Tuesday Tunes

I must have hit the wrong button. This Tuesday Tune didn’t go up this morning, so it was almost a Wednesday Warble. I swear, something weird happened. But that’s kind of on theme this week, because “Weird Al” Yankovic is the subject. Most people know him, but for those that don’t, he’s the most successful Parody artist of all time. Usually, his songs are simply other people’s songs with different words or themes. As always, for me, this one is a little different…

The Song(s)
Song: Melanie
Artist: “Weird Al” Yankovic
Album: Even Worse - 1988 - Volcano Entertainment
Method of discovery: Having older brothers who owned the album

Theory: Instead of the usual minor vi, Yankovic subs in the less common ii. So, the chorus (which also starts the song) travels through IV-V-I-ii-V, before repeating the first three chords twice. Those chords are used throughout the song, without any further substitutions. Where the Verses loop V-IV-I-V-ii-IV-I-V twice, the Bridge is only ii-V-ii-IV-V.

Research: As mentioned above, most of Al’s songs are works of Parody. But Melanie is not. Some compare it to a style-parody, where he takes elements of a band or artist and spins a completely new song. These parodies tend to poke fun at the typical subject matter of the source material, or at the artist directly. I’ve read it’s a style parody of Tom Petty and The Heart Breakers, other say it’s of the Hollies. The closest sonic match I could find (and also the one on wikipedia’s list of his songs) was Marshall Crenshaw’s You’re My Favorite Waste of Time, which by Marshall’s admission was an attempt at something that The Hollies might write.

Personal thoughts: I can’t remember becoming aware that Weird Al existed. He just always has, in my mind. He’s the jester peeking out between the serious legs of serious people. He’s poked fun at every genre and done so successfully. He’s largely responsible for my sense of humour, because whenever there was a song that topped the charts, there was Weird Al, in the corner, reminding everyone to laugh. I have a personal philosophy: There are only ever two reasons to do something: one - because it is right, two - because it is funny (and does not contradict the first rule, a la Asimov). Weird Al seems to be able to consistently do both.

Give it a go: If you want to learn what a nice-guy sounds like, ad absurdum

Give it a miss: If you don’t think humour has a place in music.

[links]
Spotify: Tuesday Tunes, Melanie by “Weird Al” Yankovic
Wikipedia: List of “Weird Al” Songs, You’re My Favorite Waste of Time, Even Worse
Other: Al-riginals Article, Lyrics on Genius.com, Fandom, Nathan Rabin Article, WeirdAlStar