Don’t expect to see Madonna perform “Like A Surgeon” in concert anytime soon, the “Weird Al” Yankovic parody of her 1984 megahit, “Like A Virgin.” But in addition to feeling flattered by pop’s most prominent parodist, the original artists have occasionally played along on “Weird Al” versions of their greatest hits.
Crash Test Dummies
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So far, only one artist can claim to have performed their parody on stage with “Weird Al.” That’s Crash Test Dummies, who joined Yankovic for “Headline News,” his goof on their hit “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.” “It’s definitely a kind of milestone,” Dummies vocalist Brad Roberts told Network after the performance at MuchMusic’s Canadian Music Awards. “A lot of people don’t realize that Al, for example, does not have to ask us if he wants to cover our song — there are no laws saying that someone can’t cover you, the laws simply are that the artist be involved in the payment of royalties.”
Roberts loved that Yankovic took a different tactic, “which is to actually work with the artists and talk to them about what he is doing.”
Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits
On Yankovic’s parody of Dire Straits “Money for Nothing,” that’s actually guitarist Mark Knopfler cranking out the riffs on “Beverly Hillbillies.” He recorded the guitar tracks in England using a rough mix created by Yankovic’s band.
Knopfler gave “Weird Al” his blessing for the parody on the condition that he could provide the guitar licks. Knopfler reportedly wanted the spoof to maintain authenticity, though some fans speculate the Dire Straits frontman wanted royalties for both his songwriting and guitar playing.
Presidents of the United States of America
After “Weird Al” turned the group’s hit song “Lump” into the Tom Hanks parody “Gump,” fans confirmed that the group incorporated Yankovic lyrics into their live performances. According to the song’s Wikipedia page, the Presidents often ended live “Lump” performances with the takeoff’s concluding lyrics: “And that’s all I have to say about that.”
Don McLean (Almost)
Don McLean’s kids were “Weird Al” superfans, especially when he parodied their dad’s “American Pie” with the Star Wars-fueled hit, “The Saga Begins.” But that was a problem for McLean, who told Yankovic that “he heard ‘The Saga Begins’ around the house so much that he started screwing up the words to ‘American Pie’ when he sang it on stage!”
McLean’s fans probably wouldn’t have minded if he’d slipped up and sang these words instead:
He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin’, Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi
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