zwolanerd

I’ve been bringing over the Weird Al series I started on my other blog for a while now.  As of the last one, though, I’m caught up as far as I made it. So now what used to be a piece of cake, copying and pasting an article, has turned into “oh, right, actual writing again.”  Granted, I ran them on Saturdays because it was copying and pasting, so I wasn’t really saving myself any work.

So now we’ve come to Straight Outta Lynwood, which most people think of as “the White & Nerdy” album. One of my favorite bits of trivia about this album is that the dog on the cover wasn’t planned, he just happened to be on a walk with his owner at the time. Yay, suddenly-famous dog!

Here is the order in which I like the songs on this album, with the reminder that actually not-good Weird Al songs are very few and far between, so just because something is farther down the list doesn’t mean it’s bad, it just means there are other songs I like better.

12. “Do I Creep You Out” – Gross and creepy, but very well done.  I mean, that is what he was going for, after all. Gross outweighs funny for me, though.

11. “Confessions Part III” – I’m not familiar with the Usher songs that precede this one, but his many ridiculous confessions in this song are quite amusing.

10. “I’ll Sue Ya” – While I agree with the sentiment behind this one (frivolous lawsuits are frivolous), the style isn’t my favorite.  It’s styled after Rage Against the Machine, and it’s not really my thing.

9. “Close but No Cigar” – The reasons he dumps these almost-perfect women get more and more ridiculous as the song goes on, and, really, it’s insightful commentary on how many of us react to to things in our lives.

8. “Virus Alert” – My favorite part of this song is the very end when he’s telling you what to do with your computer. I think this one succeeds with me because I’ve worked on so many computers where the person says “How did my computer get a virus?? I didn’t do anything!”

7. “Canadian Idiot” – I’ve been accused by a couple of friends (some of them Canadian!) of being a Canadaphile, mostly because I love Tim Hortons donuts and hot chocolate. While this song lists many reasons a person would not want to be Canadian, it’s secretly a love letter to all things wonderfully Canadian.

6. “Trapped in the Drive-Thru” – Epic while being everyday. This is kind of a masterpiece, but I’ll admit I don’t listen to it every time. It’s a long haul. Plus, I get worried for the couple in the song. They scream about things a bit more than is healthy, I think.

5. “Weasel Stomping Day” – This song is so twisted I can’t help but love it. Have you seen the Robot Chicken-made video? Mess you up, man. But as the song says, “It’s tradition, that makes it okay.”

4. “Polkarama!” – I really don’t think there’s a Weird Al polka song I don’t like. Highlight on this one is the banjo behind “When the pimp’s in the crib ma/Drop it like it’s hot,” at least for me.

3. “Don’t Download This Song” – Beautiful in sound and sentiment. I love the choice of the “We Are the World”-type sound for this, like there should be a fundraiser for all of the musicians who’ve had songs stolen from them over the years. This song is kind of brilliant.

2. “Pancreas” – I am one of maybe three people in the world who will rate this song this high. A friend of mine from high school helped me appreciate The Beach Boys on a much deeper level than the usual “girls, cars, and surfing” level, and that spilled over into an appreciation for some things Brian Wilson (note: not all) whose compositions this is modeled after. Throw in the fact that there are good bits of medical info, and you’d be surprised how often I sing snippets of this one.

1. “White & Nerdy” – I’ve already talked about this one extensively, but it’s one of my all-time favorites of Al’s songs. So many great concepts wrapped up in it and a great tune to boot.

Tags: Weird Al

Written by: Mark