World of Weird Al Yankovic

With the recent debate in the MF section, let's explore this.

Obviously, it depends on what Al chooses to parody. I do sometimes listen to top 40 radio just to hear what's out there, especially if I know Al is working on an album. I feel pretty comfortable with most of the top hits this time around. If he goes with hip-hop or Timberlake or One Direction, I'll have to bone up. I figure I'll have heard at least half the songs in the polka. I think that's where bands like the Lumineers will end up, and maybe stuff like Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus.

I first became a fan shortly after RWS came out. I knew three of the parody targets (The Saga Begins, One Week, and Zoot Suit Riot). As I listened to the back catalog and collected more Al songs, I knew a handful of the targets, but not all of them.

When I first heard the announced tracklist for Poodle hat, I knew Complicated and I Want It That Way for the parodies, and The Real Slim Shady and the Kid Rock song (who has a spelling that I'm too lazy to look up) for the polka. My mom quickly played Lose Yourself for me, and I had plans to listen to Piano Man and Hot In Herre, but then the brain tumors were found and I went in the hospital before I could listen.

When the track list for Straight Outta Lynwood was first announced, I had heard every original except Do I Make You Proud, as well as knowing the majority of songs in the polka. I then quickly listened to Do I Make You Proud and the rest of the songs in the polka.

When we found out the tracks for Alpocalypse, I had heard every original on the album, as well as about 3/4 of the songs in the polka.

I had not heard Fancy before a few days ago, but know feel like I know it pretty well. And I will make sure to know the other songs parodied (if I don't already) by the time the album comes out.

I guess my vote would be somewhere in the 5-8 range. I don't often listen to top 40 radio but over the last few albums, I don't think there's been any song parodied or polka'd that I hadn't at least heard of. Once we know what's going to be included, I make sure to listen to it all ahead of time.

Usually I'm stuck more in the past of pop culture but with Mandatory Fun right around the corner I've been cramming a lot of nowadays music in my head just to prepare for anything. I know I'm only almost 17 but I can't bare to listen to a lot of music from now.

I haven't really made it a thing to know music until recently because before high school I was just convinced I hated all music, then all music except Weird Al. Once I actually had friends I rode in cars with the radios on, I was more into the pop music scene. Because of this, I ended up knowing a lot of the songs on Alpocalypse, especially a lot more than Straight Outta Lynwood because I am a young white girl child

For Mandatory Fun, I feel fairly secure that I will know at least 90-95% of the song targets because I like/accept pop music now. The only reason I didn't vote 10 is to leave some room for maybe not knowing a song or two in the polka.

I went with a 6, and basically fall into the same type as anth. I work in Los Angeles (in "the industry"), so it's hard for me to totally avoid pop culture, but I don't necessarily actively avoid it. That said, I'm not a huge fan of most modern musical artists of any genre, with very rare exceptions. Going into this new Al album, I am at least aware of some of the songs that are being thrown around as target possibilities (e.g. "Happy", "Blurred Lines", "Get Lucky"), but I did have to look up Iggy Azalea/"Fancy" and Imagine Dragons' stuff, as that all somehow got past me.

Now, if/when we KNOW the artists/songs being parodied ahead of the release date, I will start brushing up on them. I'll load them onto my phone and listen to them on jogs and immerse myself in them (as painful as that may be, depending on the song....one reason I kind-sorta hope "Blurred Lines" isn't being parodied). Even if we're only halfway sure about a target, I'll usually start boning up on the song just in case. For example, when everyone--including me--was just SO SURE that "TMZ" was a parody of "Teenage Dream", I listened to it more than I ever would otherwise. (I.e. At all).

As for the polkafied songs, I MIGHT YouTube them when they're known just to get a taste, but I don't go overboard. On the whole, I'd say I'm usually at least familiar with 50-60% or so of the polka targets going in anyway.

Gosh, I hope we find out the targets soon!

I put myself at a '9'.

I'm probably a tad 'lower', around a '7.'

I generally listen to Philly's rock and alternative stations, but come the weekend I do listen to the top 40 stations. I'm a fan of Postmodern Jukebox, who does jazz/ragtime/doo-wop versions of modern songs, so when they do a song I look it up. For instance, I hadn't heard Miley Cyrus's "We Can't Stop" until I heard Postmodern's doo-wop version. Then I looked up hers.

Generally I know most of the songs Al does...UNLESS it's a rap song. I gave up on rap post-1997 unless it's a major name (Jay-Z, Eminem, Kanye), but I've listened to them for years.

I ranked myself at about a 9 based on my familiarity with the fodder for Al's previous two albums. The only song I didn't know on SOL was "Do I Make You Proud". I mean, I knew who Taylor Hicks was (that year) but I didn't know any of his songs.

When Jeremy posted a list of all the Polka Face songs (as originally played on the 2010 tour) I found the only ones I didn't quite know were "Need You Now" and "Break Your Heart". I had to listen to "Born This Way" and "Nothin' On You" a bit more before the album came out, but I knew the other three parodies very well.

I guess I could say the Weird Al fan in me drives me to keep up with current music more, so I can be in on the joke.

I became an Al fan way before I was old enough to enjoy serious music that much, so I often become familiar with an original song after I already know the parody. Last year I switched to a school without busses, so I ride the car everyday (well not now because summer), and the radio has proved to be a great way to keep up with popular music, so I expect to know more of the song targets on MF than I've known in the past.