3 ms·

It is interesting. I respect Al's long held stance not to do parodies without the artist's consent while acknowledging that he is legally within his rights to d

It is interesting. I respect Al's long held stance not to do parodies without the artist's consent while acknowledging that he is legally within his rights to do so. But I also don't think it is really that surprising that Gaga would want to actually hear the song rather than just give the go ahead based on lyrics. Anyone who has been online for any amount of time knows that the written word comes off a lot different than spoken/sung. And it is actually not that surprising that she wouldn't consent, considering it is fairly harsh in calling the song a Madonna ripoff and calling her persona fake and manufactured simply to take money from her fans. It is a pretty big anomaly given Al's history, I can't recall anytime he has really gone after the artist he is parodying before. Al is being a bit disingenuous with the whole "I respect the artist's wishes", but then releasing the song and banking on the Streisand effect to do its magic. You can call her out on screwing you over, but don't play like you don't know what you are doing.

narkee 16y ago
What added information would she have gotten from hearing the song? Given the fact that his songs are lyrical parodies, the only substantial difference between her song and his are the words. On what grounds would she reject the song, but be ok with the lyrics? Because by asking him to sing it she's basically said "I'm ok with the words. But I might not be ok with the delivery."
- hugh3 16y ago
  On what grounds would she reject the song, but be ok with the lyrics? Because by asking him to sing it she's basically said "I'm ok with the words. But I might not be ok with the delivery." Delivery can make the difference between affectionate parody and harsh parody. Most of Weird Al's songs don't really make fun of the original performer. Most of 'em are really about food, or surgeons, or the Amish, or the Beverley Hillbillies. Only a couple of 'em actually target the perceived flaws of the actual singer (e.g. his version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" which makes fun of Kurt Cobain's somewhat incomprehensible drawl).
  - monochromatic 16y ago
    Well, right... but she had already seen the lyrics. She already knew exactly what the song was about.
  - jtheory 16y ago
    I haven't listened to any Weird Al in a decade or so, but I listened to this one, and his delivery was exactly the same as it always was. It's extremely predictable; reading the lyrics and having any familiarity with his parodies at all should have been enough. This song did strike me as a little more critical than most of what I remember (though Smells Like Nirvana did come to mind), but hey, that's obvious from the lyrics. I wouldn't fault her for saying no at that point; instead she refused to respond until he'd done the recording. So I agree with Al, it was a stupid demand to make (especially considering that she should know that recording a song isn't cheap), and Al's reaction isn't really about the money; it's about punishing her for either thoughtlessness or meanness, and also a bit about getting a bit of press for himself. I suppose I'm not terribly impressed with either of them.
    - afterburner 16y ago
      The lyrics are not necessarily critical... you could argue they are meant to celebrate Gaga's antics ("I'm not crazy... I perform this way"). But the possibility is there of course.
chc 16y ago
I can't imagine what you mean. Here is what she knew: 1. The lyrics to the song 2. The music to the song 3. What Al sounds like when he sings What about the actual track could be "a lot different" from the information she already had, to the degree that it would lead her to withhold approval she would otherwise have granted?
- kamyulam 16y ago
  I thought the same thing as you at first, but perhaps Gaga might have taken issue with the short sound clip from Madonna's "Express Yourself" (at 1:58 in Weird Al's version). I think Gaga has been accused of copying "Express Yourself" and Weird Al is poking fun at that issue. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2011/04/20/2011-04-20_lady_gaga_on_madonna_plagiarism_accusations_are_retarded.html http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2011/04/20/20...
- qq66 16y ago
  It may be that the request didn't make it to Lady Gaga until the full song was sent over. Think about it from the assistant's point of view, who reports to Lady Gaga. He doesn't want to take something to Lady Gaga and have her say, "Mmmm.... I don't know" and have the issue unresolved. Meanwhile, it costs none of his own effort to ask Weird Al to send over the recorded song, which he can then take to Lady Gaga in its entirety.
- zinkem 16y ago
  People who work in the music production see a lot wider spaces inbetween subtle variations in sound than most of us. There are as many ways to construct a song as there are to construct a program, even if you know the "general idea."
  - chc 16y ago
    Yes, but how does any of that affect the decision of "Yes, it's OK for Al to make this comedy song"? He's not asking her to put her name on it or positively review it — just to say she doesn't mind him doing it. So I don't see how "subtle variations" make any difference. As he said, this was the first time he'd encountered this in many decades of making parodies, so if you're implying that this is just how musicians work, you're wrong.

narkee 16y ago

What added information would she have gotten from hearing the song? Given the fact that his songs are lyrical parodies, the only substantial difference between her song and his are the words. On what grounds would she reject the song, but be ok with the lyrics? Because by asking him to sing it she's basically said "I'm ok with the words. But I might not be ok with the delivery."

hugh3 16y ago
On what grounds would she reject the song, but be ok with the lyrics? Because by asking him to sing it she's basically said "I'm ok with the words. But I might not be ok with the delivery." Delivery can make the difference between affectionate parody and harsh parody. Most of Weird Al's songs don't really make fun of the original performer. Most of 'em are really about food, or surgeons, or the Amish, or the Beverley Hillbillies. Only a couple of 'em actually target the perceived flaws of the actual singer (e.g. his version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" which makes fun of Kurt Cobain's somewhat incomprehensible drawl).
- monochromatic 16y ago
  Well, right... but she had already seen the lyrics. She already knew exactly what the song was about.
- jtheory 16y ago
  I haven't listened to any Weird Al in a decade or so, but I listened to this one, and his delivery was exactly the same as it always was. It's extremely predictable; reading the lyrics and having any familiarity with his parodies at all should have been enough. This song did strike me as a little more critical than most of what I remember (though Smells Like Nirvana did come to mind), but hey, that's obvious from the lyrics. I wouldn't fault her for saying no at that point; instead she refused to respond until he'd done the recording. So I agree with Al, it was a stupid demand to make (especially considering that she should know that recording a song isn't cheap), and Al's reaction isn't really about the money; it's about punishing her for either thoughtlessness or meanness, and also a bit about getting a bit of press for himself. I suppose I'm not terribly impressed with either of them.
  - afterburner 16y ago
    The lyrics are not necessarily critical... you could argue they are meant to celebrate Gaga's antics ("I'm not crazy... I perform this way"). But the possibility is there of course.

chc 16y ago

I can't imagine what you mean. Here is what she knew: 1. The lyrics to the song 2. The music to the song 3. What Al sounds like when he sings What about the actual track could be "a lot different" from the information she already had, to the degree that it would lead her to withhold approval she would otherwise have granted?

kamyulam 16y ago
I thought the same thing as you at first, but perhaps Gaga might have taken issue with the short sound clip from Madonna's "Express Yourself" (at 1:58 in Weird Al's version). I think Gaga has been accused of copying "Express Yourself" and Weird Al is poking fun at that issue. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2011/04/20/2011-04-20_lady_gaga_on_madonna_plagiarism_accusations_are_retarded.html http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2011/04/20/20...
qq66 16y ago
It may be that the request didn't make it to Lady Gaga until the full song was sent over. Think about it from the assistant's point of view, who reports to Lady Gaga. He doesn't want to take something to Lady Gaga and have her say, "Mmmm.... I don't know" and have the issue unresolved. Meanwhile, it costs none of his own effort to ask Weird Al to send over the recorded song, which he can then take to Lady Gaga in its entirety.
zinkem 16y ago
People who work in the music production see a lot wider spaces inbetween subtle variations in sound than most of us. There are as many ways to construct a song as there are to construct a program, even if you know the "general idea."
- chc 16y ago
  Yes, but how does any of that affect the decision of "Yes, it's OK for Al to make this comedy song"? He's not asking her to put her name on it or positively review it — just to say she doesn't mind him doing it. So I don't see how "subtle variations" make any difference. As he said, this was the first time he'd encountered this in many decades of making parodies, so if you're implying that this is just how musicians work, you're wrong.