Next Lead Single

[The Doctor]

Am I the only one who just got an image in my mind about Al coming out on stage wearing a Lady Gaga-type dress with the poofy shoulders? o_O I may have nightmares.

But a Lady Gaga parody would be awesome!

[FredHuggins]

If you think Lady Gaga is fleeting, I would like to read your thoughts on the top 2-3 artists in pop music right now.

David Cassidy, Perry Como, and the chick from The Cranberries. Right?

I'm not saying Gaga isn't the biggest artist around right now. She most certainly is. But regardless, if Al parodies Gaga on the same album as a song called "Polka Face" it will simply read as too much Gaga. Critics looking for a Gaga/Weird Al connection will be satiated by the polka.

None of us need worry that his next lead-off single won't be "relevant" just because it's not Gaga-induced. HE'S "WEIRD AL" SMURFING YANKOVIC. He will strike with an unexpected slice of pure genius for his next single. One that will make us ALL forget about Gaga. I know this because he's done it before; NONE OF US predicted the sheer awesomeness of "White & Nerdy" back when we were all enjoying the free "You're Pitiful" download, angry at Atlantic for the three-month delay on Album #12.

If Al hasn't earned your trust by now, WHAT THE HELL WILL IT TAKE?!?

[RyanHippFTW]

Baby's blood and the flesh of virgins.

[weirdojace]

He hasn't earned my trust, actually. Yeah, he made "White & Nerdy" which was amazing. But like Jon said, he was perfectly content with releasing You're Pitiful as the lead parody. Not at all a strong choice and wouldn't have done nearly as well.

Not to mention using "Couch Potato" for Poodle Hat. Awful song. Even with a video... still would have been a terrible song. Ugh, it felt like such a throwaway idea.

And this album doing well, and Al making a big comeback after the success of W&N all depends on how good of an idea this lead parody will be.

[FredHuggins]

He hasn't earned my trust, actually.

BUH-LASPHEMY!!!

Y'know, I suspect a big reason we consider "Couch Potato" and "You're Pitiful" "weak" singles is precisely because neither had a video. Try to imagine, for a minute, a world where "White & Nerdy" had no video. No iconic images of "nerdy Al" riding his segway, mowing the lawn, playing Minesweeper, doing vector calculus in the shower, geeking out over the Star Wars Holiday Special and making sweet monkey love to the bubble wrap. NO DONNY OSMOND DANCING AROUND.

Would we revere "White & Nerdy" even HALF as much without its video?

Once Al finally got the chance to direct and star in a kick-ass big-budget live action video, he blew us all away. I truly believe that signature Weird Al videos would have elevated "Couch Potato" AND "You're Pitiful" from weak singles to strong ones. (And don't tell me James Blunt gave Al nothing to work with - when Madonna did nothing more than writhe around in a gondola for four minutes, Al added hilarious hospital gags. HE'S CREATIVE. HE CAN ADJUST. To claim that a "You're Pitiful" video would've been nothing more than the live t-shirt thing is to claim that you can see into Al's mind. Is that a claim you really want to make?)

[spmahn]

How would a video in any way saved Couch Potato? It just wasn't a funny song, and it has no point or concept, it's just a long list of random television shows sung to the tune of Lose Yourself. The song felt horribly dated even within a year of its release, there was nothing that could have saved that song from mediocracy. Same thing goes for You're Pitiful, it's a funny song, but it's a one joke idea. It would have been a fine song as the second or third parody on the album, but not the first.

[anthontherun]

Well, in fairness--I don't think "Fat" would be considered a major milestone without the video. A video could have made "Couch Potato" into something better, but at the same time, "Living with a Hernia" had a video and I've never really seen anyone sing its praises as a superb lead parody. I can't help but think "You're Pitiful" would fall into the same camp. Like I said before, as a free song, it's great. Had it been the lead single--or even an Internet Leak like WYL--it'd be awful. YP and WYL both feel like they could've been written by any YouTube parodist--the concepts aren't exactly earth-shattering and the jokes are mostly predictable.

As for "White and Nerdy"--the video helped it go viral but I think the song very much stands on its own as one of the most clever and well-written things he's ever done. A video isn't essential for a song to become incredibly popular among fans ("Yoda," "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi") nor does it guarantee that it will ("Jurassic Park," "Hernia").

[TMBJon]

I believe strongly that Couch Potato, and by extension, Poodle Hat, would have been huge hits had there been a Couch Potato video. I think the song is funny, a strong parody of the original, and has ample room for video throughout. I picture Al dressed up as Ozzy Osbourne, someone on American Idol, and other characters from the song, all with Al doing various 8 Mile-esque spoofs. Would have been a very funny video I am sure.

[spmahn]

But what do Ozzy or American Idol have to do with the song, or with Eminem, or Eight Mile? Sure, they may be briefly mentioned in the song, but why would dressing as these people be humorous in and of itself? A video would not have saved the song.

[TMBJon]

You could say the same thing about Smells Like Nirvana then.
It's not just that Al would be in an Ozzy costume but he could have, in that 20 seconds, done a pretty funny send-up of the show.
As far as what they had to do with Eminem, you could have the "Alinem" character watching TV while rapping or possibly holding a handheld TV like the ONE publicity photo that exists suggested.