How Weird Al Yankovic Removed the Misogyny of ‘Blurred Lines’ by Adding Grammar Lessons
Weird Al Yankovic Photo: Michael Kovac/WireImage
Weird Al Yankovic’s brand of musical parody changed comedy, raising the bar for the level of accuracy expected in parody. And after 14 albums, he’s still at it. As Yankovic puts it, his most recent album Mandatory Fun was his mic drop, as it was his first No. 1 album and it dominated the internet for a week. The standout track was “Word Crimes,” his “Blurred Lines” parody that replaced all the creepiness of the Robin Thicke original and replaced it with valuable lessons about grammar. On this week’s Good Onepodcast, Vulture’s new podcast about jokes, Weird Al, whose deluxe Squeeze Box box set is available for preorder through March 20, breaks down how the song came to be, what it’s like to try to copy a rapper’s flow, and attempting to needle Prince a little.
Listen to the episode and read an excerpt of our discussion below. Tune in to Good One every Monday on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Do you remember hearing “Blurred Lines” for the first time? Yeah, and I just thought it was an extremely catchy kind of Marvin Ga
Grammarians, rejoice!
Weird Al's latest video, "Word Crimes," offers viewers a humorous schooling in the correct usage of often misused words, and it's set to the unmistakable tune of Robin Thicke's much-maligned "Blurred Lines."
If you're worried Weird Al is only jumping on the grammar bandwagon because it's a hip, easy way to connect with the youth (who are clearly into this sort of thing), fear not. The eccentric artist has been a tireless advocate for years now, as this era GIF illustrating the difference between "less" and "fewer" proves:
The video is part of Weird Al's latest album, "Mandatory Fun," set to hit stores Tuesday, July
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comedyblurred linesweird al yankovicWeird Al Yankovic Details Exactly How He Turned ‘Blurred Lines’ Into ‘Word Crimes’
Weird Al Yankovic. Photo-Illustration: Vulture and Getty Images
In , almost four decades into his career, Weird Al Yankovic released his 14th record, Mandatory Fun, to unexpected fanfare, earning his first No. 1 album and dominating the internet news cycle with new videos. But should it really have been so unexpected? It’s hard to think of a comedian or even a musician, for that matter, who has maintained pop-culture relevance as long as Weird Al has. Every generation has their defining Weird Al parody, from “Eat It” to “Smells Like Nirvana” to “White & Nerdy” all the way up to Mandatory Fun’s biggest hit, “Word Crimes.” Weird Al is an institution.
You don’t get a career like that by accident. On this week’s episode of Vulture Good One podcast, Yankovic walks us through the meticulous and methodical process of writing “Word Crimes,” his grammar nerdist parody of Pharrell and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” He explains how he writes for a character, starts with a song title, and how the legal trouble surrounding “Blurred Lines” affected him.
Listen to the episode and read an excerpt
The 25 best “Weird Al” Yankovic parody songs
Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images
Somewhat appropriate given the artist, “Weird Al” Yankovic’s first single, “My Bologna,” was recorded in a men’s bathroom, as this was the only space available to a student disc jockey at Cal Poly in Nevertheless, Yankovic’s ode to Oscar Mayer and parody of the Knack’s “My Sharona” was a huge hit on the Dr. Demento show. This success, as well as a chance encounter with the Knack’s Doug Fieger, earned Al a recording deal with Capitol Records and would mark the beginning of his year career.
2 of 25
“Another One Rides the Bus”
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
“Another One Rides the Bus” was recorded in an actual studio (live, in Dr. Demento’s booth, to be precise) but that doesn’t mean it’s a high-quality recording. It features Al cranking away on his accordion while drummer Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, whom Yankovic had randomly met in the hallway minutes before recording, bangs out a beat on the accordion’s case. The lyrics that turn Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” into a ditty about being trapped on a crowded bus were both
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