The Life Of An Oddball: Weird Facts About Weird Al Yankovic

Jackson Sawa | August 21, 2018 9:58 pm

Living in a pop culture world where being "cool" is everything, "Weird Al" Yankovic has never shied away from being the black sheep of the industry. Known for his parodies of some of the world's most popular songs, Yankovic has managed to create quite the reputation for himself throughout his life. However, nobody can do what Yankovic does by having a boring or average life. See the road Weird Al has taken to get where he is today and why they don't call him "Weird Al" for nothing.

He Doesn't Need Permission To Parody Songs But Asks Anyway

Greg Doherty/Getty Images
Greg Doherty/Getty Images

Because of the "fair use" provision of the U.S. copyright law, Yankovic, as well as others, do not need permission from original artists of songs to satirize their work, as long as they are paid royalties. However, Yankovic has never been out to make enemies in the music industry, so he's sure to ask the artists anyway.

When Yankovic was still new to the game, he learned that if you don't have the original artist's blessing, it can be hard to get a label to release your music. He learned this the hard way after parodying Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust" with "Another One Rides the Bus." TK Records was hesitant to release it, although Queen later said it was okay.

ADVERTISEMENT

Some Labels And Musicians Have Said No

ADVERTISEMENT
Scott Legato/Getty Images
Scott Legato/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Yankovic has admitted that around 2-3% of artists say no to him parodying a song. A few of the most notable rejections include Led Zeppelin, although Jimmy Page is a fan. Paul McCartney wouldn't allow him to use "Live and Let Die."

ADVERTISEMENT

On occasion, an artist may agree but is overruled by the label who think that it would be bad publicity for the label or may take away from their own sales. One example was when James Blunt thought it would be a "huge compliment" for Yankovic to turn "You're Beautiful" into "You're Pitiful," but Atlantic Records said no way.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Like A Surgeon" Was Madonna's Idea

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images
Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Believe it or not, Weird Al's single "Like a Surgeon" was actually Madonna's own idea to have him tweak her song "Like a Virgin." Apparently, Madonna had mentioned to her friend that she wished Weird Al would parody one of her songs. As it turns out, the friend she was talking to was a mutual friend of Jay Levey, Yankovic's manager.

ADVERTISEMENT

Levey relayed the information to Yankovic who was thrilled at Madonna's wish. Not long after, "Like a Surgeon" became the first single and video on his album Dare to be Stupid. However, this was the last time an artist has successfully recommended an idea to Yankovic, as he discourages people from giving him suggestions.

ADVERTISEMENT

His Parents Chose for Him To Play The Accordian

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images
Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

As it turns out, the day before Weird Al turned seven, a door-to-door salesman knocked on Yankovic's door selling lessons for either accordion or guitar lessons. Because "America's Polka King" Frankie Yankovic shared the family's last name, Yankovic's father decided that his son would play the accordion.

ADVERTISEMENT

Yankovic eventually learned to play rock and roll on his accordion starting with songs from Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Although Frankie and Al weren't actually related, the two would end up collaborating with each other on Frankie's song "Who Stole Kishka" and Al's song "Polka Face."

ADVERTISEMENT

He Recorded "My Bologna" In A Bathroom

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
David A. Beloff/Getty Images
David A. Beloff/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In 1979, during his senior year in college, Weird Al recorded his parody of The Knack's "My Sharona" and changed it to "My Bologna." He recorded it in the tiled bathroom across the hall from the college radio station. He found a microphone cable that reached from the bathroom to the KCPR-FM's tape deck. The song became a major hit and was promoted on Dr. Demento's show, turning Yankovic's hobby into a career.

ADVERTISEMENT

When The Knack performed at Yankovic's campus, Yankovic was allowed to meet the band backstage. Here, the band's lead singer Doug Feiger told Yankovic that he really liked the parody and even helped him to get a six month contract with Capitol Records.

ADVERTISEMENT

Michael Jackson Was A Big Fan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Michael Tran/FilmMagic
Michael Tran/FilmMagic
ADVERTISEMENT

Initially, Yankovic was unsure if pop legend Michael Jackson would appreciate his song "Eat It," a play on Michael Jackson's song "Beat It." However, it turns out that Jackson truly enjoyed Yankovic's music and found it funny.

ADVERTISEMENT

So, when Yankovic came up with the song "Fad" for Jackson's "Bad," not only did Jackson agree, but he also let him use the set for his "Badder" music video. With the help of Jackson, Yankovic went on to win the 1988 Grammy for Best Concept Music Video. The two only met in person on a few occasions, but they left each other notes while they were studio neighbors recording on their own albums.

ADVERTISEMENT

His First Gig Didn't Go As Planned

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Johnny Louis/FilmMagic
Johnny Louis/FilmMagic
ADVERTISEMENT

In 1982, Weird Al and his band played their first major gig, opening for the band Missing Persons at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. However, things didn't go as planne for Weird Al and his band, who spent their entire 45-minute set dodging things being thrown at them by the crowd.

ADVERTISEMENT

Still, Yankovic recalls the band scrambling for the loose change that was being thrown at them. The insulting didn't end after their set ended either, Yankovic remembers being made fun of by a little boy on the way to his car. After that, the group decided to never play as an opening act until they opened for The Monkees in 1987.

ADVERTISEMENT

Michael Jackson Wouldn't Let Him Use "Black and White"

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
ADVERTISEMENT

Despite Michael Jackson and Weird Al's friendly relationship, Jackson declined Al's request to parody his song "Black and White." The song was intended to be made into "Snack All Night," but because Jackson felt that "Black and White" had such a deep message, he didn't want it to be made fun of.

ADVERTISEMENT

Yet, later, Weird Al claimed that Jackson did him a huge favor by helping him not become "the Michael Jackson parody guy," and forced him to seek out new ventures instead. Although "Snack All Night" was never recorded and put on an album, Yankovic has still played it at some shows.

ADVERTISEMENT

Coolio Wasn't Happy About Yankovic's "Amish Paradise"

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Alyse Gilbert/Young Hollywood/Getty Images
Alyse Gilbert/Young Hollywood/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In 1996, Yankovic released his song "Amish Paradise" which was based on the rapper Coolio's track "Gangster Paradise." In an interview, Coolio complained saying "I ain't with that. No. I didn't give it any sanction. I think that my song was too serious [...] I think 'Gangsta's Paradise' represented something more than that. And I really, honestly and truly, don't appreciate him desecrating the song like that."

ADVERTISEMENT

However, Coolio eventually came around admitted that he overreacting saying that "Michael Jackson didn't get mad [...] complaining about 'Amish Paradise' was one of the dumbest things I did in my career."

ADVERTISEMENT

Nirvana Helped To Save Weird Al's Career

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Paul Natkin/Getty Images
Paul Natkin/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Weird Al's 1989 album UHF ended in disaster and almost cost him his career. However, he went back to the recording studio in 1990, until he ran into an issue. He had writer's block and couldn't think of anything worth parodying. This was just after he had been turned down by Michael Jackson to use "Black and White" which he was banking on.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, when he came across Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," he made a parody called "Smells Like Nirvana." The song lightheartedly made fun of Kurt Cobain's almost indecipherable lyrics. He also copied the Nevermind album cover with the swimming baby chasing a dollar on a fish hook but replaced it with himself reaching for a donut. Luckily, for Yankovic, his idea worked.

ADVERTISEMENT

Eminem Let Him Satirize The Song "Lose Yourself" But Not The Music Video

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
L. Cohen/WireImage
L. Cohen/WireImage
ADVERTISEMENT

While Eminem agreed for Weird Al to turn his hit track "Lose Yourself" into "Couch Potato," he didn't allow him to make a music video of the song. Apparently, Eminem claimed that the music might be harmful to image and diminish the seriousness of his career. The plan for the video was to be an imitation of a number of Eminem's music videos, although it didn't work out.

ADVERTISEMENT

Since Weird Al usually promoted his upcoming singles with a music video, he was then forced to give up on his dreams of making "Couch Potato," which would have been the single to his 2003 album Poodle Hat.

ADVERTISEMENT

Yankovic's Intelligence Led To Him Skipping Grades

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images
Frank Edwards/Fotos International/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

From a young age, it was apparent that Yankovic was an intelligent child. He attended kindergarten a year early and then skipped second grade. Apparently, being the youngest kid in class by far didn't go great for him socially. He said, "I got my fair share of verbal abuse, but I learned to run pretty fast so I didn't get beat up a lot."

ADVERTISEMENT

He also says that when he wasn't running away from bullies, he was pretending to be the TV character Mr. Terrific on the playground. This was something else that the bullies made fun of him for. However, at 16 years old, he graduated from Lynwood High School as valedictorian.

ADVERTISEMENT

He Gave Himself The Nickname "Weird" In College

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Denver Post via Getty Images
Denver Post via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

For the majority of his life, Yankovic went by his real name Alfred. That was until he began to attend school at California Polytechnic State University, where he studied for a degree in architecture. It was there that he added "Weird" to the front of his name, and his ego of Weird Al was born.

ADVERTISEMENT

Yankovic got a gig at the college radio on Wednesdays from midnight until 3 a.m. and needed a DJ name that would stand out from the crowd. So, he decided on "Weird Al," a name that would stick with him for the rest of his career.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prince Wouldn't Allow Weird Al To Look At Him

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
M. Caulfield/WireImage
M. Caulfield/WireImage
ADVERTISEMENT

During the 1980s and 90s, it would only make sense that Yankovic would want to cover a Prince song. However, Prince was having none of it. He made it very clear that he didn't want his work used by Yankovic. He made this as clear as possible before the American Music Awards when Al received a telegram from Prince's lawyer ordering for him to not even look at Prince during the award ceremony.

ADVERTISEMENT

While Prince's request might have been a little over-the-top, Yankovic later discovered that almost everyone sitting by Prince was sent the same telegram. Yankovic later admitted that he snuck in a few glances here and there.

ADVERTISEMENT

Weird Al And The Number 27

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Scott Legato/Getty Images
Scott Legato/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In the beginning of his career, Yankovic says that he would often refer to the number 27 in his songs because it was a lyric that rhymed well, and also because he thinks it's a "pretty funny number." Eventually, some of his fans began to notice the number appearing more and more such as in songs like "This is Life" and "Like a Surgeon."

ADVERTISEMENT

So, in order to play with his fans, he began to incorporate it even more into his music, catering to a small group of conspiracy theorists who believe there's a connection between Weird Al and the number. Of course, some of the theories are pretty far-fetched, although nobody would put it by Yankovic to create a fake conspiracy just for the fun of it.

ADVERTISEMENT

"White & Nerdy" Is Weird Al's Biggest Hit By Far

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Chamillionaire, the rapper that came out with the original track "Ridin' Dirty" loved that Weird Al came out with "White and Nerdy." He says that Yankovic's version of the song help to boost the record sales of his own song, and even credits him as a reason why he won the 2007 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

ADVERTISEMENT

Today, the "White & Nerdy" video on YouTube has over 128 million views and counting. The music video also features Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele of Key & Peele years before they ever became popular. The song is the only one of Yankovic's to ever place on the Billboard Hot 100, ranking at No. 9 when it came out.

ADVERTISEMENT

Weird Al (Might Have) Saved Jeopardy

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Paul Natkin/Getty Images
Paul Natkin/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Believe it or not, Jeopardy! was actually taken off of the air after 1975. However, either coincidentally or not, the show witnessed a revitalization after Weird Al released his song a music video titled "I Lost on Jeopardy."The video was a massive success and even featured the former Jeopardy! host Art Fleming.

ADVERTISEMENT

At the same time, the game show Wheel of Fortune was receiving high ratings and the network was looking to pair it with another game show. Just three months after Weird Al released his Jeopardy! song and video, the show was brought back to NBC with host Alex Trebek. Coincidence?

ADVERTISEMENT

He Had A Children's Show

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

After coming to the realization that a lot of his music was loved by children, he was offered his own show during the Saturday morning time slot. The show, called The Weird Al Showwas supposed to mimic Pee-Wee Herman's quirky and oddball style. Unfortunately, Yankovic's adult music material didn't mesh well with the show which was supposed to be educational, and the show was eventually canceled.

ADVERTISEMENT

The show only lasted a brief four months and was pulled from the air entirely after its cancellation. However, still wanting to cater to younger children, Yankovic went on to publish two children's books which were both well received.

ADVERTISEMENT

He Didn't Parody Lady Gaga Due To A Miscommunication

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Weird Al wrote "Perform This Way" based on Lady Gaga's "Born This Way." Before releasing it, Gaga asked to see the lyrics and hear the recording first. Hopeful, Yankovic sent her the music only to be told that he couldn't release the song. Since the song was supposed to be the single for his next album, he was devastated after being turned down. So, in order to make sure that all of his work wasn't a complete waste, he released the song on YouTube so people would still be able to enjoy it.

ADVERTISEMENT

Soon after, Gaga connected with Yankovic, saying that she never heard the song and that she really enjoyed it. Gaga's label had said no for her and Yankovic missed out on a great opportunity.

ADVERTISEMENT

"American Pie" Singer Don McLean Has Mixed Up His Own Lyrics With Yankovic's More Than Once

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc
ADVERTISEMENT

One of Yankovic's most recognizable songs was hisStar Wars track "The Saga Begins" set to the tune of Don McLean's "American Pie." Yankovic released the song in 1999, just before the premiere ofThe Phantom Menace. Because of his song, he was even invited to attend a fundraiser that screened the movie just to make sure that all of his lyrics lined up with the film.

ADVERTISEMENT

The song grew to be a major hit while being strategically released at the same time as the film. McLean really enjoyed the song too, so much that he's been known to mix up Yankovic's lyrics with his own while performing "American Pie."