Perform This Way
Encyclopedia
"Perform This Way" is a song parody
by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic
. It is a parody of "Born This Way
" by Lady Gaga
. The lyrics are told from the point of view of Gaga and describe her performance style and fashion sense. The song is the sixth single from Yankovic's 2011 album Alpocalypse
, and all the proceeds were donated to the Human Rights Campaign
charity.
, but still felt the need for another song to be the lead single. As the hype for "Born This Way
" was building up, he started to consider parodying it, but he became reluctant after hearing the song, considering that spoofing "such an earnest human rights anthem" could be in bad taste, and also because a Lady Gaga parody was "what everybody in the universe was already assuming I would do, and I hate to be so predictable". Then Yankovic came to the idea of doing the spoof about Gaga herself, as he thought it "wasn’t really going to offend anybody". Yankovic then "worked around the clock to get the lyrics out" and interrupted a family vacation to record a demo that could be used to ask for Gaga's approval.
Following the refusal, he released his parody online on April 20, 2011, and encouraged donations to the Human Rights Campaign
. Yankovic was initially fearful of parodying Gaga's song, considering it "an important gay-rights anthem", but had hit upon making the parody about Gaga's fashion, and tying in the sales of the song and video to charity as an act of "good karma" due to the human rights message of the original song.
Shortly after its upload to YouTube
, word about the song spread among Yankovic's fans, primarily along Twitter
, according to Yankovic, and the video had received over 2 million views. The word spread to Lady Gaga and her staff, and eventually it was discovered she herself had not yet heard the song and the refusal had come from Gaga's manager without her input. As Lady Gaga is "a huge Weird Al fan", she subsequently gave Yankovic the green light to include the song on his upcoming album and said she loved the parody. Lady Gaga later considered being parodied by Yankovic as a "rite of passage" for her musical career and considered the song "very empowering". Within a day of receiving permission to use the parody, Yankovic had reaffirmed the song's inclusion on Alpocalypse and was able to set the day of release for the album; Yankovic claimed that "Twitter saved my album". Regardless of Gaga's permission, Yankovic will still contribute sales of the song to charity.
and YouTube. The video was shown on VH1 Online
, AMTV
and Jump Start
. The video was directed by Yankovic himself, and features Al's head superimposed on the bodies of dancer Vlada Gorbaneva and contortionist Marissa Heart using CGI effects
. Throughout the video, "Yankovic" dances in a number of different outlandish outfits, some inspired by the song's lyrics such as a "gold-lamé" straitjacket, while others are parodies of outfits that Lady Gaga has worn, such as her meat dress
and a dress made out of bubbles for The Fame Ball Tour
. One of the outfits, a peacock costume, is worn by Yankovic on live performances of the song. Yankovic found it a challenge to distill Gaga's public performances as "she's got so many different looks", and had difficulty "figuring out how we're going to do two-dozen costumes in three minutes" for the video. Work on the video started immediately after Yankovic was able to affirm Gaga's permission for the parody, and was completed only days before its release to YouTube. The video includes a Madonna
lookalike played by Holly Beavon, a reference to numerous comparisons between Madonna and Lady Gaga musical styles, and also to the similarities "Born This Way" was accused of having with Madonna's "Express Yourself".
The video was nominated for 2011 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
.
Parody music
Parody music, or musical parody, involves changing or recycling existing musical ideas or lyrics — or copying the peculiar style of a composer or artist, or even a general style of music. Although the result is often funny, and this is the usual intent — the term "parody" in musical terms also...
by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic
"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 "Born This Way
Born This Way (song)
"Born This Way" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, from her second studio album, Born This Way. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay, Jeppe Laursen and DJ White Shadow, "Born This Way" was developed while Gaga was on the road with The Monster Ball Tour...
" by Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
. The lyrics are told from the point of view of Gaga and describe her performance style and fashion sense. The song is the sixth single from Yankovic's 2011 album Alpocalypse
Alpocalypse
Alpocalypse is the thirteenth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 21, 2011. It is his first studio release in almost five years, following the release of Straight Outta Lynwood in 2006. It is also his first studio album since 1989's UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and...
, and all the proceeds were donated to the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
charity.
Composition
Yankovic had already completed 11 songs for AlpocalypseAlpocalypse
Alpocalypse is the thirteenth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 21, 2011. It is his first studio release in almost five years, following the release of Straight Outta Lynwood in 2006. It is also his first studio album since 1989's UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and...
, but still felt the need for another song to be the lead single. As the hype for "Born This Way
Born This Way (song)
"Born This Way" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, from her second studio album, Born This Way. Written and produced by Gaga, Fernando Garibay, Jeppe Laursen and DJ White Shadow, "Born This Way" was developed while Gaga was on the road with The Monster Ball Tour...
" was building up, he started to consider parodying it, but he became reluctant after hearing the song, considering that spoofing "such an earnest human rights anthem" could be in bad taste, and also because a Lady Gaga parody was "what everybody in the universe was already assuming I would do, and I hate to be so predictable". Then Yankovic came to the idea of doing the spoof about Gaga herself, as he thought it "wasn’t really going to offend anybody". Yankovic then "worked around the clock to get the lyrics out" and interrupted a family vacation to record a demo that could be used to ask for Gaga's approval.
Approval by Lady Gaga
In April 2011, Yankovic reported that Lady Gaga refused him permission to release "Perform This Way", which he hoped to use as the lead single for his upcoming album. Yankovic had originally sent the request to parody the song to Gaga's manager, who responded that they would need to see his lyrics to make an assessment. Yankovic was touring in Australia at the time, and hastily created the lyrics for approval. Yankovic further stated that Gaga's management further insisted on reviewing a recorded version of the song, and he had cut a family vacation short to turn the recorded version around. Ultimately, he was told that she refused to allow for the parody. Yankovic had considered the song key to his Alpocalypse album, but due to the rejection, he had begun the process to postpone its release until he could record a new song to take the place of "Perform This Way".Following the refusal, he released his parody online on April 20, 2011, and encouraged donations to the Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
. Yankovic was initially fearful of parodying Gaga's song, considering it "an important gay-rights anthem", but had hit upon making the parody about Gaga's fashion, and tying in the sales of the song and video to charity as an act of "good karma" due to the human rights message of the original song.
Shortly after its upload to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, word about the song spread among Yankovic's fans, primarily along Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, according to Yankovic, and the video had received over 2 million views. The word spread to Lady Gaga and her staff, and eventually it was discovered she herself had not yet heard the song and the refusal had come from Gaga's manager without her input. As Lady Gaga is "a huge Weird Al fan", she subsequently gave Yankovic the green light to include the song on his upcoming album and said she loved the parody. Lady Gaga later considered being parodied by Yankovic as a "rite of passage" for her musical career and considered the song "very empowering". Within a day of receiving permission to use the parody, Yankovic had reaffirmed the song's inclusion on Alpocalypse and was able to set the day of release for the album; Yankovic claimed that "Twitter saved my album". Regardless of Gaga's permission, Yankovic will still contribute sales of the song to charity.
Music video
Yankovic had confirmed that the song would have a video to be released along with the album that would be "beyond awesome, and disturbing on many levels". A thirty-second video teaser was released on June 17, 2011 and the video was released on June 20, 2011 on VevoVevo
Vevo is a music video website. It is a joint venture among Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media with EMI licensing its content to the group without taking an ownership stake. The service was launched officially on December 8, 2009...
and YouTube. The video was shown on VH1 Online
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
, AMTV
AMTV
For the Ladytron song of the same name, see Witching HourAMTV is a television program on MTV in the United States, first aired unofficially as a sneak preview on March 26, 2009, and launched officially on March 30, 2009...
and Jump Start
Jump start
Jump start may refer to:* Jump start , a method of starting an automobile* Jump Start * Jumpstart for Young Children, a nonprofit organization* JumpStart, an educational software series...
. The video was directed by Yankovic himself, and features Al's head superimposed on the bodies of dancer Vlada Gorbaneva and contortionist Marissa Heart using CGI effects
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
. Throughout the video, "Yankovic" dances in a number of different outlandish outfits, some inspired by the song's lyrics such as a "gold-lamé" straitjacket, while others are parodies of outfits that Lady Gaga has worn, such as her meat dress
Meat dress of Lady Gaga
American pop singer Lady Gaga wore a dress made of raw beef, which was commonly referred to by the media as the meat dress, to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Designed by Franc Fernandez and styled by Nicola Formichetti, the dress was condemned by animal rights groups and named by Time as the top...
and a dress made out of bubbles for The Fame Ball Tour
The Fame Ball Tour
The Fame Ball Tour was the debut concert tour by American recording artist Lady Gaga, in support of her debut studio album, The Fame . North American shows began in March, followed by dates in Oceania and a solo trek through Europe. Dates in Asia soon followed, as well as two performances at...
. One of the outfits, a peacock costume, is worn by Yankovic on live performances of the song. Yankovic found it a challenge to distill Gaga's public performances as "she's got so many different looks", and had difficulty "figuring out how we're going to do two-dozen costumes in three minutes" for the video. Work on the video started immediately after Yankovic was able to affirm Gaga's permission for the parody, and was completed only days before its release to YouTube. The video includes a Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
lookalike played by Holly Beavon, a reference to numerous comparisons between Madonna and Lady Gaga musical styles, and also to the similarities "Born This Way" was accused of having with Madonna's "Express Yourself".
The video was nominated for 2011 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
The Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos...
.
External links
- Official music video on Vevo