You most likely know some of Weird Al Yankovic’s biggest hits, but he has also recorded and discarded many would-be parody hits over the years. Much of this unreleased material has to do with permissions issues, since Yankovic won’t put something out officially unless the original artist is okay with it. This was the case with “Chicken Pot Pie,†for example; Paul McCartney didn’t give his consent to use “Live and Let Die,†citing his vegetarian lifestyle. Other artists, such as Yoko Ono, were offended by Weird Al’s parody. And in some cases, Yankovic himself wasn’t satisfied with the final product. Unsurprisingly, most of his unreleased material can be found online. Vulture took a tour through Weird Al’s attic and pulled out 14 favorites.
“Pac-Man†(parody of the Beatles’ “Taxmanâ€)
“If I Could Make Love to a Bottle†(Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottleâ€)
Weird Al fanatics have theorized that the singer never officially released “Bottle†because it is both a one-note joke and because it veers towards the more adult end of Yankovic’s spectrum.
“You Don’t Take Your Showers Anymore†(Barbra Streisand’s “You Don’t Bring Me Flowersâ€)
“The Food Medley†(includes spoofs of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,†Hall & Oates’ “Maneater,†Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,†and more, some of which were released)
“Don’t You Forget About Meat†(Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Meâ€)
“Free Delivery†(Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go Onâ€)
“Fast Food†(Alanis Morissette’s “Thank Uâ€)
“Gee, I’m A Nerd†(The Beatles’ “Free As A Birdâ€)
“I’ll Repair for You†(The Rembrandt’s “I’ll Be There for Youâ€)
“I’m in Love With the Skipper†(T-Pain’s “I’m N Luv Wit a Stripperâ€)
“Snack All Night†(Michael Jackson’s “Black Or Whiteâ€)
“Won’t Eat Prunes Again†(The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Againâ€)
“Green Eggs and Ham†(U2’s “Numbâ€)
“Chicken Pot Pie†(Wings’ “Live and Let Dieâ€)