3 ms·

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

by narkee 15y 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 15y 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 15y ago
  Well, right... but she had already seen the lyrics. She already knew exactly what the song was about.
- jtheory 15y 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 15y 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.

by narkee 15y ago

hugh3 15y 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 15y ago
Well, right... but she had already seen the lyrics. She already knew exactly what the song was about.
jtheory 15y 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 15y 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.