The driving force behind the legendary career of “Weird Al” Yankovic has obviously been his titanic catalog of lyrical and stylistic parodies. But behind classics like “Eat It,”’ “Smells Like Nirvana,” and “Amish Paradise,” among dozens of other time-tested tracks are a myriad of tunes penned and composed by Yankovic himself, and while some of which may not have achieved the level of success of his parody works, there are a number of true gems that have churned out of the mind of Yankovic all on their own.
In celebration of Yankovic’s return to the area this weekend for a quick two-night stint at Medford’s Chevalier Theatre tonight and Saturday (May 6 and 7), as part of his Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-indulgent, Ill-advised Vanity Tour, we combed through The Weird One’s discography and chose our favorite original works from (almost) every one of his 14 studio albums, for a few reasons. One of which being “because we can, so we did,” while another is that’s entirely too rare that a discussion ensues about the sheer free-flowing hilarity of “Albuquerque.”
Check it out.
‘Mr. Frump In The Iron Lung’ from ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic (1983)
What better way to introduce the sheer original oddity of a man who goes by the nickname “Weird” than this song? I mean, where in the hell did the idea for this song come from? The chorus is just labored breathing! How is that not hilarious to you?!
‘That Boy Could Dance’ from In 3-D (1984)
A straight-up ripper from early in Al’s repertoire about finding that one redeeming quality in the weird person you always seem to encounter. Extra points since it keeps up a wild amount of energy throughout.
‘Dare To Be Stupid’ from Dare To Be Stupid (1985)
Yes, stylistic parodies count here, and this song is the perfect one to introduce that little curveball. Easily one of his most iconic tracks, and while Devo’s inspiration is embedded in the song’s base, the lyrics are undeniably Al, and that right there is an unfair combo.
‘Good Old Days’ from Even Worse (1988)
The James Taylor-esque vibe of this one hooks you with its seemingly gooey chocolate center before taking a quick right turn to torturing rats in the basement and leaving a prom date stranded in the desert as a joke. A match made in Heaven, hands down.
‘UHF’ from UHF (1989)
Quite possibly the most legit banger on this list, the title track from the movie soundtrack isn’t necessarily weez-til-you-pee funny, but man does it get the people going when you crank up the volume and yank off the knob.
‘You Don’t Love Me Anymore’ from Off The Deep End (1992)
The play on Extreme’s “More Than Words” music video, and the ability to make treacherous acts of emotional torture and psychotic outbursts of physical destruction somehow seem poignant and reflective is just top-tier comedy every time.
‘Harvey The Wonder Hamster’ from Alapalooza (1993)
The shortest song in his catalog, and Yankovic lives out a dream that most of us have of singing our praises for our pets (imaginary or otherwise) in over-the-top marching band fashion.
‘The Night Santa Went Crazy’ from Bad Hair Day (1996)
Often highlighted as Yankovic’s darkest offering to date, the holly jolly description of unbridled carnage and death at the hands of St. Nick leaves you almost wanting it to go darker after awhile. Is that cause for concern? Totally possible, but taking this sleigh ride to hell to kick off your holiday festivities will slowly become a tradition after awhile if you don’t watch out.
‘Albuquerque’ from Running With Scissors (1999)
Feet to the fire, this would have to be included in some sort of discussion surrounding the best spoken-word tracks of our time. Just a free-flowing rant of beautiful nonsense that travels from setting to setting with little transition in between, and we couldn’t love it anymore just on that aspect alone.
‘Truck Driving Song’ from Running With Scissors (1999)
To this day, it’s a gross misjustice that there was never an official music video for this song. Turning the burly, rootin’-tootin’ demeanor of country music on its head while using one of the most symbolically “masculine” objects to do it is just absolute gold.
‘Party At The Leper Colony’ from Poodle Hat (2003)
Visually traumatizing, for sure, but the genius play on words alone is enough to add this to any playlist. And the big-band vibe just makes it all that much more noteworthy. Anyone feeling Stew for dinner?
‘Don’t Download This Song’ from Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)
Regardless of the comedic factor of this song, it’s a fairly noble scoff in the face of the music industry and it’s half-hearted attempts at stifling file-sharing with overly-intense ad campaigns and lukewarm threats of legal action. Al was rebelling against the man before it was cool.
‘Skipper Dan’ from Alpocalypse (2011)
We’ve all been there: Planning out every detail of our lives before realizing that, sometimes, dreams were only destined to be just that (sorry, Shia LaBeouf), but this tune takes the unfortunate turns of one Skipper named Dan and turns them into an upbeat effort to help wash away the sting of life’s redirections, regardless of what occupation you hold. At least until you clock back in the next day.
‘Sports Song’ from Mandatory Fun (2015)
Bringing back the tried-and-true marching band energy, this song isn’t played in nearly enough arenas and stadiums. But the whole “We’re great, and you suck!” chant would probably would get more people into it, even if “doing the sports ball” wasn’t initially your thing.