World of Weird Al Yankovic

crazygurl14 wrote:http://www.thebrag.com/2011/03/14/inter ... -yankovic/

Like “Put On,” “Whatever You Like” came out in the depths of the recession (“Put On” is actually a single from Young Jeezy’s album The Recession), so its glitzy talk of shopping sprees and glamorous vacations registered as unabashed escapism to most listeners. T.I. slips into sugar-daddy mode as he promises the world and more to the woman willing to wait out his habitual prison stints to be with him. It’s R&B ear candy from a rapper with the street credibility and rap sheet to get away with making a blatant pop song for the ladies.

“Weird Al” Yankovic captured the national mood more acutely when he released a parody of the same name while T.I.’s single was still riding high on the charts. Yankovic begins by acknowledging that “our economy’s in the toilet” before promising such cut-rate luxuries as tater tots, Cold Duck on ice, and all-night coupon-clipping marathons. Yankovic’s take on the song isn’t just a parody; it’s a corrective. T.I. gives listeners a giddy fantasy where Yankovic conveys a satirical truth about the grim economic realities of the day. In that respect, it echoes Jay-Z and Kanye West’s antithetical versions of “’02 Bonnie And Clyde.”