For our top pick of Weird Al parodies, I have picked two songs of lament. What's a song of lament? Well, it's basically a fancy way to describe a song that is upset about something that is happening in the life of the singer. In the case of Ridin', Chamillionaire sings/raps about racial profiling and police brutality. The song is better know as Ridin' Dirty because the phrase is used so many times in the song. It refers to being in a vehicle with drugs and other contraband in it. The song definitely addresses a serious issue that needs to be addressed. The video attempts to show situations of police brutality with varying success.
The Parody-White and Nerdy
What could Weird Al possibly have to lament about? Well, I think based on his other songs, the answer should be obvious, Weird Al is one big white nerd. That's the brilliant basis of my number one pick of parodies. Look at what happens with this song. Not only does Weird Al get to embrace his total nerdiness and make fun of it, he also gets to lament how his condition separates him from rollin' with the gangsters.
This song pulls out all the stops and the whitest and nerdiest people Weird Al could find. Seth Green makes and appearance as well as Donnie Osmund. I don't know how Yankovic managed to cram so many nerd references in this song. It's just crammed with them including all the stereotypes that go along with the NERD label. The Star Wars Christmas Special, fanny packs, mayonnaise, and the unending debate over which Captain of the Starship Enterprise is better are just a few of the nerd stereotypes that are thrown into this song.
The video makes the most of the visual side of nerdiness. There's a great scene where Yankovic rolls up on his Segway and a couple of 'gangsters' flip him off. Another great shot comes with the line "I wanna bowl with the gangsters." It's shot at a bowling alley. The 'gangsters' definitely look out of place and shoo Yankovic off to bowl with the other nerds. Yankovic also pulls out a second character who does the rapping
This song is Yankovic's most popular song and his first platinum song and album ever. In case you're wondering about Chamillionaire feels about the song, he not only put the song on his MySpace, he also said in an interview that Weird Al was actually a pretty good rapper.
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