Well, this was a strange day.
After putting my Lady Gaga parody on YouTube this morning – and announcing that it wouldn’t be on my next album because Gaga didn’t approve it – there was a huge outpouring of disappointment from the Internet.
Apparently the fact that she didn’t approve it was news to Lady Gaga herself!
Gaga’s manager has now admitted that he never forwarded my parody to Gaga – she had no idea at all. Even though we assumed that Gaga herself was the one making the decision (because, well, that’s what we were TOLD), he apparently made the decision completely on his own.
He’s sorry.
And Gaga loves the song.
I’m thrilled on many levels to hear this, because 1) I truly respect and admire Gaga as an artist and it pained me to think of her as having less than a great sense of humor, and 2) it means I GET TO PUT OUT MY ALBUM!
As promised, all my proceeds from the song (and the MUSIC VIDEO… I can’t wait…) will go to the Human Rights Campaign.
Thank you, Gaga. And thanks to everybody who had my back.
Whew!
Your pal,
Al
542 Comments
Glad it all worked out in the end, Al!
Al, I am not sure if this will never reach you. Maybe some worker or fan will know how to get this to you, hey however; (who ever you are that does that favor for me then good for you and thanks). I am too old to be suave on all high tech stuff I just make it….. Sorry… Please get this to Al………..
AL,
You most likely do not remember me or you wish to forget. (not sure) the day we met I was a little spun to say the least”””””’
We met at Marry’s funeral. She is the woman who owned your place in ?????. I was the guy that held you and your wife’s hand during the service to honor her.
Well my island friend let me tell you some thing,,,,,,,,,
I come from land UP OVER………. women are free and men can wonder…. I come from the land UP OVER…..
If the ground shakes then you better take cover!!!!!!!!!!!!
OH OH YEA !!!!!!!!!!! I come from the land UP OVER, women are free and men can wonder….. OH I come from the land UP OVER………oh yea ((((((((((((((!!!!!!!!!!
I met; a man from Brussels….. He was short and fat and had no muscles……… He said; do you speaka my Language……
I just smiled and gave him a peanutbutter sandwich……….and I said!!!! I come from the land UP OVER…… oh yea….. Women are free and Men can wonder!!!!!!!!!
If you feel the ground shake; then you better take cover…..Oh OH OH Yea:::::::::; I come from the land UP OVER,,,,,,,,,,,, women are free and men can wonder. oh oh oh oh I come from the land UP OVER.
GOD BLESS YOU AL AND YOUR GREAT WIFE>>>>>> have fun with life because we never know when game is over. One of my best memories is to have met you and your wife so long ago…… and you can finish the song above I am sure.
OH by the way I am in Malay tonight on the island of Penang so that is why I kind of felt I like changing this tune…… Have fun with life and if you make a thing of what I just told you then just mention MARRY, she was a great lady as they go……….drank me under the table for sure before she past on…….:)
Bill Alexander Bill@rongrongresort.com take care my friend, take care.
Would love to see weird al do a cover of the Dan Hill song – sometimes when we touch.
Suggested words
somettimes when I flush the agony’s too much
and I have to arise witha great big sigh
I wanna scub it till it’s dry and the pain would make you cry
I wanna scrub it till the tears in me subside
Comment 483
That’s wonderful to hear! I had read your previous entry, and that seemed odd that she would say know. As far as I can tell, she likes seeing the parodies and people interpreting her work. I’m looking forward to the new album.
-Erika
*no.
its just a song, she should get over it we need songs like this, to make us laugh when we are sick or feeeling blue, i look for parodies song all the time, this is america feedom of speech i think,if i was a singer i would let anybody make fun of my songs and wound’t take it serious, because its just a song, some people make a good living making us laugh.
Did you bother to actually read the post?
Like.
I remember when Weird Al did a Parody of Karma Cameleon called “I’m A Milwaukeian” but it got rejected by Culture Club. I got to hear a clip of it in a press release, and its been stuck in my brain since the 80′s. I wonder if that was the same deal. It would be great if Al could release his other rejected material on Youtube like he did for the GaGa song.
You sure you aren’t thinking of Guy Herman and the Bubbler Boys? They did a spoof of Karma Chameleon. There are lots of songs that are credited to Weird Al that are actually other artists.
WRITE ANOTHER BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I honestly doubt I’ll receive a response, but I simply must inquire.
To this capitalized “bruce” fellow — Did you even *read* his post?
People like you make me want to cry and eat my feces.
uncapitalized*
Excuse me while I go sleep for the first time in 24 hours. ~_~
Gaga would never have rejected this song. When I heard that she had, I simply didn’t believe it. It seems to go against her stated beliefs and previous actions. There may have been other reasons, but I am quite satisfied with Al’s explanation here. I have loved Al longer than I have Gaga. But I think they’re both fruit from the same tree. Extraordinarily talented and creative individuals who are sharing their weird gifts with the world. I love them both and always will.
A Gaga/Weird Al collaboration would just be too awesome and I would probably explode of joy if it happened.
WOWZA!!!I’m Only 12 but i love weird al and what do you know-another hit…or is it?
I have written a song and I would like to sell it to you! It is a parody of Michael Jackson’s P.Y.T!
I’m glad the parody will come out and sad about how some managers can act. It sounds like this will probably be talked about in interviews for years to come and will most likely boost your sales as well as Gaga’s. As a long time fan, you are my main window into pop music so I appreciate learning what is hot.
I do wish, however, that you wouldn’t direct proceeds to an organization that many people find controversial since it directly attacks the deeply held beliefs of many people. Perhaps you could consider donating your profits in private next time?
Respectfully.
Well, those many Catholics with their deeply held beliefs can go **** themselves. When the Catholic church actually does something about pedophile priests besides “reassigning” them, then they can talk about their deeply held beliefs.
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Wow, man. Really respectful and mature. I’m so glad that supporters of the HRC are so tolerant of other people’s beliefs.
Oh. I am 42 and I’m German. You know what I learnt from our history? Never be tolerant to the intolerant. If there is a god, I’m quite sure he knows why he made homosexual hamsters. And homosexual humans. You don’t like them to fight for their right to be like they want to be? Then you can go to hell. I am a fan of Weird Al since ages. You know what? I never thought he was one of those rightwing lunatics that pray “love and forgiveness” and mean “hate and intolerance”. He supports the HRC? Good for him. I am straight – but as long as we are talking about consensing individuals old enough to make their own choices – then I don’t judge people by their sexual preferences. I DO however judge them by their actions. And I DO judge people by their religous and political beliefs – as soon as they promote intolerance. Yep. Those people can say what they have to say. But I won’t listen and I don’t accept their opinion. Ever. So… Scott is actually right. I don’t care if the Taliban are islamic, christian or hindu. They all tell other people how they should live their live.
Oh give us all a huge break. How does a campaign for equality and human rights “directly [attack] the deeply held beliefs of many people”? From their website: “HRC envisions an America where LGBT people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.” This is something that attacks many people’s beliefs?
If two men or two women get married, how does that in any way, shape, or form affect your life, your marriage, or your beliefs? Honestly, no one else cares what YOU do with your life; why don’t all you busybody bigots mind your own business and stop worrying so much about what other people are doing when it has no impact on you whatsoever?
On the other side of the coin, the very fact that everyone has had to keep this “private” for so long is why prejudice, bullying, and discrimination against people outside of mainstream sexuality has been tolerated for so long. No one should feel ashamed about who they love; no one deserves to die for being different. I say hooray to Al for standing up for outcasts and oppressed people!
I think it’s interesting that gay people are being called bad names, beaten, and killed because of who and what they are, however, it’s the Catholics who feel that they are the ones who are under attack. When you’re told that you can’t marry the person you love because you’re Catholic, then we’ll talk.
I bet after the huge outcry from the internet Gaga backtracked and just made up the story to have her manager take the heat for it (and with how much money he probably makes I’m sure he didn’t mind).
Great news! Hey, if you ever need an idea for another one, I was a really big fan of the claymatin type stuff you did on Jurassic Park. How about “I Need a Haircut” set to the pop song “I Need a Hero” where you have a guy who gets a hair cut and it immediately comes back in?
That’s great news, Al!
I’m sure you get ideas all the time, but when I first heard Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” I immediately thought it would make a perfect Polka track for your next album (you could call it “Polka Face”)! Glad to see you are at least parodying Lady Gaga, she’s spectacular.
Can’t wait to see you on your tour this summer!!
He already has that song in his act, although I don’t know if he’ll be releasing it on his album. I’m sure you can find it on YouTube or something.
Woo! Hoo! Now we get to see a video of it too!
Hey, that’s awesome to hear! [especially since they're playing Perform This Way all over the radio]
I’m just wondering if Al could get GaGa in on the music vid? I bet she’d go for a cameo appearance. She herself seems to get a hoot out of the parodies.
Al, you are awesome! I downloaded the single yesterday and I love it! And I think it is amazing that you’re giving all the proceeds to HRC! Is it any wonder why you’re one of my favorite performers? Can’t wait to hear the rest of the new album!
hey Al,
You should do a cover of “Don’t Speak” by Gwen Stefani – “Don’t Sneeze”
Mike
Hey Al, cannot wait to see the video. I love Gaga’s song a lot and I love your work, can’t wait to see them collide. Have you seen “Key of Awesome’s” take on the song? I feel they are loosing their touch. They keep making fun of how her videos don’t match the video, but with a song like “Born this way” it’s hard to have it be literally showing what the song is saying (that’s why we have literal videos.) So anyways, I have a plan on comparing your video with Key of Awesome’s to show the proper way of doing a parody, I hope that you don’t mind.
Hey Weird Al,
My friend and I love to make up new lyrics to songs… Here is our latest number to Ke$ha’s Tick Tock:
(Please do not read if easily offended)
I wake up in the morning and I drop my guts
It has been brewing all night long and screeches out my butt
I look around, holy cow, there’s a hole in my wall
And a spray of putrid crap flying ten feet tall
I’m talkin’ poop flying out in chunks, chunks
Better hide in your trunk,trunk
The cruise ship bloody sunk, sunk
My hairy arse is to be feared, feared
There’ll be ringing in your ears. ears
You got poo floatin in your beer, beer
Chorus:
Huge Plop, out it popped, big and brown it hit a cop
My Arse, likes to blast, better duck, its mean and fast
Dark brown, fat and round. Oh Good God it hit a clown.
Oh uoh oh oh u-oh!
Few things to say…
- Gaga loves parodies, no matter how offensive. Rad Bromance, Lord Gaga, the Chatroulette “Telephone” crossdresser… so it’s obvious she had no idea about this. Any kid born in the 80s grew up with Weird Al on the radio. It was our generation’s KidzBop.
Being parodied by Al is like getting a star on Hollywood Blvd., only even more timeless.
- Her manager made the decision based off of what was good for her image, and used the lyrics/recording/final answer as a way to avoid saying no. Managers have the best intentions, but make the absolute worst mistakes.
- Gaga making a cameo would be HILARIOUS and it must be done! Send another email to her manager to see if she can somehow work herself in. Maybe she could do a fake YouTube fan video (no travel = win-win) singing the lyrics while incognito? Dark wig, parody shirt (ALAL instead of GAGA with your face with a lightning bolt on it)…it sounds perfect.
- I don’t know much about the HRC, but I have always been a huge fan of the ACLU. I’d prefer if the proceeds went to them, but no skin off my nose either way.
- To those who are offended by where the proceeds are going: Y U MAD? Weird Al fans should have open minds and a sense of humor, and your homophobia contradicts both of those things. If it bothers you that much, just donate to your church instead of buying the album. In fact, just stop listening to Weird Al. I heard he parodied other “gay” singers and bands in the past! GASP. Blasphemous!
Al what is your web addy for your fan club
Brilliant, Al! You always inspire me:
To Lady Madonna:
Lady, named Ga Ga, butt cheeks out like bling
Outfits make me forget you still do sing
Dress up so funny, sometimes gender bent
Poker face made money no argument
Bad romance the vid had stripped you naked
Lap danced Russians showed Ga Ga so raw
Burning man is glowing hot in your bed….
Sparks from your bra!
Lady, named Ga Ga, tattooed back is sweet
Shot by Paparazzis new song’s complete
Clothes on and off!
Lady, named Ga Ga, dressed like Mars’ new queen
Every costume showing like Halloween
Bra and panties fashion is quite widespread
New vid in red latex dressed up like a nun
Alejandro claiming that in your bed…
All bets are on!
Lady, named Ga Ga, won the VMA’s
Celebrate with all since you go both ways…
Hey Al.. I cant wait till June 21 to hear your new songs..Im a huge fun and hope you come back to Knoxville,tn soon…Have a great day
She is great!
I can’t wait for the new album, Al! I wish I could afford the deluxe version but since I live off the government (because of a meantal dissability) I will be there the moment it hit’s Wal-Mart’s shelves! I have always been a lifelong ever since the song Another Rides the Bus! Your songs have always lifted my spirits. You are just what the Doctor ordered!
Hi, my mom did a parody of your Perform This Way parody. Enjoy. See you there!!!!!
Bob
AKA SpikeyGloveMan0909 AKA VinylAndOtherMusic AKA NamcoLetsPlays AKA LizardCatching (well kinda)
I can’t wait for the video. I loved the original and hated Key of Awesome’s parody. I myself have plans on doing my own but I am going to wait for your video so I won’t make the same lyrics. I haven’t heard the song yet, waiting for he video. Wish I could be in it, maybe I will take a vacation in LA for a while.
Hi Al!
This isn’t strictly related to this particular post, but I couldn’t find a more suitable method of contact.
I just wanted to take a minute and thank you for making your new album available for early streaming, and also for the other ways you make your music available to fans.
I’ve been a fan for almost 20 years, and of course I’ve been excited about this new album for over a year now. Since I knew you were working on a full album, I waited for the opportunity to pre-order the full album rather than purchasing the Internet Leaks content (since I enjoy the extra content you often put on the physical CD release).
But I haven’t had to wait to hear the songs from the CD since you initially offered the free download of Whatever You Like, as well as videos of the rest of the Internet Leaks songs (and, for that one day, the lyrics video of Perform This Way). Of course, this is nothing new, as I similarly enjoyed Don’t Download This Song and You’re Pitiful leading up to the release of Straight Outta Lynnwood. And now that I’ve been able to stream the rest of the songs, I can certainly say that I really love the album as a whole.
I understand how generous a move it is for you to make it available this way, since piracy and filesharing can directly affect the monetary impact of an album’s release.
I hope these generous offerings pay you back in the way of increased interest in the album, more “buzz” around its release and greater album sales. I’m trying to do my part in the way of word-of-mouth (word of Facebook?).
I hope this isn’t the only positive feedback you get on this subject, since I know I’m not alone in enjoying these advance offerings, or the news from Facebook and your blog.
Thanks again, and I’ll look forward to whatever’s next.
Oh, by the way: only possibility to actually hear the song (or see your vid) in Germany is through proxies or through other services but youtube. It’s geofu**ed here.
Il video di “Perform this Way” è il più bello degli ultimi 10 anni!
(Now, since you’re |uknown_percentage| Italian, I thought there was no problem with it.)
Unfortunately, there’s no fair-use law here! And believe me, some people DO deserve a parody.
So wait, when I buy the album then part of the money will go to the Human Rights Campaign in honor of Lady Gaga? I don’t want that. I was about to go pick it up, but wtf. Can anyone confirm this?
Al the song was F#@king good man
It seemed strange that someone as FREE as GaGa would have such an issue with it. Glad your art can be shared with your fans. Keep on making us smile Al….
nice!so coooooooooooool!
Thank you for making fun of her & her music. I honestly cannot stomach anything she stands for, yet her music is everywhere. When her song is stuck in my head, I now have a version I can deal with, so thank you
Why is everyone so cynical? Everyone outcry’s that Gaga’s a huge bitch because she said no, and now they’re like “oh this is bullshit she probably made the story up”. I’m not a die-hard Gaga fan or anything but I have a harder time believing an artist like her DOESN’T have a sense of humor, than she actually didn’t hear the song. Take some things on faith. And if nothing else, take Weird Al’s word for it. He respects her, you all should do the same. Trashing on her isn’t what he wants, I don’t think. He wants what I’m sure all of us want. Laughter, love, and peace.
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I just love Perform this Way! You are a really amazing parodizer (Is that a word? I don’t care, really.) and I just can’t stop listening to it… for some reason. And hopefully you didn’t make Gaga think about going nude in public or make us think its cliche.
Al, the video was PURE GENIUS(well could we expect any less from you,…NEVER!). I think it’s one of your all time best!
you need to make a new song, like “I Drank Pepsi Now I’m Bloated”
Your blog is pretty cool to me and your topics are very relevant. I was browsing around and came across something you might find interesting. I was guilty of 3 of them with my sites. “99% of blog owners are guilty of these 5 mistakes”. http://tinyurl.com/cwa3tj7 You will be suprised how simple they are to fix.
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I am wondering if you can help me (OK, REALLY…am I REALLY writing to Weird Al to ask for help?) BUT…..I am stumped…..so … here goes…..
My 13 year old son has created a bunch of parodies, complete with music videos. He has done all of the work himself and has loaded them onto YouTube. This morning, a friend called to tell him that he can no longer access the clip on his iPod. After checking, we saw a message about “violating copyright law”. I THOUGHT that ALL parodies were “fair game”, and thus protected.
I am a musician and music teacher and am really tough about copyright. I would love to teach him the “right” way to do this. I am not sure who we are supposed to contact. I know about the copyright info, but it seems that a 13 year old kid, contacting ASCAP (or wherever) wouldn’t get much of a timely response. We don’t really have an agent that could quickly handle this for us. He’s concerned that he might NEVER hear back, and then what happens?
He is very creative and artistic and would love to continue to use parodies and YouTube as an avenue to continue to grow and develop. Do you have any ideas?
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117 Trackbacks/Pingbacks
[...] Sources: Weird Al’s Blog: The Gaga Saga Weird Al’s Blog: Gaga Update [...]
[...] I detail the entire process pretty exhaustively in a couple of blog posts [post 1, post 2], but in a nutshell basically Lady Gaga’s manager had turned down the parody without ever [...]
[...] Yankovic vs. “Coolio” (how soon we forget), or Yankovic vs. Madonna – it was Al vs. Gaga. One was shown to be a pretender to the thrown, and it was the woman riding around in a giant egg who [...]
[...] forward a few months and a few blog posts later, and Lady Gaga has official given Weird Al the okay to release the song, “Perform This [...]
[...] latest song, Perform This Way is a send up of the absurdity of Lady Gaga’s persona. There was a bit of drama over the release of the song (as artists need to sign off on something or other) but that’s [...]
[...] var addthis_product = 'wpp-257'; var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};After some controversy about whether this song would ever make it to an album and have a video produced, here is [...]
[...] After finishing his spoof of Gaga’s “Born This Way,” Yankovic heard that the art-pop singer wouldn’t give him permission to release it. He shared the bad news with the internet, and fans lamented the “Weird Al” video that would never be. Within 24 hours, word got to Camp Gaga, the parody was approved and everyone agreed the whole thing was just a mix-up. [...]
[...] The visualization is A-mazing. Klicka på singel-bilden nedan and snatch a copy och stötta Human Rights Campaign då alla intäkter från låten doneras till dem. [...]
[...] a blog post, Yankovic wrote: Gaga’s manager has now admitted that he never forwarded my parody to Gaga – [...]
[...] “Apocalypse” includes spoofs of Taylor Swift, the White Stripes and Miley Cyrus, but the highlight is Yankovic’s tribute to the Mother Monster. Story was that Gaga nixed the parody in February. Butin an April update on his own blog, Weird Al wrote: [...]
[...] out that her manager was responsible for nixing the song without sending it to Gaga first. Yankovic later wrote that Gaga’s manager had apologized — and that Mama Monster loved the [...]
[...] song was nearly pulled from the album when Gaga’s rep said she didn’t like the song. Fortunately, it turned out she [...]
[...] *UPDATE: Thanks to Joe in MD for the heads up. Apparently it was her manager who denied the parody (after baiting Weird Al along!), and lied about who made the decision. http://alyankovic.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/gaga-update/ [...]
[...] confusion was cleared up the next day with the post Gaga Update!, in which it became apparent that Lady Gaga had never been consulted herself, and it had been her [...]
[...] UPDATE: Now Al says he’s heard directly from the Lady herself and she’s giving him the go-ahead. So you can let up on her — it’s all good. [...]
[...] Oben erstmal Weird Als Gaga-Parodie „Perform this Way“, bei uns geblockt, auf magische Weise auf Vimeo gelandet. Dazu unbedingt die Vorgeschichte auf Weird Als Blog lesen: The Gaga-Saga und Gaga Update. [...]
[...] And second, two links from the blog of Weird Al Yankovic in which he discusses fair use and his policy on getting permission: The Gaga Saga and Gaga Update. [...]