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zwolanerd

I guess I just like liking things

This is the tenth in a series of transplanted articles from my other blog. The transplants will run on Saturdays until they’re all over here. They are copied and pasted, but might get slight edits here and there.

Is there no one else on the track because they've fallen and damaged themselves on their scissors?

Is there no one else on the track because they’ve fallen and damaged themselves on their scissors?

Some of these albums I have not had to re-listen to in order to rank them This album I actually had to listen to a couple of times to reacquire a feel for it.  It’s “so 90s” in a way, but not more pigeonholed to a time than any of his other albums.  I’m not sure how to explain my feelings on it other than to say this album felt like a turning point for Al, but maybe the turning point was mine.  This seems to be about the time that Weird Al started transitioning from “offbeat comedy songs guy” into “representative of geek/nerd culture icon.”  I don’t know, maybe that’s just my perception.  I was 27 when it came out, a number that Al has used in several songs. Maybe it’s that intersection that makes me confused about this album.

11. Jerry Springer – A song about the Jerry Springer show. I feel like we already had this song, in “Talk Soup” on Alapalooza, and it wasn’t my favorite then.

10. Pretty Fly for a Rabbi – Parody of “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy), and pretty much a lot of Jewish jokes. It’s catchy, but… it’s pretty much a lot of Jewish jokes.

9. My Baby’s in Love with Eddie Vedder – An original, about how his girlfriend loves 90s darling Eddie Vedder, to the point where she’s “knitting him a sweater,” even.

8. Truck Drivin’ Song – Our church had a couple of long-haul truck drivers when I was growing up. I even went on a trip once, down to Georgia and back. That was enough for me to know I’d never be a truck driver. They’re a unique breed, and I heard plenty of truck drivin’ songs (like “Convoy” and “Gimme 40 Acres”), but none of them were ever about a cross-dressing truck driver. Weird Al saw a gap in the trucker musical library and he filled it. No other truck drivin’ song has the phrase “darling little rhinestone pumps” in it, I’ll wager.  He really nails the feel and sound of those old songs, while giving them an update no one knew they needed.

7. Albuquerque – A long-form exercise in randomness and absurdity. I enjoy this one, but can’t listen to it very often.  It’s a little too random and goofy for my tastes most days.  I am a little jealous that Brian got to hear him sing “Albuquerque” while in Albuquerque, though.

6. Polka Power! – Here’s this album’s polka, featuring songs by the Spice Girls, the Beastie Boys, and Chumbawamba. Again, I feel Al improves on the originals in most cases.

5. Grapefruit Diet – A swing (ska?) song about food, based on “Zoot Suit Riot.” Lots of fun.

4. Your Horoscope for Today – Al runs through each of the Zodiacal signs and gives you the horoscopes for each of them. The highlight of this song is the bridge, which I’m still trying to learn all the words to.

3. The Weird Al Show Theme – Exactly what it says. I loved the show, and I loved the theme song opening. Here it is so you can enjoy the many different kinds of animations to go along with it.

2. The Saga Begins – The story of Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, told in song form from Obi-Wan’s point of view. This song, based on Don MacLean’s “American Pie,” is so much better than the movie it’s based on, but wouldn’t exist without the movie, so… yeah. That’ll make your brain hurt.  If you haven’t seen the movie but want to know what happens in it, just listen to this song.

1. It’s All About the Pentiums – Not only is this my favorite song on the album, it’s one of my favorite songs of Al’s in general. Lots of computer terms, used correctly, and in humorous ways.  I absolutely love this song.  It contains such wonderful insults as “you’re waxing your modem trying to make it go faster” and “in a 32-bit world you’re a 2-bit user.” Yes, the references are a bit long-in-the-tooth now, but they’re still fantastic.

Not too many albums left, though I’ve considered going on after the albums with my Top 10 of all his songs, the Top Ten Food Songs, the Top Ten TV songs… I’m not sure how much Weird Al this blog can take!

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