The Parody Begins Trivia Quiz

Answer: Don McLean

The original song was "American Pie", released in 1971. Al's version was released in 1999 on his album "Running with Scissors".

Yankovic's version on the song was also a movie parody about the first prequel film in the "Star Wars" saga that was also released in 1999. In the music video he dressed up as a Jedi as he sang about "This here Anakin guy".

Answer: R. Kelly

The original song was "Trapped in the Closet", released in 2005. Al's version was released in 2006 on his album "Straight Outta Lynwood".

R. Kelly's song had 33 different chapters released between 2005 and 2012. The various chapters of the song are more than two hours long if played straight through. They were released as chapters 1-12 in 2007, 13-22 in 2007 and 22-33 in 2012.

Answer: Robin Thicke (with T.I. and Pharrell Williams)

The original song was "Blurred Lines", released in 2013. Al's version was released in 2014 on his album "Mandatory Fun".

"Word Crimes" took a song with a very sexual tone, and turned it into a quasi-educational song that has been used in some classrooms across America. His version of the song teaches about the Oxford comma and how to conjugate a sentence.

Answer: Greg Kihn Band

The original song was "Jeopardy", released in 1983. Al's version was released in 1984 on his album ""Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D".

Answer: Madonna

The original song was "Like a Virgin", released in 1984. Al's version was released in 1985 on his album "Dare to be Stupid".

The original song was a number one hit in more than a dozen countries, including the United States. It spent several weeks at the top of the "Billboard Hot 100" chart, and finished the year as the number two song of 1985.

Answer: Chamillionaire

The original song was "Ridin'", released in 2006. Al's version was also released in 2006 on his album "Straight Outta Lynwood".

"Ridin'" was the first single on Chamillionaire's debut album "The Sound of Revenge". It was certified platinum four times.

Answer: Coolio

The original song was "Gansta's Paradise", released in 1995. Al's version was released in 1996 on his album "Bad Hair Day".

Coolio and Yankovic were involved in fight over the song. Yankovic had reportedly asked and gotten permission to use the song from Coolio's management. Coolio himself however did not want the song parody made, and said no. Yankovic wasn't told that and recorded the song.

Several years later the pair made amends.

Answer: Michael Jackson

The original song was "Beat It", released in 1983. Al's version was released in 1984 on his album ""Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D".

Yankovic parodied Jackson twice in the 1980s. He also record "Fat" which was a version of Jackson's "Bad".

Answer: Miley Cyrus

The original song was "Party in the U.S.A.", released in 2009. Al's version was released in 2011 on his album "Alpocalypse".

With the release of this song, Yankovic had recorded parodies of both Miley and her father Billy Ray Cyrus. Yankovic's "Achy Breaky Song" released on the "Alapalooza" album was a parody of Billy Ray's "Achy Breaky Heart".

Answer: The Offspring

The original song was "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)", released in 1998. Al's version was released in 1999 on his album "Running with Scissors".

My favorite verse from the song is:

"When he's doing a Bar Mitzvah, now that you shouldn't miss
He'll always shlep on down for a wedding or a bris
They say he's got a lot of chutzpah, he's really quite hip
The parents pay the mohel and he gets to keep the tip!"