"Weird Al" Yankovic finally earned his first top 10 album with "Straight Outta Lynwood" this week and he may repeat the feat on the singles chart, if iTunes is any indicator: "White and Nerdy" has been a top five download since its release. I doubt even Dr. Demento could have predicted such longevity, but 20 years after "Eat It" reached No. 12, Yankovic must feel like a Chamillionaire.
Straight Outta San Diego,
Vince Ripol
Dear Vince,
This week's mailbag is filled with letters about items appearing in Chart Beat, and you can read more about "Weird Al" Yankovic's debut on The Billboard 200 and the Hot 100 in the latest column. "White and Nerdy" enters the Hot 100 at No. 28, making it Yankovic's second highest-ranked single in his 23-year chart career.
Oh, and here's a link to another article on Billboard. Sorry if it's been posted before (this forum is starting to get really BIG)!
Squirrelygirl @ Oct 8 2006, 06:05 PM wrote:
Oh, and here's a link to another article on Billboard. Sorry if it's been posted before (this forum is starting to get really BIG)!
SG, thanks for posting that awesome item! I love that, purely by chance, they mentioned the magic number THREE times!
Are they correct in labeling four SOL songs as style parodies? I'm skeptical. My 7-year-old daughter for whatever reason always wants to know which Al songs are parodies and which are originals. I explained the concept of a style parody to her, but if Al wrote both the words and the music, I consider it an original! I refuse to recognize style parodies as anything but brilliant Al originals in which the musical influences are slightly more obvious.
Thanks again for finding that and posting it for us.
Pancreas = Brian Wilson
I'll Sue Ya = Rage Against The Machine
Virus Alert = Sparks (an obscure British band from the 70s)
Close But No Cigar = Cake
Don't Download This Song = "We Are The World"
I wonder which one they weren't counting...
I couldn't tell a dirt clod from a plate of caviar.
We can call them style homages if it makes everybody feel better, since Al has said he does those songs out of appreciation for the bands/musicians whose style he's attempting to imitate. I'm with Kaz... if Al isn't having to pay royalties to anybody else, it's an Al original.
"Weird Al" has a charisma that's all his own. The awkward, the misshapen, the socially inept flock to his banner.
TMBJon @ Oct 9 2006, 01:38 AM wrote:
Virus Alert = Sparks (an obscure British band from the 70s)
To correct the correction, Sparks is a US band that started in the 70s and still exists and puts out music today. In the mid-70s they went to the UK because they were more popular there. The lead singer often sang in a faux-British accent, though, so I can see where the mistake was made.
I actually WOULD like to watch Al playing some of his songs on solo accordion (Al, if you're reading and need ideas for bonus material on the next album, take note! )
"Weird Al" has a charisma that's all his own. The awkward, the misshapen, the socially inept flock to his banner.
GWGumby @ Oct 9 2006, 01:17 PM wrote:
To correct the correction, Sparks is a US band that started in the 70s and still exists and puts out music today. In the mid-70s they went to the UK because they were more popular there. The lead singer often sang in a faux-British accent, though, so I can see where the mistake was made.
Shows what Wikipedia knows...
I couldn't tell a dirt clod from a plate of caviar.
)