Okay, so obviously the theme of the day is "Weird." Being a writer of several parody songs myself (maybe I'll share them here someday), I've always been a fan of "Weird Al" Yankovic. Not only are his songs spot-on at satirizing pop culture, they're also extremely well-done, technically speaking. With their numerous visual jokes, the music videos are so much better than just listening to the songs themselves. Here are 13 of "Weird Al"'s all-time best... Enjoy! ~ JH
1) "Smells Like Nirvana" (parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana)
2) "Gump" (parody of "Lump" by The Presidents of the United States of America)
3) "Amish Paradise" (parody of "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio ft. L.V.)
4) "Fat" (parody of "Bad" by Michael Jackson)
5) "White & Nerdy" (parody of "Ridin' Dirty" by Chamillionaire ft. Krayzie Bone)
6) "Headline News" (parody of "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies)
7) "Perform This Way" (parody of "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga)
8) "Like A Surgeon" (parody of "Like A Virgin" by Madonna)
9) "I Love Rocky Road" (parody of "I Love Rock 'N' Roll" by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts)
10) "Eat It" (parody of "Beat It" by Michael Jackson)
11) "Another Tattoo" (parody of "Nothin' On You" by B.o.B. ft. Bruno Mars)
12) "Whatever You Like" (parody of "Whatever You Like" by T.I.)
13) "Party In The C.I.A." (parody of "Party In The U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus)
Since my last post like this one garnered a grand total of one "vote" (oh, I'm not bitter!), I've pulled 13 different versions of ANOTHER great holiday song for your listening pleasure. As before, it's up to you to decide which one you like best. I have my favorites – more than just one this time, actually. But I'd LIKE to hear your take on it too. Enjoy? ~ JH
1) Madonna (Madonna, in her younger days, had the vocal chops and sex appeal to pull off this song with aplomb – this is an iconic version of a classic song!)
2) Kylie Minogue (What I said about Madonna just then, that goes double for this lady – except Kylie's not well past her prime, like Madonna is now)
3) Ariana Grande ft. Liz Gillies (Ariana's got a great voice, but the modernized instrumentation here takes away a lot of the charm and classic feel of the song.)
4) Megan Nicole (Self-made YouTube star Megan Nicole captures the essence and the sassiness of the song while keeping it sounding fresh and modern – well-done!)
5) Kellie Pickler (Some songs simply don't sound as good with a massively overblown country twang – I think this is one of them.)
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6) Colbie Caillat (I love, love, love Colbie Caillat, but…she's just too sweet for a song this sassy. When she croons, "I've been an angel this year," you actually believe her!)
7) Taylor Swift (She's plucky, spunky, and quite pretty, but – like Colbie Caillat – Taylor just seems too innocent for this song. Plus, the country-pop instrumentation on this one lacks the jazzy feel of the original.)
8) Glee Cast (With her exotic good looks and sultry vocals, Naya Rivera is the perfect GLEE cast member to tackle this classic song!)
9) Miss Piggy (Everyone's favorite porcine diva is just right in this doo-wop-inspired rendition of a holiday classic. And it's awfully funny, too!)
10) Shakira (This is definitely one of the best modern versions of this song I've ever heard. Her voice, her look, that slight hint of an accent – it's just perfect!)
11) Pussycat Dolls (If anyone could wring all the subtle double entendres out of this song's lyrics and bring them to the forefront, it would be the Pussycat Dolls. The fact that they're singing the song to Snoopy Doggy Dogg dressed as Santa Claus – whom they refer to in the song as "Santa Bizzle" – just ramps up the weird factor that much more! #smh)
12) Jenna Sousa (If seeing and hearing a 12-year-old girl sing this decidedly adult-oriented holiday song doesn't make you more than a little uncomfortable, you might be a pedophile. Also, she kind of sucks at singing it.)
13) Eartha Kitt (Of all the excellent versions of this song that have been recorded in the ensuing years, none quite surpasses Kitt's original recording. This has gotta be – hands down – my favorite one.)
I'm not a bossy person by nature. Nor do I particularly enjoy being bossed around. But apparently some singers and songwriters are, how shall we say, more bossily inclined. These artists have the audacity to try to tell me what NOT to do. They're like, "Don't this..." and "Don't that..." and frankly, I'm tired of it. The nerve of some people! Well, I'll show them. I'll respond to each "bossy" title with my own snarky comments. That'll teach 'em a lesson! (Yeah. Right.) ~ JH
1) Swedish House Mafia ft. John Martin ~ "Don't You Worry Child" (I'll worry if I feel like it. And I do feel like worrying. So there! And BTW, I'm not a child.)
2) No Doubt ~ "Don't Speak" (You just try and shut me up, lady!)
3) Michael Jackson ~ "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (I'll stop whenever I feel like it, thank you very much!)
4) Nicole Scherzinger ~ "Don't Hold Your Breath" (You're lucky that I wasn't planning on it – a person could turn blue doing that.)
5) Guns N' Roses ~ "Don't Cry" (Give me a break. I already don't cry!)
6) Gabrielle Aplin ~ "Please Don't Say You Love Me" (Can I at least say I love your voice? Sorry, my snark ran out on this one.)
7) Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers ~ "Don't Come Around Here No More" (I'll come around here whenever the notion strikes me, ya weirdo!)
8) P!nk ~ "Don't Let Me Get Me" (Oh, I couldn't stop you anyway.)
9) Lecrae ft. Cam ~ "Don't Waste Your Life" (Okay, that's some advice I don't mind taking.)
10) Olivia Newton-John ~ "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" (Is it bad that I sing this song to my kid when he's crying for irrational reasons? Seriously, that wasn't a rhetorical question.)
11) Kenny Chesney ~ "Don't Blink" (Too late. I just did.)
12) Madonna ~ "Don't Tell Me" (Who's gonna stop me? You've probably heard it all before anyway.)
13) Blake Shelton ~ "Don't Make Me" (I wouldn't even try it. That's God's job.)
14) Thelma Houston ~ "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Okay, I'll muss up your hair a bit, then I'll leave.)
15) Blackstreet ~ "Don't Leave Me" (Tough noogies, I ain't stayin'!)
16) The Band Perry ~ "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" (That's what Match.com is for, isn't it?)
17) The Police ~ "Don't Stand So Close To Me" (No problem there, fella. You have body odor.)
18) Amy MacDonald ~ "Don't Tell Me That It's Over" (Okay, I won't tell you. But it is.)
19) Creed ~ "Don't Stop Dancing" (Fuhgeddaboutit – as long as there's a beat, I'm dancing! At least, in my head I am.)
20) Liz Lawrence ~ "Don't You Dare" (While I previously had no intentions of daring, now I can think of nothing that I want to do more. Than to dare.)
BONUS TRACK: Journey ~ "Don't Stop Believin'"(And the Kings of Bossiness are...Journey!)
They say to write what you know. Well, I might not have written the songs in this collection, but I can certainly identify with the sentiments expressed here. Let's get crazy! ~ JH
1) Gnarls Barkley ~ "Crazy"
2) Hunter Hayes ~ "I Want Crazy"
3) Aerosmith ~ "Crazy"
4) Britney Spears ~ "(You Drive Me) Crazy"
5) Fine Young Cannibals ~ "She Drives Me Crazy"
6) Seal ~ "Crazy"
7) Javier Colón ~ "Crazy"
8) Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z ~ "Crazy In Love"
9) Eli Young Band ~ "Crazy Girl"
10) Ray Charles & Van Morrison ~ "Crazy Love"
11) Patsy Cline ~ "Crazy"
12) Lee Brice ~ "Love Like Crazy"
13) U2 ~ "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"
