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
The Saga Begins
"Weird Al" Yankovic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In a galaxy far away
Naboo was under an attack
And I thought me and Qui-Gon Jinn
Could talk the Federation into
Maybe cutting them a little slack
But their response, it didn't thrill us
They locked the doors and tried to kill us
Then met Jar Jar and Boss Nass
We took a bongo from the scene
And we went to Theed to see the queen
We all wound up on Tatooine
That's where we found this boy
Oh my my, this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi,
Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"
Did you know this junkyard slave
Isn't even old enough to shave
But he can use the Force they say
Ah, do you see him hitting on the queen
Though he's just nine and she's fourteen
Yeah, he's probably gonna marry her someday
Well, I know he built C3PO
And I've heard how fast his pod can go
And we were broke, it's true
So we made a wager or two
He was a prepubescent flyin' ace
And the minute Jabba started off that race
Well, I know who would win first place
Oh yes, it was our boy
We started singin', my my, this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"
"Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"
Now we finally got to Coruscant
The Jedi Council we knew would want
To see how good the boy could be
So we took him there and we told the tale
How his midi-chlorians were off the scale
And he might fulfill that prophecy
Oh, the Council was impressed, of course
Could he bring balance to the force?
They interviewed the kid
Oh, training they forbid
Because Yoda sensed in him much fear
And Qui-Gon said, "Now listen here
Just stick it in your pointy ear
I still will teach this boy"
He was singin' my my, this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi,
Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"
We caught a ride back to Naboo
Cause Queen Amidala wanted to
I frankly would've liked to stay
We all fought in that epic war
And it wasn't long at all before
Little Hotshot flew his plane and saved the day
And in the end some Gungans died
Some ships blew up and some pilots fried
A lot of folks were croakin'
The battle droids were broken
And the Jedi I admire most
Met up with Darth Maul and now he's toast
Well, I'm still here and he's a ghost
I guess I'll train this boy
And I was singin', my my, this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi
Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"
We were singin', my my, this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"
"The Saga Begins" by "Weird Al" Yankovic is a parody of the hit song "American Pie" by Don McLean. The song chronicles the events that lead up to the beginning of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, from the perspective of a fan who has seen the movie. The lyrics use humor to poke fun at the characters and events of the story, while telling the story in a catchy and entertaining way.
The first verse of the song sets the stage for the story, with the singer describing the political turmoil on the planet Naboo, and his hopes that he and Qui-Gon Jinn can negotiate a peaceful solution. When their attempts are met with hostility, they flee and meet Jar Jar Binks and Boss Nass, who help them travel to Theed to meet the Queen. There, they encounter Anakin Skywalker, who the singer describes as a "small fry" who dreams of becoming a Jedi.
The second verse delves deeper into Anakin's backstory, with the singer commenting on the young boy's abilities and his crush on Queen Amidala. The song also references Anakin's creation of the droid C3PO, and his skills as a podracer. The chorus repeats the phrase "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi" several times, emphasizing Anakin's ambitions.
In the third verse, the group arrives on Coruscant to meet the Jedi Council and train Anakin. The council is impressed by Anakin's powers, but wary of his fear. The chorus repeats, with the phrase "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi" taking on a darker meaning as Anakin's descent into the dark side of the force becomes inevitable. The final verse describes the events of the climactic battle on Naboo, with the singer poking fun at the casualties and the final showdown between Darth Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Overall, "The Saga Begins" is a humorous and lighthearted take on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, using "American Pie" as a template to tell the story in a fun and catchy way. Despite its comedic tone, the song is well-crafted and captures the drama and excitement of the films.
Line by Line Meaning
A long long time ago
Once upon a distant past
In a galaxy far away
In a galaxy at a great distance from us
Naboo was under an attack
Naboo was being attacked
And I thought me and Qui-Gon Jinn
And I had a thought with Qui-Gon Jinn
Could talk the Federation into
That we could convince the Federation
Maybe cutting them a little slack
To show mercy and ease off the attack
But their response, it didn't thrill us
Their response didn't excite us
They locked the doors and tried to kill us
They locked us in and tried to end our lives
We escaped from that gas
We fled from the gas
Then met Jar Jar and Boss Nass
Then encountered Jar Jar and Boss Nass
We took a bongo from the scene
We took a bongo from the area
And we went to Theed to see the queen
We went to Theed to meet the Queen
We all wound up on Tatooine
We all ended up on Tatooine
That's where we found this boy
And that's where we discovered this boy
Oh my my, this here Anakin guy
Oh my my, this person named Anakin
May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry
Might become Darth Vader in the future, but currently insignificant
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
He left home after bidding farewell to his mother
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi,
Said, "Soon I'm going to be a Jedi
Did you know this junkyard slave
Were you aware this slave worked in a junkyard
Isn't even old enough to shave
The slave is too young to shave
But he can use the Force they say
But there are reports that he can use the Force
Ah, do you see him hitting on the queen
Oh, did you observe him flirting with the Queen
Though he's just nine and she's fourteen
Even though he is only nine and she is fourteen
Yeah, he's probably gonna marry her someday
Yes, it's likely that he will marry her in the future
Well, I know he built C3PO
I'm aware he constructed C3PO
And I've heard how fast his pod can go
I have been informed of how fast his pod can travel
And we were broke, it's true
And it's true we were penniless
So we made a wager or two
Therefore, we placed a bet or two
He was a prepubescent flyin' ace
He was a young, skilled pilot
And the minute Jabba started off that race
And as soon as Jabba commenced the race
Well, I know who would win first place
I know who would have come in first place
Oh yes, it was our boy
Indeed, it was our youth
Now we finally got to Coruscant
Eventually, we reached Coruscant
The Jedi Council we knew would want
The Jedi Council that we knew would seek
To see how good the boy could be
To assess the child's abilities
So we took him there and we told the tale
So we escorted him and recounted the story
How his midi-chlorians were off the scale
How his midi-chlorian count was incredibly high
And he might fulfill that prophecy
And he may achieve that prophecy
Oh, the Council was impressed, of course
Ah, the Council was, of course, impressed
Could he bring balance to the force?
Could he restore balance to the Force?
They interviewed the kid
They questioned the child
Oh, training they forbid
But they prohibited his training
Because Yoda sensed in him much fear
Because Yoda detected a great deal of fear in him
And Qui-Gon said, "Now listen here
And Qui-Gon stated, "Now, pay attention
Just stick it in your pointy ear
Just remember this
I still will teach this boy"
But I will still instruct this child
We caught a ride back to Naboo
We hitched a ride back to Naboo
Cause Queen Amidala wanted to
Because Queen Amidala insisted on it
I frankly would've liked to stay
Honestly, I would have preferred to remain
We all fought in that epic war
We all fought in that grand conflict
And it wasn't long at all before
And it didn't take long for
Little Hotshot flew his plane and saved the day
The kid who showed potential flew his craft and saved the day
And in the end some Gungans died
And in the finale, some Gungans perished
Some ships blew up and some pilots fried
Some ships exploded and some pilots were killed
A lot of folks were croakin'
Many people were dying
The battle droids were broken
The battle droids were destroyed
And the Jedi I admire most
And the Jedi I have the most respect for
Met up with Darth Maul and now he's toast
Encountered Darth Maul and now he's deceased
Well, I'm still here and he's a ghost
Well, I'm still here, and he's a spirit
I guess I'll train this boy
I suppose I'll instruct this child
And I was singin', my my, this here Anakin guy
And I was singing, Oh my my, this person named Anakin
May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry
Might become Darth Vader in the future, but currently insignificant
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
He left home after bidding farewell to his mother
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi
Said, "Soon I'm going to be a Jedi
We were singin', my my, this here Anakin guy
We were singing, Oh my my, this person named Anakin
May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry
Might become Darth Vader in the future, but currently insignificant
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
He left home after bidding farewell to his mother
Sayin' "Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi
Said, "Soon I'm going to be a Jedi
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Don Mclean
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tifforo1
"We took him there and we told the tale
How his midichlorians were off the scale
And he might fulfill that prophecy.
The council was impressed, of course.
Could he bring balance to the force?
They interviewed the kid...
Oh, training they forbid
Because Yoda sensed in him much fear
And Qui-Gon said: now listen here!
Just stick it in your pointy ear,
I still will teach this boy.
@aldotorres1983
Ironically, this is by far the clearest and most informative plot summary of The Phantom Menace.
@CaptGage
lol
@lgmmrm
Impressively he wrote this BEFORE Phantom Menace came out, based entirely on fan theories and leaks.
@mturnerr11
In 5 minutes and 37 seconds
@HufflepuffBaseball42313
@@lgmmrm no way what
@Simon-ow6td
@@HufflepuffBaseball42313 Looked it up and Al recorded the single 20th of April, the movie released 16th of May, and then the single was released June 24. Apparently he used internet spoilers to write it in advance, and a charity advanced screening to confirm and make some smaller edits.
@Obi-Wan_Kenobi
This is the most relatable song I've ever heard.
@supertacticaldroid1751
Hello fellow general
@generalgrievous2949
General Kenobi. You are a bold one to say this out loud.
@Christian-be6eg
Well hello there, Keniobi