3 Eternal “Weird Al” Yankovic Parodies that Will Keep You Laughing

There are many copies but there’s only one original. When it comes to parody songs, the person at the top of the pyramid is the Downey, California-born songwriter and performer “Weird Al” Yankovic. From a teenager, he was writing songs that took the melodies of pop songs and turned them on their head for comedy tracks that have since made him famous.

For Yankovic, who is also a fan of polka and accordion music, to poke fun is to love. And here below, we wanted to explore a trio of tracks by the artist that both have stood the test of time and continue to make music fans chuckle. Indeed, these are three eternal “Weird Al” Yankovic parodies that will get you to LOL.

[RELATED: Behind the Name: “Weird Al” Yankovic]

“Amish Paradise” from Bad Hair Day (1996)

A parody of the 1995 hit Coolio rap song “Gangsta’s Paradise,” this track from “Weird Al” Yankovic takes a song about someone living in the violent, hard inner city and flips it to be about someone living in Amish country. Poking fun at the religious people’s stereotypes of beards and farmhouses, Yankovic produced perhaps his most well-known song. For years, the track caused a rift between him and Coolio but the two later made up, thankfully. On the track, he offers,

As I walk through the valley where I harvest my grain
I take a look at my wife and realize she’s very plain
But that’s just perfect for an Amish like me
You know, I shun fancy things like electricity
At 4:30 in the morning, I’m milkin’ cows
Jebediah feeds the chickens and Jacob plows, fool

“Like a Surgeon” from Dare to Be Stupid (1985)

“Weird Al” has been making music for a long time. Case in point: this parody from his third album Dare to Be Stupid, which was released back in 1985. The song itself is a parody of Madonna’s 1984 hit religious-themed 1984 song “Like a Virgin,” which is about being in love with God. Here, though, Yankovic acts like a doctor—well, a surgeon (and a not very good one)—and sings about his very first time in the operating room. On the track, the comedian sings,

I finally made it through med school
Somehow I made it through
I’m just an intern
I still make a mistake or two

I was last in my class
Barely passed at the institute
Now I’m trying to avoid, yah I’m trying to avoid
A malpractice suit

“White & Nerdy” from Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)

If this isn’t Yankovic’s most well-known song, it definitely is his most popular. Riffing of the 2005 track “Ridin’” by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone, this song pokes fun at nerd culture, which is something Yankovic knows well having grown up a fan of polka music in the suburbs. The tune was such a hit that it went Platinum and marks Yankovic’s sole Billboard Hot 100 Top-10 hit, peaking at No. 9. And on it, he raps,

They see me mowin’
My front lawn
I know they’re all thinking
I’m so white ‘n’ nerdy

Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Think I’m just too white ‘n’ nerdy
Can’t you see I’m white ‘n’ nerdy?
Look at me I’m white ‘n’ nerdy

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Photo by Sam Jones / Courtesy of Girlie Action Media & Marketing