Best Songs from "Weird Al" Yankovic's Running with Scissors

Running with Scissors is the 10th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 29, 1999. It was the fourth studio album self-produced by Yankovic and marked his first album for Volcano Records after leaving Scotti Brothers.

The musical styles on the album center around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music from the late 1990s, with a strong focus on alternative rock and hip-hop. The album's lead single, "The Saga Begins," is a parody of Don McLean's 1971 single "American Pie" and recounts the plot of the film Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which was released around the same time.

The album features five parodies. These include lampoons of "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies, "It's All About the Benjamins" by Puff Daddy, and "Zoot Suit Riot" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies. The other half of the album consists of original material that features "style parodies," or musical imitations of existing artists. These include imitations of artists such as Nine Inch Nails and The Rugburns, as well as homages to specific musical genres like zydeco, third-wave ska, and truck-driving country.

Genres:
Comedy, parody

Band Members and Production:
"Weird Al" Yankovic - accordion, keyboards, vocals, backing vocals, production
Steve Jay - bass guitar, backing vocals
Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz - percussion, drums, backing vocals
Rubén Valtierra - keyboards on "The Saga Begins," "The Weird Al Show Theme," "Jerry Springer," and "Grapefruit Diet"
Jim West - banjo, guitar, backing vocals
Tony Papa - engineer, mixer
Kim Bullard - keyboards on "Germs"
Tom Evans - saxophone on "Your Horoscope for Today" and "Grapefruit Diet"
Thomas "Snake" Johnson - tuba on "Polka Power!"
Warren Luening - trumpet on "The Weird Al Show Theme" and "Polka Power!"
Joel Peskin - clarinet on "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" and "Polka Power!"
Dan Regan - trombone on "Your Horoscope for Today"
Bill Reichenbach Jr. - trombone on "The Weird Al Show Theme"
Marty Rifkin - pedal steel guitar on "Truck Drivin' Song"
Tom Sauber - fiddle on "My Baby's in Love with Eddie Vedder"
Lee Thornburg - trombone, trumpet on "Your Horoscope for Today" and "Grapefruit Diet"
Tavis Werts - trumpet on "Your Horoscope for Today"

Charts and Certifications:
The album was well-received both critically and commercially. Running with Scissors peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it one of Yankovic's most successful albums to that date. It was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 19, 1999, and later achieved Platinum status.
The Top Ten
Albuquerque
The Saga Begins
It's All About the Pentiums
Pretty Fly for a Rabbi
Truck Drivin' Song
Germs
My Baby's In Love With Eddie Vedder
The Weird Al Show Theme
Jerry Springer Gerald Norman "Jerry" Springer was a British-born American television presenter, former lawyer, politician, news presenter, actor, and musician.

Out of all the songs that he's done, this one pushes the envelope farther than most (except for maybe Melanie or The Night Santa Went Crazy - especially the Extra Gory Version).

I think it's funny and pretty accurate.

Polka Power!
The Contenders
Grapefruit Diet
Your Horoscope for Today
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