That’s Just Weird!

This is the final post for 2024, Glyn’s Mixed Music Bag – Week 53.
We are asked to choose a song by a group or solo artist
whose name begins with the letters X, Y or Z.
Using the letter Y, this is my choice.

Welcome to the final installment of Glyn’s Mixed Music Bag for 2024. To mark the occasion, I have chosen to feature the songs of a musical artist who is most unusual; in fact, everyone just calls him “weird”. What do you have to say about that, Al?

Few would have guessed that “Weird Al” Yankovic would become a pop culture icon and the biggest-selling comedy recording artist of all time, with classic song and music video parodies such as “Eat It”, “Like a Surgeon”, “Smells Like Nirvana”, “Amish Paradise”, “White & Nerdy” and many more. Now in his fourth decade as America’s foremost song parodist, he has been honored with four Grammy Awards and 15 nominations, including a 2015 win for his 14th studio album, Mandatory Fun.

Born in 1959, Al Yankovic was raised in Lynwood, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles; at the suggestion of his parents, he took up the accordion at an early age. As a child and young teen, Al watched a lot of television, which gave him much inspiration for his later work. He also became a fan of such musicians/comedians as Allan Sherman and Spike Jones. Al became especially acquainted with these artists through the radio show of Barry Hansen, professionally known as “Dr. Demento”, which would later become a great source of publicity for his talents.

Although Al sent tapes to Dr. Demento in the past, it wasn’t until college when he recorded his first real published piece – “My Balogna” – a parody of “My Sharona” made popular by The Knack. After the astounding success of that song, forever to be known as the “bathroom recording” as it was recorded in the school’s acoustically perfect men’s room, Al began his phenomenal career, which has spanned 12 albums, numerous compilations, a box set, movies, videos and edible underwear. He has also done a great deal to advance the cause of accordion-wielding weirdos, for which we can all be thankful.

Al Yankovic is one of only four artists to have had Top 40 singles in each of the last four decades; the other three are Michael Jackson, Madonna and U2. For his Mandatory Fun album, Al blew up the internet by releasing eight music videos in eight days. Combined, the videos accrued more than 46 million views in their first week. Among his many other past music and video milestones, Al’s 2006 album Straight Outta Lynwood (a parody of the album Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A.) spawned the Platinum Billboard Top 10 anthem “White & Nerdy,” while the video spent two straight months at #1 on iTunes.

To fully enjoy the musicality and creativity of “Weird Al” Yankovic, his parodies should be viewed after watching the original videos. My choice today is “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits, followed by Al’s parody, “Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies”. For more Weird Al trivia and videos, please join me next week as I introduce my new music feature, “Weird Al Wednesday”.

When Al requested permission to parody “Money for Nothing“, he was given the “OK” with the stipulation that Mark Knopfler (lead guitarist, singer and songwriter for Dire Straits and a huge fan of Weird Al) be allowed to play lead guitar on the song. The parody “Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies” is one of the few Al Yankovic songs in which Al’s long-time lead guitarist, Jim West, does not play lead guitar.

First, let’s take a look at the original video by Dire Straits, “Money For Nothing”

Now let’s check out Al’s parody, “Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies”, featuring the guitar music of Mark Knopfler.

LYRICS

Beverly

Beverly Hillbillies

Huh, now lookie here, people
Listen to my story
A little story ’bout a man named Jed
You know something, that poor mountaineer
They say he barely kept his family fed

Now, let me tell you, one day he was shootin’
Old Jed was shootin’ at some food
When all of a sudden right up from the ground, there
Well, there came a bubblin’ crude

Oil that is, well, maybe you call it
Black gold or Texas tea
He gonna move next to Mr. Drysdale
And be a Beverly Hillbilly

Before you know it, all the kinfolk are a-sayin’
Yeah, buddy, move away from there
That little Clampett got his own cement pond
That little Clampett, he’s a millionaire

Now, everyone said Californie
Is the place that you oughta be
We got to load up this here truck now
We got to move to Beverly
Hills, that is

Swimming pools
Move-a-move-a-movie stars
Huh
Look at that, look at that

Beverly, Beverly, Beverly Hillbillies
Y’all come back now, hear?
Beverly, Beverly, Beverly Hillbillies
Beverly, Beverly, Beverly Hillbillies
Beverly, Beverly, Beverly Hillbillies

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Mark Knopfler/Al Yankovic/Paul Henning/Gordon Matthew Sumner
Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies lyrics © Straitjacket Songs Ltd., Songs Of Universal Inc., Irving Music Inc., British Grove Music

Mixed Music Bag 2024 – week 53 – Back to Zero 7

Big thanks to Glyn Wilton for hosting Mixed Music Bag every week. Please be sure to follow the link and check out Glyn’s site.

Thanks for joining me today and spinning some tunes.

See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy ~ The Sicilian Storyteller, Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, and The Rhythm Section and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.