William's Song a Day Blog - est. September 2007

From: Running with Scissors ; Year: 1999; Genre: Comedy/Parody/Alternative Rock Needed something light and happier today, and I knew I couldn't go wrong with one of "Weird Al's" epic parodies. This one is, of course, his reworking of the hit song by The Barenaked Ladies: One Week . Al's subject matter is/was the over-the-top and brain destroying talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, which was strangely quite popular back in the late '90s; I guess it was another one of the cases of "entertainment for the lowest common denominator." I suppose that reality television and social media have since taken its place as an all-consuming place for such ilk to waste their lives.   Hear Jerry Springer on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Helloween - From Out of Nowhere   My song pick 2 years ago today: Black Sabbath - Lord of This World   My song pick 3 years ago today: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cowgirl in the Sand   My song pick 4 years ago toda...

From: Twisted Christmas ; Year: 1988; Genre: Christmas Music/Comedy/Country Trying to get more into wot you would refer to as a "Christmas Mood," but it has been difficult; thinking that some of Bob Rivers' Holiday funnies might help. This one from his first Christmas album is done in an older country and western swing style with lyrics about a man looking forward to freedom around Christmas, when he is supposedly to be released.   Hear I'm Dressin' Up Like Santa (When I Get Out on Parole) on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Drifters - White Christmas   My song pick 2 years ago today: Steeleye Span - Today in Bethlehem   My song pick 3 years ago today: Van der Graaf Generator - La Rossa   My song pick 4 years ago today: Binky Griptite - Stone Soul Christmas   My song pick 5 years ago today: Bachman & Turner - Find Some Love My song pick 6 years ago today: Jethro Tull - Another Harry's Bar My song pick 7 years ago today:...

From: Jim Stafford ; Year: 1974; Genre: Comedy/Parody/Country I had this rather funny song that was inspired by track made famous by The Carter Family's , which is a classic: Wildwood Flower . Written and recorded ten years prior by Don Bowman, this was the version was the one that became the most famous. Anyway, this one is basically talk-singing a tale of a couple of brothers on a farm encountering a plant that has psychedelic properties, (most likely cannabis), and the fun and hi-jinx that ensues with some country/western music in behind.   Hear Wildwood Weed on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back   My song pick 2 years ago today: The Cure - The 13th   My song pick 3 years ago today: Rush - Carnies My song pick 4 years ago today: Bootsy's Rubber Band - Another Point of View My song pick 5 years ago today: America - Watership Down My song pick 6 years ago today: Hawkwind - Angels of Death My song...

From: White Trash Christmas ; Year: 2002; Genre: Parody/Comedy/Christmas Music/Country Less than a week left until Christmas, and it just wouldn't be right to not have some of Bob Rivers' exquisite comedy music for the season to kick off this week.  This is yet another case in which I was absolutely sure that I had already chosen this song, but surprisingly enough I did not. This is, as you could easily guess, his hilarious parody of the Holiday mainstay White Christmas , which was written by Irving Berlin and made famous in more recent times by the likes of Bing Crosby. The use of contemporary country and western music combined with lyrics that plays on the stereotypes of the song's subject, and you get a Christmas comedy classic.   Hear White Trash Christmas on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Ben Keith, Neil Young, Pegi Young - Les Trois Cloches   My song pick 2 years ago today: Primus - The Thing That Should Not Be   My song pick 3 y...

From: More Twisted Christmas ; Year: 1997; Genre: Rock/Christmas/Parody/Comedy My child yesterday pointed out yesterday that Christmas was less than two weeks away, which came to me as kind of a shock I guess. Anyway, I figured I should get with the program and post some appropriate tunes. This parody of Led Zeppelin's song D'yer Mak'er done masterfully with the music that is based on the original song with perfectly crafted lyrics to bring a smile to your face and possibly some laughter as well.   Hear Sled Zeppelin on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: Bob Rivers Comedy Corp. - The Restroom Door Said, "Gentlemen"   My song pick 2 years ago today: King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black   My song pick 3 years ago today: Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - Sylvia's Mother My song pick 4 years ago today: John Denver - Goodbye Again My song pick 5 years ago today: John McCutcheon - Christmas in the Trenches My song pick 6 years ago today: C...

From: Twisted Christmas ; Year: 1988; Genre: Christmas Music/Comedy/Parody I've thus far this year not really visited Christmas music like I normally would, but today I figured I would with this Holiday staple. This is, of course, a parody of the traditional God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen , but instead tells the hilarious tale of a man being pranked and accidently walking into the women's restroom.   Hear The Restroom Door Said, "Gentlemen" on YouTube.       My song pick 1 year ago today: King Crimson - Starless and Bible Black   My song pick 2 years ago today: Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - Sylvia's Mother My song pick 3 years ago today: John Denver - Goodbye Again My song pick 4 years ago today: John McCutcheon - Christmas in the Trenches My song pick 5 years ago today: Cybotron - Implosion My song pick 6 years ago today: Blue Öyster Cult - Godzilla My song pick 7 years ago today: Tangerine Dream - White Eagle My song pick 8 years ago today: Elv...

From: Alapalooza ; Year: 1993; Genre: Parody/Comedy Felt like hearing something light and fun today and looked no further than "Weird Al" for my fix. Whilst not being the best parody he's ever done, this one's got enough references to the show and the song to make it, as I said, very fun to listen to. Hear Bedrock Anthem on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Jerry Reed - Miller's Cave My song pick 2 years ago today: Ozric Tentacles - Yum Yum Tree My song pick 3 years ago today: Sly and the Family Stone - You Can Make it if You Try My song pick 4 years ago today: Deep Purple - Stormbringer My song pick 5 years ago today: Egg - Fugue in D-Minor My song pick 6 years ago today: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - The Last DJ My song pick 7 years ago today: Van Der Graaf Generator - Lemmings (Including Cog) My song pick 8 years ago today: Nightwish - Feel for You My song pick 9 years ago today: Genesis - Keep It Dark My song pick 10 years ago t...

From: Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire ; Year: 2000; Genre: Christmas Music/Comedy/Parody Another Christmas silly song sure to give you a laugh during this season. Hear Flu Ride on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: The Pretenders - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas My song pick 2 years ago today: Bob Rivers & Twisted Radio - Didn't I Get This Last Year? My song pick 3 years ago today: Electric Jungle - Funky Funky Christmas My song pick 4 years ago today: Louis Armstrong - Winter Wonderland My song pick 5 years ago today: Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends My song pick 6 years ago today: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band - The Little Drummer Boy My song pick 7 years ago today: The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man My song pick 8 years ago today: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Siberian Sleigh Ride My song pick 9 years ago today: Twisted Sister - Oh Come All Ye Faithful My song pick 10 years ago today: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - J...

From: Alapalooza ; Year: 1993; Genre: Comedy/Parody For no reason whatsoever, as far as I could tell, I felt like picking this cover/parody of Queen's epic Bohemian Rhapsody by the one and only "Weird Al." As with most of his polkas this one is quite complex and not just a quick funny song. Hear Bohemian Polka on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: Dick Dale - Speardance My song pick 2 years ago today: Savatage - Dead Winter Dead My song pick 3 years ago today: Dee Clark - Raindrops My song pick 4 years ago today: Sly and the Family Stone - Thankful N' Thoughtful My song pick 5 years ago today: Ugly Kid Joe - Another Beer My song pick 6 years ago today: Hawkwind - Neon Skyline/Lost Chronicles My song pick 7 years ago today: Louis Armstrong - When the Saints Go Marching In My song pick 8 years ago today: John Denver - Farewell Andromeda (Welcome To My Morning) My song pick 9 years ago today: Del Shannon - Runaway My song pick 10 years...

From: Chipmunks Roasting on an Open Fire ; Year: 2000; Genre: Rock/Parody/Comedy/Christmas Music Merry Christmas Eve! At least once during this holiday season I make an effort to revisit the lighter side of Christmas music. In this one Bob Rivers uses the music from Creedence Clearwater Revival's Up And Around the Bend , but turns it into a Christmas song and does an excellent job doing it. Hear Goin' Up To Bethlehem on YouTube. My song pick 1 year ago today: "Weird Al" Yankovic - The Night Santa Went Crazy My song pick 2 years ago today: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - A Mad Russian's Christmas My song pick 3 years ago today: Bing Crosby - White Christmas My song pick 4 years ago today: B. Bumble and the Stingers - Nut Rocker My song pick 5 years ago today: Jethro Tull - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen My song pick 6 years ago today: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Wizards in Winter My song pick 7 years ago today: "Weird Al" Yankovic - Christ...

From: I Am Santa Claus ; Year: 1993; Genre: Christmas Music/Comedy/Parody Well, it wouldn't be Christmas without some good ol' Bob Rivers. This is a parody about getting the same rather boring presents year after year set to the tune of the contemporary Christmas song Do You Hear What I Hear . Hear Didn't I Get This Last Year? on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Electric Jungle - Funky Funky Christmas My song pick two years ago today: Louis Armstrong - Winter Wonderland My song pick three years ago today: Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends My song pick four years ago today: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band - The Little Drummer Boy My song pick five years ago today: The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man My song pick six years ago today: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Siberian Sleigh Ride My song pick seven years ago today: Twisted Sister - Oh Come All Ye Faithful My song pick eight years ago today: Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Joy/Ang...

From: I Am Santa Claus ; Year: 1993; Genre: Hard Rock/Christmas Music/Comedy/Parody Continuing on picking some Christmas tunes, I thought picking some light-hearted comedy would be a wonderful idea; definitely good for the stress that we normally have this time of year. Anyway, as you could probably surmise by the title this is an AC/DC parody of a few of their most popular songs set to lyrics based on the classic song " My Favourite Things ," but with a more "metal" oriented list of things. A very fun song and definitely one of the better ones from Bob Rivers. Hear Jingle Hells Bells on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Stanley Clarke, George Duke, and Everette Harp - O Tannenbaum My song pick two years ago today: Louis Armstrong - Christmas Night in Harlem My song pick three years ago today: The Beatles - Please Please Me My song pick four years ago today: John Denver - Please Daddy (Don't Get Drunk This Christmas) My song pick fiv...

From: My Son, The Nut ; Year: 1963; Genre: Jazz/Comedy/Parody Lately they've been playing a commercial on television with the song C'est si bon playing behind it; it's been getting to me enough that I've had it on my mind a lot and thus this rather unique parody but the late master of parody music: Allan Sherman. This is a cute one where instead of the traditional lyrics this one has comedic lyrics about a French doctor listing off a bunch both weird and normal objects seen on an X-Ray. Interestingly enough, the album this song appears on, My Son, The Nut , was the last comedy album to reach #1 on the charts until Weird Al did it last year with his album Mandatory Fun . Hear I See Bones on YouTube. My song pick one year ago today: Rush - Chemistry My song pick two years ago today: Rick James - Super Freak My song pick three years ago today: The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Three to Get Ready My song pick four years ago today: Rammstein - Rammstein My s...

From: Running with Scissors ; Year: 1999; Genre: Folk Rock/Parody/Comedy This morning I had this song running through my mind for some unknown reason, so I took it as a sign that I should pick it. Of course most know that this track uses the music from the epic Don McLean song American Pie , but instead tells the story of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace . While by no mean my favourite "Weird Al" song, it's one that has become one of his classics. Hear The Saga Begins on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: The Moody Blues - Ride My See-Saw My song pick two years ago today: Hawkwind - Angela Android My song pick three years ago today: The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Manic Depression My song pick four years ago today: Jon Oliva's Pain - Through the Eyes of the King My song pick five years ago today: Nora Bayes - The Japanese Sandman My song pick six years ago today: Queen - We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions My song pick seven years ag...

From: More Twisted Christmas ; Year: 1997; Genre: Hard Rock/Comedy/Christmas Music Here's something a little lighter for the season; this one's a rather comical track based on Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze about none other than the trials of the Christmas season. Hear Holidaze on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Bob Rivers - Aquaclaus My song pick two years ago today: The Honeycombs - Have I the Right? My song pick three years ago today: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Christmas All Over Again My song pick four years ago today: Rush - Tears My song pick five years ago today: Sylvia - Drifter My song pick six years ago today: Cheech & Chong - Santa Claus and His Old Lady My song pick seven years ago today: Supertramp - The Logical Song

From: Mandatory Fun ; Year: 2014; Genre: Comedy/Parody/R&B I've been enjoying this newest "Weird" Al album; this is, at this point, one of the most popular tracks from it. This one's a parody of Robin Thicke Blurred Lines in which Mr. Yankovic wields his dictionary like a weapon to teach everybody proper English in only the way he could. Watch the music video clip on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Fleetwood Mac - Come a Little Bit Closer My song pick two years ago today: Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelli (Quintette du Hot Club de France) featuring Freddy Taylor - I Can't Give You Anything But Love My song pick three years ago today: Rin' - Fuhen My song pick four years ago today: Cream - Badge My song pick five years ago today: Steeleye Span - Seven Hundred Elves My song pick six years ago today: Billy Joel - Prelude/Angry Young Man

From: White Trash Christmas ; Year: 2002; Genre: Progressive Rock/Comedy/Christmas Music This Christmas parody of the Jethro Tull's legendary hit Aqualung always brings a smile to my face around this time of year. Iwas surprised that I hadn't picked in during one of the other previous six Christmas seasons since I've been doing this Song a Day blog. What Bob Rivers did turning this song about a lecherous homeless man into one about the trials and tribulations of being "Father Christmas," (a mall Santa), was epic. As a hardcore 'Tull fan I definitely approve of this one! Hear Aquaclaus on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: The Honeycombs - Have I the Right? My song pick two years ago today: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Christmas All Over Again My song pick three years ago today: Rush - Tears My song pick four years ago today: Sylvia - Drifter My song pick five years ago today: Cheech & Chong - Santa Claus and His Old...

From: At the Country Club ; Year: 1960; Genre: Comedy/Parody I was in need of something a little light-hearted today, so I decided on picking one from Homer & Jethro. This is probably their biggest and most recognizable song; it is a parody of Johnny Horton's The Battle of New Orleans , which can be heard here on YouTube . Instead, in their parody it's about a bunch of adolescent campers chasing naked women. Hear The Battle of Camp Kookamonga on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Karussell - Entweder Oder My song pick two years ago today: Nightwish - Last of the Wilds (Erämaan viimeinen) My song pick three years ago today: Rush - Caravan My song pick four years ago today: John Denver - This Old Guitar My song pick five years ago today: Rammstein - Stirb Nicht Vor Mir (Don't Die Before I Do)

From: Even Worse ; Year: 1988; Genre: Comedy/Pop I'm closing out my theme week with one of my favourites from "Weird Al," which is another parody of a Michael Jackson hit Bad ; it can be found here on YouTube . If I remember right, this was the first music video by "Weird Al" that I'd ever seen. Of course I had heard his music prior, but not a video clip; to say the least I was laughing so much I could hardly hear the song. Watch the hilarious music video on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Kreeps - Bad Voodoo My song pick two years ago today: David Bowie - Up the Hill Backwards My song pick three years ago today: Fairport Convention - Who Knows Where The Time Goes My song pick four years ago today: Savatage - Sleep My song pick five years ago today: The Beatles - Across The Universe

From: Alapalooza ; Year: 1993; Genre: Comedy/Rock Today is day six of my "Weird Al" theme week. I was actually thinking about this one the other day, so I thought it would make an excellent addition. This is a rather funny one about rotting food in a person's refrigerator coming to life is set to Aerosmith's Livin' on the Edge , which can be found on YouTube . Here is the song in an amv on YouTube. My song pick a year ago today: Duran Duran - (Reach Up for the) Sunrise My song pick two years ago today: The Offspring - Gone Away My song pick three years ago today: Converge - Cruel Bloom My song pick four years ago today: Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids - She's So Fine My song pick five years ago today: Lobo - A Big Red Kite