All of "Weird Al" Yankovic's song's fall into at least one of five categories: parody, style parody, polka, cover version, or original.
By definition, parodies are a subset of style parodies. This list will focus on style parodies that are not direct parodies. A style parody closely relates to a parody, in that it sounds an awful lot like something you've heard before, but not exactly. While a parody is generally a word-for-word or note-for-note translation from one song to another, a style parody is more loosely based. Style parodies may be in the style of one artist, or may be in the style of one song, or may be in the style of an entire genre of music, or a combination of such. An original is a song that has little or no style influence.
Please note that unconfirmed style parodies are subjective. Therefore, style parodies that make the list are at my discretion. They may or may not reflect what Al was thinking when he wrote the song, but I try to reflect what I think Al was thinking as accurately as I can. If you think a style parody fits a particular style that I don't have listed, please let me know.
This list includes data from all of Al's full-length albums through "Straight Outta Lynwood."
Style parodies based on a specific genre (or gender, if you will) of music, are perhaps the easiest to recognize. These are songs that are marked by a distinctive style, form, or content, that is not defined by a specific artist. There is no debate on these.
| Song | Style | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Buy Me a Condo | reggae genre | Confirmed |
| Christmas At Ground Zero | Christmas carols genre | Confirmed |
| Generic Blues | blues genre | Confirmed |
| Gotta Boogie | boogie genre | Confirmed |
| My Baby's in Love With Eddie Vedder | zydeco | Confirmed |
| Since You've Been Gone | a cappella genre | Confirmed |
| This Is The Life | Late 1920s through early 1930s genre | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
These are style parodies based on a specific artist or group, or specific song. There is no debate on these.
| Song | Style | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Albuquerque | The Rugburns ("Dick's Automotive") | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Bob | Bob Dylan | Confirmed |
| Buckingham Blues | blues genre, John Mellencamp ("Jack and Diane") | Confirmed |
| Dare to Be Stupid | Devo | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Dog Eat Dog | Talking Heads | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Don't Download This Song | group charity songs genre, USA For Africa ("We Are The World"), "Hands Across America" | Confirmed |
| Don't Wear Those Shoes | none (although the intro is in the style of The Kinks) | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Everything You Know Is Wrong | They Might Be Giants | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Frank's 2000" TV | R.E.M. | Confirmed |
| Genius in France | Frank Zappa | Confirmed |
| Germs | Nine Inch Nails | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Good Old Days | James Taylor | Confirmed |
| Happy Birthday | Tonio K | Confirmed |
| I'm So Sick of You | Elvis Costello | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Mr. Popeil | B-52's | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota | Harry Chapin, Gordon Lightfoot | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Trigger Happy | Beach Boys, Jan and Dean | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Twister | Beastie Boys | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Velvet Elvis | The Police | Confirmed |
| Wanna B Ur Lovr | Beck, Prince | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Why Does This Always Happen to Me | Ben Folds | Confirmed |
| You Make Me | Oingo Boingo | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
| Your Horoscope For Today | ska genre, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish | Confirmed (Ask Al) |
These style parodies have not yet been been acknowledged as such by Al first-hand to my knowledge, but they're almost a given. There's little, or no debate on these.
| Song | Style | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Callin' in Sick | Nirvana ("Come As You Are") | Unconfirmed |
| Good Enough For Now | country genre | Unconfirmed |
| Nature Trail to Hell | Michael Jackson ("Thriller") | Unconfirmed |
| One More Minute | doo wop genre, Elvis Presley | Unconfirmed |
| Party At The Leper Colony | Johnny Otis ("Willie And The Hand Jive") | Unconfirmed |
| Slime Creatures From Outer Space | Thomas Dolby ("Hyperactive") | Unconfirmed |
| The Night Santa Went Crazy | Soul Asylum ("Black Gold"), Ozzy Osbourne ("Mama, I'm Coming Home") | Unconfirmed |
| Traffic Jam | Prince ("Let's Go Crazy") | Unconfirmed |
| Truck Drivin' Song | C.W. McCall | Unconfirmed |
| You Don't Love Me Anymore | rock ballad genre, Extreme ("More Than Words") | Unconfirmed |
| Young, Dumb, and Ugly | AC/DC | Unconfirmed |
These style parodies have not yet been been acknowledged as such by Al first-hand to my knowledge, and they are pretty suspect. Perhaps Al was slightly influenced by these, but it is most likely just a coincidence that they sound similiar. They are just listed for completeness. There's much debate on these.
| Song | Style | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Stuck in a Closet With Vanna White | Van Halen ("Feel Your Love Tonight"), Aerosmith | Unconfirmed |
| Talk Soup | Peter Gabriel ("Sledgehammer", "Big Time", "Steam") | Unconfirmed |
| Waffle King | Peter Gabriel ("Sledgehammer") | Unconfirmed |
| When I Was Your Age | Don Henley ("Dirty Laundry") | Unconfirmed |
These songs sound like nothing else. They are most likely straight original songs directly from Al's warped mind. They have little, if any, outside influence. There is little debate on these, because there is little to debate.
| Song | Style |
|---|---|
| Airline Amy | unknown |
| Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters From a Planet Near Mars | unknown |
| Cable TV | unknown |
| Fun Zone | unknown |
| Hardware Store | unknown |
| Harvey the Wonder Hamster | unknown |
| I'll Be Mellow When I'm Dead | unknown |
| I Remember Larry | unknown |
| I Was Only Kidding | unknown |
| Let Me Be Your Hog | unknown |
| Melanie | unknown |
| Midnight Star | unknown |
| Mr. Frump in the Iron Lung | unknown |
| One of Those Days | unknown |
| She Never Told Me She Was a Mime | unknown |
| Such a Groovy Guy | unknown |
| That Boy Could Dance | unknown |
| The Check's in the Mail | unknown |
| The Weird Al Show Theme | unknown |
| UHF | unknown |
Much research for this list was provided by World Of "Weird Al" Yankovic Forum.