Amish Paradise
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| "Amish Paradise" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Image:AmishAl.jpg | ||
| Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||
| from the album Bad Hair Day | ||
| Released | March 12, 1996 | |
| Format | CD, cassette | |
| Recorded | January 15, 1996 in Houston, Texas | |
| Genre | Comedy | |
| Length | 3:20 | |
| Label | Scotti Brothers | |
| Producer(s) | "Weird Al" Yankovic | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| "Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology | ||
| Headline News (from the boxed set Permanent Record: Al In The Box) (1994) |
Amish Paradise (1996) |
Gump (1996) |
"Amish Paradise" is "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody of the hip hop song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio. Found on the album Bad Hair Day, it turns the original "Gangsta's Paradise," in which the narrator laments his dangerous way of life, on its head by presenting an Amish man praising his relatively tedious and unsophisticated existence.
Although Yankovic traditionally secures permission from the artists he parodies (even though this is not legally required), and was told by his record label that Coolio had given permission, Coolio later claimed that he had not given such permission. This created a minor controversy, as speculation surfaced that Coolio had actually given permission but later claimed he hadn't in the fear that allowing the parody wouldn't be seen as "cool," or that Yankovic's record label had lied to Yankovic in the hopes that the song would become popular. Yankovic later stated on VH-1's Behind the Music that he had written a sincere letter of apology to Coolio which was never returned, and that Coolio never complained when he received his royalty check from proceeds of the song. A series of photos taken at the XM Satellite Radio booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show suggests that Yankovic and Coolio may have made amends.[1] According to Al, he was as surprised as anyone when Coolio came over to chat.
Both "Amish Paradise" and "Gangsta's Paradise" were musically and lyrically inspired by a Stevie Wonder song, "Pastime Paradise" from his 1976 album "Songs in the Key of Life."
The new lyrics feature a two line quote from the closing theme of the TV show Gilligan's Island: "There's no phone, no lights, no motorcar, not a single luxury, like Robinson Crusoe, it's as primitive as can be."
The song was especially popular in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (due to the presence of the Amish in the area), to the point where a local radio DJ played it over and over again from the start of his radio show to the finish of his radio show for that night.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
The following tracks are on the CD single.
- "Amish Paradise" – 3:20
- "Everything You Know Is Wrong" – 3:46
- "The Night Santa Went Crazy (Extra Gory Version)" – 3:59
- "Dare to Be Stupid (Instrumental)" – 3:25
The cassette single only contains "Amish Paradise" and "Everything You Know Is Wrong."
[edit] Music video
The music video is also a direct spoof of Coolio's original, featuring Florence Henderson in the role originally portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer, albeit in Amish garb. In one section, Yankovic is shown walking away from a barn while everything around him moves backwards in a rewinding fashion; for this effect, the scene was recorded normally while Weird Al lipsynchs the words backwards (so when the scene is shown backwards, his face syncs with the song itself). The inspiration for this scene was a backwards scene performed in the movie "Top Secret!," a movie which has served as an inspiration for several of Yankovic's jokes. Also, in the part where Weird Al says he is up at 4:30 in the morning milking cows, he is milking the cow directly into a bowl of cereal instead of a milk pail. A box of Corn Flakes is next to him. In the next scene, the man "feeding the chickens" is giving them pizza. In one part, two boys are looking at a supposed Amish porn magazine, but in the centerfold all the woman is showing is her shin. When the man is sawing and checking his "sundial" watch, the man behind him is playing golf.
The video shows many aspects of regular Amish life, such as churning butter and raising a barn (the scene directly parodies Witness). However, when the barn is raised, the frame falls towards Yankovic, who is standing where a gap in the frame is. He has acknowledged that this gag is a Buster Keaton homage. [2]
The line "Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1699" is a parody of Prince's "1999." Prince has consistently refused to let "Weird Al" parody his songs. (By U.S. law, one does not need permission for a parody, but Yankovic prefers to get it.)
