Running with Scissors (album)
Encyclopedia
Running with Scissors is the 10th studio album
by "Weird Al" Yankovic
, released on June 29, 1999. The album contains the hit single "The Saga Begins
", a parody of Don McLean
's song "American Pie".
movie file containing 14 minutes of footage from the Disney Channel
concert special "Weird Al" Yankovic: (There's No) Going Home. This was not included on CDs released in New Zealand.
The lyric sheet for this album, under the credit for the song "Intergalactic
" by Beastie Boys
, misspells the name Horovitz as Horowitz.
somewhere in his songs, videos, album art, and memorabilia. For example, he wears a 27 on the cover of this album, 27 photos are included in the photo gallery on the "Weird Al" Yankovic Live! DVD, and the narrator of "Albuquerque
" leaves his mother's basement at 26½ (rounding to 27) years old. This motif
began as several coincidental appearances of the number, but Yankovic began intentionally using it after the original incidents were pointed out to him.
The CD booklet contains the complete lyrics to all but one of the album's songs; due to the extreme length of the closing song "Albuquerque
", not all of its lyrics fit on the final panel of the booklet. Instead of continuing with the "Albuquerque" lyrics, the end of the booklet breaks them off mid-sentence and concludes with an apology from Al, in which he states that there was no way he could have fit the rest of the song's lyrics on the existing booklet and that he "should have used a smaller font or a bigger piece of paper or something". The album also omits the background dialogue functioning as a sound effect in the song "Jerry Springer".
This is the first cover featuring Al's "new" look (longer hair, no moustache, and no glasses) after he had LASIK
eye surgery to correct his vision. He is shown running on the track at Santa Monica City College.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
, released on June 29, 1999. The album contains the hit single "The Saga Begins
The Saga Begins
"The Saga Begins" is a parody by "Weird Al" Yankovic of "American Pie" by Don McLean, released from the 1999 album Running with Scissors, and later appearing on the compilation album entitled The Saga Begins...
", a parody of Don McLean
Don McLean
Donald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:...
's song "American Pie".
Details
Running with Scissors is the first of "Weird Al" Yankovic's albums to boast multimedia content. When the CD is placed in a CD-ROM drive, one can browse through the files and play a QuickTimeQuickTime
QuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
movie file containing 14 minutes of footage from the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
concert special "Weird Al" Yankovic: (There's No) Going Home. This was not included on CDs released in New Zealand.
The lyric sheet for this album, under the credit for the song "Intergalactic
Intergalactic (song)
"Intergalactic" is a Grammy-winning song by American hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, released as the first single from their fifth studio album Hello Nasty on May 12, 1998....
" by Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
, misspells the name Horovitz as Horowitz.
Cover art
Yankovic often includes the number 2727 (number)
27 is the natural number following 26 and preceding 28.- In mathematics :Twenty-seven is a perfect cube, being 33 = 3 × 3 × 3. 27 is also 23 . There are exactly 27 straight lines on a smooth cubic surface, which give a basis of the fundamental representation of the E6 Lie algebra...
somewhere in his songs, videos, album art, and memorabilia. For example, he wears a 27 on the cover of this album, 27 photos are included in the photo gallery on the "Weird Al" Yankovic Live! DVD, and the narrator of "Albuquerque
Albuquerque (song)
"Albuquerque" is the last song of "Weird Al" Yankovic's Running with Scissors album. At 11 minutes and 22 seconds, it is the longest song Yankovic has ever released on any of his official studio albums....
" leaves his mother's basement at 26½ (rounding to 27) years old. This motif
Motif (narrative)
In narrative, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative aspects such as theme or mood....
began as several coincidental appearances of the number, but Yankovic began intentionally using it after the original incidents were pointed out to him.
The CD booklet contains the complete lyrics to all but one of the album's songs; due to the extreme length of the closing song "Albuquerque
Albuquerque (song)
"Albuquerque" is the last song of "Weird Al" Yankovic's Running with Scissors album. At 11 minutes and 22 seconds, it is the longest song Yankovic has ever released on any of his official studio albums....
", not all of its lyrics fit on the final panel of the booklet. Instead of continuing with the "Albuquerque" lyrics, the end of the booklet breaks them off mid-sentence and concludes with an apology from Al, in which he states that there was no way he could have fit the rest of the song's lyrics on the existing booklet and that he "should have used a smaller font or a bigger piece of paper or something". The album also omits the background dialogue functioning as a sound effect in the song "Jerry Springer".
This is the first cover featuring Al's "new" look (longer hair, no moustache, and no glasses) after he had LASIK
LASIK
LASIK or Lasik , commonly referred to simply as laser eye surgery, is a type of refractive surgery for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism...
eye surgery to correct his vision. He is shown running on the track at Santa Monica City College.
Track listing
| Track | Title | Length | (Style) Parody of | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Saga Begins The Saga Begins "The Saga Begins" is a parody by "Weird Al" Yankovic of "American Pie" by Don McLean, released from the 1999 album Running with Scissors, and later appearing on the compilation album entitled The Saga Begins... " |
5:27 | "American Pie" by Don McLean Don McLean Donald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:... |
Tells the entire story of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is a 1999 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It is the fourth film to be released in the Star Wars saga, as the first of a three-part prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as the first film in the saga in terms... from the point of view of Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He is one of several primary characters in the Star Wars series. Along with Darth Vader, R2-D2, and C-3PO, he is one of the few major characters to appear in all six Star Wars films... . |
| 2 | "My Baby's in Love with Eddie Vedder" (Yankovic) | 3:25 | Original - a Zydeco Zydeco Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music... genre style parody. |
The woes of having a girlfriend who's obsessed with the singer/songwriter of the band Pearl Jam Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready... , Eddie Vedder Eddie Vedder Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums... . |
| 3 | "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi Pretty Fly for a Rabbi "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "Pretty Fly " by The Offspring, and it was released from the 1999 album Running with Scissors. The song was released exclusively in Australia as a single.. Tress MacNeille performs the line "How ya doin' Bernie?"... " |
3:02 | "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) -Australia CD Maxi:-Europe CD Maxi:-Composition and lyrics:Beginning with a sample of the pseudo-German nonsense phrase "Gunter glieben glauchen globen" from Def Leppard's song "Rock of Ages," chanted as a replacement for the traditional "1, 2, 3, 4" to start the recording, the song ridicules a... " by The Offspring The Offspring The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada... . |
About a hip rabbi. |
| 4 | "The Weird Al Show Theme" (Yankovic) | 1:14 | Original | Theme song to Al's 1997 CBS CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of... morning show, The Weird Al Show The Weird Al Show The Weird Al Show is a television show hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Produced in association with Dick Clark Productions, it aired Saturday mornings on the CBS TV network from September to December 1997. The show was released on DVD on August 15, 2006... . |
| 5 | "Jerry Springer" | 2:46 | "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies Barenaked Ladies is a Canadian alternative rock band. The band is currently composed of Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Ed Robertson, and Tyler Stewart. Barenaked Ladies formed in 1988 in Scarborough, Ontario, then a suburban municipality outside the City of Toronto... |
About The Jerry Springer Show The Jerry Springer Show The Jerry Springer Show is a syndicated television tabloid talk show hosted by Jerry Springer, a former politician, broadcast in the United States and other countries... and its completely inane titles, events, and absurdities. |
| 6 | "Germs" (Yankovic) | 4:38 | Style parody of "Closer", "Mr. Self-Destruct The Downward Spiral The Downward Spiral is the second studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released March 8, 1994, on Interscope Records. It is a concept album detailing the destruction of a man, from the beginning of his "downward spiral" to his climactic attempt at suicide... ", and "Terrible Lie" by Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction... |
Details of the narrator's fear of germs Mysophobia Mysophobia is a term used to describe a pathological fear of contamination and germs. Someone who has such a fear is referred to as a mysophobe. The term was introduced by Dr. William Alexander Hammond in 1879 when describing a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder exhibited in repeatedly washing... . |
| 7 | "Polka Power!" | 4:21 | Polka Medley | A polka Polka The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia... medley featuring:
|
| 8 | "Your Horoscope for Today Your Horoscope for Today "Your Horoscope for Today" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic, originally featured on the album Running With Scissors . It is a style parody of the Third Wave Ska movement, more specifically the bands Reel Big Fish, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, and The Toasters... " (Yankovic) |
3:59 | Style-parody of Third Wave Ska. | A song mocking horoscopes, predicting humorous, unpleasant outcomes. The song features Tavis Werts on trumpet, and Dan Regan Dan Regan Dan Regan is the trombone player for the Southern California-based ska punk band Reel Big Fish. Regan has also played trombone in The Littlest Man Band with Scott Klopfenstein and currently has a hip-hop side project under the alias Black Casper.- External links :... on trombone (A former and current member respectively of the third-wave ska band Reel Big Fish Reel Big Fish Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out". The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the gold certified album Turn the Radio Off. Soon after, the band... ). |
| 9 | "It's All About the Pentiums It's All About the Pentiums "It's All About the Pentiums" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "It's All about the Benjamins " by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs and focuses on the narrator's obsession with his computer's hardware.-Track listing:... " (Deric Angelettie, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Sean Jacobs Sheek Louch Sean Divine Jacobs, better known as Sheek Louch , is an African American rapper and member of The LOX , along with Styles P and Jadakiss.-Personal life and career:... , Kimberly Jones Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A..... , Lau, Christopher Wallace The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough... , Jason Phillips Jadakiss Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle... , David Styles Styles P David Styles better known by his stage name, Styles P, is an American rapper, author, and entrepreneur. He is prominently known as a member of Hip Hop group The LOX and is also a part of the Ruff Ryders hip-hop group, and in addition has released multiple albums and mixtapes as a solo... ) |
3:34 | "It's All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix) It's All about the Benjamins "It's All About the Benjamins" is the fourth single released from the Puff Daddy album No Way Out. The song is about living one's lifestyle as if one were rich, and the importance of being seen to have money. "Benjamins" are slang for $100 bills , a reference to Benjamin Franklin's image on the bills... " by Puff Daddy. |
An early example of a nerdcore hip-hop song about a computer geek proclaiming his technological superiority over others. |
| 10 | "Truck Drivin' Song" (Yankovic) | 2:27 | Style parody of C.W. McCall | A detailed account of a truck-driver doing what he does best while at the same time cross-dressing and worrying about its accompanying concerns. Said to be inspired by the Lumberjack Song from Monty Python's Flying Circus Monty Python's Flying Circus Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines... . |
| 11 | "Grapefruit Diet" | 3:30 | "Zoot Suit Riot Zoot Suit Riot (song) "Zoot Suit Riot" is a song by American ska-swing band the Cherry Poppin' Daddies. It was written and composed by Steve Perry as a bonus track for the band's all-swing compilation album of the same name, and thus follows a musical style similar to 1940s jump swing."Zoot Suit Riot" is often cited as... " by Cherry Poppin' Daddies Cherry Poppin' Daddies The Cherry Poppin' Daddies are an American band established in Eugene, Oregon, in 1989. Formed by Steve Perry and Dan Schmid , the band has experienced many membership changes over the years, with only Perry, Schmid and Dana Heitman currently remaining from the original line-up.The Daddies' music... . |
About an overweight person's experiences on a radical new diet consisting of only grapefruit Grapefruit The grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The... s. |
| 12 | "Albuquerque Albuquerque (song) "Albuquerque" is the last song of "Weird Al" Yankovic's Running with Scissors album. At 11 minutes and 22 seconds, it is the longest song Yankovic has ever released on any of his official studio albums.... " (Yankovic) |
11:23 | Style parody of The Rugburns The Rugburns The Rugburns was an American musical group originally formed by Steve Poltz, "Dr." Robert Driscoll, and Gerald "Child" McMullin.-History:Starting as classmates at the University of San Diego, the group formed in the mid-1980s and began playing in the San Diego, CA area... |
Sounds very much like "Dick's Automotive" by the Rugburns The Rugburns The Rugburns was an American musical group originally formed by Steve Poltz, "Dr." Robert Driscoll, and Gerald "Child" McMullin.-History:Starting as classmates at the University of San Diego, the group formed in the mid-1980s and began playing in the San Diego, CA area... . Similar to "Alice's Restaurant Alice's Restaurant "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" is a musical monologue by singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie released on his 1967 album Alice's Restaurant. The song is one of Guthrie's most prominent works, based on a true incident in his life that began on Thanksgiving Day 1965, and which inspired a 1969 movie of the... " by Arlo Guthrie Arlo Guthrie Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice... , the song follows a longwinded and tangential storyline, with occasional chorus breaks, just to convey a simple point. Also contains a bit based on a Monty Python sketch, the Cheese Shop Sketch Cheese Shop sketch The Cheese Shop is a well-known sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus.It appears in episode 33, "Salad Days". The script for the sketch is included in the book The Complete Monty Python's Flying Circus : All the Words, Volume 2.-Origins:... . |
Personnel
- "Weird Al" Yankovic - accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, background vocals - Kim Bullard - keyboards
- Tom Evans - saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Steve JaySteve JayEugene Stephen "Steve" Jay is a bass guitarist best known for working with the singer-songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic.Jay was born in Florida. He auditioned for Yankovic after answering an ad in the newspaper, and the two have worked together ever since...
- bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, background vocals - Thomas "Snake" Johnson - tubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
- Warren Luening - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Joel Peskin - clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
- Dan ReganDan ReganDan Regan is the trombone player for the Southern California-based ska punk band Reel Big Fish. Regan has also played trombone in The Littlest Man Band with Scott Klopfenstein and currently has a hip-hop side project under the alias Black Casper.- External links :...
- tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate... - Bill Reichenbach Jr. - trombone
- Marty Rifkin - pedal steel
- Tom Sauber - fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
- Jon "Bermuda" SchwartzJon Schwartz (drummer)Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz is a drummer best known for working with the singer-songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic. The two met while recording "Another One Rides the Bus" at the Dr. Demento show on September 14, 1980...
- percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, background vocals - Lee Thornberg - trombone, trumpet
- Rubén ValtierraRubén ValtierraRubén Valtierra is the keyboardist best known for working with "Weird Al" Yankovic. The two met at the Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary special in October 1991. Shortly after, Yankovic invited him to join his band as a touring keyboardist, and they have worked together ever since...
- keyboards - Tavis Werts - trumpet
- Jim WestJim West (guitarist)James "Jim" "Kimo" West is a guitarist best known for working with the singer-songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic. West auditioned for Yankovic, after being introduced by Steve Jay, and the two have worked together ever since...
- banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, background vocals
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Billboard 200 | 16 |
| Top Canadian Albums | 16 | |
| Top Internet Albums | 3 |