Published on Apr 21, 2000
If anyone doubted that “Weird Al” Yankovic was still a relevant
and powerful force in music back in the ’90s, his album
Off The Deep End shattered those doubts. And while neither
1993’s
Alapalooza nor the label-demanded compilation
The TV Album really helped Yankovic capitalize on that
success, he was honing his already sharp skills for his next
target.
That attack came in 1996 with the release of
Bad Hair Day, an album that is an excellent mixture of
parody and original material that is rightfully, last time I heard,
Yankovic’s best-selling album to date.
Anyone who has O.D.’ed on the VH-1 “Behind The Music” special on
Yankovic knows the controversy behind “Amish Paradise,” Yankovic’s
take on Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”. Memo to Coolio: Dude,
lighten up
! Even you have to admit that Yankovic did a killer job
manipulating your song, and ended up with a creation that is just
as good as the original. Of course, this is what Yankovic had been
doing on record for over a decade at that time – but he truly hit
the nail on the head with “Amish Paradise”.
What’s interesting is that it keeps getting better for Yankovic.
From his take on U2 (“Cavity Search”) to a dead-on mimic of
alternative rock (“Gump,” his parody of “Lump” from The Presidents
Of The United States Of America), Yankovic fires almost no blanks
in this department. Even his r&b parody “Phony Calls” (taking
TLC’s “Waterfalls” and twisting it like a pretzel) hits on the
mark, thanks in no small part to well-placed sound effects and
guest appearances from Nancy “Bart Simpson” Cartwright and Hank
“Moe The Bartender” Azaria.
The only mis-step Yankovic makes in parody land is “Syndicated
Inc.,” a take on Soul Asylum’s “Misery”. Yeah, the accordion solo
is tasty, but this one hardly qualifies as “A-list” material.
Besides, Yankovic has done enough TV parodies, so maybe this was a
subtle hint that he needed to take a rest from them. (Then again,
he hit paydirt with “Jerry Springer” off
Running With Scissors, so I’m willing to admit I’m
wrong.)
But what
Bad Hair Day does for Yankovic is add more proof that he is
a more than capable songwriter in his own regard. Some of the
originals on this album – namely, “Everything You Know Is Wrong,”
“I Remember Larry” and “Callin’ In Sick” – rank right up there with
the best of his parodies. I know that Yankovic will forever be
known for his parody work, but I honestly believe he could record
an album of originals and it would be just as strong.
Bad Hair Day is further proof of this.
The highlight of this album is the closing track “The Night
Santa Went Crazy,” a song that definitely isn’t for the little ones
who still believe in the jolly old elf. It’s a pretty descriptive
song about one S. Claus’s rampage at the North Pole, and it’s funny
as hell. (Memo to Yankovic: You sing a different third verse in
concert than you do on the album. Please tell me you’ll eventually
release that version on a “b-sides” album! It actually feels like
it belongs more than what is on the CD.)
Yankovic would disappear from the music scene for a while after
Bad Hair Day ran its course – to return with the previously
reviewed masterpiece
Running With Scissors. What this album did was remind us all
not only that Yankovic was still slugging it out, but that he was
more talented than ever, and deserved our attention.
Bad Hair Day is a “must-own” album for any day of the
week.