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
Ringtone
"Weird Al" Yankovic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was respected, I was popular
But now I hang my head in shame
My life is filled with such regrets
A bad mistake I can't forget
And now I'll never be the same
Ringtone
I just can't imagine now what I was thinking at all
(What was I thinking?)
My friends all stare at me whenever I get a call
Well, everybody (everybody)
Everybody (everybody)
Everybody in the world really hates my
Ringtone
When my phone goes off at work
I look like the biggest jerk
Total strangers want to slap me around
When it's ringin' on the terrace
My neighbors get embarrassed
They're beggin' me to move out of town
Well, it made my wife so sick
She smashed my iPhone with a brick
But I had it fixed and now it's just fine
It's a pain, I sure don't need it
And I probably should delete it
But for me that would be crossin' the line
'Cause I hate to waste a buck ninety-nine
Hey, I paid good money for this
Ringtone
Why did I buy this stupid ringtone?
I just can't imagine now what I was thinking at all
(Really, what was I thinking?)
My friends all stare at me whenever I get a call
Well, everybody (everybody)
Everybody (everybody)
Everybody in the world really hates my
Ringtone
Ringtone, ringtone
Aah aah
Ooh ooh oh oh oh
Chinese factory workers (they hate my ringtone)
Muslim women in burqas (really hate my ringtone)
Starvin' kids in Angola (they hate my ringtone)
Even folks with Ebola (just hate my ringtone)
All the nuns and nannies (all the welfare mothers)
All the Pakistanis (all the Wayans brothers)
Everyone on the land, everyone on the sea
Every single person everywhere unanimously
Everybody (everybody)
Everybody (everybody)
Everybody in the whole wide world
Really hates my ringtone
Ringtone, ringtone
Ringtone, ringtone
The lyrics to "Weird Al" Yankovic's song "Ringtone" can be interpreted as a commentary on impulse buying and societal pressure to conform. The singer bemoans the purchase of a silly ringtone and how it has impacted his life negatively. He was once respected and popular, but now he hangs his head in shame due to the embarrassment caused by his ringtone. He feels like a "jerk" at work and on his terrace, and even strangers want to "slap him around". The chorus emphasizes how universally hated his ringtone is, with people all over the world, including Chinese factory workers, Muslim women in burqas, and starvin' kids in Angola, disliking it. Despite all of this, the singer is reluctant to delete his ringtone because he doesn't want to waste the money he spent on it.
The song can be seen as a critique of consumerism and the pressure to fit in with societal norms. The singer is ridiculed and ostracized for something as small as his ringtone, which shows how impactful societal pressure can be. The repetition of the chorus also shows how the opinions of others can influence our own perceptions and actions, even if we don't necessarily agree with them.
Overall, "Ringtone" is a humorous yet poignant commentary on the trivialities that can cause stress and turmoil in our lives, as well as the larger societal pressures we face to conform.
Line by Line Meaning
Once, not very long ago
There was a time in the recent past
I was respected, I was popular
I had a good reputation and was admired by others
But now I hang my head in shame
I feel embarrassed and ashamed
My life is filled with such regrets
I have many things in my life that I regret
A bad mistake I can't forget
I made a mistake that I can't forget
And now I'll never be the same
I have changed and I can never go back to the way things were before
Ringtone
The title of the song
Why did I buy this stupid ringtone
I am wondering why I made the decision to purchase this annoying ringtone
I just can't imagine now what I was thinking at all
I have no idea why I thought it was a good idea to buy this ringtone
(What was I thinking?)
An additional thought of disbelief at my own decision-making
My friends all stare at me whenever I get a call
My friends are annoyed and embarrassed by the ringtone and make fun of me when it goes off
Well, everybody (everybody)
Everyone in general
Everybody (everybody)
Repeating the previous line for emphasis
Everybody in the world really hates my
Everyone in the world cannot stand my annoying ringtone
When my phone goes off at work
When my phone rings while I am at work
I look like the biggest jerk
I appear foolish and annoying
Total strangers want to slap me around
People I don't even know feel irritated and aggressive towards me because of my ringtone
When it's ringin' on the terrace
When the phone rings while I am outside on the terrace
My neighbors get embarrassed
My neighbors feel ashamed because of how loud and annoying the ringtone is
They're beggin' me to move out of town
My neighbors are so annoyed by the ringtone that they want me to leave my home and the town altogether
Well, it made my wife so sick
My wife was extremely annoyed and irritated because of the ringtone
She smashed my iPhone with a brick
She was so frustrated that she destroyed my phone with a brick
But I had it fixed and now it's just fine
I got my phone fixed and it works again
It's a pain, I sure don't need it
It is an annoyance and I don't actually need the ringtone
And I probably should delete it
I should remove the ringtone from my phone
But for me that would be crossin' the line
But for some reason, deleting the ringtone is a step too far for me
'Cause I hate to waste a buck ninety-nine
I don't want to delete the ringtone because I paid money for it and I don't want to feel like I wasted it
Hey, I paid good money for this
I paid a significant amount of money for this ringtone
Chinese factory workers (they hate my ringtone)
Even Chinese factory workers, who don't know me, cannot stand my ringtone
Muslim women in burqas (really hate my ringtone)
Even Muslim women who cover their face cannot stand the sound of my ringtone
Starvin' kids in Angola (they hate my ringtone)
Even children in Angola who lack food and basic necessities cannot stand my ringtone
Even folks with Ebola (just hate my ringtone)
Even people suffering from Ebola virus disease, who have bigger problems to deal with, cannot stand my ringtone
All the nuns and nannies (all the welfare mothers)
Even those who devote their time to caring for others, like nuns and nannies, cannot stand my ringtone, just like those who rely on welfare
All the Pakistanis (all the Wayans brothers)
Even people from Pakistan and famous actors like the Wayans brothers cannot stand my ringtone
Everyone on the land, everyone on the sea
Everyone in the whole world, regardless of where they live, cannot stand my ringtone
Every single person everywhere unanimously
Everyone, without exception, agrees that my ringtone is horrible
Ringtone, ringtone
Repeating the title of the song
Aah aah
An interjection expressing frustration or disappointment
Ooh ooh oh oh oh
A musical interlude
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ps3master72
Sounds like a story of how this ringtone has caused world peace because everyone on earth now has something to agree on.
@nbuehster
Good one!
@pongchannel.
Bassicly
@therealmrmago9077
world preach
@MrMariobrosrocks
This is such a good parody of Queen's style, it's insane. Seriously, Weird Al is a genius. He manages to parody Queen yet still keeps his own style in the process.
@sugarcookie3596
Sir Snout It sounds like something off of Jazz
@drewanderson3429
Sugar Cookie definitely "Don't Stop Me Now" -esque
@jlstump849
No it’s a style parody of Live And Let Die too
@kyungkim2446
@@drewanderson3429 also If You Can Beat Them
@adus2821
i never even realized it was until you said and now i cant unhear it