5 Essential Tracks: Weird Al Yankovic

Parody is a dying art form these days, and so is playing accordion, (at least here in the States). But there is one man who does both of these things incredibly well and who has entered our collective pop culture through his diverse and wide-spanning body of work. So indulge me as I take a walk down memory lane and list (in no particular order),some of my favorite Weird Al songs.

1. Word Crimes

The anthem of Grammar Nazis everywhere, this hilarious send-up of "Blurred Lines" makes reference to everything from Oxford commas to the correct use of literally to "Lost." If there is any justice, this should be in use in every English classroom In America sometime soon.

2. Trapped in The Drive Through

Okay, this is more original than his usual work, but the template is lifted from R. Kelly's masterwork, Trapped in The Closet. Here, he transforms a winding story of infidelity, crime and disease into a simpler story of a man who just wants a cheeseburger. Hijinks ensue.

3. White and Nerdy

The only one of his parodies ever to crack the Billboard Top Ten, this song brilliantly captures exactly what it meant to be a geek before Big Bang Theory and the like made it cool again. Oftentimes, when I listen to Chamillonare's Ridin Dirty, I catch myself singing this version instead.

4. Eat It

The infinitely better and more quotable of his two food-centric M.J.parodies: an ode to finishing meals. This one still gets thrown around at the dinner table by my parents once in a blue moon. And because this was during the peak of his fame, he actually got Slash to re-record the guitar solo!

5. Yoda

And finally we arrive at my favorite Weird Al song of all time, the first and most popular of his parodies that also recap movies, which includes "Ode to a Superhero" and "The Saga Begins." Not only does the parody of "Lola" practically write itself, but he also correctly predicted how long Mark Hamil would be making these movies.