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
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Al Yankovic
Jon ''Bermuda'' Schwartz
Steve Jay
Jim West
Rubén Valtierra
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Rick Derringer
Ross Noble
Joe Earley
Gump
"Weird Al" Yankovic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"My name is Forrest," he'd casually remark
Waitin' for the bus with his hands in his pockets
He just kept sayin' life is like a box of chocolates
He's Gump, he's Gump
What's in his head?
He's Gump, he's Gump, he's Gump
Is he inbred?
He told JFK that he really had to pee
He never feels too dumb because
His mom always told him stupid is as stupid does
He's Gump, he's Gump
He's kinda square
He's Gump, he's Gump, he's Gump
What's with that hair?
Run... run... run, run, now
Forrest Run... run... run like the wind now
Run... run... run, run, now
Forrest Run... stop!
His buddy Bubba was a shrimp-lovin' man
His friend with no legs he called Lieutenant Dan
His girlfriend Jenny was kind of a slut
He went to the White House, showed LBJ his butt
He's Gump, he's Gump
He's not too bright
He's Gump, he's Gump, he's Gump
But he's all right
Is this Gump out of his head?
I think so
Is this Gump really brain dead?
I think so
Did this Gump make lots of bread?
I think so
And that's all I have to say about that
"Weird Al" Yankovic's song Gump is a comedic take on the 1994 Academy Award-winning film "Forrest Gump", which tells the story of a simple-minded man named Forrest who unwittingly finds himself at the center of some of the most defining moments in American history. The lyrics of the song paint a picture of Forrest's character, his interactions with others, and his many mishaps along the way.
The song opens up with Forrest sitting alone on a bench in the park, declaring to anyone who will listen that his name is Forrest Gump and that life is like a box of chocolates. The chorus questions what's going on inside Gump's head, with a hint of suspicion that he might be inbred. The song goes on to reference some of the most memorable moments from the movie, including the scene where Gump tells JFK he has to pee, the shrimp-loving Bubba, Lieutenant Dan, Jenny, and even the infamous scene where Gump shows LBJ his bare backside.
The lyrics cleverly poke fun at Forrest's lack of intelligence and his role as a witness to history. Despite his perceived shortcomings, the chorus asserts that Gump is "kinda square" but ultimately "all right". One of the defining elements of this song is its upbeat tempo and anthem-like chorus that is guaranteed to get stuck in your head.
Line by Line Meaning
Gump sat alone on a bench in the park
Forrest Gump was sitting alone on a bench in a park.
"My name is Forrest," he'd casually remark
Forrest would casually mention that his name is Forrest.
Waitin' for the bus with his hands in his pockets
Forrest was waiting for the bus with his hands in his pockets.
He just kept sayin' life is like a box of chocolates
Forrest kept saying that life is like a box of chocolates.
He's Gump, he's Gump
What's in his head?
People call him Gump, but what goes on in his head?
He's Gump, he's Gump, he's Gump
Is he inbred?
People keep calling him Gump, is he inbred?
Gump was a big celebrity
He told JFK that he really had to pee
Forrest became a celebrity and told JFK that he had to pee.
He never feels too dumb because
His mom always told him stupid is as stupid does
Forrest doesn't feel too dumb because his mother always told him that foolish behavior is stupid.
He's Gump, he's Gump
He's kinda square
He's called Gump, and he seems kind of plain.
He's Gump, he's Gump, he's Gump
What's with that hair?
People keep calling him Gump, what's up with his hair?
Run... run... run, run, now
Forrest Run... run... run like the wind now
Run... run... run, run, now
Forrest Run... stop!
Forrest, run like the wind, but also be prepared to stop.
His buddy Bubba was a shrimp-lovin' man
His friend with no legs he called Lieutenant Dan
His girlfriend Jenny was kind of a slut
He went to the White House, showed LBJ his butt
Forrest had a friend who loved shrimp, a friend without legs he called Lieutenant Dan, a somewhat promiscuous girlfriend named Jenny, and once showed LBJ his butt at the White House.
He's Gump, he's Gump
He's not too bright
People call him Gump, and he's not particularly intelligent.
He's Gump, he's Gump, he's Gump
But he's all right
People call him Gump, but he's doing okay.
Is this Gump out of his head?
I think so
Is Forrest insane? I think so.
Is this Gump really brain dead?
I think so
Is Forrest brain dead? I think so.
Did this Gump make lots of bread?
I think so
Did Forrest make a lot of money? I think so.
And that's all I have to say about that
And that concludes the story of Forrest Gump.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER WELDON BALLEW, DAVID MICHAEL DEDERER, JASON S FINN, ALFRED MATTHEW YANKOVIC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dustin VanKeuren
I have wanted for a long time for Weird Al to do a Super Bowl halftime show where he sings some parodies and the original artists pop in to sing along.
Erik's Garbage
Of course, he'd have to wrap it up with Sports Song.
ItCameFromTheSkyBeLo
The fucking dream.
Wenona Matthews
@Aaron Orenstein yes!! My face would stick to the tv
EpilepticSeptic
I hope he steals the halftime with his certified hood classics
Stephanie Moreno
I would watch that! The halftime shows are usually trash. Stuff I can’t watch with my kids
Frederick Blackwell
Weird Al Yankovic rules. The Pop Culture Parody King. Put Him on the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. He Definitely deserves it.
Peter
Totally agree
Sky Sautter
Ikr
Henry Bierman
He's be in the rock and bowl hall of Fame or something