Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Andrew Sanford | News | May 22, 2026
We play a lot of music in my house and dance around as often as we can. Through no fault of my own (and by that, I mean it is entirely my fault), one of my kids will repeatedly ask me to put on Weird Al songs. And, look, I get it, and he’s right for feeling that way. However, it can’t be all Weird Al all the time. Plus, I think you can have more of an appreciation for him if you listen to the songs he’s parodying (or at least songs like them). I know I’m not saying anything radical, but I’m dealing with five-year-olds here.
And to be fair, I understand how you could only want silly songs from a funny guy, and he certainly has plenty. Also, it’s understandable to only expect that silliness from a guy as loud and proud as Weird Al is. So, I’ve also tried to make it clear that Mr. Yankovic is able to do all those funny songs because he is an incredible musician and performer (as are the people who join him onstage). Playing the accordion is hard! And you know what else is? Singing an Aretha Franklin song.
But, on a recent visit to the Howard Stern show, Al did just that. Clad in one of his signature shirts, he stood up there and sang that song with all the skill and emotion you would hope for. His band and backup singers are fantastic. It’s all so marvelous. I purposely made my kids listen to it this morning over breakfast, and while the first question may have been, “Is this a Weird Al song?”, that question led to me giving a half-tired answer that may or may not have just confused them, they definitely enjoyed it.
Then they asked me to play the other video of Yankovic on Stern, which featured him playing Yoda. And hey, that was good too, and had a great story about how the song wouldn’t exist were it not for Al being on Stern at one point and getting to ask Ray Davies, lead singer of the Kinks, directly for permission. Stories about him chasing somebody down just to politely ask to parody their song (knowing he won’t if they say no) are always nice.
Weird Al is a multi-faceted performer, dagnabbit! He has skills that pay the bills, and while those can contribute to an excellent parody, they can also help him get real and make you feel (like a natural woman). What a gift.
