Benjamin Ashley's Weird Al Essay

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Benjamin Ashley

Professor Uselmann

English 151

3 October 2006

The Track of Childhood Escape

Musician “Weird Al” Yankovic is recognized for performing comedic parodies of popular

songs, but through the symbolism of his 1999 album Running with Scissors, he presents serious

challenges for artists who strive to maintain integrity in the music industry. On his album cover,

Yankovic is performing the dangerous activity of “running with scissors” to encourage the adult

members of his intended audience to celebrate their most childlike innocence. Children do not

have to agonize about the serious challenges of making a living, paying bills, selecting spouses,

raising healthy families, living in safe neighborhoods, avoiding criminal scams, or joining certain

political parties. Audiences who are entertained by Yankovic’s music are adults who wish to

escape from the anxieties that exist in the harsh reality of the world. The audience members are

able to escape from the distressing serious issues of society and are able to reestablish a connection

with the tranquil experiences of their childhoods by listening to the comedic parodies that

Yankovic performs. If the stressed audience members were not able to recall significant memories

of their childhoods through Yankovic’s music, the audience members would lose their childlike

innocence, which is an essential component of their identities. Yankovic preserves his personal

identity and demonstrates integrity by performing comedic parodies, and Yankovic and his

audience members both seek to maintain the most personal aspects of their identities by celebrating

their childlike characteristics.



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While Yankovic’s audience appreciates comedic music, the audience also admires

Yankovic for embracing his own set of values about music and for not allowing the music industry

to influence his artistic expression. Yankovic has generated a successful career as a musician by

satirizing the same industry that distributes his albums. He is able to preserve his own integrity in

a music industry that encourages artists to perform serious songs that present love and the glorified

“gangster” life unrealistically. The audience members of the album Running with Scissors share

Yankovic’s viewpoint that the music industry perceives itself as a more significant entity than it

truly is. Yankovic criticizes the music industry’s emphasis on the production of serious songs

because he contends that music should be recognized simply as a source of entertainment that

allows audiences to escape from the terrifying hardships of their adult lives. In his comedic

parodies of serious songs, Yankovic encourages his audience to ignore the serious issues featured

in the songs that he satirizes because he contends that these topics are portrayed unrealistically to

satisfy the music industry. He addresses seemingly trivial topics of food and television so that his

audience members are provided with a pivotal escape from the menacing trials of their adult lives

and will reconnect with the cherished concerns of their innocent childhoods. Through comedic

parodies, original songs, and the imagery of his album Running with Scissors, Yankovic contends

that the music industry is hollow because its unrealistic songs about serious issues do not allow

audiences to escape from adulthood by embracing childhood concerns.

Michael Jackson’s popular song “Beat It” addresses the serious disputes that must be

resolved between rival gangs, and through his parody “Eat It,” Yankovic argues that Jackson’s

song is hollow because it focuses on adult issues and glorifies the fabricated “gangster” lifestyle.

Jackson insists that although “no one wants to be defeated,” gang members should simply “beat it”

and should leave rival gang members alone to avoid potentially fatal violence. The gang member



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in Jackson’s intended audience does not “want to be a boy” and believes that by confronting rival

gangs to exhibit that he is “really not scared,” he will confirm that he possesses the qualities of a

true “man.” Yankovic transforms Jackson’s seemingly realistic song about the serious issue of

gang warfare into the comedic song “Eat It” in which Yankovic encourages a “fussy young man”

to consume various kinds of food. The gang member whom Jackson is addressing in “Beat It”

seeks to illustrate that he is a “macho man” through his conflict with rival gangs. The child whom

Yankovic is imploring to “clean off [his] plate” in “Eat It” simply wishes to embrace his immature

innocence and to avoid the anxieties that are triggered when an individual matures into a “man.”

Yankovic encourages his audience members to celebrate their juvenile innocence instead of

proving that they are true “men” who participate in the dangerous “gangster” life of Jackson’s song

“Beat It.” In “Eat It,” the innocent child who is being instructed to consume his dinner is

performing the immature activity of “playin’ with his food” while the adult gang member in “Beat

It” is performing the perilous activity of “playin' with [his] life.”

Through his parody “Eat It,” Yankovic encourages his audience members to recall innocent

childhood experiences in which the simple task of eating unpleasant vegetables was the most

menacing concern in their lives. Although other audiences dismiss Yankovic’s comedic parody

“Eat It” for addressing the seemingly trivial topic of food, Yankovic’s intended audience

understands that the task of eating is the most daunting obstacle for a young child. Yankovic’s

audience members are able to escape from the hardship of proving that they are true “men,” and

they recall the simple childhood experiences that they cherish now that they are faced with the

frightening challenges that adulthood presents. Yankovic believes that music should allow

audience members to escape from the violence of adulthood by recalling simple childhood

moments. Yankovic employs his comedic parody “Eat It” to exhibit that Jackson’s song “Beat It”



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is hollow because Jackson’s song addresses the violence that is glorified by “gangsters” and

reminds the audience of terrifying adult issues that should not be discussed in entertainment.

Yankovic produces the comedic parody “Smells Like Nirvana” to satirize Nirvana’s

serious song “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Yankovic demonstrates that Nirvana’s song is hollow

because it endorses the idea that life is meaningless and that audiences should be furious that their

existence has no value. Through the fuming song “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana’s lead singer

Kurt Cobain forcefully declares that “it is fun to lose” because human existence is meaningless. In

“Smells Like Nirvana,” Yankovic contends that when Cobain hysterically bellows that existence is

meaningless, Cobain’s message of hopelessness cannot be grasped by the audience. When Cobain

screams that he is “worse at what [he does] best,” he employs this paradoxical declaration to

convey that human existence has no purpose. Through his parody “Smells Like Nirvana,”

Yankovic criticizes the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” for endorsing excessive rage, and Yankovic

presents the following question: “What’s this song [‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’] all about?”

Yankovic believes that serious songs of the music industry should not remind audience members

of the tormenting challenges that they must endure in their daily lives because music should allow

audiences to escape from their concerns.

Yankovic employs his parody “Smells Like Nirvana” to assert that Cobain’s serious song

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” has no legitimate meaning because it is “so loud and incoherent.” When

Cobain declares that he is beginning to “feel stupid and contagious,” he conveys that human

existence is meaningless and should be despised by his audience. Yankovic maintains that when

Cobain hysterically screams about the meaningless of existence, the serious song “Smells Like

Nirvana” loses its own meaning and does not convey a message that allows audiences to escape

from daily challenges through entertainment. When Cobain hysterically screams for audience



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members to “load up on guns,” Cobain’s message is lost through his encouragement of senseless

rage and violence. Yankovic declares that Cobain does not even “know what [he is] sayin’”

because he is overwhelmed by mindless aggravation. Yankovic asserts that the song “Smells Like

Teen Spirit” will merely “bug [audience members’] parents” because any potentially serious

message has been lost through Cobain’s embrace of frustration. By stating that Nirvana’s song

will “bug [audience members’] parents,” Yankovic acknowledges that Nirvana’s intended

audience is composed of young individuals who are dissatisfied with their lives. Yankovic

believes that songs of the music industry should encourage audience members to escape from the

challenges of their daily lives and should not ramble about the meaninglessness of human

existence. Yankovic’s comedic parody “Smells Like Nirvana” establishes that Nirvana’s “Smells

Like Teen Spirit” is hollow because it forces its young audience members to address obstacles

which should not be discussed in music.

In his original comedic song “You Don’t Love Me Anymore,” Yankovic addresses the

inevitable problems that exist in all real relationships to reveal his belief that love songs are hollow

because they do not recognize that adult lovers possess juvenile qualities. By presenting

relationships realistically, Yankovic demonstrates to his audience that even serious adults behave

as children do. He satirizes the serious love songs that unrealistically portray the relationships of

adulthood as wonderful expressions of love that can never be tarnished. Yankovic embellishes the

inevitable childish disputes that adult couples must endure in real life. When adults encounter

challenges in relationships, adults exhibit the immature characteristics that Yankovic encourages

his audience members to embrace. By acknowledging the flaws of all relationships, Yankovic

portrays adult relationships more realistically through his comedic song than most serious songs

do. In his song, Yankovic presents an individual who refuses to believe that his exacerbated



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girlfriend no longer loves him because the individual is encumbered by the same naivety of an

innocent child. Yankovic acknowledges the inevitable sorrow that is caused by the fleeting

experience of love while more serious songs in the music industry inaccurately portray adult

relationships as permanent expressions of affection. The naïve character in Yankovic’s song

begins to “wonder what’s wrong” when his girlfriend demonstrates her hatred for him by

performing the childish actions of slamming his face “down on the barbecue grill” and by pushing

him “down that elevator shaft.” The character obviously does not comprehend the misery and

hatred that exist in the real world because he refuses to acknowledge that his girlfriend despises

him despite her juvenile indications that she no longer loves him. The naïve character is similar to

a child because he does not grasp his girlfriend’s hatred for him, and the character’s adult

girlfriend behaves as a child does to reveal that her relationship with the character has collapsed.

Because Yankovic identifies that flaws exist in relationships, he presents the serious topic of love

in a more realistic manner than the serious songs do. Through his comedic original song “You

Don’t Love Me Anymore,” Yankovic demonstrates that serious love songs are hollow because

they do not acknowledge that adults in relationships can exhibit the childlike unique qualities that

Yankovic encourages his audience members to celebrate.

In the comedic parody “The Saga Begins,” Yankovic satirizes Don McLean’s serious song

“American Pie” for reminding audience members about society’s loss of tranquil innocence after

the death of musician Buddy Holly. Yankovic contends that music should allow audiences to

recall the innocent experiences of their childhoods, so Don McLean’s “American Pie” should not

remind adult audiences that their innocence has disappeared. Yankovic’s parody “The Saga

Begins” simply provides a summary of the film Star Wars, so Yankovic links a fantastical film to

the loss of innocence described in “American Pie.” The film Star Wars is a pivotal childhood



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memory in the lives of many adults, so when Yankovic provides a summary of the film in “The

Saga Begins,” he stimulates his audience members to invoke memories of a significant film that

impacted their childhoods. Through his song “The Saga Begins,” Yankovic identifies that Don

McLean’s “American Pie” is hollow because it informs adult audience members that their

childhood innocence has disappeared and does not allow audiences to escape from the distressing

obstacles of their adult lives.

It appears that “Weird Al” Yankovic is an artist who preserves his integrity in the music

industry by encouraging audiences to embrace their childlike qualities, but one could argue that

Yankovic focuses on the same serious adult issues that are addressed by other musicians.

Yankovic’s song “Headline News” discusses the primary news stories with which audiences and

media sources were preoccupied in the year 1994. News stories that the media documents are

regarded as significant issues by audiences, so when Yankovic discuss the news topics of 1994, he

is focusing on the serious themes and challenges that are emphasized by the music industry. In his

song “Headline News,” Yankovic notifies his audience about Michael Fay, the “kid who took a

trip to Singapore and brought along his spray paint.” Yankovic imparts the serious information

that Fay “had cane marks all over his bottom” after he was punished for defacing the property of

Singapore with spray paint. One could suggest that because Yankovic is focusing on news topics

in his song “Headline News,” he is concerned with the same serious issues that are embraced by

other musicians. Yankovic’s intended audience members grasp his conviction that serious adult

issues should not be emphasized by the music industry. In the comedic song “Headline News,”

Yankovic addresses the primary media topics of 1994 to illustrate his contention that the media

and audiences are more concerned with insignificant gossip and entertaining subjects of pop

culture than with truly serious issues in society. One could argue that Yankovic is just like the



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other musicians who generate meaningless songs about serious issues. Yankovic’s audience

understands that the song addresses these news stories to demonstrate that audiences crave news

stories about childish trivialities of gossip and envy.

When Yankovic was originally introduced to the music industry, he desired to gain

acceptance by extending his arm out to other artists. Yankovic eventually concluded that he could

not preserve his own integrity and identity by performing the serious songs that are encouraged by

the music industry. He exposed the meaningless of serious music by exhorting his adult audience

members to embrace their innermost childlike qualities. In one photograph featured inside

Yankovic’s album Running with Scissors, Yankovic has contorted his arm behind his head to

encourage his audience members to embrace their childlike qualities. Children bend their arms in

awkward positions just as Yankovic does in this photograph. Through his parodies, Yankovic

illustrates that the music industry is hollow because it does not allow adult audiences to escape

from the harsh reality of serious issues and to reconnect with their childhoods. Yankovic’s arm is

truly contorted because the arm that he once used to reach out to the music industry was

symbolically damaged after being exposed to the hollow music industry. Yankovic is no longer

willing to reach out and to connect to the music industry because after completing the journey in

which he embraced his own childlike qualities to generate comedic parodies, he discovered that the

serious songs of the music industry are hollow and meaningless. He has mocked the music

industry’s emphasis on serious songs that inaccurately portray love and “gangster” life because

these songs remind audience members of their daunting challenges that are present in adulthood.

Yankovic believes that music is simply a source of entertainment that should allow audiences to

flee from the harsh reality of adulthood by returning to the simple innocence and trivial challenges

of childhood. Yankovic illustrates that the music industry is hollow by maintaining his personal



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integrity through comedic parodies and original songs. By “running with scissors” across a track

on the cover of his album, Yankovic demonstrates that the music industry is hollow because it does

not allow audience members to escape from the anxieties of adulthood. Yankovic provides his

stressed audience members with a pivotal escape from daily challenges by encouraging them to

embrace their innermost childlike innocence, which is an identifying quality that Yankovic shares

with his audience.



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Works Cited

Jackson, Michael. “Beat It.” Thriller. Epic, 1983.

McLean, Don. “American Pie.” American Pie. United Artists, 1971.

Nirvana. “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Nevermind. DGC, 1991.

Yankovic, “Weird Al.” Album Cover. Running with Scissors. Volcano Entertainment, 1999.

Yankovic, “Weird Al.” “Eat It.” In 3-D. Scotti, 1984.

Yankovic, “Weird Al.” “Headline News.” Al in the Box. Scotti, 1994.

Yankovic, “Weird Al.” “The Saga Begins.” Running with Scissors. Volcano Entertainment,

1999.

Yankovic, “Weird Al.” “Smells Like Nirvana.” Off the Deep End. Scotti, 1992.

Yankovic, “Weird Al.” “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.” Off the Deep End. Scotti, 1992.

I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment, nor have I witnessed any such violation of

the Honor Code.



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