Before you hear "Mandatory Fun," listen to the 10 biggest hits so far in the parody master's amazing career.
As pop music evolves and artists come and go, one man has endured over the past three decades: the one making fun of everyone else. "Weird Al" Yankovic has fashioned an unbelievable career out of spoofing his peers, writing hilarious versions of songs by Madonna, Michael Jackson, Nirvana and many others. With a new album, "Mandatory Fun," due out next week, Yankovic keeps chugging along with new music that will tickle your funny bone -- and, sometimes, crash the charts.
Before "Mandatory Fun" is released, check out "Weird Al" Yankovic's 10 biggest Billboard hits thus far, stretching back to the early 80s and puncturing our present pop world. Note: This chart is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, certain eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates over various periods.
10. Canadian Idiot
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 82
Peak Date: October 21, 2006
While Green Day made a political statement with "American Idiot" in 2004, "Weird Al" just wanted to poke fun at our northern neighbors two years later: "They think their silly accent is so cute," he sings, "Can't understand a thing they're talkin' abbot."
9. Fat
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 99
Peak Date: May 21, 1988
Although "Fat" is not "Weird Al's" biggest hit -- it's not even his biggest Michael Jackson parody -- its 1988 music video, in which Yankovic dons a fat suit and shakes his massive hips in leather, is arguably his most iconic clip to date.
8. I Lost On Jeopardy
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 81
Peak Date: July 7, 1984
Thirty years ago, when "Weird Al" spoofed the Greg Kihn Band's "Jeopardy" by singing about the now-iconic game show, Alex Trebek had only been the "Jeopardy!" host for three months!
7. King of Suede
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 62
Peak Date: May 19, 1984
On "King of Suede," "Weird Al" took aim at the Police's "King of Pain" by pawning off some fabric ("If you need a tuxedo for your junior prom/We can get you the best one that's made in Taiwan") nearly three decades before Macklemore invaded the "Thrift Shop."
6. Ricky
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 63
Peak Date: May 28, 1983
"Weird Al" Yankovic's earliest Hot 100 hit, "Ricky" was a power-pop send-up of Toni Basil's "Mickey" that focused on "I Love Lucy"; the video features a moustache-free Yankovic going full Desi Arnaz.
5. Smells Like Nirvana
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 35
Peak Date: May 16, 1992
As the story goes, when "Weird Al" Yankovic approached Nirvana to parody "Smells Like Teen Spirit" with a song titled "Smells Like Nirvana," Kurt Cobain asked him if the lyrics were going on to list off smelly things. Instead, Yankovic opted to poke fun at Cobain's enunciation, as "Weird Al" sung about crooning with "marbles in my mouth."
4. Amish Paradise
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 53
Peak Date: April 20, 1996
Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" was such a huge hit that "Weird Al" practically based his whole 1996 album promotion around it: the full-length was titled "Bad Hair Day," featured Yankovic on the cover with the Coolio hairdo, and was led by the funkiest ode to the Amish lifestyle ever recorded.
3. Like A Surgeon
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 47
Peak Date: July 13, 1985
Even back in 1985, "Weird Al" knew that Madonna was a pop artist worthy of a high-profile homage: "Like A Surgeon," which spoofs "Like A Virgin," is highlighted by lines like, "Like a surgeon/Cuttin' for the very first time/Like a surgeon/Organ transplants are my line."
2. Eat It
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 12
Peak Date: April 14, 1984
"Weird Al" nodded to the phenomenon of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album by pairing MJ's seamless melodies with… food, of course. "Eat It" became Yankovic's first Top 20 hit, and remained his only one until…
1. White & Nerdy
Hot 100 Peak Position: No. 9
Peak Date: October 21, 2006
The thing about "Weird Al" Yankovic is that he can really, really rap: his 2006 parody of Chamillionaire's "Ridin' Dirty" is a cleverly penned tribute to the nerdiest of us all, but Yankovic also proved his spitting skills with the rapid-fire verses. How has this man not dropped a guest verse on a Lil Wayne song yet?