Polkarama

Yup, it's another music post.

"Weird Al" Yankovic is someone who shouldn't require any introduction, but for my readers who're plebs he's a comedian/singer-songwriter who is best known for his music parodies. He's done parodies of Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Backstreet Boys, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and many many more.

Scan Courtesy of COMC

One of the more underrated parts of the Weird Al discography are his polkas which are essentially just compilations of popular songs from a certain period. Weird Al covers certain fragments of certain songs (usually the chorus), all stylized as one big polka song with accordions, tubas and everything. They're very cool to me because they serve as mini-time capsules. You listen to a polka and the various songs crammed within and a stream of memories from when those songs were popular come flooding back to you (note, this is contingent on if you listened to those songs back then, otherwise this might not be of much use to you).

So with all of that said I wanted to talk about my favorite Weird Al Polka, Polkarama! from his 2006 album Straight Outta Lynwood. That same album brought the world notable songs like White and Nerdy, Canadian Idiot and Confessions Part II. All great parody songs. Note the video above is also one of the first videos I ever watched on YouTube over 10 years ago. Harrowing.

Anyway Polkarama! is the polka I adore the most because it features the most songs I like on their own. Let's run down each song within it.

Song 1: Chicken Dance

It's the chicken dance. Nuff said.

Do I Like The Original?: N/A.

Song 2: Let's Get It Started by The Black Eyed Peas

Even though I really don't like BEP that much these days I can't act like I don't enjoy this song. It's a fun party song, as is "Pump It!", their other well known hit before they decided to release shit song after shit song in the late 2000's/early 2010's.

Do I Like The Original?: Yes.

Song 3: Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand

I have two thoughts about this song.

1). Take Me Out being used as the soundtrack for PSP commercials started the trend of indie rock being used as jingles for commercials. So it's all Franz Ferdinand's fault that Imagine Dragons and other indie rock bands have to make soulless songs that sound like they were made for commercials now.

2). Everything else in Franz Ferdinand's catalogue is a lesser/much worse variation of this song.

Do I Like The Original?: I enjoy Take Me Out and "Do You Want To" by Franz Ferdinand but the rest of their discography is ass. But still yes.

Song 4: Beverly Hills by Weezer

I really love the album this song is from which is Make Believe, but I don't like this song. "Perfect Situation", "The Damage In Your Heart" and "This Is Such A Pity" are the real highlights on that album for me. "Beverly Hills" is too slow for my liking.

Do I Like The Original?: Nope.

Song 5: Speed of Sound by Coldplay

I didn't care for Coldplay until they dropped Viva La Vida. Weird Al's brief cover segment of this song is the most listenable it will ever be to me.

Do I Like The Original?: Nope.

Song 6: Float On by Modest Mouse

Oh now here we fucking go. This is the fucking jam right here. The brief Weird Al version (and the way this song was later sampled by Lupe Fiasco for "Show Goes On") proves that it's also a solid melody. Love it.

Do I Like The Original?: YES. A THOUSAND TIMES YES.

Song 7: Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz (Feat. De La Soul)

Feel Good Inc. is one of my favorite songs ever. Bar none.

Do I Like The Original?: Yes, refer to what I just typed.

Song 8: Don't Cha by The Pussycat Dolls (Feat. Busta Rhymes)

Busta Rhymes' verse is pretty good but Weird Al's cover of this is the only way to make it remotely listenable. I wish Busta Rhymes would stop wasting time dropping guest verses on terrible songs.

Do I Like The Original?: Nope.

Song 9: Somebody Told Me by The Killers

Float On-Feel Good Inc.-Somebody Told Me would've been a killer combo, but oh well. Somebody Told Me is a great song and Weird Al's take is also great.

Do I Like The Original?: I LOVE IT.

Song 10: Slither by Velvet Revolver

This song is ass.

Do I Like The Original?: Nope.

Song 11: Candy Shop by 50 Cent (Feat. Olivia)

My friends in elementary school really liked this song. Meanwhile I was more into Terror Squad's "Lean Back". I still don't "like" this song, but the memories of my elementary school years keep me from talking shit about this song.

Do I Like The Original?: Not on its own merits.

Song 12: Drop It Like It's Hot by Snoop Dogg (Feat. Pharrell)

Nothing Snoop Dogg makes will ever get me as hyped as "Who Am I (What's My Name)?", and nothing Pharrell produces will get me hyped as Clipse's "Mr. Me Too". This song is fine, but doesn't lend itself to repeated listens.

Do I Like The Original?: Not really.

Song 13: Pon de Replay by Rihanna

Rihanna at her best before she started pumping out so much music that quantity outweighed quality. I'm more of a fan of "Rude Boy" and "Umbrella" but Pon de Replay is fine too.

Do I Like The Original?: Yes.

Song 14: Gold Digger by Kanye West (Feat. Jamie Foxx)

Late Registration (the album this is from) is a classic. This song is a big reason why.

Do I Like The Original?: Yes.

Song 15: The Nina Bobina Polka by Weird Al

The final polka-ish tune to close out this medley. I'm half expecting someone to get hit with a pie when the horns come in.

Do I Like The Original?: This is the original. N/A.

Danielle Trixie

So out of the fifteen songs used for this polka I ended up with seven songs I like, four songs I dislike, two songs I'm indifferent towards, and two that don't even qualify.

Even with the songs I don't particularly care for in there, this whole song overall is a giant time machine for me back to my days as a freshman in middle school. Or around that time period. Because all of those songs were around and big back then (and thankfully this polka didn't include any of the crunk shit that was popular back then), it really is like a lineup that'd be playing on z100 or Hot97 at the time.

Overall I'm biased and I love this polka. Maybe I'll do another Weird Al polka one day.

As always thanks for stopping by and take care :).