Amish Paradise

"Amish Paradise"
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Bad Hair Day
B-side "Everything You Know Is Wrong", "The Night Santa Went Crazy (Extra Gory Version)"
Released March 12, 1996
Format CD, cassette
Recorded January 15, 1996 in Houston, Texas
Genre Comedy rap
Length 3:20
Label Scotti Brothers
Producer(s) "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
"Headline News"
(1994)
"Amish Paradise"
(1996)
"Gump"
(1996)
Bad Hair Day track listing
  1. "Amish Paradise"
  2. "Everything You Know Is Wrong"
  3. "Cavity Search
  4. "Callin' in Sick"
  5. "The Alternative Polka"
  6. "Since You've Been Gone"
  7. "Gump"
  8. "I'm So Sick of You"
  9. "Syndicated Inc."
  10. "I Remember Larry"
  11. "Phony Calls"
  12. "The Night Santa Went Crazy"

"Amish Paradise" is a 1996 single by parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the hip hop song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V. (which itself is a reworking of the Stevie Wonder song "Pastime Paradise"). Featured 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 plain and uncomplicated existence.

Track listing

  1. "Amish Paradise" 3:20
  2. "Everything You Know Is Wrong" 3:46
  3. "The Night Santa Went Crazy (Extra Gory Version)" 3:59
  4. "Dare to Be Stupid (Instrumental)" 3:25

Controversy

Although Yankovic traditionally secures permission from the artists he parodies (even though this is not legally required, as parodies are covered under fair use guidelines), and was told by his record label that Coolio had given permission, Coolio later claimed that he had not given such permission (and in fact publicly expressed disgust saying that Yankovic's parody "desecrated the song"). This created a minor controversy, as speculation surfaced that Coolio had actually given permission but later claimed he had not in the fear that allowing the parody would not 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 VH1'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]

On June 27, 2013 during an "Ask Me Anything" on Reddit, Yankovic was asked "Is Coolio still upset about Amish Paradise?", to which Yankovic replied "Coolio's cool with me now. We ran into each other a few years ago and it's all water under the proverbial bridge."[2] Coolio stated in a 2014 interview that the decision to refuse the parody at the time was "stupid" and wished that someone on his management had stopped him, and considers the final parody to be "funny".[3]

Music video

The director of the music video for “Amish Paradise” was “Weird Al” himself. “Weird Al” has directed many of his music videos since 1986.[4]

The music video for "Amish Paradise" is very similar to the "Gangsta's Paradise" music video, although several concepts have been parodied. These include:

Chart performance

Chart (1996) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 [7] 53
US Cash Box Top 100 [8] 50
US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales 22

See also

References

  1. "Weird and COOLIO?!". Yank Blog. January 8, 2006. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
  2. happymaskmonster comments on I am “Weird Al” Yankovic – Ask Me Anything!
  3. Ozzi, Dan (April 28, 2014). "After All These Years, Coolio Still Lets His Nuts Hang". Vice. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  4. "Video Facts". weirdal.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2006. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  5. Reese, Doug (30 March 1996). "Directing Is Yankovic's "Paradise"". Billboard: 144. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  6. "Al with parents Mary and Nick Yankovic, who are seen throughout the "Amish Paradise" video". Thousand Oaks, CA. February 24, 1996.
  7. [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-2002]
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-19.

External links

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