Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun

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Moneybags
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Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun

Post by Moneybags »

For anyone who's heard Mandatory Fun at this point, how would you rank the songs so far? Here's my list, from favorite to least favorite:

Word Crimes: I was really looking forward to this parody, and Al didn't disappoint. I love that this song's now completely devoid of any sexuality whatsoever, and as an English major, I couldn't possibly think of better subject matter. The part about the use of "I could care less" is fantastic. I also appreciate the jab at Prince a lot.

Jackson Park Express: I generally don't laugh out loud at Weird Al songs. I appreciate the humor, and I love the musicianship that he and the band exhibit and all the diverse styles that they tackle. That being said, this song cracked me up. I don't remember the last time I laughed so hard at a Weird Al song. I could listen to another half hour of this song.

My Own Eyes: This song is incredibly catchy, but I'm probably biased, because I'm a huge Foo Fighters fan. It's executed perfectly.

Tacky: I was hesitant about this parody, because I wasn't sure if it was just going to be a song about clothes; although I'm sure that would have been funny in Al's hands, I'm way more impressed about all of the other things he brings up that are indeed tacky. The Comic Sans resume line gave me a mean ol' chuckle.

NOW That's What I Call Polka: I'm admittedly a little disappointed at the shortness of this medley, but I cannot deny that the transitions here are second to none. Even the one song I've never listened to before ("Timber") sounds well-executed. The execution of "Thrift Shop" is also very funny, particularly due to Al's background interjections ("I do!", "It's large!"), and the line "This is super awesome!"

Handy: I do not like the original, even a little. Al did an amazing job of skewering it, and his flow is unstoppable. And I'm glad he's finally gotten a chance to bring some of the concepts from "I'll Repair For You" to an official album.

First World Problems: I am a pretty casual Pixies fan, and from what I've hear, he nails the impression, and so does Amanda. I had no idea that she was going to be put to such use. It never occurred to me. But it's perfect.

Inactive: I was really looking forward to this song, because I genuinely like "Radioactive". I was disappointed the first time I heard this parody, but this has grown on me quite a bit, especially upon taking into account the pairing of the content with how bombastic the music is. Plus, since I think the original is legitimately catchy, I have to feel that way about the parody by default. If I had numbered this list, this song and "First World Problems" would be tied.

Sports Song: This is better than I could have hoped for. I can't wait to see the video.

Mission Statement: I realize that this song isn't super funny. Or I suppose it's not funny at all to a lot of people. But, see, I think it is funny. I have to wonder if Al used the whole "drawing a line between a band and a concept" like he did with The Doors and Craigslist. I love the idea of CSNY singing about corporate jargon. Not to mention, Al and the band nail the style. It's incredible.

Foil: Ugh. I had high hopes. I told all of my friends a year ago that if Al bypassed Lorde, he'd be making a huge mistake. In retrospect, I feel like not bypassing Lorde might have been a mistake. I've never been a huge fan of "A Complicated Song" because of the jumps between different topics. This is, more or less, how I feel about "Foil". I think the fact that the entire last third of the song is lopped off compounds this feeling I have.

Lame Claim To Fame: I tried to acquaint myself with SCOtS when it was confirmed that they'd be the recipients of a pastiche on the album, and what I learned is that SCOtS is not my cup of tea. I understand why people would enjoy the heck out of this song. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a fan. This song and "Foil" are really the only two that have come up short for me, but I think the rest of the album is golden.

What do you all think?

*Edited to remove the spoiler tag since the album is out now.
Last edited by Moneybags on Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:31 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Bruce the Duck
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Re: Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun [Spoilers]

Post by Bruce the Duck »

This is a little premature, as I've only had two full listens and it's still brand new. So this will probably change quite a bit, but for now:
Spoiler:
1. Word Crimes - This one's easy, and will definitely NOT change. I love the original, and I love even more what Al did with it. Every single line of this song is perfect. He covered so much ground with the lyrics, much more than I thought he would considering the repetitive nature of the original. As an educator and a bit of a grammar Nazi myself, I just absolutely love this topic. Lyrically, this song is in the same league as "White and Nerdy". Absolutely brilliant.

2. Jackson Park Express - When I thought we weren't going to be getting a love song this album, I commented that maybe Al had exhausted all angles of a relationship. Oh, how wrong I was. I love that this song tells a complete love story without really going anywhere. I also love all the literal interpretation jokes, such as the line about failing his driving test. Finally, I love the way the title, much like "Albuquerque," really has nothing to do with the song other than being the setting. This has definitely earned its spot among BBOTIM and Albuquerque for me.

3. Lame Claim to Fame - Every once in a while Al style parodies a band that I've never heard of and instantly makes me a fan of the original artist. This is one of those times. The style of this song is wonderful to listen to. And I also love the way he uses this to tackle a lot of big pop culture references rather than devoting an entire song to a movie or TV show. This song needs to be performed in concert.

4. NOW That's What I Call Polka! - It may be too early to say if this song beats out The Alternative Polka for me, but it's certainly a contender. Al uses sound effects here better than in any previous polka. And the little vocal things he does, like the end of "Best Song Ever," and the Jerry Lewis reference really make this stand out. It's very rare for me to rank a polka this high.

5. "Tacky" - Big fan of the original, and this one didn't disappoint. I'm glad he didn't just stick to fashion related lyrics. The bits about Instagram and Twitter are better ways of making reference to them than having a full song about them. In fact, the entire premise of "Ringtone" could have been made in this song with just one line.

6. "My Own Eyes" - I'm a bit of a fan of Foo Fighters, so I definitely appreciated the style here.

7. "Sports Song" - I love that he took on the idiocy of home team obsession in sports. Bravo, Al!

8. "Mission Statement" - I can appreciate what he was doing here. I'm sure if I worked in a business setting, this would work even better for me, much like "Skipper Dan" probably appealed to amusement park workers. But yeah, I can appreciate the concept even if it's not that funny.

9. "Handy" - I don't think this is "lead" track material, and I'm guessing Al didn't either, which is the reason for his tweet a few weeks ago. It's easily as good as "I'll Repair For You," but I was hoping for more of a "Home Improvement" vibe, where he is an incompetent handyman.

10. "Foil" - The idea to combine two different foil-related topics was good, but there really should have been a third verse. He could have had a verse about using foil to make dumb costumes for Comic-Con or something.

11. "First World Problems" - Not a fan of the Pixies, so this one hasn't really hit a chord with me yet. I'm positive this will rise in my ratings over time though.

12. "Inactive" - Honestly, I think looking at YouTube parodies that used this exact same idea, even though they weren't of the same quality, ruined this for me. I now regret ever looking at those videos. I think this will rise over time too, though.
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Bruce the Duck
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Re: Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun [Spoilers]

Post by Bruce the Duck »

BTW, Moneybags, you still need to use spoiler tags until Tuesday. Per Elvis.
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Re: Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun [Spoilers]

Post by MikeyMan2627 »

Spoiler:
Tacky
Foil
Handy
First World Problems
NOW That's What I Call a Polka!
Word Crimes
Mission Statement
Inactive
Lame Claim to Fame
Jackson Park Express
My Own Eyes
Sports Song
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Moneybags
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Re: Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun [Spoilers]

Post by Moneybags »

Bruce the Duck wrote:BTW, Moneybags, you still need to use spoiler tags until Tuesday. Per Elvis.
Sorry! My mistake.
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Re: Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun [Spoilers]

Post by Jettkoral »

Here's mine-
Spoiler:
Lame Claim To Fame
Word Crimes
Jackson Park Express
My Own Eyes
NOW That's What I Call Polka!
Tacky
Handy
Inactive
Foil
Mission Statement
First World Problems
Sports Song
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Re: Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun [Spoilers]

Post by fang3207 »

Spoiler:
1. NOW That's What I Call Polka!
2. Handy
3. Tacky
4. Word Crimes
5. Foil
6. Lame Claim To Fame
7. Inactive
8. First World Problems
I don't really care about the rest
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Re: Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun [Spoilers]

Post by FreeDeliveryFan »

Favorite to least favorite, for now anyway!
Spoiler:
1.) Word Crimes
2.) Jackson Park Express
3.) My Own Eyes
4.) Foil
5.) Now That's What I Call Polka!
6.) Lame Claim To Fame
7.) Tacky
8.) First World Problems
9.) Sports Song
10.) Handy
11.) Inactive
12.) Mission Statement
Lovin it! Can't wait for the physical release Tuesday! :great:
"Near...far...I'll Jump In My Car!"
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Re: Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun [Spoilers]

Post by uwvark »

Spoiler:
This will change several times today

Sports Song
Jackson Park Express
Word Crimes
Inactive
Lame Claim to Fame
Handy
My Own Eyes
First World Problems
NOW That's What I Call a Polka!
Foil
Tacky
Mission Statement
:peace:
I got 99 problems but BTD ain't one.
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Re: Rank the songs on Mandatory Fun [Spoilers]

Post by AlejandraDD »

After listening to the album one time, Sports Song is definitely my favorite, followed closely by Word Crimes. The other songs are mostly okay, but can't rank them yet.
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