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
Taco Grande
"Weird Al" Yankovic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yo quero chimichangas y chile colorado
Yo tengo el dinero para un steak picado
Las flautas y tamale, siempre muy bueno
Y el chile relleno
You see, I just gotta have a tostada, carne asada
My only addiction has to do with flour tortilla
I need a quesadilla
I love to stuff my face with tacos al carbon
With my friends or when I'm all alone
Yo tengo mucho hambre y ahora lo quiero
Un burrito ranchero
So give me something spicy and hot now
Break out the menu, what you go, now?
Oh, would you tell the waiter I'd like to have
Sour cream on the side
You better make sure the beans are refried
Taco...grande Taco...grande
Well there's not a taco big enough for a man like me
That's why I order two or three
Let me give you a tip, just try a nacho chip
It's really good with bean dip
I eat uno, dos, tres, quatro burritos
Pretty soon I can't fit in my Speedos
Well, I hope they feed us lots of chicken fajitas
And a pitcher of margaritas
Well the combination plates al come with beans and rice
The taquitos here are very nice
Now I'm down on my knees, we need some extra
Tomatoes and cheese
And could you make that separate checks, please?
Taco...grande Taco...grande
Well the food is coming I can hardly wait
Now watch your fingers, careful hot plate!
What you think you're doing with my chili con queso?
Well, if you want some, just say so
Oh boy, pico de gallo
They sure don't make it like this in Ohio
No gracias, yo quiero jalapenos, nada mas
You can toss away the hot sauce
Donde estan los nachos? Holy frijole!
You better get me a bowl of guacamole
Y usted, Eugene? Wh's your face turning green?
Don't you like pinto beans?
You want some more cinnamon crispas?
If you don't, hasta la vista
Just take the rest home in a doggie bag if you wanna
You can finish it manana
Well, it's been a pleasure, I can't eat no more
Senor, la cuenta, por favor
If you ain't ever tried real Mexican cooking, well, you
Oughtta
Just don't drink the water
Taco...grande
Taco...grande
Taco...grande
Taco...grande
In "Taco Grande," "Weird Al" Yankovic is singing about his love for Mexican food. The song is a playful, humorous take on a traditional love song. The lyrics describe Yankovic's cravings for various Mexican dishes like chimichangas, chile colorado, and steak picado. He also loves tostadas, quesadillas, burritos, and tacos al carbon. He describes his addiction to flour tortillas and his need for sour cream on the side. He admits to eating so many burritos that he can no longer fit into his Speedos.
Yankovic also pokes fun at the stereotypes associated with Mexican cuisine, like the assumption that it is always spicy. He asks for "something spicy and hot now" and "jalapenos, nada mas," but dismisses the hot sauce as unnecessary. He also stereotypes the names of the dishes, suggesting that they sound exotic and exciting when the actual ingredients may be simple. For example, he suggests that people will be impressed by the name "chimichanga" when it simply means "fried burrito."
Overall, "Taco Grande" is a light-hearted, fun song that celebrates the joy of indulging in your favorite foods. It's also a satire of the way that Americans often fetishize and stereotype other cultures.
Line by Line Meaning
Taco...grande Taco...grande
Repeated line for emphasis.
Yo quero chimichangas y chile colorado
I want fried burritos and red chili.
Yo tengo el dinero para un steak picado
I have the money for minced steak.
Las flautas y tamale, siempre muy bueno
Flutes and tamales, always very good.
Y el chile relleno
And the stuffed chili.
You see, I just gotta have a tostada, carne asada
You see, I absolutely need a tostada topped with grilled beef.
That's right, I want the whole enchilada
That's right, I want everything.
My only addiction has to do with flour tortilla
My only addiction is to flour tortillas.
I need a quesadilla
I need a cheese-filled tortilla.
I love to stuff my face with tacos al carbon
I love to eat my fill of charcoal-grilled beef tacos.
With my friends or when I'm all alone
Whether with friends or alone.
Yo tengo mucho hambre y ahora lo quiero
I'm very hungry and now I want it.
Un burrito ranchero
A ranch-style burrito.
So give me something spicy and hot now
So give me something hot and spicy now.
Break out the menu, what you go, now?
Bring out the menu, what do you have now?
Oh, would you tell the waiter I'd like to have sour cream on the side
Oh, could you ask the waiter to give me sour cream on the side
You better make sure the beans are refried
Make sure the beans are fried again.
Well there's not a taco big enough for a man like me
A man like me needs more than just one taco.
That's why I order two or three
That's why I order two or three.
Let me give you a tip, just try a nacho chip
Let me give you a tip, try a nacho chip.
It's really good with bean dip
It's really good with bean dip.
I eat uno, dos, tres, quatro burritos
I eat one, two, three, four burritos.
Pretty soon I can't fit in my Speedos
Soon I won't be able to fit in my Speedos.
Well, I hope they feed us lots of chicken fajitas
Hopefully, they'll give us lots of chicken fajitas.
And a pitcher of margaritas
And a pitcher of margaritas.
Well the combination plates al come with beans and rice
Combination plates come with beans and rice.
The taquitos here are very nice
The taquitos here are very good.
Now I'm down on my knees, we need some extra tomatoes and cheese
Now I'm on my knees, we need more tomatoes and cheese.
And could you make that separate checks, please?
And can we get separate checks, please?
Well the food is coming I can hardly wait
The food is coming soon and I'm excited.
Now watch your fingers, careful hot plate!
Now be careful of the hot plate!
What you think you're doing with my chili con queso?
What are you doing with my chili con queso?
Well, if you want some, just say so
Well, if you want some, just ask for some.
Oh boy, pico de gallo
Oh boy, pico de gallo.
They sure don't make it like this in Ohio
They don't make it like this in Ohio.
No gracias, yo quiero jalapenos, nada mas
No thanks, I just want jalapenos.
You can toss away the hot sauce
You can get rid of the hot sauce.
Donde estan los nachos? Holy frijole!
Where are the nachos? Oh my goodness!
You better get me a bowl of guacamole
Bring me a bowl of guacamole.
Y usted, Eugene? Wh's your face turning green?
What about you, Eugene? Why's your face turning green?
Don't you like pinto beans?
Don't you like pinto beans?
You want some more cinnamon crispas?
Do you want some more cinnamon crispas?
If you don't, hasta la vista
If you don't, goodbye.
Just take the rest home in a doggie bag if you wanna
Just take the rest home in a doggie bag if you want to.
You can finish it manana
You can finish it tomorrow.
Well, it's been a pleasure, I can't eat no more
It's been great, but I can't eat anymore.
Senor, la cuenta, por favor
Sir, the check please.
If you ain't ever tried real Mexican cooking, well, you oughtta
If you haven't tried authentic Mexican food, you should.
Just don't drink the water
Just be careful of the water.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind