Top 10 ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Rock Parodies
There’s never been a song parody god anywhere near the level of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic. Since the mid-‘70s, Yankovic and his accordion have lampooned pop culture with a fearless dedication to silliness, and his rock parodies are among his most celebrated.
When Nirvana ruled the airwaves, Weird Al called Kurt Cobain himself to ask permission to parody “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” At first, Cobain assumed Yankovic was going to make a song about food, but when Al explained the concept behind “Smells Like Nirvana,” he got the thumbs up from Cobain. With his blond wig and green-striped shirt, Al masterfully took on the persona of Kurt Cobain to poke fun at the grunge icon’s unintelligible vocal style.
Some of Weird Al’s most charming parodies are also his most simple, featuring little more than Al and his accordion. No big band was needed for “Another One Rides the Bus,” which made for Yankovic’s first nationally televised performance. The piece of Queen satire was perfect when stripped down, as was his bologna-themed version of The Knack’s “My Sharona.”
The Star Wars universe had provided endless inspiration for Weird Al and his band. “Yoda” might be Al’s most famous, turning The Kinks’ “Lola” into a loving tribute to everyone’s favorite vertically challenged Jedi Master. “The Saga Begins” is pretty flawless as well. Frankly, Weird Al’s reimagining of “American Pie” is better than all three of the Star Wars prequels, so at least we got a silly cut about Anakin Skywalker from it.
Check out our picks for the Top 10 ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Rock Parodies in the Loud List above.
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