The Future of Weird Al Releases

[Big Spoon]

Is it though?

Yes, it is.

[Well, Well, Well]

What are the chances that, if instead of polka it was blues (or disco or opera or whatever) all along, anyone would be posting how they wished the medleys were polkas instead?

I don't even follow what you are saying here. If the medley of popular pop songs had been done in a blues style for the past 30 years, then yes, people would definitely NOT be wishing they were polkas instead. They would be missing the blues style, assuming that it was as big a fan favorite as the polkas have always been. The polka music is a huge part of it. And since Al has said it is too much work to get permission for 12 songs, pay royalties, etc., I hope that instead of losing Al's polka music altogether, we get something original using polka music.

[TMBJon]

Is it though? I mean, maybe I'm in the minority, but zero of the appeal of Al to me is the accordion or polka music.

Yes, it's the juxtaposition of self-serious modern pop songs placed over completely incongruous music. That, in a nutshell, is the point of the polka medleys. However I can understand why you wouldn't appreciate that because of your distaste for ironic humor. Perhaps polkas can only be appreciated by hipsters.

[Big Spoon]

I'll be honest, when I was first getting into Al, I wasn't the biggest fan of his polka medleys. But now they're easily my favorite thing in the album.

[Skippy]

Yes, it's the juxtaposition of self-serious modern pop songs placed over completely incongruous music.

But that's exactly my point. Without the self-serious pop songs, there's no juxtaposition. So there's no point. So why would anyone want a polka instrumental from Al?

[Skippy]

I don't even follow what you are saying here. If the medley of popular pop songs had been done in a blues style for the past 30 years, then yes, people would definitely NOT be wishing they were polkas instead. They would be missing the blues style, assuming that it was as big a fan favorite as the polkas have always been.

It sounds like you follow what I'm saying exactly.

The polka music is a huge part of it.

But you literally just said the opposite.

[Well, Well, Well]

well, the polka music is huge part of it in that people have developed an attachment to it so far as Al makes polka seem cool.

Maybe you're right, maybe Al will just forget polka music completely since polka music generally sucks, I don't know. I'm pretty sure that Al is a fan of polka music though, which spawned the idea of polka medleys in the first place. So if Al is a polka music fan, I think it's possible we could see something polka-related even if it's different than what we're used to.

[Skippy]

well, the polka music is huge part of it in that people have developed an attachment to it so far as Al makes polka seem cool.

That makes some sense. I just don't think anyone is really going to respond to it without something funny going on too.

Maybe you're right, maybe Al will just forget polka music completely since polka music generally sucks, I don't know. I'm pretty sure that Al is a fan of polka music though, which spawned the idea of polka medleys in the first place. So if Al is a polka music fan, I think it's possible we could see something polka-related even if it's different than what we're used to.

Hey, anything's possible. But I think the popularity of the polka medleys is precisely what would doom any non-medley polka offering. Even if it's an original polka with funny lyrics, I think it would just make people miss the medleys that much more.

[Well, Well, Well]

someone start a poll about which is more important in the medley: the polka music or the polka targets.

[PlayAWarGame]

How about polka medleys of non-current, easier to license things? Maybe a polka medley of mostly-fifty-year-old Christmas songs next Christmas?