A “Weird Al” Yankovic parody of Lady Gaga’s hit Born this Way has now been given the thumbs up by the pop star herself, meaning Weird Al will be releasing Perform This Way on his new album.
Initially, Gaga didn’t find Weird Al’s spoof very amusing and told him he couldn’t include the tune on his new album.
However although famous parodist Weird Al Yankovic has the legal authority to put the song on his album, he always likes to get consent from the artist he’s spoofing.
When Gaga said no, Weird Al posted the song on YouTube.
“I have no problem with allowing people to hear it online, because I
also have a personal policy not to completely waste my stinking time,”
he said.
Listen to Weird Al’s Gaga spoof Perform This Way here.
After the video went viral, Lady Gaga caved in and agreed that Weird Al Yankovic could include the tune on his album – perhaps she was convinced by the fact that the parodist is donating all proceeds from the single to the Human Rights Campaign, which supports gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered rights.
Lyrics to Weird Al’s Lady Gaga parody include:
“I’ll be a troll or evil queen,
I’ll be a human jelly bean.
‘Cause every day is Halloween
For me…
I’m so compltely original,
My new look is all the rage.
I’ll wrap my small intestines round my neck,
And set fire to myself on stage.”
Since 1976, Weird Al Yankovic has sold more than 12 million albums, recorded more than 150 parody and original songs and had his own TV show in the US – The Weird Al Show.
Yankovic famously parodied Michael Jackson’s “Beat it” with his version, “Eat it”.
According to Weird Al’s website, most artists are happy to have a Weird Al spoof of their work.
“Most artists are genuinely flattered and consider it an honor to have Weird Al parody their work. Some groups (including Nirvana) claim that they didn’t realize that they had really “made it” until Weird Al did a parody of them!” the website reads.
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Gaga however is a tad sensitive about Born this Way, especially when a journalist from the NME asked her if she thought it sounded like Madonna’s Express Yourself.
“If you put the songs next to each other, side by side, the only similarities are the chord progression. It’s the same one that’s been in disco music for the last 50 years. Just because I’m the first (expletive) artist in 25 years to think of putting it on Top 40 radio, it doesn’t mean I’m a plagiarist, it means I’m (expletive) smart. Sorry,” she said.
Interested in Weird Al? Check him out here: weirdal.com