiece but Michael Jackson defined the musical landscape of that era so much that it's bound to always remain a classic. If Al had been writing parodies in the 60s, I'm sure that we'd all fondly remember and herald the brilliance of "This Chicken is So Bland" even though, let's face it, the lyrics are pretty amateur ("Oh yeah, I hate your cooking / I hope you understand / You've got to use some seasoning / This chicken is so bland").

I still think "TMZ" or "Party in the CIA" would have been better-received by the general audience. That's why it's such a bummer it took so long for Alpocalypse to come out...

[Orthography Enthusiast]

The other thing that I think Al was a bit hamstrung by was the anthemic-ness of "Born This Way." That put pressure on him too.

[Killingsworth]

I just voted for "other" because even though I didn't really "go nuts" the rest of the options didn't quite fit my line or reasoning. "Perform This Way" is a good parody in and of itself (pun not intended). It does a perfectly fine job of summing up and satirizing the shock value of Gaga's whole act without being too crass or insulting. However, as Jace said it is too "of the moment" to be a lead single. I can see why Al thought otherwise, but Stefani Germanotta isn't exactly the female reincarnation of Kurt Cobain here. Who knows how well this song is going to age over the next two decades?

[weirdojace]

Of course, that doesn't explain why "Smells Like Nirvana" has remained one of his most timeless lead parodies...but in its defense, the lyrics are much more clever and the original song is far more iconic--not to mention way better--than "Born This Way." But maybe that's a rare case where you have that one song that envelopes pop culture in such a way that the parody will inevitably stand the test of time.

Right. Smells Like Nirvana stood the test of time because Nirvana, and the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" are so iconic that it's still a good parody even today. Not to mention the video was being played alongside the Nirvana video on MTV all the time.

[Eyeball Chair]

I enjoyed the song, but the video really wasn't very impressive. Al's other videos are way better in comparison.

White and Nerdy was a much better single than this song. The video was better, the song was better, but the new song is definitely getting the same amount of attention.

[RyanHippFTW]

...but the new song is definitely getting the same amount of attention.

[minnick27]

Nowhere near the attention. Go to a show and see the reaction between PTW and WaN or AP even. I think the song will last as a full song foe maybe the next tour, and then medley. Although I'd say it will probably be in the medley next tour