First Time Hearing Weird Al Yankovic - Smells Like Nirvana Reaction Video - TRY NOT TO LAUGH!

[@jeffrichards1537]

Weird Al hasn't put out a bad song. Parody or original. Dude is a legit genius. National treasure.

[@msoileau83]

My favorite original is Frank's 2000" but you have to admire Albaquerque.

[@Swenglish]

@@msoileau83 Hardware Store is probably my favorite original. Or maybe You Make Me.

[@ivanjursdotter]

Girls just want to have lunch.... point proven

[@goatkiller666]

100% agree with this statement. I with his original work got the attention of his Parodies. Christmas at Ground Zero got some play, but songs like “Since you’ve Been Gone”… They who song he describe the most horrible feeling a human can have she she’s.been gone. And the final verse is all “Since you’ve been gone, my life has sucked so much less.” That a Sixth Sense kind of twist at the end. And the whole time, he’s got this upbeat voice, because no matter what suffering he endures, he’s still better of.

[@floretionguru2977]

You almost got that right- it wasn't they thought they'd made it because _someone_ wanted to do a parody of their song, it was because it was Weird Al. He is a national treasure.

[@TimothySmiths]

glad i saw this, i was going to write almost the exact same thing.

[@txheadshots]

Being covered by Weird Al not only meant you’d arrived, but it also would increase the sales and attention to your own record It was a truly symbiotic relationship through most of the 80s and 90s

[@chris...9497]

Yeah, you didn't 'make it' on the basis of 'somebody' wanting to do a parody of your song, you made it because WEIRD AL wanted to do a parody of your song. Al has a great sense of what is good music, a great band able to recreate the sounds of different bands and genres PERFECTLY, a great comedic sense, and high production values in everything he does. Al's been doing this since 1979 and supporting himself doing it. He tours constantly, sells out venues, and currently is worth about $25 million. Weird Al did a mash-up of the major songs in Hamilton and edited the Disney filming in such a way as to match the songs and the film action; it's a masterpiece. Al was booked with Hamilton's creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, on a talk show and Lin-Manuel went all fanboy on him, having grown up idolizing Weird Al.

[@BettyBicepGirls]

Weird Al is a National Treasure with so many great parody songs since 1979 with the “My Sharona” parody “My Bologna “The list is endless starting with ; Eat It , Fat , Amish Paradise, Living with a Hernia, All about the Pentiums , Another One Rides the Bus, Yoda, Tacky, Like a Surgeon, Perform this Way , White and Nerdy , EBAY , I love Rocky Road, Foil, Handy, Gump, Dare to be Stupid, The Saga Begins, ….

[@sallyintucson]

He also did Hamilton (after the musical) and released a pun about the presidential “debate” between 🍊 and Biden. I don’t remember the title. It was released online the day afterwards giving everyone who managed to sit through the screaming match, er debate a much needed laugh.

[@kennethkirchoff4824]

Weird Al had done a parody of Michael Jackson's song "Beat It" called "Eat it". When he talked to Kurt Cobain about doing the parody, he says Kurt replied, "Is it about food?" Weird Al told him, "No, it's about how nobody can understand your lyrics"...And Kurt gave him the ok.

[@robbob5302]

Okay. Just so long as it isn’t about food.

[@robertg7396]

Weird AL is a genius when it comes to his little nitch in music. He is incredibly talented and beloved in the industry. He always got the artist permission before he would create a parody of them. Only a few singers turned him down. One of which was Paul McCartney. He has so many great songs. "Amish Paradise," "Eat it," "I'm Fat", and "Like a Surgeon" just to name a few. 😂

[@suecook1326]

One I find hilarious is Perform This Way, spoof of Lady GaGa's Born This Way

[@michaelfried3123]

Amish Paradise is the top of my list...

[@MarkCucchiara]

Coolio did NOT give permission. Read about it.

[@karlwinner279]

White and Nerdy

[@dann3r55]

@@MarkCucchiara didn't michael jackson say no at first or something?

[@metalmark1214]

Weird Al is the king of parody songs. Many songs he had parodied.

[@MarkCucchiara]

Says Yoda...

[@thehorrorfanx]

@@MarkCucchiara😂😂

[@sliceofheaven3026]

It wasnt that someone had or wanted to make a parody of their song but that it was Weird Al who wanted to do a parody. In the realm of parody songs Weird Al is a legend and has been doing these songs since the 1980´s when singers like Michael Jackson among others wanted Weird Al to do parodies of their songs.

[@unrulyjulie4382]

Exactly!

[@mustangdebbie56]

Weird Al released 14 studio albums from 1983 to 2014, 6 went platinum. About half of the songs on these albums were original comedy songs along with his more famous parodies. Several of his songs charted on the US Billboard 100. Smells Like Nirvana reached 35. His highest charting single is White & Nerdy (#9), a parody of Ridin' by Chamillionaire. He has 5 Grammys.

[@distemic]

Al asking Kurt cobain for permission to make a parody. Kurt, “is it about food?”(since some of his biggest hits were parodies involving food) “no it’s about how no one understands what you’re saying.” “Oh ok. That’s fine.” Vick not vich

[@vaughnnewman8903]

Weird Al is one of the greatest satirists of-all-time and he had musical talent and a decent voice as well. Definitely do a deep dive into his catalog- you won't be disappointed.

[@randall-king]

Yes, please.

[@80HD8]

Weird Al used all the same people from the original video. The story is when Al asked Kurt about doing the song, Kurt asked if it was going to be about food (Al does a lot of food related songs) and Al said no it's about how no one can understand your lyrics. And Kurt was like oh, okay. My two favorite parodies of Al's are Foil (Royle) and Word Crimes (Blurred Lines). Those are my not- so-subtle hints to react to those after you do the original's first. Then there are the classics. Eat it (Beat it), Fat (Bad) Like a Surgeon (Like a Virgin), Another One Rides the Bus (Another One Bites the Dust) from The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder.

[@Ambaryerno]

Al frequently gets contributions from the original artists in his parodies. For instance on the Beverly Hillbillies parody of Money for Nothing, Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler and keyboardist Guy Fletcher provided their respective parts (including Knopfler's famous guitar riff/solo).

[@scottclark3761]

Back in the day, being parodied by Weird Al meant you were big. You made it. White and Nerdy or Amish Paradise are other bangers.

[@Raven5150]

It's the same gym same janitor and mostly the same crowd as smells like teen spirit

[@realPenrodPooch]

You've confirmed this?

[@randyhanson9441]

Weird Al is an equal opportunity parodist. In all, probably close to 200 songs. His Michael Jackson versions are similar to this one in that he basically duplicates the music video, all be it with Weird Al's lyrics. As mentioned the side by side comparison of "Beat It/Eat It" is remarkable on the detail he was able to replicate. The majority of his songs will feature the lyrical parody but told to an entirely diferent backdrop. ie.. Coolio's "Amish Paradise", "American Pie" telling a Star Wars tale, Dire Straits but featuring the Beverly Hillbillies. Dire Straits singer Mark Knofler agreed to the parody only if he could play guitar. He's hit a lot of genres. Bob Dylan, Madonna, Queen, Billy Idol, Kid Rock, Eminem, Elton John, Cyndi Lauper, Usher, and polka riffs of Tina Turner, ZZ Top, Rolling Stones...

[@kdm71291]

There are variables to his type of name, but in this case it is pronounced “Vick” at the end. As other have said, he’s a genius…his videos are spot on and….as an example of his level of “smart”, he graduated class valedictorian of his high school…a year early. Check out some of his earlier stuff: I Love Rocky Road, Another One Rides The Bus, I Lost On Jeopardy, Like A Surgeon….to name a few.

[@stevelangenfeld53]

Graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in Electrical Engineering. Would do impromptu concert in the quad with his accordion. Did the morning show on the university radio station. Great times!

[@melodyszadkowski5256]

You should do "The Saga Begins" based on Star Wars, it's brilliant. Also "Like a Surgeon" (Madonna's "Like a Virgin") puts me in stitches. Weird Al is a genius. When he asked Michael Jackson about doing a parody of some of his songs he gave a green light for any except "Black or White." Even set Al up with actors and sets he used in his videos. "Eat It" (Beat It) and "Fat" (Bad) are hysterical.

[@dragonwood4562]

Getting asked by "Weird Al" if he could parody your song was a major "We made it!" moment for a lot of bands. Which is also a major nod to Al's talent. Especially considering that he started out barely playing a recognizible cover on an accordion when he first started.

[@kennethkirchoff4824]

A few other Weird Al suggestions--"Foil", a parody of "Royals" by Lorde, and "Word Crimes", a parody of RobinThicke's "Blurred Lines"

[@chrispruett81]

Weird Al is a LEGEND!! A LOT OF HITS!! He even has one that reached #1 in the top 100 billboards around 10 or so years ago! lol.. He has been going strong since the 80's!! PLZ OH PLZ Go down the Weird Al rabbit hole.... You will NOT regret it!! lol

[@legionaireb]

0:45 - Time to throw her down the Weird Al hole. 1:14 - Okay, since you're both Weird Al newbs, here's a brief history of Alfred Yankovic. He grew up in Lynwood, California. He was a quiet kind of kid growing up, but he always had a weird slant on things. He came out of his shell after he graduated high school 2 years early and went to Cal Poly studying architecture. His college friends are the ones that named him 'Weird Al.' Al was introduced to music when his parent bought him accordion lessons from a traveling salesman. He started writing songs in his teens, entering local contests and the like. His favorite radio program was The Dr. Demento Show, which specialized in novelty and comedy music, and Al occasionally sent songs in. While working as a DJ at his college radio station in '79, Al wrote his parody of 'My Sharona' by The Knack, 'My Bologna.' He recorded it with some friends in the bathroom across the hall from the station and sent it in. By the end of the year, it was Dr. Demento's #1 requested song. Dr. Demento invited Al to a party where he met (I think) the drummer from The Knack, who LOVED his song and told a producer from Capitol Records he should release it as a single. Thus began Al's career as a parodist. To speed things up a bit, he released several albums, entered popular recognition with his parodies of Michael Jackson ('Eat It' and 'Fat'), had a it of a slump in the late 80s after his movie, UHF, bombed (It opened against the biggest blockbuster summer in history. It's a cult classic now.), and recovered after the success of 'Smells Like Nirvana.' Kurt Cobain said that it was when Al asked them to parody 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' that he knew they were a success. That's the general consensus among pretty much all musicians now. Anyway, Al went from releasing an album whenever he could to every 5 years or so to avoid burnout like he had in the 80s. He released his last studio album, Mandatory Fun, in 2014, and it was the first comedy album in FIFTY YEARS to reach the top of the Billboard Top 100. Since then he's mostly been touring, he had a biopic, 'Weird: The Al Yankovic Story' done staring Daniel Radcliff (It's a parody of music biopics), and he got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. And let's just clear one thing up. He's most known for his parodies, but nearly half his catalog is original works (though a few of these ARE pastiches ('style parodies')). Al's career has outlasted the majority of the bands he's parodied. 4:24 - So when Al wanted permission to do the parody, he couldn't get through to the band through regular channels. Luckily he heard that Nirvana was going to be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, so he called his UHF co-star, Victoria Jackson, who was an SNL cast member at the time, and she put Kurt Cobain on the phone. So when Al asked Kurt for permission, Kurt only had one concern. "It's not going to be about food, is it?" (Al had a bit of a reputation as someone who wrote food songs.) Al said "No, it's about how no one can understand the lyrics to your songs." There was a pause, and then Kurt said "Yeah, that could be funny," and gave Al his blessing to go through with the song. 5:17 - To be clear, as others have mentioned, it wasn't that SOMEONE wanted to parody them, it was that WEIRD AL wanted to parody them. And Al is NOT trying to 'capitalize on the popularity' of the song. Al chooses the songs he parodies because they are representative of the pop culture of the day, not because he's trying to make a buck riding other's coat tails. 5:55 - It's no coincidence that the video is so similar to the original. Al goes through PAINSTAKING lengths to be sure every facet of his parody is perfect. When Al did 'Eat It' and 'Fat', Michael Jackson provided the actual sets and choreographers for the original videos to help Al do his videos. For 'Smells Like Nirvana,' Al was able to get nearly the ENTIRE cast of the original video (plus Dick Van Patten). 6:57 - When Al performs this song in concert (and a Weird Al concert is a spectacle you must EXPERIENCE), he will often sing "And I forgot the next verse..." and then just stop singing. He'll just stand there staring blankly at the audience (usually while they're singing the lines at the stage) until the end, when he'll chime back in with "...oh, well. Whatever. Never mind."

[@johnbowersox738]

Not only was he able to get the soundstage that Nirvana used, a lot of the extras were the ones that Nirvana had used as well (the janitor and I believe some of the players). Weird Al also got Dick Van Patten, Toney Hawk, and other notable people sprinkled throughout the video as well. I highly, highly recommend "Amish Paradise" and "White and Nerdy" for future videos.

[@msoileau83]

Couple of fun facts. Al achieved the "marble mouth" sound by putting cookies in his mouth. The curly haired guy eating a banana/running off is Al's guitarist Jim West. Al wanted to do the video as a parody to the original so Al appears as the only guitarist (miming Jim's parts, Al plays accordion and keys) but wanted to include Jim.

[@Nickel138]

Literally anything. You can’t miss with Weird Al. Just make sure you know the original video first.

[@jstmez]

Been listening to Weird Al since My Bologna. I think one of his best is The Saga Begins. He summed up an entire movie. Most of it was written before the movie came out based on trailers and information that came out. But, that he can do so many genres and be that character makes any video he does good.

[@BoBobber383]

Its been said, if Wierd Al makes a parody of one of your songs then you know you've made it in the business

[@doncox6920]

Music, movies, fake celebrity interviews, a movie made about him... incredible for a guy who started with a sense of humor and an accordion. Fun reaction!

[@CaddyJim]

The best parody artist of all time he's been doing it for 40 years

[@ef445]

YES! He's a genius! Make sure you've seen the original video or heard the song first, as you have in this one, and keep the Weird Al coming!

[@maurer3d]

Al has so many amazing songs, he has been in the industry for 45 years, and always puts out great music, and the best part about his parodies is he is always respectful of the original song and artists. You should definitely react to more of his videos, it is always great to see peoples first reactions to the videos I have seen dozens to hundreds of times.

[@donuttech635]

There is a side by side of “Bad” and “Fat” which just shows you the attention to detail he put into his videos. Way to many to list but more recently “Amish paradise,” or “white and nerdy” are awesome

[@Raven5150]

Dave ghrol said he knew nirvana had made it when wierd al did this, most artist consider it a great honor to be parody by wierd al, Coolio was pissed off about amish paradise but im sure he was really happy with the royalties got, it's a crime against music wierd al ain't in the rock n roll hall of fame

[@calemobrien1139]

What else can you say about Weird Al other than ICONIC!!! I mean 23+ million albums sold with over 150 parody/original songs really speaks for itself 😎Been a fan of his since I was young & I just love him!! He's been doing this for 5 decades & he just gets better with age!!! If you're lucky to get parodied by Al then you have truly made it...just don't be upset if his song is better than the OG because it probably will be lol I could suggest his entire catalog but some more obscure but great ones are "Amish Paradise", "Trapped in a Drive-Thru" & "Foil"...no matter what you pick, you can't go wrong with Mr. Yankovic!!❤❤

[@jmoney6900]

Artist took it as a badge of honor for Weird Al to redo one of their songs

[@jamesnorthup7717]

He's been doing this since the early eighties! And yes he's done very well for himself!!

[@Kiernan5]

Although he started touring in '82 and released his first album in '83 he got his start earlier, with his first song being played on the Dr. Demento Show in '76 and his first recording release, a single of "My Bologna," being released in '79.

[@mikeconway9849]

Truly a unique performer! Other commenters have listed his many parodies. You can't go wrong with any of them.

[@dangnabbit2]

I love it that Weird Al uses Dick Van Patten in multiple videos from this era. He was the older gentleman sitting in the bleachers eating a sandwich. He was a favorite TV actor from the 70s most famous for playing the dad in Eight is Enough. He had no real connection to the tune, but just seems to be a random guy in the crowd.

[@donaldbrunner6250]

I saw nim in concert and it was a great show. Hes been around since the 70's

[@user-qq1uy8qj6l]

Jerry Springer is hilarious. Like a Surgeon, another one rides the bus, my bologna, living in the fridge. All parodies of popular songs.

[@jdbroders64]

Weird Al is hilarious and actually is a very talented musician and all around creative human being. This is a really deep rabbit hole that commenters below have already suggested. Keep going. I'll watch.

[@32a34a]

What sometimes gets lost when Al is doing these is that Al has a pretty decent singing voice. As Robert said below Amish Paradise is easily in the top 5 or 3 of his best songs.

[@ericgaudet5488]

Most from Weird Al would be Amish paradise & Eat It.

[@adriantrusca1245]

Eat it. Not Just Eat it.

[@kevincosta9228]

Weird Al was HUGE in the 1980s. In the MTV video heyday they would play a music video in heavy rotation and Al's parody would follow shortly thereafter, also in heavy rotation. ALL new artists knew they had made it once Al had parodied their song. He and his long time band are seriously talented musicians too, able to imitate so many different artists and styles. When watching any of his videos, you need to watch the original first. Two suggestions; Michael Jackson's "Bad" then Al's "Fat", and James Brown "Living in America" then Al's Living with a Hernia". He did not legally need permission to parody versions but always asked out of courtesy. Some of the biggest stars of the day seemed to enjoy his work, because they would help him out by loaning him the original video set, backup singers, etc. For the Living with a Hernia video, James Brown loaned Al his stage set, his band, AND taught him the dance moves. As Homer Simpson said "He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life."

[@Tijuanabill]

Weird Al doing your song definitely is a sign that you made it, or at least your song has. The gag doesn't work if people don't know the song.

[@RonHouck-eb1cn]

If I remember right, it was his Dad had a show on TV called Polka Varieties maybe from the 70’s and he made appearances on it playing polka music He a great accordion player

[@runrunrun_runaway2607]

Weird Al was CLEARLY trying to CAPITALIZE... uh...AL is timeless.. and a creative GENIUS... don't go there lol

[@jona.874]

Check out Al's "Living With a Hernia" - James Brown helped Al make the video by hooking him up with the same venue, musicians, etc that were used for "Living in America" (Rocky IV) - and even taught him Brown's dance moves. That's how big Al has been.

[@zappafan012]

Weird Al is the biggest selling comedy recording artist of all time. From his first record from 1979, a parody of The Knack's "My Sharona" titled "My Balogna", to 2015's album Mandatory Fun, Al sold more than 80 million records worldwide and won multiple Grammies with such chart topping parodies like Eat It, Fat, Like A Surgeon, White And Nerdy, and Tacky (to name just a few).

[@hays9008]

Weird Al doesnt need to latch on to anyones popularity. Grammys, 25+ hits, and loved world wide

[@jona.874]

Al has released 14 studio albums, the first in 1983 (but the first songs from that saw air-play on the Dr. Demento radio show in late 1980).

[@jenniferweitzel9898]

Saw him in concert...great. There is no one better. You youngin's have no idea the depth of this man's genius. If you are looking for a comedy movie night...check out ""UHF" Weird Al made in 1989. It is literally one of the funniest movies I have ever seen.

[@jameswilson7790]

His best style parody is "Dare to Be Stupid" which is a reference to Devo. The musical genius behind The Rugrats was the lead singer of Devo. He was quoted as saying that he was jealous that Weird Al found the sound that Devo was striving to achieve.

[@Booderman]

Weird Al has been master of parody! He has been cranking them out for 30+ yrs! He doesn’t drink , smoke or do drugs and has never been arrested !

[@mrmxypltk]

Weird Al loves to put in references to the original artists all throughout his music videos - some even use the same sets and background actors/dancers/band as the original recordings! One cool Factoid about this video that was only recently revealed, is that one of the people in the crowd is actually a young Tony Hawk!

[@JohnHazelwood58]

Weird Al is a legend and not unknown ... even me - as a german guy - knows, that he released - if you trust my catalouge and my record collection - 21 albums and 60 singles/eps. First one dates back to 1983 (so 4 years after his first show), last one to 2021!? Since then he appeared on other projects, though. You can't go wrong with this guy! :) Great fun for sure!

[@garykephart]

He's the only artist that I have ALL of their albums. He's a lyrical genius. You gotta listen to more.

[@realPenrodPooch]

It wasn't SOMEONE, it was SPECIFICALLY Weird Al. If HE wanted to use your music, you knew you made it.

[@russrollins9978]

I'm pretty sure that Dave Grohl is on the drums in this video. He was Nirvana's drummer, and then became the front man for Foo Fighters. White and Nerdy is a great parody of the song Ridin' Dirty, and is worth watching. Word Crimes is also fantastic, and is a parody of Ridin' by Chamillionaire, and features cameos by Seth Green, Key & Peele, and Donnie Osmond, among others. Always watch for the cameos in a Weird Al song.

[@robthomas5986]

For the record, Weird Al never released a parody that wasn’t approved by the original artist. A musical genius he is. Would love to see you review his cover Achy Breaky Song!

[@TimothySmiths]

Weird Al knew Victoria Jackson who was on SNL at the time, she had been in his movie UHF, so he called her and asked her to hook him up with talking to Nirvana and thats how they spoke to each other.

[@bluebear1985]

In the way he got permission, he actually gave Victoria Jackson a call, who was then a "Saturday Night Live" cast member and had previously worked with Weird Al on the film "UHF". Jackson somehow managed to get the phone to Kurt Cobain. When asking for permission, Cobain asked "It's not going to be about food, is it?", to which Al said "No, it's about how no one can understand your lyrics." The rest is history.

[@sumonjamal1653]

Weird Al Yankovic has sold 12 million records - the most of any comedic artist... 14 studio albums so far, dating back to 1983... His earliest parodies were an accordion makeover of 'Another one bites the dust' by Queen in 1980 ('Another one rides the bus') and The Knack's 1979 hit single 'My Sharona' ('My bologna')... In fact, it was frontman (the late) Doug Fieger of The Knack, who was so impressed w/ 'My bologna' ... that he got The Knack's record label to sign Weird Al and release it as a single. However, the music industry treated Weird Al as a joke... No one would take him seriously, even after 'My bologna'... A 70's label Scotti Bros. gave him a shot in 1983 and his first album had hilarious parodies of Joan Jett's "I love rock n roll" ("I love rocky road") and Toni Basil's 'Mickey' ('Ricky') ... But it was Weird Al's 1984 spoof of Michael Jackson's 'Beat it' ('Eat it') that made him a star... Since then, Weird Al Yankovic has made a huge effort each time to emulate the artists he parodies on record, and on music videos... He did Michael Jackson twice spoofing 'Bad' ('Fat') in 1988... James Brown in 'Living with a hernia' ... Red Hot Chili Peppers in 'Bedrock anthem' ...etc. Weird Al has been around so long that he parodied 2 generations of artists - Billy Ray Cyrus ('Achy breaky song') and his daughter Miley Cyrus ('Party in the C.I.A.') and paid tribute to Freddie Mercury of Queen w/ an accordion cover of 'Bohemian rhapsody' (unchanged lyrics)... and has parodied Eminem ('Couch potato')... Taylor Swift ('T.M.Z.')... Lady Gaga ('Perform this way')... Pharrell Williams ('Tacky')... Chamillionaire ('White & nerdy') etc. 😂

[@Raven5150]

Wierd al was not the class clown he graduated valedictorian at 16

[@jaccilowe3842]

Fun fact: the custodian is the same guy from the Nirvana video. He had a blast with Weird Al!

[@kattat919]

I heard Al When he first started Knew he was going to be a star, I heard him on the doctor Demento show. I think he was still a teenager then

[@argonwheatbelly637]

The Dr. Demento Funny Farm! This is right up there with watching Uncle Floyd and trying to tune in Dr. Who on UHF. Very happy memories! ☺

[@sabalomglitz6478]

He made his national. Debut in 1982. He had a tour last year. He is the undisputed King of Parody.

[@sonofthesea3298]

I think this is the first time i have heard Samanthas laughter come through the loud instrumentals,and i loved every second of it!Kurt Cobain also laughed himself over the lyrics and the video,i believe the entire band loved the end result. And a funfact: The janitor in this parody cover is actually the original janitor from Nirvanas own video If you have ever heard and seen Pharrel Williams`s "Happy",you should defintly check out "Weird Al" Yankovic - Tacky (Official 4K Video) But of course,my altime favourite parody of his is: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Eat It (Official 4K Video),after Michael Jacksons "Beat It".

[@BKPrice]

Weird Al is well known for how closely he adheres to the original video when he makes his own. His song "Fat" is a prime example. If you hold it up side by side to the original MJ song "Bad" you'll see it's a nearly shot-for-shot copy, but maintains the humorous spin he has put on it with its own coherent story that's separate from the subject matter of Michael's song. A lot of parodies will use the music and just put some sort of comedy tune in there and that's it, but Weird Al really crafts his parodies to fit the song and uses the actual structure of the original to drive his parodies. He will replicate key phrases to drive his song's narrative, such as in "Foil" where he uses Lourde's line from "Royals" verbatim, "Me and my friends we cracked the code," to delve into a conspiracy theory storyline that has nothing to do with the original song but so perfectly runs with it and remains thematically coherent with the parody he has crafted up to that point. If you really analyze his parodies I think you'll find that they are ingenious in ways you probably wouldn't at first imagine.

[@goatkiller666]

For the record, if you bought the CD Single for the some song, the full lyrics were included in the liner notes.

[@CorwinPatrick]

Not "Somebody", just Weird Al. You've made it when Weird Al parodies you. Also, Kurt was starting to really get annoyed with the Record Industry by this time, and felt it was as much a critique of them and MTV as it was of Nirvana. The video is almost a straight copy with much of the same extras and the location (crew, even I think).

[@RomeoDeMarco26]

There was once a time when musicians knew they'd made it because Weird Al parodied their music.... Weird Al is a legend in his own right....

[@pauljohnstone180]

You know you've made it when Weird Al covers your hit song.

[@tj_2701]

Weird Al is the G.O.A.T.

[@viewfromthehighchair9391]

You could do a full year with just Weird Al video parodies. LOL

[@msoileau83]

Al's friend/movie co-star/possible crush Victoria Jackson was an SNL cast member at the time and got Kurt on the phone.

[@StrongStyleFiction]

Amish Paradise which is a parody of Coolio's Gangsta Paradise may be his best song. Headline News which is a a parody of Crash Test Dummies may be his funniest music video.

[@josephmellen7052]

Oh yeah, Weird Al has a ton of great music/parodies! Some favorites include Amish Paradise, Party in the CIA, Fat, Foil... the list goes on and on

[@jimandnicki]

Weird Al is an absolute comic genius!!

[@michaelconnor1542]

Chamillionaire linked Weird Al's parody of Ridin', White and Nerdy, when it was released, on their website. They knew it meant they made it, and it would bring more eyeballs to them.

[@ryusukeminami52]

Like many others I can only advise you all of his parodies, covers and original songs, they’re all great. But if I had to advise only one, I’d say Amish Paradise as I gave it to study to my students at the end of last school year (English teacher in France 😁)

[@MrTech226]

I heard that Kurt Cobain loved Weird Al's parody of this song after Kurt given him the ok for parody. Al stated that he tries to get permission from the artist 1st even though by law, Al can do the parody. Al gives credit to the artist avoiding copyright lawsuits. Example: his Word Crimes, parody of Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines. Marvin Gaye's estate sued Thicke for copyright infringement and won their case. But Weird Al gave credit to Marvin Gaye for his song, Word Crimes. There are only two artists declined his offer for parodies. 1st is Paul MacCartney, at first, he given permission Al with conditions, no meats because Paul is a strict Vegan. 2nd was Prince. Al contacted Prince many times. Each time, Prince replied back no. Weird Al respected Prince's replies.

[@MrTech226]

I heard and read that Michael Jackson was on set during Weird Al's videos of Eat It and Fat. MJ loved them! One time, James Brown lent his dancers and band to Weird Al for Al's Living with a Hernia video.

[@badhabitbabbitt7655]

For me my 1st introduction and probably the biggest breakout was to Michael Jackson's "Beat It." His version is "Eat It!" Followed up shortly by parodying Madonna's "Like A Virgin" with "Like A Surgeon."

[@Rohloc]

I know for a fact that Tony Hawk is in this video, in the stands somewhere, and the janitor is the same janitor as in the original video by Nirvana. Also the dude in the stands with the donut is an label executive, if i remember correctly.

[@aqlandmirrorvideogamerandc2983]

Here are some facts from weird Al himself from a youtube video that he was interviewed in. The same cheerleaders and the same janitor from the actual video were in this parody. Plus tony hawk is in the crowd of people and this video was filmed at the same loction as the original. It is so awesome. Great reaction video.

[@Ambaryerno]

Reportedly, when Al called them Cobain asked if it was going to be another "Food" song (MANY of Weird Al's songs, especially early on, involved making the parody about food. IE Eat It for Beat It, or I'm Fat, rather than I'm Bad). What really sold them on it was Al telling them "No, it's going to be about how no one can understand what you're saying."

[@karlsmith2570]

2:43 Hey Phil and Sam, here's a little backstory of how Al got permission to do this parody: He'd gotten wind that Nirvana was scheduled to appear on SNL, so he'd contacted Victoria Jacksonville, who was part of the cast at the time, and got her to get Kurt Cobain on the phone with him, which she had. He asks Kurt about doing this parody, and Kurt emphatically said yes, and sort of as an afterthought, Kurt asked Al, "Is It Going To Be About Food," and Al told him, "Actually, It's Going To Be About How Nobody Can Understand Your Lyrics"

[@Gulicktheemu]

Al’s version - Original “It’s all about the Pentiums” - All about the Benjamin’s “Amish Paradise” - Gangsta Paradise “Tacky” - Happy “Word Crimes” - Blurred Lines “Perform This Way” - Born This Way “Foil” - Royals You won’t go wrong with any of those parodies. His originals are also great: “Germs” “One More Minute” And so on.

[@cameltanker1286]

Curt Cobain asked if the parody was going to be about food. Weird Al told them that it was about how no one could understand the lyrics to their songs. When Nirvana screened Weird Al's video, all of the band members were rolling on the floor laughing. It was then that Cobain remarked that they had finally made it.

[@goatkiller666]

For the record, if you bought the CD Single for the some song, the full lyrics were included in the liner notes. I just don’t remember which.

[@ronaldnelson6692]

Only 1 artist was upset that he did a parody of one of their songs. Coolio wasn't happy with Amish Paradise but as time went on, he approved it.

[@andyh4224]

Weird Also has original songs like Dare to Be Stupid, Nature Trail to He'll in 3D, My Baby's in Love with Eddy Vedder, Stuck in the close with Van White, and more

[@neolithiumproduction]

Best part hands down is when he gargles the lyrics. He apprently will still do that during renditions of this song live. xD

[@AIHumanEquality]

Kurt Cobain thought being parodied by Weird Al was an honor. He said you finally know you've made it when Weird Al wants to parody you.

[@thehonestwoodcutterbradywe8011]

For rap music converts Amish paradise and white n nerdy are MUSTS!!!!!that

[@metaldon50]

One of my favorite Weird Al songs is "Bob".It is a parody of Bob Dylan so you have to have some knowledge of Dylan's sound & style.Oh,& it's completely made of palindromes.It's brilliant.

[@edwardmclaughlin719]

He did a parody of Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney called Chicken Pot Pie. Paul nixed it because he is vegetarian. He could not stop Al from doing it, but Al respected his request. You can still see him do it live on here.

[@quieness]

Fun fact in regards to this, and i could be wrong but its what i've heared/read: Weird Al actually got almost all if not all the crowd of the OG video to participate in this, so like some of these teens are actually the people in Nirvana's song xd And yeah Al is super popular and was always an HONOR to be parodied by him. I encourage you to listen to more. Like, whenever u go ahead and listen to an OG song that Al has parodied, listen to the parody next. Its GREAT. And as u said, the guys of Nirvana were super chill with this they gave the ok and were excited for it, they loved Al's version. There are others like Michael jackson, Lorde, and more who he has parodied. PRAISE THE GRANDFATHER OF PARODIES: WEIRD AL YANKOVIC

[@thebeardedbrony9586]

Weird Al is the GOAT of Parody!

[@lourall5390]

Genius is how to describe Al. A rabbit hole worth deep diving into. Just see the original first.

[@tj_2701]

Even though it is not needed, Weird Al always got permission before doing a parody