Tacky (song)
"Tacky" | |
---|---|
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic | |
from the album Mandatory Fun | |
Released | July 15, 2014 |
Recorded | April 2014 Bedrock L.A. (Los Angeles, California) |
Genre | |
Length | 2:53 |
Label | RCA |
Songwriter(s) |
|
YouTube |
"Tacky" is a song by American musician
The song's
Background
As usual for him, Yankovic sought permission from the original artists for his parodies on Mandatory Fun; in contrast to previous albums, he had few difficulties in obtaining these. Yankovic stated "This is the first time where I've gotten everybody that I wanted, and I couldn't be happier about it."[1] He was able to get Pharrell Williams' permission for three of the songs he represented on the album, Williams' "Happy", Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines", and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky", through a personal email to the artist after Yankovic's manager had difficulty working this with Williams' manager; according to Yankovic, Williams was "honored" to have his work used by Yankovic.[1] The song was recorded in April 2014.[2]
Composition
The song mocks people whose actions and style are generally considered gauche.[3] The singer boasts of having no shame and seems proud of his gaudy attire and his breaches of deportment (for example, putting used liquor bottles on display, wearing socks with sandals, mixing patterns, and gorging an entire bowl of after-dinner mints at a restaurant). Reviews noted that the song lists various disruptive acts associated with social media, referencing Instagram, Twitter, and Yelp.[4][5] Yankovic mentions printing his résumé in Comic Sans, a much-reviled font, and states that he would live-tweet during a funeral and take selfies with the deceased.[5]
Music video
The
Reception
Rolling Stone reviewed the song "Tacky", stating that "Weird Al is in fine form throughout the track".[11] In their review of Mandatory Fun, the publication wrote: "Sure, there’s a touch of hypocrisy in a guy as gloriously tacky as Al taking shots at the shameless but who really cares when it's this much fun."[12] ABC News wrote that "the parody and musicianship are spot-on, aided by an instantly classic music video".[13] Billboard noted that the song had the potential of being a "one-joke affair", but exceeded these expectations.[5]
Weekly chart positions
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
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US Comedy Digital Tracks (Billboard)[14] | 2 |
See also
- List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Notes
- ^ a b c Graff, Gary (July 15, 2014). "'Weird Al' Yankovic On Getting Pharrell's Permission: 'He Could Not Have Been Nicer'". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ "Weird Al" Yankovic: Recording Dates Archived 2010-07-09 at the Wayback Machine. weirdal.com. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
- ^ Zaleski, Annie (July 15, 2014). "'Weird Al' Yankovic smartly skewers, embraces pop culture". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ Ranking Weird Al’s 'Mandatory Fun' Parodies: Who Gets Skewered Best? Archived 2014-07-20 at the Wayback Machine. The Wire. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ a b c Partridge, Kenneth (July 15, 2014). "'Weird Al' Yankovic's 'Mandatory Fun': Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ Lipshutz, Jason (July 14, 2014). "'Weird Al' Yankovic Spoofs Pharrell's 'Happy' with 'Tacky': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
- Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Archived from the originalon July 22, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- Nerdist Industries. Archived from the originalon July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
- ^ Evans, Bradford (July 16, 2014). "The Best of Weird Al's Reddit AMA". splitsider.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- Fox News Channel. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
- ^ "'Weird Al' Enlists Jack Black, Aisha Tyler for Pharrell Parody 'Tacky' - Video". Rolling Stone. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
- ^ Murray, Nick (July 15, 2014). "'Weird Al' Yankovic - Mandatory Fun". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
- ^ Raible, Allan. "Music Review: 'Weird Al' Yankovic Releases 'Mandatory Fun'". ABC News. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
- ^ "Comedy Digital Tracks: August 2, 2014". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
External links
- ""Weird Al" Yankovic - Tacky" music video on YouTube