In addition to recording his albums, Yankovic has written and starred in his own film, UHF, and his own television show, The Weird Al Show, and directed music videos for himself and other artists including Ben Folds, Hanson, the Black Crowes and The Presidents of the United States of America. He has also made guest appearances on many television shows, in addition to starring in his own Al TV specials.
Though parodies earned him his fame, Yankovic has recorded a greater number of humorous songs with original tunes. Some of these pieces are pastiches (or style parodies), where he chooses a band's entire body of work to emulate rather than any single hit, although Yankovic has many completely original pieces. Most of his albums include a medley which juxtaposes the choruses of various songs in a polka style to accordion music.
Due to his popularity, he has been credited with several songs that are not actually his. A full list of every song he has ever actually done, including the live-only songs, can be found at the Al Songs website. Similarly, a comprehensive list of songs incorrectly credited to him can be found at The Not Al Page.
In 2006, Al recorded the song "You're Pitiful". However, while James Blunt gave his blessing for the parody of his song, "You're Beautiful", Blunt's label Atlantic Records was opposed to it. Though parodies are protected legally, the issue had become "more of a political matter than a legal matter", according to Al, so he decided to not put the song on his next album. Instead, he offered it as a free download from his site.
His latest album, "Straight Outta Lynwood", was released September 26th, 2006. Its first released single, "Don't Download This Song", was made available as a free download on August 21, 2006. The animated video for the track and a link to downloadable MP3 is available at dontdownloadthissong.com. Among other tracks, the album includes parodies of Green Day, Usher, R. Kelly, and Chamillionaire. Chamillionaire's "Ridin' Dirty" is parodied as "White and Nerdy", the second released single from the new album. This single has thus far climbed as far as #9 on the Billboard Singles chart, eclipsing "Eat It" as Al's highest charting single (which went as high as #12).
Official Website: http://www.weirdal.com
FactBox Info
Members
Al Yankovic
Jon ''Bermuda'' Schwartz
Steve Jay
Jim West
Rubén Valtierra
Former Members
Rick Derringer
Ross Noble
Joe Earley
Attack Of The Radioactive Hams
"Weird Al" Yankovic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They looked so sweet and harmless
Tell me, how was I to know
They got a little too close to the microwave and then much to my surprise
They grew to forty thousand times their original size
They started mutatin' right before my eyes
Oh my
A race from a distant place
They came in UFOs shaped just like cuban cigars
Man oh man, you oughta hear 'em squeal
Now the whole wide world is their exercise wheel
Attack of the radioactive hamsters from a planet near Mars
The president, he's is a panic
The pentagon, they're in shock
There's a team of research scientists They got 'em workin' 'round the clock
Now the National Guard is out in my back yard
And the Marines'll be comin' around
I hope they get this lousy rodents out of my town
'Cause the property values are goin' way down now
Attack of the radioactive hamsters from a planet near Mars
They're back and they're lookin' for a snack
And they're not that fond of Burger Kings or salad bars
I hope they're not plannin' to stay
Who invited them here anayway
Attack of the radioactive hamsters from a planet near Mars
Well, well, look at that hamster, he's as big as a blimp
And there's one the size of central park
They're using telephone pole to pick their teeth
They're evil and nasty and they glow in the dark
Oh, don't waste any more of your bullets, boys
You know it just makes 'em mad when you shoot
They're gonna stomp us into jelly and conquer the world
But you gotta admit, they're really kinda cute, now
Attack of the radioactive hamsters from a planet near Mars
What a racquet they're makin', Jack
They keep me up at night playin' they're electric guitars
Listen to 'em squeal
They think the whole stinkin' world is their exercise wheel
Attack of the radioactive hamsters from a planet near Mars
Hey Jack, you better watch your back
Here come those hamsters from a planet near mars
Well, well, it's called the
Attack of the radioactive hamsters From a planet near Mars
A planet near Mars
"Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Attack Of The Radioactive Hamsters From A Planet Near Mars" is a humorous commentary on the paranoia and panic often seen in movies and literature about alien invasions, with a side of social commentary on the impact of human activity on the environment. The song begins with the singer inadvertently creating the titular monsters by misusing a microwave, a reference to the many warnings about the potential dangers of microwave ovens. The creatures then mutate and grow, taking over the singer's town, causing property values to plummet and the National Guard to be called in, highlighting the negative effects on society as a whole.
Line by Line Meaning
They showed up on my doorstep just a couple weeks ago
There were some hamsters that appeared recently at my door
They looked so sweet and harmless
They were visually innocent
Tell me, how was I to know
I couldn't have known
They got a little too close to the microwave and then much to my surprise
The hamsters became overexposed to radiation and grew larger than expected
They grew to forty thousand times their original size
The hamsters grew to an enormous size
They started mutatin' right before my eyes
The hamsters began to mutate in front of me
Oh my
This is concerning
A race from a distant place
The hamsters come from a faraway planet
They came in UFOs shaped just like cuban cigars
The hamsters arrived on Earth in cigar-shaped flying objects
Man oh man, you oughta hear 'em squeal
The hamsters make loud, unpleasant noises
Now the whole wide world is their exercise wheel
The hamsters are causing chaos and destruction everywhere
The president, he's is a panic
The president is very worried
The pentagon, they're in shock
The Pentagon is stunned
There's a team of research scientists They got 'em workin' 'round the clock
Scientists are studying the hamsters constantly
Now the National Guard is out in my back yard
The National Guard has arrived on the scene
And the Marines'll be comin' around
The Marines will also be involved
I hope they get this lousy rodents out of my town
I really want the hamsters to leave my area
'Cause the property values are goin' way down now
The hamsters are causing property prices to decline
They're back and they're lookin' for a snack
The hamsters have returned and are hungry
And they're not that fond of Burger Kings or salad bars
The hamsters don't prefer Burger King or salad
I hope they're not plannin' to stay
I hope the hamsters don't plan to stick around
Who invited them here anayway
I'm not sure how the hamsters got here
Well, well, look at that hamster, he's as big as a blimp
One particular hamster is as big as a blimp
And there's one the size of central park
Another hamster is as big as Central Park
They're using telephone pole to pick their teeth
The hamsters are using telephone poles to clean their teeth
They're evil and nasty and they glow in the dark
The hamsters are malicious, unpleasant, and glow in the dark
Oh, don't waste any more of your bullets, boys
Shooting the hamsters is useless
You know it just makes 'em mad when you shoot
The hamsters get angry when shot
They're gonna stomp us into jelly and conquer the world
The hamsters plan to dominate humanity
But you gotta admit, they're really kinda cute, now
The hamsters are still somewhat endearing
What a racquet they're makin', Jack
The hamsters are making a lot of noise
They keep me up at night playin' they're electric guitars
The hamsters play electric guitars and keep me from sleeping
Hey Jack, you better watch your back
Be careful, Jack
Here come those hamsters from a planet near mars
The hamsters are coming from their planet near Mars
Attack of the radioactive hamsters From a planet near Mars
The hamsters have launched an attack on Earth
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind