Weird Al Yankovic has been cranking out one video per day to promote the release of his new album Mandatory Fun and the latest video released Friday (July 18) has people talking.
In the video, the king of song parodies tackles many of the ills of living in the United States , Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and nearly every other country that is generally considered “first world.”
Pop Crush has more (it should be noted that the above embed will become active Monday, July 21… we know, yet another first world problem):
“Done in the musical style of the Pixies, Yankovic hilariously rants about everything from his electric toothbrush running out to missing out on breakfast because he slept in too late, all while angrily running around in a self-proclaimed ‘douchey blonde wig.’
“‘I got first world, first world problems,’ he belts out on the chorus of the ‘Mandatory Fun’ tune, which also includes woeful lyrics like, ‘The thread count on these cotton sheets has got me itchin’ / My house is so big I can’t get Wi-Fi in my kitchen’ and ‘I had to buy something I didn’t even need so I could qualify for free shipping on Amazon!’”
As much as you and I both hate to admit it, you know the majority of what is mentioned in that verse is true and reflective of our own first world problems.
TIME Magazine looked at “First World Problems” and describes the video this way:
“If you’ve ever been plagued with petty inconveniences like un-foamed coffee, bills to large for a vending machine, filling up on bread at lunch and not leaving room for tiramisu, then you’ve got First World problems. In a song set to the musical styling of the Pixies, Weird Al dons a blonde wig and plays a spoiled, rich man whose life appears to be a series of frustrations borne from having too little to worry about.”
For any of you desiring more Weird Al because you have your own first world problems, this may be your last chance for an original Weird Al album. A report that appeared in a Slate review of the album suggested this could be Weird Al’s last studio album for the comedy-musical artist, whose parodies have spanned decades and generations of parody-loving youth.
Tell us what you think of the new single and music video embedded above. Does it live up to the hype? How do you feel it compares to previous Weird Al parodies like “Eat It” and “Amish Paradise?” Tell us in the comments section below.
[Image via Flickr Creative Commons ]
