Running With Scissors

Weird Al Yankovic | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 29, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Volcano
• ASIN: B00000JH89
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (446 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,434 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #21 in Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Contemporary Comedy
  • #41 in Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Comedic Music > General
  • #51 in Music > Miscellaneous > Comedy > Comedic Music > Comedy Rock

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The king of pop parodies returns with another zany collection of tunes that poke fun at pop culture. There are a handful of undeniably funny moments--notably "The Saga Begins," which pairs the tune to Don McLean's horrendously sentimental "American Pie" with the plot to the first Star Wars prequel, and a fun, nonstop-dancing polka medley of late-'90s hits that starts with the Spice Girls and ends with Semisonic. Overall, Running with Scissors is well-executed and actually humorous, but the material is a day late and a dollar short. "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" is funny once, maybe, but the majority of the disc consists of tepid takes on yesterday's news; the best jokes are devoted to Jerry Springer, Eddie Vedder, the Swing craze, and this place called Silicon Valley where they make computers. Why didn't someone tell Weird Al that a parody of Nine Inch Nails' lifeless industrial pop would have already sounded dated in 1995? It must be hard to stay on top of all the current trends and parody them as they happen, but that is something that Weird Al has done in the past, and perhaps will do again. --Mike McGonigal

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What's not to like? June 23, 2005

By Johnny Heering

Format:Audio CD

This is another typically solid album by "Weird Al". Shall I go through the whole album?

1. "The Saga Begins" is a hilarious parody of "American Pie", with the lyrics being the plot to Star Wars - Episode I.
2. "My Baby's in Love With Eddie Vedder" is a zydeco style original.
3. "Pretty Fly For a Rabbi" parodies "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)".
4. "The Weird Al Show Theme" is the theme from Al's short-lived kids show. This is a re-recording, not the version used on the actual show.
5. "Jerry Springer" parodies "One Week", in crude but funny fashion.
6. "Germs" is an original song done in the style of Nine Inch Nails.
7. "Polka Power!" is the requisite medley of recent hits done polka style.
8. "Your Horoscope For Today" is a very funny original, mocking the silliness of astrology.
9. "It's All About the Pentiums" is a funny parody of "It's All About the Benjamins", although you have to know a bit about computers to get it.
10. "Truck Driving Song" is a country original, probably the least funny song on the album.
11. "Grapefruit Diet" parodies "Zoot Suit Riot", it's a typical Al song about food.
12. "Albuquerque" is the strangest thing Al ever recorded. It's an eleven minute "shaggy dog story". Very bizarre and very funny.

"Weird Al" fans should love this album. Everyone else will probably find at least some of it funny.

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Weird Al, The King With The Midas Touch May 13, 2000

By Reviewer

Format:Audio CD

Weird Al Yankovic, the King of Parody, strikes gold with "Running With Scissors," arguably his best album yet, and highlighted by the single best song he's ever done, "The Saga Begins." To the tune of Don McLean's "American Pie," "Saga" captures the story of "Star Wars, Episode I, The Phantom Menace" to perfection; it's all there, and it's brilliant. Pearl Jam fans especially will get a kick out of "My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder," but even those not familiar with them will get the drift, and it's hilarious. Then there's a foray into the world of high-tech, computers and the internet in "It's All About The Pentiums," with a great line, "What kinda chip you got in there, a dorito?" Also included in the twelve cuts is the obligatory polka piece, "Polka Power!" And yes, there's one about food, "Grapefruit Diet." Country fans get a taste with"Truck Drivin' Song," and television talk show host "Jerry Springer" gets the treatment in a song about a guy addicted to the show. This is one funny album from beginning to end, and I highly recommend it to anyone just looking for a good time and plenty of laughs.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 1st place for scissors running, Mr. Al Yankovic! December 9, 2003

By Daniel J. Hamlow HALL OF FAME

Format:Audio CD

In the era of late 90's punk and the proliferation of boy bands ad nauseum, Weird Al still proves he can do a good send-up, even though it took three years for a followup to 1996's Bad Hair Day. Running With Scissors is another ace album, and it contains all the hallmarks of a Weird Al album-a polka, send-up of popular songs, humorous originals spoofing genres, and a long epic song a la "Biggest Ball of Twine" from UHF.

Like he used Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park" for the "Jurassic Park" story song, Al uses Don MacLean's "American Pie" to do a story song for Star Wars Episode I, where Al is in the persona of Obi-Wan. I cared not a whit for SWE1, but at least Al was able to use his usual creativity on it.

"My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder" is a 50's style rocker done with accordion, and is about the qualities about the lead singer of Pearl Jam that attracts Al's girlfriend, in other words "an unrequited adoration for the frustrated, agitated, designated alienated spokesman for the disaffected grunge generation." There is a punchline to this song on how Al decides to get even.

"Just grab your yarmulke and Hey! Hey! do that Hebrew thing" sings Al in "Pretty Fly For A Rabbi," a parody of the Offspring's "Pretty Fly For A White Guy." This song is a portrait of an up-with-it Jewish guy, who "reads the Torah, does his own accounting too." Lots of Yiddish words and expressions like "meshugga" and "What's not to like?" are sprinkled here to add to the fun.

The quirky "The Weird Al Show Theme" is how Al got his own show and features a weird twangy Jew's harp like instrument before going full out to a theme song-like bombast towards the end.

Another song on how TV clogs the IQ? "Jerry Springer" sends up Barenaked Ladies' "One Week" and the rapid-fire lyrics add to Al's advantage in cramming in so many absurdities in one line. After listing a whole bunch of Jerry's guests, the chorus ends with "Yesterday it occurred to me, that I've been watching' a bit too much Jerry Springer."

"Hey, don't touch that-you don't know where it's been!" "Germs" has a sound, guitar, and voice styled after NIN's "Closer" and is about the "millions upon millions of tiny one-celled organisms living on my skin" and the obsession to get rid of them.

"Polka Power" shows Al keeping up to date on what's been hitting the airwaves. Medley: Spice Girls' "Wannabe", Harvey Danger's "Flagpole Sitta", Pras Michel, Wyclef Jean, Mya's "Ghetto Superstar", Backstreet Boys' "Backstreet's Back" (I cringed when I heard that), Smash Mouth's "Walking On The Sun", the Beastie Boys' "Intergalactic", Chumbawumba's "Tubthumping", Madonna's "Ray Of Light", Matchbox 20's "Push", Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life", Marilyn Manson's "The Dope Show", Hanson's "Mmmbop", Marcy Playground's "Sex and Candy", and Semisonic's "Closing Time."

"Your Horoscope For Today" is a twelve verse song where he goes through the horoscopes for each sign, and they're all good news. Take mine: "GEMINI-Your birthday party will be ruined once again by your explosive flatulence/Your love life will run into trouble when your fiancé hurls a javelin through your chest." Well, so much for my long-term plans.

"It's All About The Pentiums" is one of the best parody songs I've heard, even though it's from a bad rap song, i.e. Puff Daddy's "It's All About The Benjamins." Included in this braggadocio of the king of the computers, is this: "You think your Commodore 64 is neato/what kinda chip you got in there, a Dorito?/You're using a 286? Don't make me laugh/your Windows boots up in what, a day and a half?" and "If I ever meet you, I'll ctrl-alt-delete you."

"Drivin' a truck with my high heels on". Yep, the hilarious country song sung in low C.W. McCall or Hoyt Axton-type register "Truck Drivin' Song" is to truckers what the "Lumberjack Song" is to loggers. With references on running mascaras, pink cashmeres, and little rhinestone pumps that keep slippin' off the mother-lovin' clutch, this is my second favourite song here.

"Grapefruit Diet" parodies "Zoot Suit Riot" and is a tall-tale on obesity like "Fat." "Made sumo wrestlers look like Kate Moss"? Have to grease a door to leave a room? That is big, all right. "Albuquerque" is a 12-minute rambling epic that basically starts out with how he doesn't like sauerkraut and goes into weird adventures that have to be heard to be believed.

The Saga...I mean the magic continues with Running With Scissors, with Mr. Yankovic coming in first place.