Genius in France- Wierd Al

[jasc15]

A friend showed me this song about 10 years ago, and in between side-splitting laughter it was apparent what a great composition it was.  I initially thought it was a Zappa song (this same friend introduced me to Zappa around the same time, so it was fresh in my mind).  This song made me consider Weird Al as a serious musician as opposed to just a parody guy, since I only knew him from songs like Eat It, etc.  I wouldn't call this song a parody, and I'm not sure you could even do that to Zappa's music since many his songs are already parodies of themselves in a sense.  Really a great tribute to Zappa, and I just read on Wikipedia that Dweezil Zappa played the intro guitar solo  .

[Orbert]

Weird Al has always been a serious musician; I've admired the guy's work for 30 years, and to me it was always apparent.  He's known for his parodies of popular songs, but a lot of his songs are just silly fun songs, with an odd bent towards food as a subject.  There are also Polka versions of songs.  "Bohemian Polka" is not really a parody; it's just the song done in a different style.

Then there are the "style parodies", which are meant to ape the style and sound of a particular band or artist, but not a specific song.  "Mr. Popeil" is clearly a B-52's style parody.  "When I Was Your Age" is obviously Don Henley.  That kind of thing.  Also, Al never comes out and says who the subject is.  That's up to us to figure out.  But in everything, the level of detail and the dedication to true satire and parody is apparent.  I was not surprised at all to learn that he comes from a musical family and has a genius IQ.

I consider "Genius in France" somewhat unique.  It's definitely from the "style parody" mold, but also a genuine tribute to someone Al truly admired.  Since Frank didn't have a single, defineable sound, but did have a number of musical trademarks in his catalog, Al was challenged to incorporate as many as he could.  I think he succeeded.  Also, it's true that Frank never really reached the level of honor and respect here in the U.S. that he did in France.  In France, there are statues of him.

It's also possible that the song is slightly meant to whine a bit about Al himself never getting the true respect as an artist that he feels he deserves, but that might be stretching it a bit.  Al knows he's in a niche, and he's done very, very well.

[Kotowboy]

UHF is one of the best comedies ever.

[jasc15]

Also, it's true that Frank never really reached the level of honor and respect here in the U.S. that he did in France.  In France, there are statues of him.

Wow, that changes the song entirely for me.  I just figured it was mostly nonsense and making fun of the French.  Any info on the statue?

"A little more to the left, boys.  A little more to the left."  Indeed.

[Orbert]

My mistake.  It's in Lithuania, not France, and it's really just a bust, not a statue.  Also, it's in a park, not some kind of "official" memorial.  But hey, it's something.

[splent]

I love teaching about him to my students. I often do a parody project at the end of the year where the kids can take a song they like and change the words to make it silly. I've gotten some amazing songs this way.

[Orbert]

I grew up with Mad Magazine (back when it was good) and my favorites were always the movie satires, which were often musicals.  The original songs would rarely have anything to do with the movie, but they provided the setting and everyone knew the tunes, so the words were the important thing.  I've always loved the idea of changing the words, but carefully for maximum comedic effect.

That's the genius of Weird Al.  His parodies aren't just silly songs sung to the tune of another song.  They're true parodies, mimicking the rhyming structure and often preserving key words for the extra zing.  I've gotten to where I like "The Saga Begins" (plot summary of "The Phantom Menace" sung to the tune of "American Pie") better than the original.

♫♫ Lots of folks were croakin'
♫♫ The battle droids were broken
♫♫ And the Jedi I admired most
♫♫ Met up with Darth Maul, now he's toast
♫♫ Well I'm still here and he's ghost
♫♫ I guess I'll train this boy

[DragonAttack]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/music/bs-frank-zappa-statue-dedication-pg-photogallery.html

the bust is from a fan club....in Lithuania...

[splent]

My favorite is trapped in the drive thru. Among many.

[splent]

 One thing I also really enjoy about him is the fact that he always asks for permission from the artist before he parodies a song, even though he doesn't need to under copyright law. If an artist stats to him that he can't parody there song, he won't do it.

[Setlist Scotty]

I loves me some Weird Al. Got all his albums and give them spins periodically. When I was younger I never appreciated his original songs, but these days I find them to be more clever than the parodies that he does. He's an amazing musician, and awesome to see in concert. Very entertaining.

One thing I also really enjoy about him is the fact that he always asks for permission from the artist before he parodies a song, even though he doesn't need to under copyright law. If an artist stats to him that he can't parody there song, he won't do it.

Agreed, altho it's a real shame that this has prevented him from doing some songs, like a Prince song and something from Led Zeppelin (despite the fact that Jimmy Page is a Weird Al fan).

Another thing I like about Al is that he keeps things pretty clean so that all ages can enjoy it - parents don't have hide anything in his catalog from the kiddies.

[me7]

Love the song but never knew about the Zappa connection. I read somewhere that the sang was just about how the French people supposedly love Jerry Lewis and never doubted it.

Now I'm curious about Zappa, but his discography looks menacing. Where should I start if I enjoy Genius in France? Any specific albums or era?

[Dr. DTVT]

I'll have to remember to post in here when I meet him next week.

When I was Your Age & The Night Santa Went Crazy are my favorite originals by him.

[Orbert]

I love "When I Was Your Age".  Don Henley style parody.

[Setlist Scotty]

I'll have to remember to post in here when I meet him next week.

How are you managing to do that?

In any case, can you ask him what he thinks of Rush and if he's familiar with DT?

[Implode]

Genius in France was one of my favorite songs off of that album, probably only second to Hardware Store. It was also my first experience with a "longer" song form.