35 years after his career started with “My Bologna” (a parody of The Knack’s “My Sharona”), “Weird Al” Yankovic has scored his first number one album this week with Mandatory Fun, featuring parodies of recent hits by Lorde, Pharrell, Robin Thicke and others.
Over the years I’ve appreciated his more well-known parodies – “Eat It” was his first big hit, and my 10 year old self loved it. His good-natured skewering of grunge bands in “Smells Like Nirvana” and the left-field take on Coolio’s “Gansta’s Paradise” are good examples of Al at the top of his game.
I was never a hardcore fan like some of my friends, but I have to admit his career’s longevity has been impressive. While a #1 album isn’t quite the accomplishment it was in years past due to changes in the music industry, he deserves kudos for managing to stay relevant far longer than most of the acts he has lampooned over the years.
Good work, Al.
Purchase Weird Al Yankovic: Mandatory Fun at Amazon.