New "Weird Al" Single -- Free! - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Redlemon · 06-09-2006, 05:07 AM

Yeah, I'm a big Weird Al Yankovic fanboy, I've seen him three times in concert. I'm also on his mailing list, "Close, Personal Friends Of Al". So, in my email, I get the message:

Quote:

Dear Close, Personal Friend Of Al,

We're very sorry that the new "Weird Al" Yankovic album is taking a little longer than expected to make its way to a record store near you. We'll let you know as soon as we have a confirmed release date.

In the meantime, we thought you might like to download a free mp3 of a brand new Weird Al song (which won't be on the album). Our gift to you, just for being so darn cool.

You can download the mp3 at www.weirdal.com. Hope you enjoy it!

Great! Sure enough, over on The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site, it says:

Quote:

HEY!
How would you like to download a brand new Weird Al song... for free? Yeah, we thought you might. Right-click (ctrl-click for Mac) on one of the links below, and select "save target as" (or "download linked file" for Mac). Don't say we never gave you anything!
You can download it <a href="http://media.thechrispirilloshow.com/mp3/yourepitiful.mp3" target="new">here</a>, <a href="http://www.weirdalforum.com/private/yourepitiful.mp3" target="new">here</a>, <a href="http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/sounds/yourepitiful.mp3" target="new">here</a>, <a href="http://weirdal.0catch.com/mirror/yourepitiful.mp3" target="new">here</a>, <a href="http://weirdalstar.com/mirror/yourepitiful.mp3" target="new">here</a>, <a href="http://weirdalshow.com/mirror/yourepitiful.mp3" target="new">here</a>, <a href="http://theweirdalshow.com/mirror/yourepitiful.mp3" target="new">here</a>,
or <a href="http://home.hccnet.nl/b.v.d.akker/yourepitiful.mp3" target="new">here</a>.

The song is "You're Pitiful". I'd give it a B-, personally, but it's always good to hear new stuff.

As far as I know, this is the first time he's leaked a song.

Eweser · 06-09-2006, 05:20 AM

Man, Weird Al brings back great memories...My brother had all the cassettes...I can't hear My Sherona without singing My Bologna, or hear Another Bites the Dust without singing Another One Rides the Bus....

"Hey, he's gonna sit by you...."

blahblah454 · 06-09-2006, 08:41 AM

I hate the real version of that song, Al's was much better. I loved him as a kid and can't wait to hear this new cd.

Halx · 06-09-2006, 08:57 AM

I loved Weird Al, but I've fallen out of touch with him, as I have no connection to the music he parodies anymore. I remember making up my own parodies to songs - it was never very hard - he inspired a lot of creativity. I hope it's good listening.

maleficent · 06-09-2006, 09:03 AM

I haven't listened to Al's stuff in years, but it used to always entertain...

I think I'm in the same boat as Hal though (though not because i'm cool like him... i think it's cuz i'm old... ) I have no idea what song it is that he's parodying... It sounds like it could be a really annoying song... but if you hummed a few bars, I wouldn't have a clue as to waht it was...

pan6467 · 06-09-2006, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redlemon

As far as I know, this is the first time he's leaked a song.

Weird Al got his start on Dr. Demento and would play his new songs there before releasing them. He did that his first couple albums and obviously the self promotion and Dr Demento's show helped make Weird Al, so he was wise to do so.

I think Weird's problem now is that like Mal and Hal state, his parodies are missing out on his core audience because they are not associating with today's music and that of which he parodies. But he can't just do past songs to keep that audience because he'll lose the younger crowds.

He's definately in a pickle, but knowing and loving Weird Al, I'm sure he'll just eat the pickle and do his thing and still be loved by the masses.

Redlemon · 06-09-2006, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pan6467

I think Weird's problem now is that like Mal and Hal state, his parodies are missing out on his core audience because they are not associating with today's music and that of which he parodies. But he can't just do past songs to keep that audience because he'll lose the younger crowds.

No, it's more that his core audience keeps shifting younger. He still draws large crowds live~~, and I think his most recent album (Poodle Hat) was his top-seller to date~~. Actually, there were poor sales of his most recent album (Poodle Hat), likely because Eminem wouldn't let him release a video for the lead single "Couch Potato", but the two albums before that (Running With Scissors and Bad Hair Day) both went platinum.

Also, only half of his albums are parodies (and it's always been that way). I think his best work is in the non-parodies, personally; check out Hardware Store from Poodle Hat, for instance.

Dilbert1234567 · 06-09-2006, 10:37 AM

weird al has always impressed me, sure anyone can parody a line or 2 from a song, but this guy does every part of it, and ties it all together, they are truly works of art and in my opinion actually harder than writing it all from scratch.

ARTelevision · 06-09-2006, 10:57 AM

Thanks for the tip.
The song is quite blunt, James.

I listen to Al a lot.

Al is one of the few artists I still like.
Because except for my own stuff, which is very serious, I only like art that is funny.

heh.

Redlemon · 06-09-2006, 11:02 AM

Oh, for those of us (me included) who don't keep up with the current pop music, the original is "You're Beautiful", by James Blunt.

Quote:

Blunt's ballad topped the charts in 2005 and 2006 in 25 countries and the singer/songwriter was honoured with the International Hit of The Year and Most Performed Work gongs at last month's (MAY06) Ivor Novello Awards in London. The Brit is sure to take the parody well - he admitted at the awards show that even he's sick of hearing You're Beautiful, stating, "This is an award for the most overplayed record of the year."

I kinda recall hearing it in the background in stores or something. I did some P2P "research", and it deserves parody.

Jinn · 06-09-2006, 11:15 AM

yoouurrr beeeauttttiiufllllllll.... yor bootifaaaallll..

Still waiting for Wierd Al's version to download, but the actual song isn't half bad either..

Eweser · 06-09-2006, 11:15 AM

I laughed out loud at work listening to this. I may have to look into getting some of the new(er) Weird Al CDs to relieve the stress.

Derwood · 06-09-2006, 12:29 PM

His originals are definitely better than his parodies ("Yoda" being a notable exception)

One More Minute
Good Enough For Now
Christmas at Ground Zero

That's off the top of my head (not bad since I haven't listened to him for about 15 years)

Leto · 06-09-2006, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pan6467

Weird Al got his start on Dr. Demento and would play his new songs there before releasing them. He did that his first couple albums and obviously the self promotion and Dr Demento's show helped make Weird Al, so he was wise to do so..

I haven't thought about Dr. Demento in years. I don't suppose that he is still around?

Redlemon · 06-09-2006, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leto

I haven't thought about Dr. Demento in years. I don't suppose that he is still around?

Yes, but on fewer and fewer stations. If you like podcasts, you can catch "The Mad Music Hour", "Manic Mondays" and/or "Freakin Funny Music". I listen to all of them. The best part is that you can skip over the songs that suck.

amire · 06-09-2006, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derwood

His originals are definitely better than his parodies ("Yoda" being a notable exception)

One More Minute
Good Enough For Now
Christmas at Ground Zero

That's off the top of my head (not bad since I haven't listened to him for about 15 years)

Oh, man, don't forget Albuquerque!

"So, finally I go over and I open the door and just as I suspected
It's some big fat hermaphrodite with a Flock-Of-Seagulls haircut and only one nostril
Oh man, I hate it when I'm right
So anyway, he bursts into my room and he grabs my lucky snorkel"

Goood times.

ChistledStone · 06-09-2006, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amire

Oh, man, don't forget Albuquerque!

"So, finally I go over and I open the door and just as I suspected
It's some big fat hermaphrodite with a Flock-Of-Seagulls haircut and only one nostril
Oh man, I hate it when I'm right
So anyway, he bursts into my room and he grabs my lucky snorkel"

Goood times.

Cheers to that - I still know that (mainly) off by heart. I like both his originals and his parodies. But I agree, his originals stand out. Blunty needs to be taken down a notch or eight. Here's to Weird Al doing well on his next album.

Martian · 06-11-2006, 12:53 PM

Yeah, I'm of the opinion that Blunt deserves a bit of parody. Only issue is, Mr Yankovich can't get it quite right, since he still has his balls.

I remember the first Weird Al album I ever heard, Alapalooza. I think I still have it on casette somewhere around here. The claymation video for Jurassic Park was inspired.

Redlemon · 06-12-2006, 06:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amire

Oh, man, don't forget Albuquerque!

"So, finally I go over and I open the door and just as I suspected
It's some big fat hermaphrodite with a Flock-Of-Seagulls haircut and only one nostril
Oh man, I hate it when I'm right
So anyway, he bursts into my room and he grabs my lucky snorkel"

Goood times.

You know... Albuquerque isn't an original. It is a parody of "Dick's Automotive" by the Rugburns. Seriously, it kinda freaked me out when I heard it. Just as weird, but the song is disturbing rather than funny. Check it out, it's the second song in the podcast Freakin Funny Music-Episode 7. Still don't believe me? Here's a lyric sample:

Quote:

Originally Posted by RUGBURNS Song Lyrics

John applied for a job at Dick's Automotive and Dick came to the door and he said, ";Tell me Johnny boy. Can you rotate the tires on a '72 Subaru?"; He said, ";No."; ";Well then, can you change the oil in a '76 Pinto?"; He said, ";No."; ";Well can you rebuild a holly four-barrelled carburetor on a '69 Camaro with a big 'ol hearse shift rod?"; And he said, ";Um, no."; ";Do you have a girlfriend with long, red, curly hair. Creamy, milk-white thighs. Big full lips. Biceps like Henry Rollings? And can she just scream like a hyena in the summer?"; And he said, ";Yes."; And Dick said, ";Boy, then you're hired.";

liquidlight · 06-12-2006, 06:04 AM

The orginal makes my skin crawl, but as usual Al nails it

Thanks for the tip!

Redlemon · 07-05-2006, 06:21 AM

I just came across some additional information on this song. It won't be on the next album, because James Blunt's label (Atlantic) won't let it happen, and they're the reason that the album is delayed. Bastards. It also caused his planned tour this summer to be canceled.

Quote:

Originally Posted by NPR : Free 'Weird Al' Yankovic!

"Weird Al" Yankovic, the king of pop parody, has a brand-new song out, available for free on his Web site. Music Producer and Song of the Day Editor Stephen Thompson gives us the scoop:

In a career spanning more than 25 years, pop-music parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic hasn't exactly ranked among the music business' fiercest iconoclasts: He doesn't release his song parodies without the consent of the artists being parodied, and he's rarely used the Internet as more than a tool to promote his projects and connect with his fans. But a music label's efforts to block a (relatively tame) parody of James Blunt's ubiquitous hit "You're Beautiful" has Yankovic fighting back publicly, and using his Web site as a tool to do so.

According to Yankovic, Blunt himself gave his blessing to a song called "You're Pitiful" (audio), which was to appear on Yankovic's now-finished but as-yet-unreleased new album. But after Yankovic finished recording the parody, Atlantic Records, Blunt's label, told Yankovic that he couldn't release "You're Pitiful." Though Yankovic has encountered resistance from artists before -- after a miscommunication involving permissions, Coolio publicly objected to a released parody of "Gangsta's Paradise," while Prince has always turned down Yankovic's requests to parody his hits -- he says this is the first time a label has stepped in to squash the release of one of his parodies. (Quoth an Atlantic representative: "We have no comment on this matter.")

So how, exactly, does a music label have a say in whether one of its artists can be parodied?

"The legality in this case is somewhat moot," Yankovic writes when contacted via e-mail. "James Blunt could still let me put it on my album if he really wanted to, but he obviously doesn't want to alienate his own record company... and my label could release the parody without Atlantic's blessing, but they don't really want to go to war with another label over this. So really, it's more of a political matter than a legal matter."

Of course, it's not hard to circulate a song these days, and Yankovic has helped that process along by making an MP3 of the track available for free download on his Web site. It may not appear on Yankovic's new album, but "You're Pitiful" will still swirl around in cyberspace long after Blunt's original recedes from memory.

"I have a long-standing history of respecting artists' wishes," Yankovic writes. "So if James Blunt himself were objecting, I wouldn't even offer my parody for free on my Web site. But since it's a bunch of suits -- who are actually going against their own artist's wishes -- I have absolutely no problem with it."

06-09-2006, 05:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
Eweser Psycho Location: O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A	Man, Weird Al brings back great memories...My brother had all the cassettes...I can't hear My Sherona without singing My Bologna, or hear Another Bites the Dust without singing Another One Rides the Bus.... "Hey, he's gonna sit by you...." __________________ "Whoever wrote this episode should die!"

06-09-2006, 08:57 AM	#4 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	I loved Weird Al, but I've fallen out of touch with him, as I have no connection to the music he parodies anymore. I remember making up my own parodies to songs - it was never very hard - he inspired a lot of creativity. I hope it's good listening. __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

06-09-2006, 09:03 AM	#5 (permalink)
maleficent Junkie Moderator Emeritus Location: Chicago	I haven't listened to Al's stuff in years, but it used to always entertain... I think I'm in the same boat as Hal though (though not because i'm cool like him... i think it's cuz i'm old... ) I have no idea what song it is that he's parodying... It sounds like it could be a really annoying song... but if you hummed a few bars, I wouldn't have a clue as to waht it was... __________________ Free your heart from hatred. Free your mind from worries. Live simply. Give more. Expect less.

06-09-2006, 10:37 AM	#8 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	weird al has always impressed me, sure anyone can parody a line or 2 from a song, but this guy does every part of it, and ties it all together, they are truly works of art and in my opinion actually harder than writing it all from scratch. __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen

06-09-2006, 10:57 AM	#9 (permalink)
ARTelevision I change Location: USA	Thanks for the tip. The song is quite blunt, James. I listen to Al a lot. Al is one of the few artists I still like. Because except for my own stuff, which is very serious, I only like art that is funny. heh. __________________ create evolution

06-09-2006, 08:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
blahblah454 Let's put a smile on that face Location: On the road...	I hate the real version of that song, Al's was much better. I loved him as a kid and can't wait to hear this new cd.

06-09-2006, 11:15 AM	#11 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	yoouurrr beeeauttttiiufllllllll.... yor bootifaaaallll.. Still waiting for Wierd Al's version to download, but the actual song isn't half bad either.. __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

06-09-2006, 11:15 AM	#12 (permalink)
Eweser Psycho Location: O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A	I laughed out loud at work listening to this. I may have to look into getting some of the new(er) Weird Al CDs to relieve the stress. __________________ "Whoever wrote this episode should die!"

06-09-2006, 12:29 PM	#13 (permalink)
Derwood Who You Crappin? Location: Everywhere and Nowhere	His originals are definitely better than his parodies ("Yoda" being a notable exception) One More Minute Good Enough For Now Christmas at Ground Zero That's off the top of my head (not bad since I haven't listened to him for about 15 years) __________________ "You can't shoot a country until it becomes a democracy." - Willravel

06-11-2006, 12:53 PM	#18 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	Yeah, I'm of the opinion that Blunt deserves a bit of parody. Only issue is, Mr Yankovich can't get it quite right, since he still has his balls. I remember the first Weird Al album I ever heard, Alapalooza. I think I still have it on casette somewhere around here. The claymation video for Jurassic Park was inspired. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

06-12-2006, 06:04 AM	#20 (permalink)
liquidlight AHH! Custom Title!! Location: The twisted warpings of my brain.	The orginal makes my skin crawl, but as usual Al nails it Thanks for the tip! __________________ Halfway to hell and picking up speed.