You're Pitiful
Encyclopedia
"You're Pitiful" is a parody of "You're Beautiful
" by James Blunt
written and recorded by American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic
. It was released exclusively online in June 2006. The cover is also parodied from James Blunt's album, Back to Bedlam, on which "You're Beautiful" was released.
and his job as a Slurpee
machine operator.
album after, according to Yankovic, having been given Blunt
's blessing to parody the song. However, following its recording, Blunt's record company, Atlantic Records
, allegedly told Yankovic that he could not include the song on his album. (When asked by NPR, Atlantic had no official comment on the matter.)
Yankovic eventually revealed that Atlantic "said it was 'too early' in James' career for a parody, and they were afraid that focusing any more attention on 'Beautiful' at that point might lead to the perception of James as a 'one-hit wonder
'". According to Yankovic, "They didn't say I couldn't do the parody… they just said they'd let me know 'when the time was right'. So we canceled our release date and waited. Finally, months later, we got the answer. The 'right' time, apparently, was 'never'."
Yankovic had a policy of obtaining approval prior to releasing his parodies from the original artist's record company; but after a miscommunication surrounding "Amish Paradise
", a parody of Coolio
's "Gangsta's Paradise
", he sought permission directly from the artist. Yankovic told NPR that this was the first time a record label has denied a release of one of his parodies. "[I]f James Blunt himself were objecting," Yankovic told NPR, "I wouldn't even offer my parody for free on my Web site. But since it's a bunch of suits — who are actually going against their own artist's wishes — I have absolutely no problem with it."
Yankovic told NPR in an e-mail that the question of whether Atlantic could legally forbid the parody, given the United States Supreme Court's 1994 Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
decision recognizing parody as fair use, is "moot", saying that the issue was "more of a political matter than a legal matter", suggesting that both Blunt and Volcano
(Yankovic's label) would wish to avoid alienating Atlantic.
Yankovic released the song for free distribution on the Internet, and it has become popular on The Dr. Demento
Show.
For the lead single for "Straight Outta Lynwood" Yankovic instead used "White & Nerdy
".
The video for Straight Outta Lynwoods second single, "White & Nerdy", depicts Yankovic taking revenge, of sorts, against Atlantic Records by vandalizing their Wikipedia
article by blanking all text and replacing it with the words "YOU SUCK!" in large letters. Said revenge has been realized by some wiki vandals. Yankovic has said that he does not approve of the vandalism, though he admits being amused by it. Also in the video, Al is on his MySpace
page and for a split second, "You're Pitiful" is visible as his profile song.
On the concert tour for Straight Outta Lynwood, Yankovic performs the song initially wearing a long-sleeved shirt, and progressively removing clothing to reveal different layers underneath (as Blunt does in the video for "You're Beautiful"). The penultimate t-shirt revealed says "Atlantic Records Sucks", however, in some shows he replaces the "Atlantic Records Sucks" shirt with an "I'm With Stupid" shirt (with an arrow pointing downward), followed by a "Tom
Is My Only Friend" shirt (however, on his 2010 Tour, the shirt is modified from the original, stating "Atlantic Records STILL Sucks"). The final t-shirt is the face of SpongeBob SquarePants
. Yankovic then removes his pants to reveal boxer shorts
with red hearts, a pink tutu
, and fishnet stockings.
You're Beautiful
"You're Beautiful" is a pop rock song co-written by British singer James Blunt, Sacha Skarbek, and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album Back to Bedlam . It was released as the third single from the album in 2005. In the UK and Australia the song reached number one and number two respectively...
" by James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
written and recorded by American parody 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 was released exclusively online in June 2006. The cover is also parodied from James Blunt's album, Back to Bedlam, on which "You're Beautiful" was released.
Synopsis
In the song, Yankovic describes the pitiful existence of a 42-year-old man who still lives with his mother and his life which involves, among other things, wearing a homemade Star Trek uniformStarfleet uniforms
In the fictional Star Trek universe enlisted personnel and officers in the United Earth Starfleet and, later, the United Federation of Planets' Starfleet wear a variety of uniforms.-Star Trek: The Original Series:...
and his job as a Slurpee
Slurpee
A Slurpee is a flavored frozen drink sold by 7-Eleven. In 1967, 7-Eleven licensed the product from the ICEE Company, and began selling it as the Slurpee.-Slurpee history:Machines to make frozen beverages were invented by Omar Knedlik in the late 1950s...
machine operator.
Controversy
Yankovic recorded the song to be the lead single on his Straight Outta LynwoodStraight Outta Lynwood
Straight Outta Lynwood is the 12th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was released on September 26, 2006 in the U.S. by Volcano, on September 30, 2006 in Australia, on October 3 in Canada, on October 6, 2006 in New Zealand, November 13, 2006 in the United Kingdom, and November 24, 2006 in...
album after, according to Yankovic, having been given Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
's blessing to parody the song. However, following its recording, Blunt's record company, Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, allegedly told Yankovic that he could not include the song on his album. (When asked by NPR, Atlantic had no official comment on the matter.)
Yankovic eventually revealed that Atlantic "said it was 'too early' in James' career for a parody, and they were afraid that focusing any more attention on 'Beautiful' at that point might lead to the perception of James as a 'one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
'". According to Yankovic, "They didn't say I couldn't do the parody… they just said they'd let me know 'when the time was right'. So we canceled our release date and waited. Finally, months later, we got the answer. The 'right' time, apparently, was 'never'."
Yankovic had a policy of obtaining approval prior to releasing his parodies from the original artist's record company; but after a miscommunication surrounding "Amish Paradise
Amish Paradise
"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....
", a parody of Coolio
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
's "Gangsta's Paradise
Gangsta's Paradise (song)
"Gangsta's Paradise" is a rap song by Coolio featuring L.V.. The song was released on the Coolio album Gangsta's Paradise, as well as the Dangerous Minds soundtrack in 1995. Coolio was awarded a Grammy for the song/album...
", he sought permission directly from the artist. Yankovic told NPR that this was the first time a record label has denied a release of one of his parodies. "[I]f James Blunt himself were objecting," Yankovic told NPR, "I wouldn't even offer my parody for free on my Web site. But since it's a bunch of suits — who are actually going against their own artist's wishes — I have absolutely no problem with it."
Yankovic told NPR in an e-mail that the question of whether Atlantic could legally forbid the parody, given the United States Supreme Court's 1994 Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.
Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, 510 U.S. 569 was a United States Supreme Court copyright law case that established that a commercial parody can qualify as fair use...
decision recognizing parody as fair use, is "moot", saying that the issue was "more of a political matter than a legal matter", suggesting that both Blunt and Volcano
Volcano Records
Volcano Entertainment is an American rock record label founded in 1996 best known for reissuing albums by Scotti Brothers Records and releasing albums by Tool, 311, Survivor and "Weird Al" Yankovic...
(Yankovic's label) would wish to avoid alienating Atlantic.
Yankovic released the song for free distribution on the Internet, and it has become popular on The Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
Show.
For the lead single for "Straight Outta Lynwood" Yankovic instead used "White & Nerdy
White & Nerdy
"White & Nerdy" is the second single from "Weird Al" Yankovic's album Straight Outta Lynwood, which was released on September 26, 2006. It parodies the song "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone...
".
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
article by blanking all text and replacing it with the words "YOU SUCK!" in large letters. Said revenge has been realized by some wiki vandals. Yankovic has said that he does not approve of the vandalism, though he admits being amused by it. Also in the video, Al is on his MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page and for a split second, "You're Pitiful" is visible as his profile song.
On the concert tour for Straight Outta Lynwood, Yankovic performs the song initially wearing a long-sleeved shirt, and progressively removing clothing to reveal different layers underneath (as Blunt does in the video for "You're Beautiful"). The penultimate t-shirt revealed says "Atlantic Records Sucks", however, in some shows he replaces the "Atlantic Records Sucks" shirt with an "I'm With Stupid" shirt (with an arrow pointing downward), followed by a "Tom
Tom Anderson (MySpace)
-External links:* on * * on...
Is My Only Friend" shirt (however, on his 2010 Tour, the shirt is modified from the original, stating "Atlantic Records STILL Sucks"). The final t-shirt is the face of SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants (character)
SpongeBob SquarePants is a main fictional character in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. He is voiced by Tom Kenny and first appeared on television in the series' pilot episode "Help Wanted" on May 1, 1999. SpongeBob was created and designed by cartoonist Stephen Hillenburg...
. Yankovic then removes his pants to reveal boxer shorts
Boxer shorts
Boxer shorts are a type of undergarment worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhindered leg movement is very important.Reasons for a preference for boxers can be attributed to their variety of...
with red hearts, a pink tutu
Ballet tutu
A tutu is a skirt worn as a costume in a ballet performance, often with attached bodice. It might be single layer, hanging down, or multiple layers starched and jutting out.There are several types of ballet tutu:...
, and fishnet stockings.
See also
- Atlantic Records#Media references
- White & Nerdy#References in video
- List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic