‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Could’ve Parodied Lots More Nirvana Songs After Spoofing ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’
The Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Queen, The Police, R.E.M. and dozens more artists (except Coolio) were cool with, and sometimes even flattered by, “Weird Al” Yankovic parodying their songs. But perhaps no musician was more delighted by the comical accordion player and singer parodying one of his songs than Kurt Cobain.
Yankovic states in virtually every interview – because the question is posed to him ad nauseam – that his process of making a parody song always entails asking the artist for permission to before he does so.
According to the best book about Nirvana to date – music journalist Michael Azerrad’s Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana – Yankovic famously got in touch with Cobain by simply picking up his landline or rotary phone and calling Saturday Night Live‘s studios. Yankovic knew Nirvana was the featured band that night in January 1992; indeed, when Cobain took the call, he and his bandmates Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic were rehearsing for their first-ever appearance on the iconic late-night sketch-comedy variety show.
Cobain was apparently delighted by the phone call and flattered by the proposal. According to Azerrad’s book, Cobain asked Yankovic if his parody of Nirvana’s most popular song ever would revolve around food, as so many past Yankovic parodies had by that point in his career. Yankovic reportedly replied that the main conceit would focus on Cobain’s often times hard-to-decipher lyrics rather than food.
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Watch Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” video:
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And then contrast it with Yankovic’s “Smells Like Nirvana”:
Yankovic didn’t have to stop there We brainstormed these additional parodies of Nirvana songs that “Weird Al” could have also parodied:
• “About a Girl” -> “About a Curl,” with lyrics about Yankovic’s trademark long curly hair.
• “Come as You Are” -> “Come in a Car,” with lyrics about request an Uber ride.
• “In Bloom” -> “In Zoom,” with lyrics about someone waiting in Zoom for the other person to join the session.
• “Heart-Shaped Box” -> “Fart-Shaped Box” (no further comments needed).
• “All Apologies” -> “Paul’s Apologies,” with lyrics about GW’s Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz lamenting the role he played as architect of the Iraq war.
• “Drain You” -> “Cane You,” with lyrics about American travelers getting punished by members of the military in Singapore after they were caught spraying graffiti on stop signs and edifices.
• “Rape Me” -> “Crêpe Me,” with lyrics about customers in a French restaurant complaining over slow service.
• “Polly” -> “Holly,” with lyrics paying tribute to actress Holly Hunter and all the exemplary, bold and eclectic roles through which she has wowed and gifted us over the course of her distinguished, magnificent and elegant 45-year career as one of Hollywood’s best.
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Did you like this post? If so, check out similar ones listed below. If you didn’t like this post, then why is that? We thought this article was at least mildly entertaining and a satisfactory distraction from the Iran conflict and the Epstein files. No, seriously, what specific aspects of this post did you not enjoy? Have you no sense of humor? What the hell is wrong with you?
• “15 Best QOTSA Parody Ideas for ‘Weird Al” Yankovic to Create“
• “Death-Metal-Parody Proposals for ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic“
For more Bad Penny posts about Nirvana, go here.
For more Bad Penny posts about “Weird Al” Yankovic, go here.
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