| The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Greatest hits album by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
| Released | October 27, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 1979–2006 | |||
| Genre | Comedy, parody | |||
| Length | 76:43 (Disc one) 76:31 (Disc two) 29:01 (Disc three) | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Rick Derringer, "Weird Al" Yankovic | |||
| "Weird Al" Yankovic chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Mojo |  |
| Paste | 8.8/10 |
| PopMatters |   |
| Under the Radar | |
The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic is a two disc compilation album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. A limited edition "3.0" version of the album has a third disc. It is published by Sony Music's Legacy Recordings as part of their The Essential series. Yankovic selected the songs for inclusion on the album after seeking fan feedback for the choice between one of two polkas.
Track listing
Disc one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Parody of | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Another One Rides the Bus" (from Another One Rides the Bus (EP), 1981; later included on "Weird Al" Yankovic, 1983) | "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen | 2:40 | |
| 2. | "Polkas on 45" (from "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D, 1984) |
Various writers:
|
A polka medley including:
| 4:23 |
| 3. | "Eat It" (from "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D) |
| "Beat It" by Michael Jackson | 3:21 |
| 4. | "I Lost on Jeopardy" (from "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D) |
| "Jeopardy" by The Greg Kihn Band | 3:26 |
| 5. | "Yoda" (from Dare to Be Stupid, 1985) |
| "Lola" by The Kinks | 3:58 |
| 6. | "One More Minute" (from Dare to Be Stupid) | Yankovic | Style parody of Elvis Presley-like doo-wop | 4:04 |
| 7. | "Like a Surgeon" (from Dare to Be Stupid) |
| "Like a Virgin" by Madonna | 3:32 |
| 8. | "Dare to Be Stupid" (from Dare to Be Stupid) | Yankovic | Style parody of Devo | 3:25 |
| 9. | "Dog Eat Dog" (from Polka Party!, 1986) | Yankovic | Style parody of Talking Heads | 3:42 |
| 10. | "Lasagna" (from Even Worse, 1988) | Traditional, arr. by Ritchie Valens, Yankovic | "La Bamba" by Los Lobos and Ritchie Valens | 2:45 |
| 11. | "Melanie" (from Even Worse) | Yankovic | Original | 3:58 |
| 12. | "Fat" (from Even Worse) |
| "Bad" by Michael Jackson | 3:37 |
| 13. | "UHF" (Single version) (from UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff, 1989) | Yankovic | Original | 3:49 |
| 14. | "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota" (from UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff) | Yankovic | Style parody of Harry Chapin and Gordon Lightfoot | 6:50 |
| 15. | "Trigger Happy" (from Off the Deep End, 1992) | Yankovic | Style parody of The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean | 3:46 |
| 16. | "Smells Like Nirvana" (from Off the Deep End) |
| "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana | 3:42 |
| 17. | "You Don't Love Me Anymore" (from Off the Deep End) | Yankovic | Original | 4:01 |
| 18. | "Bedrock Anthem" (from Alapalooza, 1993) |
| "Under the Bridge" and "Give It Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers | 3:43 |
| 19. | "Frank's 2000" TV" (from Alapalooza) | Yankovic | Style parody of R.E.M.'s early work | 4:07 |
| 20. | "Jurassic Park" (from Alapalooza) |
| "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris | 3:55 |
Disc two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Parody of | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Since You've Been Gone" (from Bad Hair Day, 1996) | Yankovic | Original a cappella song | 1:23 |
| 2. | "Amish Paradise" (from Bad Hair Day) |
| "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V. | 3:21 |
| 3. | "Gump" (from Bad Hair Day) |
| "Lump" by The Presidents of the United States of America | 2:12 |
| 4. | "Everything You Know Is Wrong" (from Bad Hair Day) | Yankovic | Style parody of They Might Be Giants | 3:48 |
| 5. | "The Night Santa Went Crazy" (Extra gory version) (from "Amish Paradise" single, 1996; original version from Bad Hair Day) | Yankovic | Style Parody of "Black Gold" by Soul Asylum | 4:03 |
| 6. | "Your Horoscope for Today" (from Running with Scissors, 1999) | Yankovic | Style parody of Third Wave Ska | 3:59 |
| 7. | "It's All About the Pentiums" (from Running with Scissors) |
| "It's All About the Benjamins (Rock remix)" by Puff Daddy | 3:34 |
| 8. | "The Saga Begins" (from Running with Scissors) |
| "American Pie" by Don McLean | 5:28 |
| 9. | "Albuquerque" (from Running with Scissors) | Yankovic | Style parody of The Rugburns | 11:21 |
| 10. | "eBay" (from Poodle Hat, 2003) |
| "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys | 3:37 |
| 11. | "Bob" (from Poodle Hat) | Yankovic | Style parody of Bob Dylan | 2:29 |
| 12. | "Hardware Store" (from Poodle Hat) | Yankovic | Original | 3:43 |
| 13. | "I'll Sue Ya" (from Straight Outta Lynwood, 2006) | Yankovic | Style parody of Rage Against the Machine | 3:51 |
| 14. | "Canadian Idiot" (from Straight Outta Lynwood) |
| "American Idiot" by Green Day | 2:24 |
| 15. | "Pancreas" (from Straight Outta Lynwood) | Yankovic | Style parody of Brian Wilson | 3:48 |
| 16. | "Don't Download This Song" (from Straight Outta Lynwood) | Yankovic | Style parody of 1980s charity songs | 3:52 |
| 17. | "White & Nerdy" (from Straight Outta Lynwood) |
| "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone | 2:52 |
| 18. | "Trapped in the Drive-Thru" (from Straight Outta Lynwood) | Trapped in the Closet by R. Kelly; contains interpolation of "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin | 10:51 |
Disc three (3.0 version only)
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Parody of | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ricky" (from "Weird Al" Yankovic) |
| "Mickey" by Toni Basil | 2:37 |
| 2. | "Midnight Star" (from "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D) | Yankovic | Original | 4:35 |
| 3. | "Living with a Hernia" (from Polka Party!) |
| "Living in America" by James Brown | 3:20 |
| 4. | "Good Old Days" (from Even Worse) | Yankovic | Style parody of James Taylor | 3:20 |
| 5. | "Wanna B Ur Lovr" (from Poodle Hat) | Yankovic | Style parody of Beck | 6:14 |
| 6. | "Genius in France" (from Poodle Hat) | Yankovic | Style parody of Frank Zappa | 8:58 |
References
- Jason Lymangrover. "The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic". Allmusic. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
- Mojo (Publisher) (p.121) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "e ensured rock didn't take itself too seriously."
- Nrt4 on November 14, 2009 (5 November 2009). ""Weird Al" Yankovic: The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic :: Music :: Reviews :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ""Weird Al" Yankovic: The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic, PopMatters". 6 January 2010.
- "The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic".
- "The Essential Me". "Weird Al" Yankovic. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
| "Weird Al" Yankovic | |
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| Soundtrack albums | |
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