Murk
Posting Freak
Posts: 1243
Registered: 5-15-2005
Member Is Offline
|
|
Gaga says Na Na to Weird Al
i thought this was kind of interesting hearing it straight from Al himself.
i see her point, but they should've said no before he wrote and recorded it.
here's the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUxXKfQkswE
here's the back story:
http://alyankovic.wordpress.com/the-gaga-saga/
| Quote: | I was really hoping that this blog entry would be all about me announcing the release date of my new album.
Sadly, it’s not.
In a metaphorical nutshell, here’s what happened.
I wrote and recorded what I thought was going to be the first single off of my new album: a parody of “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga called “Perform
This Way.” But after hearing it, Lady Gaga decided not to give me permission to release the song, so… it won’t be coming out commercially anytime in
the near future. Sorry.
Okay, now the long version.
I had written, recorded, mixed and mastered 11 of the 12 songs for my new album and was just waiting to come up with that one elusive “big idea” for a
parody that I thought I could turn into the lead single and video. I was well aware that “Born This Way” was coming out, and I thought that just might
be the pop culture juggernaut I had been waiting for… but after hearing the song, I was reluctant to tackle it. Because it was such an earnest human
rights anthem, I thought some people might consider a parody to be in poor taste. Plus, I was really kinda predisposed not to do a Lady Gaga parody
anyway because, well, that’s what everybody in the universe was already assuming I would do, and I hate to be so predictable.
But a few weeks later, a parody idea popped into my head, and I thought it had a lot of potential – enough to warrant telling my record label that I’d
finally found my next single. Based on my concept, I was reasonably sure that my parody wasn’t really going to offend anybody… but I still decided, as
an act of good karma, that I would donate all the money from sales of the song and music video to the Human Rights Campaign.
I was very excited now, because I knew that the second I got the official blessing from Lady Gaga, I could lock in an official release date for my
album and announce it to the world. (My record company needs 8 weeks of advance notice to confirm an album release date – so in order to be as timely
as possible, I almost always have to lock in the date before I’ve even started writing the lead single.)
I had my manager contact Lady Gaga’s manager to see if she would okay the parody. Here was the exact pitch:
I’d like to do a parody of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” called “I Perform This Way.” The basic concept is that I, as a Lady Gaga doppelganger of sorts,
describe the incredibly extravagant ways in which I perform on stage. Meat dresses and giant eggs would most likely be referenced, but also much more
ridiculous made-up examples of bizarre wardrobe and stage production. As with all my parodies, it would be respectful of the artist, while having a
bit of fun with her larger-than-life image.
I hadn’t written a single line of the song at this point, but that was the concept I had in my head. Because of my 30-year track record, most artists
know that my songs are all in good fun and they’re more than happy to approve a parody just based on the concept alone.
We eventually got a response from the Gaga camp: she would need to “hear it” before she would approve it.
Okay, I thought, she wants to know exactly what the lyrics are going to be before she signs off on the parody. Some artists just are a bit more
protective of their material and don’t want to take any chances. Fair enough.
I was right in the middle of my Australian tour and I didn’t have a whole lot of free time, but I cranked day and night until I had a set of finished
lyrics.
We send the lyrics to Lady Gaga and wait on figurative pins and needles for her to give us the go-ahead. After a few days, we get our answer: “She
actually needs to hear it. Otherwise the answer is no.”
Hmm. Well, this was mystifying to me. At this point she has the lyrics… and hopefully she is familiar with her own song… and the parody is basically
her music… with my lyrics. It really shouldn’t be that hard to decide – based on having the lyrics right in front of you – whether or not you’d be
“okay” with a parody. But, alas, we’d been given an ultimatum. If she didn’t hear it, she wouldn’t approve it.
Okay then. I decided – based on my belief that people are basically good – to go through the trouble and considerable expense of actually recording
the song. Now, I never do that – never. But because I was really excited about this parody, I decided I would faithfully jump through as many hoops as
Gaga deemed necessary.
After the Australian tour, I was supposed to go on a long-awaited family vacation over my daughter’s spring break – but because I now had to record
what ostensibly was going to be my “hit single” as quickly as humanly possible, I cut our vacation short and came back to L.A. to spend long days and
nights in the studio. The band and I worked around the clock. On April 11, I put the finishing touches on the mix and mastered the track. Done.
Or so I thought.
A couple days later we got the final word: Lady Gaga says “no.”
*silent scream*
And that’s it. As of this posting, I still don’t know specifically what kind of problem she has with the song (obviously I take a few jabs at her, but
y’know, it’s satire – that’s how it’s supposed to work). And I’m especially confused as to why she waited until I actually recorded the song (at her
insistence!) before saying no. It’s not like there were any surprises in the finished song that she couldn’t have foreseen by, you know, READING THE
LYRICS.
A conventional release for the song and video would have also raised a nice chunk of change for the HRC – an organization which I have to assume Gaga
supports. Hopefully, if fans enjoy hearing the song online, they’ll make a donation anyway.
My parodies have always fallen under what the courts call “fair use,” and this one was no different, legally allowing me to record and release it
without permission. But it has always been my personal policy to get the consent of the original artist before including my parodies on any album, so
of course I will respect Gaga’s wishes. However, given the circumstances, I have no problem with allowing people to hear it online, because I also
have a personal policy not to completely waste my stinking time.
So I uploaded the song to YouTube, and will be making free mp3 downloads available on weirdal.com shortly. Hope you enjoy it.
Man, I wish you all could have had a chance to see the video we were going to do for this thing. It was going to be BEYOND AWESOME, and disturbing on
many levels. Oh well.
Anyway, I realize that this may be way more information than many people would care to know about the whole situation, but I just wanted to set the
record straight before any crazy rumors started. There’s really nothing more that I have to say about it now, so hopefully I won’t have to be
answering questions about Lady Gaga in interviews for the next 20 years.
I know this news is disappointing to many of you. Believe me… nobody is more disappointed than I am.
Thanks for listening. I’ll keep you posted.
Your pal,
Al |
|
|
|
Six66Mike
Posting Freak
Posts: 3090
Registered: 11-20-2003
Location: Queensland Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Dead Hearts
|
|
I love that he's putting it on YouTube and mp3 for free on his site, it's going to get massive attention and the label will try to push him to do a
video for it and put the song on iTunes. Wait for it.
A lot of people ask me what kind of music I like. I love "soul music". My "soul music" isn’t a style, genre or niche. It’s music that is genuine. It’s
a painful lyric, a dirty bassline, it’s a harrowing vocal, it’s feedback, it’s an anthem, it’s a love song, it’s anarchy. I’ve got my personal
favourites but in the end it doesn’t matter who or where it comes from... so long as it’s good and it's real.
- Paul Morris, music director at 97.7 HTZ-FM
|
|
|
BDx13
|
|
this is now on the youtube page:
UPDATE: Lady Gaga has approved the parody!!! Album release information coming soon!
If I fail math, there goes my chance at a good job and a happy life full of hard work.
|
|
|
XnMeX
Posting Freak
Posts: 3839
Registered: 4-11-2004
Location: Dirty Dover, NH
Member Is Offline
|
|
Yeah, the mamnager said she didn't like it... GaGa had never even heard it, got wind of this, and "LOVES" it.
I wonder if she just thought he would go away and then when he posted this she came out like she had never heard it / loves it and it was her managers
doing. I smell BS. GaGa strikes me as someone that is full of shit and full of herself.
|
|
|
XHonusWagnerX
Moderator
Posts: 12509
Registered: 7-14-2005
Location: pawtucket
Member Is Offline
Mood: hadDCore
|
|
The problem I still see is that now he has given away his 'big hit single' so wont the record company want another song to actually 'sell' the
record??
| Quote: | Originally posted by REV.PAULIE
HONUS-as much as i can't stand a great deal of what you really like (for my own reasons that i would never hold,nor impose,against you),YOU FUCKING
RULE!
YOU,HONUS,IS WHAT MAKES THE "EDGE" COOL.
YOUR FRIEND,
PAULIE |
check out my post contributions at www.VinylNoize.com
|
|
|
Voodoobillyman
The Artist Formerly Known As...
Posts: 4247
Registered: 8-12-2005
Location: Eastern Seaboard of the United States
Member Is Offline
Mood: my daughters beautiful curiousity
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by XHonusWagnerX
The problem I still see is that now he has given away his 'big hit single' so wont the record company want another song to actually 'sell' the
record?? |
Nah, not really. He has a very specific audience and I believe they buy his records for the whole package moreso than for the "big hit" track on it.
He will probably do just as well as all his other stuff has done. With todays culture, people could get the track even if he hadn't personally posted
it anyway 
|
|
|
Jason the Magnificent
Posting Freak
Posts: 3880
Registered: 8-2-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
yeah his 12 year old boy audience probably will buy it regardless.
|
|
|
XnMeX
Posting Freak
Posts: 3839
Registered: 4-11-2004
Location: Dirty Dover, NH
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by Jason the Magnificent
yeah his 12 year old boy audience probably will buy it regardless. |
HEY!!! I used to LOVE Weird Al back whe... oh wait, carry on... 
But no really, I used to collect Weird Al releases and had all of them on cassette. 
|
|
|
XHonusWagnerX
Moderator
Posts: 12509
Registered: 7-14-2005
Location: pawtucket
Member Is Offline
Mood: hadDCore
|
|
I used to love Weird Al too. Its funny because he always feels the need to keep it fresh and do parodies of the latest and greatest pop songs, but
thats what killed it for me. I dont care about Lady Gaga songs, but if he did an album of 70's-90's parodies I would be all over it!
| Quote: | Originally posted by REV.PAULIE
HONUS-as much as i can't stand a great deal of what you really like (for my own reasons that i would never hold,nor impose,against you),YOU FUCKING
RULE!
YOU,HONUS,IS WHAT MAKES THE "EDGE" COOL.
YOUR FRIEND,
PAULIE |
check out my post contributions at www.VinylNoize.com
|
|
|
clevohardcore
* Kick\'n ass on the wild side *
Posts: 12937
Registered: 9-19-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sick Of It All, Youth Of Today
|
|
I find it cool that Weird Al is always fresh. His jokes seem like they were written from someone of that generation and the style of music always
sounds like a great production.
That GAGA chick can suck it and we all see through her fake ass Marilyn Manson bullshit.
Each aspect of the soul has it's own part to play, but the ideal is harmonious agreement with reason and control.
|
|
|
Mark Lind
Posting Freak
Posts: 1900
Registered: 9-18-2004
Member Is Offline
|
|
He should have just asked Madonna since she actually wrote the song when it was called "Express Yourself".
|
|
|
clevohardcore
* Kick\'n ass on the wild side *
Posts: 12937
Registered: 9-19-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Sick Of It All, Youth Of Today
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by Mark Lind
He should have just asked Madonna since she actually wrote the song when it was called "Express Yourself". |
^^^^^^^^^^^ So true, but Madonna was actually hot.
Each aspect of the soul has it's own part to play, but the ideal is harmonious agreement with reason and control.
|
|
|
JawnDiablo
Posting Freak
Posts: 12139
Registered: 4-21-2005
Location: 1902666
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by Mark Lind
He should have just asked Madonna since she actually wrote the song when it was called "Express Yourself". |
|
|
|
ShawnRefuse
Posting Freak
Posts: 1975
Registered: 1-20-2008
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by MQ74
| Quote: | Originally posted by Mark Lind
He should have just asked Madonna since she actually wrote the song when it was called "Express Yourself". |
|
I love that after he sings the french part, it says "Express yourself"
|
|
|
Six66Mike
Posting Freak
Posts: 3090
Registered: 11-20-2003
Location: Queensland Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Dead Hearts
|
|
The video for this is out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss_BmTGv43M
A lot of people ask me what kind of music I like. I love "soul music". My "soul music" isn’t a style, genre or niche. It’s music that is genuine. It’s
a painful lyric, a dirty bassline, it’s a harrowing vocal, it’s feedback, it’s an anthem, it’s a love song, it’s anarchy. I’ve got my personal
favourites but in the end it doesn’t matter who or where it comes from... so long as it’s good and it's real.
- Paul Morris, music director at 97.7 HTZ-FM
|
|
|
![[*]](images/thorp/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
