Internet Leaks
Internet Leaks | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | August 25, 2009 | |||
Recorded | September 29, 2008 April 21, 2009 | |||
Genre | Comedy, parody | |||
Length | 19:19 | |||
Label |
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Producer | "Weird Al" Yankovic | |||
"Weird Al" Yankovic chronology | ||||
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Singles from Internet Leaks | ||||
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Internet Leaks is the second
Music videos for the four originals songs were animated and subsequently released by the time the EP was available for download, and a music video for "Whatever You Like" was released on the deluxe edition of Yankovic's 2011 album
Background and recording
Following 2006's
On April 21, 2009, Yankovic entered the studio to record four original songs: "Craigslist", "Skipper Dan", "CNR", and "Ringtone".[2] The session was produced by Yankovic. Backing him were Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, and Jim West on guitar.[3] For "Craigslist", the singer reached out to Ray Manzarek, the former keyboardist for the Doors, in order to properly authenticate the sound of his tribute.[4] Following Manzarek's death on May 20, 2013, Yankovic later uploaded a video of Manzarek recording his part in the studio.[5]
Yankovic first announced the EP on August 20, 2009, although each song but "Ringtone" (which was released the same days as Internet Leaks) had been made available as singles preceding the release of the EP. All of the songs featured on Internet Leaks were later included on Yankovic's thirteenth studio album, Alpocalypse. The EP was meant as a stop-gap, because he "wanted to make the tracks available so everybody could enjoy them as early as possible."[6]
Composition
The first single released from Internet Leaks was, "
Following "Whatever You Like", Yankovic released "Craigslist" on June 16, 2009.[2] The song discussing the dealings of the titular website. Musically, the song is inspired by the sound of the Doors. As a "style parody", the song does not take directly from any single Doors song, but Yankovic transposed parts from various songs and combined them into what became "Craigslist". According to NPR, the intro organ riffs are similar to "When the Music's Over", the "snotty barista" section is "a pitch-perfect rip" of the Oedipus complex section from "The End", and there are sections in the guitar solo similar to "Light My Fire".[8]
"Skipper Dan", a style parody of Weezer,[9] was released on July 14, 2009.[2] The song describes a man who has a fine arts degree and dreamed of pursuing an acting career, but is forced to work as a tour guide on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. Yankovic later explained in an interview with The A.V. Club that the song was "a bit more poignant [and] bittersweet [...] than what I usually write."[7] He was inspired to write the song after going on a ride on the Disneyland Jungle Cruise with his family. During the cruise, one of the tour guides referred to his failed acting career. Yankovic then noted that "the bells went off in my head, and I thought, 'Well, here's a song right here.'"[10]
On August 4, 2009, Yankovic released "CNR", a pastiche of the musical style of the White Stripes, with Rolling Stone specifically noting the influence of the 2007 single "Icky Thump".[2][9][11] The lyrics are about superhuman feats that Charles Nelson Reilly could accomplish, retold in a style similar to Chuck Norris facts.[11] The final single, "Ringtone", released on August 25, 2009,[2] is a style parody of Queen. Billboard described the song as a cross between "Queen's operatic style [and] a tragic tale of a 'stupid ringtone' driving everyone nuts."[9]
Music videos
The first music video released was for the track "Craigslist", directed by Liam Lynch. The budget for the video was much lower than Yankovic's previous live-action video "White & Nerdy" and was shot in Lynch's garage. Yankovic stated that the low budget video "dovetails well" with the concept of the song.[12] The video incorporates similar imagery seen in the Doors' videos, including stock footage and art house effects. Yankovic dressed as Morrison, having to lose some weight to look like the singer at age 24, and performed in front of a green screen to allow effects to be added afterward.[13]
An animated video for "Skipper Dan" was directed by Divya Srinivasan and was released in July 2009.
Reception
The songs on the EP were favorably received. Cat Blackard of Consequence of Sound praised the manner in which "Whatever You Like" was released, noting that it was a "bold move", "a great way to keep up with the times", and that the resulting parody was topical.[20] Matt Wild of the A.V. Club felt that the parody was "funny and pointed", although he noted that by the time of its 2011 re-release, the track was a little dated. Wild also felt that "Skipper Dan" was a stand-out, largely due to the fact that the song was an original written by Yankovic, and as such was not bound to the limits of any original song; Wild also positively complimented the song's darker nature.[7]
The accuracy of the EP's style parodies was also positively critiqued. Andy Chalk of
The record was nominated for
Track listing
Information taken from the liner notes of Alpocalypse.[3]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Parody of | Length |
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1. | " Whatever You Like" by T.I. | 3:41 | ||
2. | "Craigslist" | Yankovic | Style parody of The Doors | 4:53 |
3. | "Skipper Dan" | Yankovic | Style parody of Weezer | 4:01 |
4. | "CNR" | Yankovic | Style parody of The White Stripes | 3:21 |
5. | "Ringtone" | Yankovic | Style parody of Queen | 3:25 |
Total length: | 19:19 |
Personnel
Information taken from iTunes metadata.[3]
- hand claps
- Jim "Kimo" West – guitar, mandolin, banjo, keyboards, vocals, hand claps
- Steve Jay – bass guitar, banjo, vocals, hand claps
- Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drums, percussion, hand claps, drum programming, vocals
- Rubén Valtierra – keyboards on "Ringtone"
- Ray Manzarek – keyboards on "Craigslist"
- Brian Warwick – Engineer
- Tony Papa – Engineer
- Rafael Serrano – Engineer
Charts
Chart (2011) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Top Comedy Albums[24]
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8 |
References
- ^ a b c Vreval, Jeff (October 6, 2008). "Weird Al Goes Digital With T.I. Cover". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f "Recording Dates". Weird Al Official Website. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f Alpocalypse (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. Volcano Records. 2011.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Players". Weird Al Official Website. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ^ Yankovic, Al (May 20, 2013). "Ray Manzarek Plays 'Weird Al' Yankovic's 'Craigslist'". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- ^ Yankovic, Al (August 20, 2009). "Internet Leaks!". WordPress. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Wild, Matt (June 21, 2011). "'Weird Al' Yankovic: Alpocalypse". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
- ^ a b Hirsh, Marc (June 18, 2009). "Meet 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Stealth Pop Musicologist". NPR. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
- ^ a b c Lipshutz, Jason (June 21, 2011). "'Weird Al' Yankovic, 'Alpocalypse': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan (January 29, 2011). "'Weird Al' Yankovic | Set List". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c Kreps, Daniel (August 4, 2009). "'Weird Al' Parodies The White Stripes, Charles Nelson Reilly". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
- MySpace. Archived from the originalon June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
- Spinner.com. Archived from the originalon April 27, 2012. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
- ^ Wallace, Lewis (July 14, 2009). "'Weird Al' Tells Sad Tale of 'Skipper Dan'". Wired. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
- ^ "News Ticker: Treasure Island Festival, Common, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Snoop Dogg". Rolling Stone. July 15, 2009. Archived from the original on July 21, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
- ^ "C.N.R. B.T.S.!". JibJab. August 4, 2009. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- ^ "C.N.R. B.T.S. II !". JibJab. August 6, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
- PRWeb. August 6, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
- ^ "The Super News Callabo-Jam with Weird Al Yankovic! - Premieres August 21st". Current TV. August 15, 2009. Archived from the original (Flash video) on August 16, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
- Consequence of Sound. Archived from the originalon July 3, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (June 16, 2009). "'Weird Al' Puts The Doors on Craigslist". The Escapist. Archived from the original on June 20, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009.
- ^ May, Brian (August 29, 2009). "Brian's Soapbox Aug 2009". BrianMay.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
[V]ery Queen-like and very creative. Perfectly spoofed vocal and guitar harmonies. Weird Al is cool. The lyrics are smart too. Love it! Ho ho ! Yes, even the cover is a nice Queen spoof. Very good.
- ^ "Awards". Weird Al Official Website. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ^ "Weird Al Yankovic Album & Song Chart History – Comedy Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 1, 2011.