World of Weird Al Yankovic

bermuda wrote:

mrmeadows wrote:PS: I can't believe I never picked up on "Cable TV' being a Randy Newman style-parody! It's so dead-on, but never occurred to me!

That's odd to me too, but I hear a similarity now that it's been mentioned.

Now I don't feel so bad about not picking up on this after all these years.

(It's really obvious now that I know, too. When Al says "...a Racquetball Channel, TOO!", he's absolutely doing an imitation of Newman's vocal style!)

Anyway, I guess my NTTH/"Tonight" guess was also a dud, right? Darn, this is hard!

bermuda wrote: Heh, I'm surprised someone didn't think that referred to Radioactive Hamsters!

I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't cross my mind. (All it took was re-listening to Radioactive Hamsters for me to cross it off the possibilities list.)

But wait....what about "Harvey the Wonder Hamster"??

(Kidding.)

Hold on...I think I've got it!

I think both CharlesNelson and I were on the right track, but the answer lies somewhere in between both of our theories! How about this:

"Take Me to the Pilot" = "Nature Trail to Hell"!

Both songs consist of the title being repeated over and over again with backup vocalists, and....

"Take me to the Pilot, Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na!"
vs.
"Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-Nature Trail to Hell!"

Assuming the above post was not correct, and despite not being familiar with Elton's music at all, I decided to work with the clues and see what I could do. After a few dead ends I have a guess that I'm finally confident in. Noting that "Funeral for a Friend" was the only Elton song (fitting the rules) mentioned in the first thread, I familiarized myself with it and was further inspired by a recent Al quote: "I learned to play rock on the accordion by playing along with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. In fact, when I went to college, that was what people knew me for: I was the guy who could play “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” on the accordion."

I'm assuming that "Funeral for a Friend" is only the first five minute instrumental section before the "Love Lies Bleeding" half begins? I tried to imagine it on accordion and stumbled across an angle that I'm not sure anybody considered. So, I submit: "Funeral for a Friend" = "Fun Zone". Specifically, the part about 3 minutes into FFAF where the drums pick up, I can hear the "Fun Zone" melody but Al's band plays a straightforward rhythm (LOVE Steve's bassline on this, btw!) rather than the laidback(?) beat of the Elton track, which changes the vibe. The electric guitar tone hints at FFAF and I really think I could be right.

Or completely wrong.

Is perhaps "Don't Wear Those Shoes" a failed pastiche of "Kiss The Bride" by Elton John?

I don't know if those sound related, but neither is the song in question.

I still think Tiny Dancer is the Elton half of this equation, but I have no idea what the Al half would be.

Waldo318 wrote:Is perhaps "Don't Wear Those Shoes" a failed pastiche of "Kiss The Bride" by Elton John?

KTB sounds closer to "Midnight Star". . .that was one of my earlier (incorrect) guesses. I have to say I'm stumped on this one.

Midnight Star and Tiny Dancer... are not the songs.

What is this, an episode of Maury?