Running with Scissors

Weird Al Yankovic

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (June 29, 1999)
• Original Release Date: June 29, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Volcano
• ASIN: B00000JNYI
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (449 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #784,117 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Saga Begins

2. My Baby's in Love With Eddie Vedder

3. Pretty Fly for a Rabbi

4. Weird Al Show Theme

5. Jerry Springer

6. Germs

7. Polka Power!

8. Your Horoscope for Today

9. It's All About the Pentiums

10. Truck Drivin' Song

11. Grapefruit Diet

12. Albuquerque

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

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!, April 7, 2003

By	Erik Bateson (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Running with Scissors (Audio CD)

This cd is great, no doubt worth buying. Although the disc doesn't say this, it is an enhanced cd, which means that if you put it in to your computer's (Mac or Windows) CD-Rom drive, it will be capable of playing some video clips, this one a 14:34 minute film, which is immensly entertaining. Too bad you can't play it as a vcd in your dvd player. Funny stuff.
As for the al-bum:

1. The Saga Begins 5/5 It tells the whole story of Star Wars: Episode one in five and a half minutes.
2. My Baby's in love with Eddie Vedder 3/5 Pretty funny.
3. Pretty Fly For A Rabbi 5/5 Weird Al shows that he knows how to make fun of religion, yet not be offensive or rude. Very nicely crafted.
4. The Weird Al show theme 5/5 During a low point in his career after UHF, Weird Al had his own childrens show on CBS (DVD?). This is the slightly-over-a-minute theme.
5. Jerry Springer: 5/5 All you'll ever know, and all you'll ever need to know about Jerry Springer, plus a Parody of "One Week."
6. Germs 3/5 Good the first time song about a guy obsessed with germs.
7. Polka Power! 4/5 Ups and downs
8. Your Horoscope For Today: 5/5 What horoscopes SHOULD say.
9. It's All About the Pentiums: 5/5 "Play me online, weel you'll know that I'll beat you. If I ever meat you, I'll control-alt-delete you."
10. Truck Driving Song: 3/5 Some funny stuff.
11. Grapefruit Diet: 4/5 "Who's that waddling down the street? That's just me cause I love to eat."
12. Albuquerque: 5/5 Eleven and a half minutes of hilarity in which the ending is so roundabout and funny that you'll be thinking about it for a while. And for the last time, he hates sauerkraut.
That is 52/60, or about 4.5, yet it deserves a 5 for some excellent tracks, mainly the last one.

I eagerly await Al's "Poodle Hat," in stores May 20. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and feel free to leave me a helpful/not helpful feedback. God Bless America!

34 of 37 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 - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Running with Scissors (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.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Running with Scissors (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.