It's All About the Pentiums
Encyclopedia
"It's All About the Pentiums" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
. It is a parody of "It's All about the Benjamins (Rock Remix)" by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs
and focuses on the narrator's obsession with his computer's hardware.
The promo single only contains "It's All About the Pentiums".
is a parody of several rap videos.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
. It is a parody of "It's All about the Benjamins (Rock Remix)" by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
and focuses on the narrator's obsession with his computer's hardware.
Track listing
The following tracks are on the single:- "It's All About the Pentiums" – 3:34
- "The Saga BeginsThe Saga Begins"The Saga Begins" is a parody by "Weird Al" Yankovic of "American Pie" by Don McLean, released from the 1999 album Running with Scissors, and later appearing on the compilation album entitled The Saga Begins...
" – 5:28 - "The Saga Begins" (Music video)
The promo single only contains "It's All About the Pentiums".
Writing
Al spoke to Puffy personally on the phone to make sure that the parody wouldn't emulate the 1996 Coolio incident. Yankovic has admitted to writing the song a few days before the entire album had to be mastered:
"I almost always record the lead vocals first. The only exception that comes to mind is 'It’s All About The Pentiums.' I had pitched Puff Daddy on the parody idea, and by the time I finally got his official approval, we were already in the final studio sessions for 'Running With Scissors'! It was such a last minute addition to the album that I had no choice but to record all the instrument tracks and background vocals first, just to buy me some time to come up with the lyrics. We were mixing the last few songs on the album by the time I finished writing the lyrics to 'Pentiums,' and I wound up recording the lead vocals just a couple days before the album had to be mastered. It’s a good thing I work well under pressure!"
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
is a parody of several rap videos.
- The video features several "as live" performance scenes. The crowd consists of office workers and features a large WELCOME TO COMDEXCOMDEXCOMDEX was a computer expo held in Las Vegas, Nevada, each November from 1979 to 2003. It was one of the largest computer trade shows in the world, usually second only to the German CeBIT, and by many accounts one of the largest trade shows in any industry sector...
sign behind the band. - The scene in front of the glass building and the office scenes were shot at the Los Angeles County Department of Public WorksLos Angeles County Department of Public WorksThe Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County's roads, building safety, sewerage, and flood control...
Headquarters Building in Alhambra, CA. - At the video's beginning, an "old school" car is seen pulling up outside the offices. Initially, the camera is angled at the car's front, yet when it switches to a side view of the car, we see it is ridiculously small. Out of it steps Yankovic, accompanied by four doves. Weird Al used the same car (a Nash MetropolitanNash MetropolitanThe Nash Metropolitan is a car that was sold, initially only in the United States and Canada, from 1954–1962.It conforms to two classes of vehicle: economy car and subcompact car. In today’s terminology the Metropolitan is a “subcompact”, but this category had not yet come into use when the car was...
) in his earlier production, the movie "UHFUHF (film)UHF is a 1989 American comedy film starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, David Bowe, Fran Drescher, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards, Gedde Watanabe, Billy Barty, Anthony Geary, Emo Philips and Trinidad Silva, in whose memory the film is dedicated.The title refers to Ultra High Frequency...
". - As the video is about computers, most of the scenes take place in an office. Yankovic's drummer, Jon "Bermuda" SchwartzJon Schwartz (drummer)Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz is a drummer best known for working with the singer-songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic. The two met while recording "Another One Rides the Bus" at the Dr. Demento show on September 14, 1980...
, is seen in several of these bits as an office worker yelling "YEAH!" over and over. - The humoristic cartoon "You want it when ?" at 00:37 is one of the many drawings by French IBMer Jacques Touboul all along the 80's, most of them intended at first for IBM internal use. Another title on the same drawing is "An the, he deleted the page data set".
- At the line, "You could back up your whole hard drive on a floppy diskette," Yankovic's dancers are seen waving around floppy diskFloppy diskA floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
s. - Emo PhilipsEmo PhilipsEmo Philips is an American entertainer and comedian born in the Chicago suburb of Downers Grove. Much of his standup comedy stems from the use of paraprosdokians and garden path sentences spoken in a wandering falsetto tone of voice and a confused, childlike delivery of his material to produce the...
, who had worked with Yankovic on UHFUHF (film)UHF is a 1989 American comedy film starring "Weird Al" Yankovic, David Bowe, Fran Drescher, Victoria Jackson, Kevin McCarthy, Michael Richards, Gedde Watanabe, Billy Barty, Anthony Geary, Emo Philips and Trinidad Silva, in whose memory the film is dedicated.The title refers to Ultra High Frequency...
and The Weird Al ShowThe Weird Al ShowThe Weird Al Show is a television show hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Produced in association with Dick Clark Productions, it aired Saturday mornings on the CBS TV network from September to December 1997. The show was released on DVD on August 15, 2006...
, is seen as the object of ridicule, sitting in front of a computer in a small orange room and doing things that are mentioned in the song. He waxes his modem, "trying to make it go faster," takes out correction fluidCorrection fluidA correction fluid is an opaque, white fluid applied to paper to mask errors in text. Once dried, it can be written over. It is typically packaged in small bottles, and the lid has an attached brush which dips into the bottle...
and dabs some on his computer screen, takes an Etch-a-Sketch as if it was the monitor and shakes it to clear it, and proudly shows a picture of Sarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
from his printer. - During one concert scene, Yankovic can be seen smashing computer equipment with a sledgehammer, including a monitor and a laptop.
- A bald Phil LaMarrPhil LaMarrPhillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
cameos as an office worker in a concert scene. - John Ranlett (A Bill GatesBill GatesWilliam Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
look-alike) plays a role at the line "I'm down with Bill Gates, I call him 'money' for short". He answers the phone when Yankovic calls him to "make him do his tech support," and responds by shaking his head and looking to the sky. - Yankovic and Drew CareyDrew CareyDrew Allison Carey is an American actor, singer, comedian, photographer, sports executive, and game show host. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and making a name for himself in stand-up comedy, Carey eventually gained popularity starring on his own sitcom, The Drew Carey Show, and serving as...
are seen in a fluorescentFluorescent lampA fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical power into useful...
-lit tunnel. This and the outfits they wear are based on the performances of MaseMaseMason Durell Betha , better known by stage name Mase who was previously known as Murda Ma$e, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and inspirational speaker...
and Sean "P. Diddy" CombsSean CombsSean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
in the music video for the Notorious B.I.G.The Notorious B.I.G.Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
's song, "Mo Money Mo ProblemsMo Money Mo Problems"Mo Money Mo Problems" is a single by Notorious B.I.G., the second single from his album Life After Death. Released posthumously, the single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in 1997, replacing "I'll Be Missing You" from the chart, Puff Daddy's song about Notorious B.I.G's death...
". - While Yankovic is singing, Carey touches a light with both hands and jumps back and quivers as though it gives him an electric shock.
- At one point, Yankovic does a "flapping" motion with his arms, stretching them out and waving them. Carey can be seen doing various things, such as waving to the viewer. Eventually, Yankovic appears to slap Carey away with the back of his hand.
- In the final tunnel scene, Carey wipes something off of the screen. Yankovic pushes him away.
- In the final concert scene, an office worker is foaming at the mouth.
- Some office workers are seen dancing with the band onstage. One even does a stage diveStage divingStage diving is the act of leaping from a concert stage onto the crowd below. It is often the precursor to crowd surfing.Initially seen as confrontational and extreme, stage diving has become common at hardcore punk and thrash metal performances. Many musicians have made stage diving a part of...
at the end. - The end of the music video features Yankovic in a concert scene ripping off his sunglasses and, wide-eyed, screaming the song's final line, "What?!", into the camera. He does a similar move in live performances.