Foil (song)
"Foil" | |
---|---|
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic | |
from the album Mandatory Fun | |
Released | July 15, 2014 |
Genre | |
Length | 2:23 |
Label | RCA |
Songwriter(s) |
|
Producer(s) | "Weird Al" Yankovic |
"Foil" is a song by American
Background and composition
"Foil" is a parody of Lorde's 2013 single "Royals".[1] It retains the original song's instrumentation, but is slowed down to match Yankovic's singing voice.[2][failed verification] He mimics Lorde's "sultry croon".[1] At two minutes and 23 seconds, it is the shortest parody on Mandatory Fun due to its omission of the bridge and final chorus from the original track.[3] In an interview with Billboard, Lorde said Yankovic "asked ages ago if he could do it” and she agreed to his offer. Lorde enjoyed Yankovic's music, specifically his parody of "Confessions" (2004) by Usher.[4]
The song opens with Yankovic lamenting that he cannot finish food at restaurants, opting for a
Reception
"Foil" received positive reviews from music critics. Randall Roberts of
Music video
The music video for "Foil" was released on July 16, 2014, through CollegeHumor's YouTube channel.[1] It was part of an eight video series, released once per day, produced for Mandatory Fun. "Foil" was the most successful video, attracting 11 million views in five days.[16]
The video begins with Yankovic singing straight into the camera as a waiter gives him a doggy bag. the song's lyrics.
The lights then dim as Yankovic sings about conspiracy theories; the camera shows the director (played by
Live performances
Yankovic performed "Foil" as part of the Mandatory World Tour (2015–2016).[17] The live version replicates the majority of the music video, with Yankovic behind a Now We're Cookin'! table and accompanied by various props including a roll of aluminum foil, a teapot, and a foil hat.[18] For some international performances, Yankovic changed the pronunciation of "aluminum" to "aluminium" to reflect the different ending being commonplace outside of North America. Orlando Weekly noted that "Foil" was one of two "special moments during a show that was nonstop and insanely memorable mayhem."[19]
Weekly chart positions
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
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US Comedy Digital Tracks (Billboard)[14] | 3 |
References
- ^ a b c Reed, Ryan (July 16, 2014). "'Weird Al' Wards off Illuminati, Sandwich Mold in Lorde Parody Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ Koch, Jeff (19 July 2014). "Weird Al's new album is predictably good for a laugh". World. Archived from the original on 17 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ O'Keefe, Kevin (July 15, 2014). "Ranking Weird Al's 'Mandatory Fun' Parodies: Who Gets Skewered Best?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- ^ Corner, M. Tye (2 August 2014). "Lorde Talks 'Mockingjay,' 'Weird Al' and New Music Backstage at Lollapalooza 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Roberts, Randall (July 16, 2014). "Weird Al Yankovic fears conspiracies in his new Lorde parody, 'Foil'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ Waxman, Olivia B. (July 16, 2014). "Weird Al's Parody of Lorde's "Royals" Is About…Foil". Time. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ Slate. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ a b c Lynch, Joe (July 16, 2014). "'Weird Al' Yankovic, Patton Oswalt Confront the Illuminati in 'Royals' Parody 'Foil' (Watch)". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ Martin, Kate (9 September 2015). "Weird Al Yankovic heads to Puyallup on 'Mandatory' tour". The Olympian. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
- ^ Partridge, Kenneth (July 15, 2014). "'Weird Al' Yankovic's 'Mandatory Fun': Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ McIntyre, Hugh (7 April 2015). "The Webby Awards: Here Are This Year's Nominees". Forbes. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ Morgan, Chris (July 15, 2014). "Weird Al Yankovic Review: Mandatory Fun". Paste. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ a b "Comedy Digital Tracks: August 2, 2014". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ^ a b Ehrlich, Breanna (July 16, 2014). "Weird Al — Lorde's Hair Twin — Takes On 'Royals' With 'Foil'". MTV News. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ Gallo, Phil (July 23, 2014). "'Weird Al' Yankovic on His No. 1 Album, and Only Releasing Singles From Now On: 'I'd Still Do Videos for Them'". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ Hardy, Tony (5 October 2015). "Live Review: "Weird Al" Yankovic at London's Eventim Apollo (10/4)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
- ^ Vejnoska, Jill (19 June 2016). "Concert Review: Sunday's "Weird" Al Yankovic show really was (and that made it good)". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 16 December 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Belanger, Ashley (13 August 2015). "Review: Weird Al's Mandatory World Tour is a torrential downpour of showmanship". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
External links
- "Foil" on YouTube