Don't Download This Song
"Don't Download This Song" | ||||
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Volcano | ||||
Songwriter(s) | "Weird Al" Yankovic | |||
Producer(s) | "Weird Al" Yankovic | |||
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology | ||||
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Straight Outta Lynwood track listing | ||||
12 tracks
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Music video | ||||
"Don't Download This Song" on YouTube |
"Don't Download This Song" is the first single from
Background
"Don't Download This Song" references several court cases related to the RIAA and copyright infringement of music. Among these are lawsuits against "a grandma" (presumably Gertrude Walton,[3] who was sued for copyright infringement six months after dying) and a "7-year-old girl" (presumably a reference to Tanya Andersen's daughter[4] sued at age 10 for alleged copyright infringements made at the age of 7), as well as Lars Ulrich's strong stance against copyright infringement of music in the days of Napster. The song also challenges the RIAA's claim that file sharing prevents the artists from profiting from their work, as the song argues that they are still very financially successful via their recording contracts: ("Don't take away money from artists just like me/How else can I afford another solid-gold Humvee, And diamond-studded swimming pools? These things don't grow on trees"). Mention is also made of Tommy Chong's time spent in prison.[5]
Yankovic's own views on filesharing are less clear-cut:
I have very mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I’m concerned that the rampant downloading of my copyright-protected material over the Internet is severely eating into my album sales and having a decidedly adverse effect on my career. On the other hand, I can get all the Metallica songs I want for FREE! WOW!!!!!
— "Weird Al" Yankovic, "Ask Al" Q&As for May 2000
Yankovic's intention was to leave the listener with no clear understanding of Yankovic's own views on the matter, "all by design".[6]
Music video
The
On MTV's
The video was praised by the
See also
- List of singles by "Weird Al" Yankovic
- List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic
References
- ^ Bill Plympton Studio Archived November 16, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Weird Al- Dont Download This Song". 2007-02-26. Archived from the original on 2007-02-26. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ "RIAA sues the dead". The Register. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ Beckerman, Ray (23 March 2007). "Recording Industry vs The People: RIAA Insists on Deposing Tanya Andersen's 10-year-old daughter". Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ "kuro5hin.org". www.kuro5hin.org. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (2011-06-29). ""Weird Al" Yankovic". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
- ^ Premieres on Yahoo! Music Archived 2006-08-21 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "MTV Bleeps File Sharing Software Out Of Music Videos". 30 October 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ Cohen, Noam (2 November 2008). "Censorship, or What Really Weirds Out Weird Al". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
External links
- alyankovicVEVO, "Weird Al Yankovic - Don't Download This Song", YouTube, October 2, 2009. The music video at Yankovic's official YouTube Vevo website.
- Plymptoons, DON'T DOWNLOAD THIS SONG - Weird Al Yankovic & Bill Plympton, YouTube. The music video at Bill Plympton's official YouTube website.
- Listen to the Song and Send E-Cards