@@HufflepuffBaseball42313 Looked it up and Al recorded the single 20th of April, the movie released 16th of May, and then the single was released June 24. Apparently he used internet spoilers to write it in advance, and a charity advanced screening to confirm and make some smaller edits.
According to Weird Al's website, Lucasfilm's official response to this song was, "You should've seen the smile on George Lucas' face." They loved it so much, they included the video as a bonus feature in a Star Wars spoofs compilation for the 2011 Blu-ray box set release of the saga.
At Lucasfilm, they know the *song* American Pie. th-cam.com/video/uAsV5-Hv-7U/w-d-xo.html (1971) The kids watching the new Star Wars movies only know the American Pie movie in 1999.
My favourite fact about this song is that Don McLean's kids sung it to him constantly and he was very afraid he would accidentally sing Weird Al's lyrics by mistake
Don McLean was reportedly pleased with "The Saga Begins", a parody of "American Pie", and told Yankovic that the parody's lyrics sometimes enter his mind during live performances. Could you imagine being at a McLean concert, he screws up, and lets one of these go? Legend
I saw Weird Al in concert last year, and this was his encore performance. And it was on May 4th, Star Wars Day. Before he started the song, he told the audience "May the Fourth be with you" and it was pretty much the best moment of my life.
Anything Weird AL does, I'm in. Ive been listening to him since the mid 80s and thankfully Dr. Demento helped that along. Actually got to see the man himself with my brother and his wife. Gawds it was awesome. The song Albuquerque went one for 30+ minutes.
Don McClean himself said he had issues remembering his own words to this song and kept singing Weird Al’s version because his kids wouldn’t stop singing it. Lol. That’s how you know it’s good! Weird Al is a genius.
I think the best part of this song is that it's a legitimately good summary of The Phantom Menace. All the major plot points get touched on, and even the weirder beats get brought up in good humor.
I've seen Weird Al a few times in concert, and him and his band are amazing. Al is a really good singer and his band are amazing musicians both in and outside of the band. They've been together for about 40 years or so, have no major controversies, and just go to show that you can make it in the music industry and not be a jerk with a million scandals.
This was the first weird al song I ever heard, when I was around 10 years old. Years later, my mom and I saw him in concert and I kept saying "if he doesn't sing the saga begins, I will literally cry" and then the concert was over ??? But no, then he came out for the encore in jedi gear, and it made my whole life. It was so frikkin' cool. 😄❤️ This might be my favorite of all his songs.
i heard that Don MacLean himself sometimes thinks of this parody whenever he's singing American Pie on stage, because of how much he and his kids love it.... you know you're doing something right when even the ORIGINAL artist loves your parody!
My mother in law passed away mid November 2022 from complications from dementia. This was one of her favorite songs. My wife played it over and over all day for the days following her passing. I just sat there with her and listened or sang along with her when I managed to do so without breaking down. My mother in law was a wonderful and amazing woman. She greatly missed. RIP sweet lady. ❤
The cool thing about this parody is that it strikes the same melancholy tone as American Pie. You know it's not going to end well for Anakin. So Al didn't just write a brilliant new set of lyrics, he imbued them with a genuine sense of grief and longing. Especially the idea of this bright kid with all the potential in the world and how innocent he is now. I'm not really a Star Wars fan, but I still feel all the emotions while listening. So I think it's his deepest song.
That was definitely not his intent, haha. Dude just wanted to write a song about a massive pop-culture event by parodying a massive pop-culture staple. He did the same thing on his following album for the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man film, penning "Ode to a Superhero" as a parody of Piano Man.
@@swishfish8858 I dunno, I think Al is pretty deep and smart. I sing this song and ode to a superhero to my 3 year old when he goes to sleep. I think both capture the spirit and moral of the stories. With this, a kid with all the potential in the world ruined by war. In spider man, the great power comes great responsibility, as well as that anyone can be “good enough” to be a hero.
The fact that he was able to put this entire story into a well known song's music, and make it work so flawlessly is just fantastic. Ranks among his best, with Amish Paradise of course.
This was brilliant. As far as ranking amongst his best, I thought "Trapped In the Drive Thru," was a brilliant and nuanced take on relationships... with some of his most clever and witty lyrics. If I were in the unfortunate position of having to vote on his best video, I'd have to go with this one.
Kurt Cobain asked not to make the parody of Nevermind about food. The end result the band loved. As a teenager growing up in the 70s and trying to irritate my parents with rock music I’m sad I didn’t discover that Weird Al song until after my dad died,
🎉❤😂😎👏 there is saying out there somewhere You know when your a successful performing artist is loved by near all when not only are fans are singing Along your lyrics but the PARODY weird Al lyrics too. 😂 Or you know you've made it when u get that call from Weird Al's team wanting to a parody of ur music and or videos.
Actually, Al's tours, over the last few years, are his originals only, no parodies, but he performs one different cover every night. His voice is amazing. There's a bunch on youtube that people who've been able to sneak a video, have posted. Check out his cover of Natural Woman and then Rebel Yell. His range is amazing.
I fell in love with bye bye miss American pie when I heard it on the radio as a teen because the vocals are fantastic. I just found this. Al performs it super close to the original, you could have thought the piano intro was copied right off the cd. A lot of verses even rhyme with the original... He leaves out the next to last verse though, I wish he didn't because it's my favorite (going a bit syncopated), but the original track is 8 minutes so it's completely understandable.
If I was Don McLean, I would not only be proud of creating one of the best Americana pop songs ever but also one of the best “spoofs” ever. Haha so amazing the way Al treats the songs and even more amazing how the OG artists love them so much.
Saw him in concert 3 times, my neighbor was his base guitarist amd gabe us back stage tickets , I was just a little kid , weird al came over to us all three times, said hi to my and my sister talked a little signed our back stage tickets, and left a lasting impression, I ❤ WEIRD AL, still the too 3 concerts I've ever been to 😂😂
I've listened to this song so many times I still get them confused, when American Pie comes on, I sing a line from this, then line from that and it sounds horrible
Right? How do they all get their instruments to sound like other bands so damn closely? Some earlier songs are hit or miss with that, but starting mid to late 90s they pretty much nail it every time. I'd say you have to be an absolute expert on your instrument to pull that off that well. (And the occasional guest musician _from_ the original band doesn't hurt either, lol)
Seriously. The fact that they can nail any genre or style, plus that they've been together (and with Al) for so long, makes them arguably one of the greatest cover bands in history. Major props to Jim West (guitar), Steve Jay (bass), Rubén Valtierra (keyboard), and Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz (drums). More people need to know who they are.
This is his absolute top song, and not BECAUSE it's Star Wars.... that's just a perk. He truly retells the entire movie, in sequential order, and he uses all actual movie/franchise specific terms, proper names, etc yet does not have any gibberish or obscure rhyming (think like Dr Seuss style). Plus, his verses are almost all completely on par with tempo, pitch, bps, and rhyme schemes from the original song, while the music is only very slightly altered; nearly indistinguishable from the original, but still very Al. You don't really have to be a Weird Al or Star Wars fan to appreciate the amazing structure of this parody. You may not understand all the jokes, but you can still appreciate it.
One term that felt was a bit off was the word “plane” in “…flew his plane and saved the day…” but I can’t really think of a better one syllable word to put there so I guess it worked as well as it could
Less than half of the songs on AL's 14 studio albums are parodies. AL is an incredible songwriter. I've been to 3 of his original's only tours and he is an amazing musician.
Weird Al has a crazy good voice. Parody aside, this song legit gives me chills. Also, they should have given Al a cameo as a Jedi in the arena scene in Attack of the Clones.
DonMcLean : "Love this song, my kid does too, sometimes I start singing it by mistake on concert" Lucasfilms : "You should have seen the smile on george's face" This is what we call success
@@user-oq4yk1xd7d Yeah "Yankovic paid $500 to view an advance screening after writing the song, but most of his lyrics were correct, so he made minor changes; the only major change he had to make after the screening of The Phantom Menace was that Anakin did not tell Amidala that he was going to marry her, like Yankovic originally thought."
I've screamed at a concert once in my life and that was when Al performed this when I saw him live. I thought the concert was over when suddenly storm troopers came out on the stage. I love this man. I've listened and laughed so much to his songs but this is my favorite.
Thats not a piano, it actually has a much stupider name with about 9 paragraphs of information gathered from extended universe stuff that is no longer canon because disney
"We took him there and we told the tale How his midichlorians were off the scale And he might fulfill that prophecy. The council was impressed, of course. Could he bring balance to the force? They interviewed the kid... Oh, training they forbid Because Yoda sensed in him much fear And Qui-Gon said: now listen here! Just stick it in your pointy ear, I still will teach this boy.
Major Damage 69 I disagree. Bob is amazing, and the use of nonsensical palindrome phrases is a perfect parody of Bob Dylan's original. But lyrically, it's not as impressive as this. This is his most successful parody. So much so that Don McLean has stated that he often thinks of Weird Al's lyrics before his own.
"The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost" became "met up with Darth Maul, now he's toast." "They caught the last train for the coast" became "Now I'm still here and he's a ghost."
I have a fond history with this song. Back in 2007, when I was only 5, my dad was in a big star wars charity organization called the 501st, or Vader's Legion. For one of Al's concerts, he and about 30-40 other stormtroopers went up on stage with Al and did a kick line. I still have the DVD that was made in correlation with that show, and I'll frequently go back to this song and hum it to myself while I'm at work. Weird Al means so much to me, and I wish I could have been there alongside my dad with the King of Parodies. That's why I plan to re-adopt my dad's old TK number and stormtrooper armor, and carry on what he did years prior. I promise, dad.
your father would be so proud to hear this. I just know it. The force is strong with you. Continue to strive and keep a clear mind. Protect the weak and May the force be with you...Always.
This comment confused the living hell out of me because I have a very similar story! My mom was in the 501st legion when I was growing up and my brother and her went on stage as troopers during one of his concerts. I remember listening to this song all the time as a kid. I have my moms old car now, so my license plate is her TK number
whats really funny about this song is it came out before the movie did, so weird al wrote the song based on the trailer and internet rumor and still got the story line pretty accurate.
He also paid a lot for a ticket to a premier showing Lucas was putting on to make sure it was correct. He even said in an interview he only had to change a few minor parts in the lyrics to fit the actual plot.
Actually read somewhere that the soundtrack of the movie came before the movie too, and for example one of the songs is titled "Qui-Gon's Noble End" (spoiler alert much). But still great achievement on Al side tho. Also i dont think he predicted the word "midichlorians" like come on.
One of the most underrated artists of all time. For a guy who does parodies, He can actually sing really well. I sing his songs in place of the real ones just about everytime I hear one
Less than half of Al's 14 studio albums are parodies, the rest are his amazing and funny original songs. Btw, go to one of his concerts, you'll have your mind blown. He's an incredible performer. :-) th-cam.com/video/ZStBtt9syZI/w-d-xo.html
Well, technically he did it. There were so many adepts of Light side and only a few - of Dark. So he really brought balance between sides of the Force in the galaxy by destroying Jedi Order :)
@@lanceplaxton6967 That would be remembered by those who experienced it for ever afterwards, some with enormous mirth, and others with enormous irritation and indignation! "Maybe Vader someday later..."! Hahaha!
As someone who grew up a major Star Wars fan and then who loves Weird Al and of course a rock classic like American Pie every time I see this I get a kick out of it. Weird Al is an absolute genius and if he's not in the RnR HOF he most certainly deserves it.
Fun fact: Weird Al actually wrote the lyrics BEFORE the movie even came out. He got all his information from spoilers and leaks. Impressively, when he saw the movie (as part of a preview screening IIRC), he only had to make minor changes.
If you think this is astounding, there is a TH-cam side-by-side comparison of his parody of Michael Jackson's Beat It and Weird Al's Eat it. Weird Al not only kept in synch with the original song, but he even danced in synch with MJ's moves.
Palpatine and I actually had a vocal-piano duet band while the Empire was still around. We performed at the Mos Eisley cantina lots of times and actually got to play for Jabba once.
"Their response, it didn't thrill us. They locked the doors and tried to kill us." That is the most Jedi way of rationalising stupidly walking into an obvious trap. Also, sheev on the keys is chef's kiss gold
To be fair, the original trilogy already established that dead Jedi’s became Force ghosts so most people just assumed it was going to work that way in the prequels too.
@@shelbyvillerules9962 yeah technically he did not become a ghost, or he did, from a certain point of view. Not a physical ghost at least. and auditory ghost perhaps
It also implies that someone taught Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader how to become a Force Ghost. I have long suspected that when Obi-Wan Kenobi became a Force Ghost he then haunted Darth Vader and turned him back towards the Light.
@@peterjohnson1379 he did not become a full ghost in canon. He figured out how, but the force "claimed" him too much before he could acheive it. it was also something that could only be maintained for a few years, but that was changed by disney for a yoda insert. In the EU yoda and obi wan both faded into the force not long after luke got his new jedi order functioning. Qui-gon faded long before ANH happened
@@lebronjames1472 Meh. I'll take Rey Palpatine and lame imitation of Jacen Solo over Jar Jar, Jake Lloyd's acting, midi-chlorians, the Twilight level romance, and Space CNN scenes any day.
@@valentinlageot4101 They got out of their own way and allowed skilled writers write without picking everything that would make the movie worse. It was more that Disney ignored Rogue One until it happened to get completed
Fun Fact: Weird Al wrote this song using only internet rumors. Lucasfilm wouldn't give him an advanced screening, and when he finally saw the movie, he had to change only two lyrics. He nailed the entire plot of the movie just based on rumors lmao
Weird Al said that he wouldn't have made this song without George Lucas' blessing. So he sent Lucas the unreleased song to see if he liked it. Lucasfilm replied with "you should've seen the smile on George's face when he heard the song for the first time". He loved it and Weird Al was relieved about getting the stamp of approval. BTW, Lucas was not annoyed that Weird Al's song revealed plot point from the yet to be released movie it was based on.
It's really a shame, I think the phantom menace would have benefitted greatly from this scene. Obi wan singing in the cantina was beautiful characterization for him. It really shows off his more playful side which we dont see enough of in the prequels.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate that this man, this glorious man, had the wherewithal, or the divine inspiration, to be able to see "A Long Long Time Ago," and connect that with some other version of "A Long Long Time Ago" (American Pie)... like he not only made that connection but then had the genius to construct this entire song from it. Guy saw one phrase made one of contemporary music's best parodies around, and he did it before the movie even released. Absolute legend.
"Because Yoda sensed in him much fear, but Qui Gon said now listen here, just stick it in your pointy ears, I still will teach this boy." best lyrics ever!
When this song was released, I was a new mom and an established Weird Al fan. At night, when I'd rock my son to sleep, I couldn't think of lullabies to sing that I knew the lyrics to, so after getting tired of singing the same Christmas songs over and over, I started singing this to him. It's perfect because it's a longer song and I knew all the lyrics. My kids are 8, 10, and 12 now, also established Weird Al fans, and they "somehow" know all the words to "The Saga Begins". I guess it does live up to its name. :-)
@@firehazzard8497 My son just turned twelve. I should have said "about 10 years before my son was born". I wasn't thinking of timeline accuracy, just the memories.
It is amazing because you listen to the original amazing classic then you listen to weird Al’s version and it not only fits in musically but it fits in with the syllables. He is just a musical genius!
@@andreasakritas American Pie is a classic, but impressive how Weird Al capture the same upbeat/melancholy, folksy spirit of the og song while retelling the lore a Star Wars prequel.
This song has made me smile so many times over the past 25 years and somehow I have never seen the video. This song and video had me smiling and singing along throughout. Thank you Weird Al and crew for the years of entertainment.
@@harryhoran3403 TFA is only good when compared to the rest of the garbage Sequel trilogy. That film started the fire and made the achievements of the OT cast mean fuck all. They were forgotten and left to rot as shadows of their former selves. Han was reset back to ANH Han and was shown as an incompetent old man who died to the blade of his own emo son. Leia wasn't in a high position of the Senate or something like that but a simple general who was barely in the film. While Luke and Lando fell off the face off the earth for wack reasons. The new characters are pretty bad in the writing department and the poster child of this was Rey/Kylo. Both are terrible for different reasons: one is an inconsistent dumbass who can't handle simple interrogation and actually forgot about his faction's main goal to capture a random civilian. It's also on him for only sending a grand total of 4 dudes to capture the droud while he did fuck all at that console. Now for the other, Rey, a near blank slate who has no reason to even be here is given all the power right off the bat for no reason. She has all the abilities needed for an situation and gets out of danger without a scratch. She even wins the day against Kylo in a field that he should dominate in even when injured. What broke me on a 1st viewing was when she used the Jedi mind trick with ease. As for Finn, the man at base is contradicting since he can't handle needlessly suffering but he doesn't blink an eye to the murder of stormtroopers even though he know the brainwashing can be broken with the right push. Hell, it's never talked about how Finn is here because Poe shot his stormtrooper friend. That could've been a good conversation to have if the man didn't disappear for good chunk of the film then pops back up to destroy starkiller base. This leads onto the massive worldbuilding issue of how the hell the FO rose under the republic's nose? Nobody noticed all this money, men, material being moved to create this army to the point of turning a planet into a deathstar? How did no information about any of this get leaked? The republic was made so limp-dicked to retell the empire vs. Rebel plotline but the writers didn't give a damn about the consequences.
There is this sense of hope and wonder within this song that I remember from when the movie first came out. It is perfectly captured here, and in the novel The Encroaching Storm (I think that was the title). I miss feeling like that about Star Wars.
Me too. But you know what? I _did_ feel that way about Star Wars, at one time. it's one of many feelings we'll never get to truly know again. But we have our memories, and that's what makes them so special. :)
Ironically, this is by far the clearest and most informative plot summary of _The Phantom Menace._
lol
Impressively he wrote this BEFORE Phantom Menace came out, based entirely on fan theories and leaks.
In 5 minutes and 37 seconds
@@lgmmrm no way what
@@HufflepuffBaseball42313 Looked it up and Al recorded the single 20th of April, the movie released 16th of May, and then the single was released June 24. Apparently he used internet spoilers to write it in advance, and a charity advanced screening to confirm and make some smaller edits.
According to Weird Al's website, Lucasfilm's official response to this song was, "You should've seen the smile on George Lucas' face." They loved it so much, they included the video as a bonus feature in a Star Wars spoofs compilation for the 2011 Blu-ray box set release of the saga.
Now, I remember! That's where I've seen it for the first time!))
I own the saga edition blue-rays thanks for the post.
At Lucasfilm, they know the *song* American Pie. th-cam.com/video/uAsV5-Hv-7U/w-d-xo.html (1971)
The kids watching the new Star Wars movies only know the American Pie movie in 1999.
Just as how his friend Steven Spielberg loved Al's Jurassic Park parody.
Al rspected George's creation. :)
*This is the most relatable song I've ever heard.*
Hello fellow general
General Kenobi. You are a bold one to say this out loud.
Well hello there, Keniobi
OMG I KNEW YOU WERE REAL! I HAVE LIKE 5 PEOPLE TO CALL! I KNEW I WAS RIGHT!
@@ranb00_my_beloved32 Yes Luke, search your feelings you know it to be true
My favourite fact about this song is that Don McLean's kids sung it to him constantly and he was very afraid he would accidentally sing Weird Al's lyrics by mistake
He admitted sometimes he sings these lyrics by mistake.
I often sing these lyrics by mistake
"mistake"
@@Kate-ew6heI mistake
He does sing this version accidentally
I continue to be impressed by the fact that Weird Al managed to work the word "midichlorians" into the rhythm of the song
That why he's a legend, and we're left to tell his tales! 😩😩
@@scottwpilgrim he's alive and still making songs
Scott W Pilgrim yeah he’s still alive, he ain’t dead
@@scottwpilgrim WE'LL TELL HIS STORY (hamilton reference lol)
* laughs in prepubecent *
Don McLean was reportedly pleased with "The Saga Begins", a parody of "American Pie", and told Yankovic that the parody's lyrics sometimes enter his mind during live performances.
Could you imagine being at a McLean concert, he screws up, and lets one of these go?
Legend
Mason Burke are you ok
@@FloorKarpeting he's having a heart attack
Bason Murke is having a stronk, call a Bondulance
I legit can't sing some songs without messing up with parody lyrics, but if it happened to the original artist... Oh gawd 🤣
mccabber24 That’s awesome. I find myself doing the same thing when listening to the original.
I saw Weird Al in concert last year, and this was his encore performance. And it was on May 4th, Star Wars Day. Before he started the song, he told the audience "May the Fourth be with you" and it was pretty much the best moment of my life.
He performed this in October 2013 for me and I loved it!
He's clearly the geek god
omg that's adorable
@@phantomphanatic2 Yup, wasn't it? :D
I was at the 2013 one
In a world in which there are countless hours of parody videos on the internet, Weird Al remains the undisputed GOAT
True!
I agree 😂😂
No one will ever take his place
Anything Weird AL does, I'm in. Ive been listening to him since the mid 80s and thankfully Dr. Demento helped that along. Actually got to see the man himself with my brother and his wife. Gawds it was awesome. The song Albuquerque went one for 30+ minutes.
the first time i heard one of his tapes (Alapalooza), I was hooked. HE'S A GODDAMN LEGEND
Don McClean himself said he had issues remembering his own words to this song and kept singing Weird Al’s version because his kids wouldn’t stop singing it. Lol. That’s how you know it’s good! Weird Al is a genius.
Don is a nice guy. I love him too, and his musics.
I have the power to change it from 689 to 690, the power’s too much
@@CoolGuyMcgeez well now it's 1k.
Your powers gone!
@@luferaupa Starry Starry Night is a brilliant song
@@luferaupa didn’t he beat his wife?
I think the best part of this song is that it's a legitimately good summary of The Phantom Menace. All the major plot points get touched on, and even the weirder beats get brought up in good humor.
It's crazy that he wrote the song before the movie came out
I never realized how accurate it was until I actually saw the movie last week. LOL
@@thefutureisnowoldman7653 The scripst were leaked online and there were spoilers everywhere so it was very easy to do.
@@22espec online🤣 nah man that wasnt that easy like its now.
I honestly just rewatched episode 1 and thought of this song and I can't believe how unbelievably great this song is
This proves us 2 things we might have forgotten:
1) Weird Al can really sing
2) Weird Al is pretty good looking
3)Weird Al also looks like Ewan Mcgregor
@Kel Rowland He was 40 when this was released.
@@matthewallen445 he must drink that Paul Rudd water
Been a Weird Al fan from the beginning.
I’ve never forgotten he can really sing, he’s so talented.
It's a little Weird to see him without his curls 😂
I've seen Weird Al a few times in concert, and him and his band are amazing. Al is a really good singer and his band are amazing musicians both in and outside of the band. They've been together for about 40 years or so, have no major controversies, and just go to show that you can make it in the music industry and not be a jerk with a million scandals.
Best concert I've ever been too. Musically excellent, and great fun.
We need more of Weird Al and his band!
This was the first weird al song I ever heard, when I was around 10 years old.
Years later, my mom and I saw him in concert and I kept saying "if he doesn't sing the saga begins, I will literally cry" and then the concert was over ??? But no, then he came out for the encore in jedi gear, and it made my whole life. It was so frikkin' cool. 😄❤️ This might be my favorite of all his songs.
Haha, I can just imagine how amazing that must have been.
Soyjak but actually good memories man. But anyway you still will be soyjak
Same man
Good choice for your favorite. Mine is Dare to Be Stupid.
I've seen Al in concert. He leaves nothing on the stage. He is a true performer.
This is is not even a parody, it is a masterpiece on its own.
The force is strong with this guy
It's a parody the original is a masterpiece
I think they're both great. ^^
This one deserves to be the original.
Technically it's not a parody it's a lyrical adaptation.
I concur.
i heard that Don MacLean himself sometimes thinks of this parody whenever he's singing American Pie on stage, because of how much he and his kids love it.... you know you're doing something right when even the ORIGINAL artist loves your parody!
Michael Jackson loved "Eat It" and "Fat". In fact, a LOT of artists consider Al making a parody of their song a greater honor than a Grammy.
Kurt Cobain apparently loved Weird Al’s parody of Smells like teen spirit.
@@illlcrazymethod The only negative I've ever heard of was Cooleo who's okay with it now.
I heard Eminem also didn’t like his parody, Couch Potato
@@Atamask r/NothingEverHappens
My mother in law passed away mid November 2022 from complications from dementia. This was one of her favorite songs. My wife played it over and over all day for the days following her passing. I just sat there with her and listened or sang along with her when I managed to do so without breaking down. My mother in law was a wonderful and amazing woman. She greatly missed. RIP sweet lady. ❤
Sorry for you lost. This is an awesome song, even cooler MV
@@shoyo4ever15 Loss*
The cool thing about this parody is that it strikes the same melancholy tone as American Pie. You know it's not going to end well for Anakin. So Al didn't just write a brilliant new set of lyrics, he imbued them with a genuine sense of grief and longing. Especially the idea of this bright kid with all the potential in the world and how innocent he is now. I'm not really a Star Wars fan, but I still feel all the emotions while listening. So I think it's his deepest song.
I was thinking how well the mournful tale of American Pie fit the tragedy of Anakin as well, glad to see I'm not the only one overthinking it ;)
True
I’d forgotten the original song. So thank you❤
That was definitely not his intent, haha. Dude just wanted to write a song about a massive pop-culture event by parodying a massive pop-culture staple. He did the same thing on his following album for the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man film, penning "Ode to a Superhero" as a parody of Piano Man.
@@swishfish8858 I dunno, I think Al is pretty deep and smart.
I sing this song and ode to a superhero to my 3 year old when he goes to sleep.
I think both capture the spirit and moral of the stories.
With this, a kid with all the potential in the world ruined by war.
In spider man, the great power comes great responsibility, as well as that anyone can be “good enough” to be a hero.
I heard (and memorized) this version of the song as a kid before I even heard the original. True story! Still just as fantastic now as it was then.
Who didn't? This song introduced me to american pie. Its my fav song now
Same, I was so confused when I hear American Pie for the first time.
Kids......sigh.
We all know this is the OG one
Same! This is actually the first time in years I've heard this song and I can still remember a majority of the words.
The fact that he was able to put this entire story into a well known song's music, and make it work so flawlessly is just fantastic. Ranks among his best, with Amish Paradise of course.
Even better that he did it all before the Phantom Menace even came out
This was brilliant. As far as ranking amongst his best, I thought "Trapped In the Drive Thru," was a brilliant and nuanced take on relationships... with some of his most clever and witty lyrics. If I were in the unfortunate position of having to vote on his best video, I'd have to go with this one.
It also impressed me when he set the plot of The Empire Strikes Back to Lola by The Kinks in his song Yoda
@@PacDan That either shows how predictable the movie is, or how good Weird Al is at predicting the future.
Albuquerque is better than either of these
Being parodied by weird al yankovic is like a huge compliment and honour.
If only Prince saw it that way.
Kurt Cobain asked not to make the parody of Nevermind about food. The end result the band loved.
As a teenager growing up in the 70s and trying to irritate my parents with rock music I’m sad I didn’t discover that
Weird Al song until after my dad died,
If Al wants to parody a work of yours you know you have arrived.
🎉❤😂😎👏 there is saying out there somewhere
You know when your a successful performing artist is loved by near all when not only are fans are singing Along your lyrics but the PARODY weird Al lyrics too. 😂 Or you know you've made it when u get that call from Weird Al's team wanting to a parody of ur music and or videos.
Just ask Madonna. She literally begged him to parody one of her songs (we all know he did and likely on his own terms).
for a parody..the writing in this song is INCREDIBLE
this man is a damn genius
+Ignacio Varga Weird Al is the best.
+Ignacio Varga It's Weird Al, dude. He always makes the BEST parodies.
+Ignacio Varga this guy is the all time best at making parodies
***** AS FUCK?
If this song isn't in the library, then the archives are definitely incomplete.
JoshuWAH!! I get it!!!
Perhaps the archives are incomplete
Jakub Mejzr
If it does not appear in our records, it does not exist.
Youngling who raised his hand: Someone erased it from the archive memory.
Mmmmmmm madam person
Recorded: April 20, 1999
Released: June 24, 1999
Watching 20 years later.
Me too
Janitor Bob You do realize that this was recorded the same day as the Columbine Shooting, right?
@@sceneable8437 Wikipedia's page on "The Saga Begins" obviously does because that's what I was quoting. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Saga_Begins
boi it was recorded on my birthday
Has it really been 20 years?
one of his most vocally impressive songs, he just sounds unironically excellent
Actually, Al's tours, over the last few years, are his originals only, no parodies, but he performs one different cover every night. His voice is amazing. There's a bunch on youtube that people who've been able to sneak a video, have posted. Check out his cover of Natural Woman and then Rebel Yell. His range is amazing.
I fell in love with bye bye miss American pie when I heard it on the radio as a teen because the vocals are fantastic. I just found this. Al performs it super close to the original, you could have thought the piano intro was copied right off the cd. A lot of verses even rhyme with the original... He leaves out the next to last verse though, I wish he didn't because it's my favorite (going a bit syncopated), but the original track is 8 minutes so it's completely understandable.
“Weird Al” Yankovic desrves to be in the music hall of fame. A real genius for sure.
We should start a petition
You got a signature right here!
@@AnotherSpecialEdMom You would think such a legend would already be there.
@regalblue41 So it'll be posthumous, then?
Honestly. Most musicians struggle to be relevant for a couple years. Al’s been going strong for four decades.
Anyone who can fit the word “mitichlorians” as a lyric has my utmost respect!
its actualy midichlorians lol
I know I need this guy to write a whole musical nothing greater than a song that fits elaborate words into it
Mandalorian. There you guy, show me that respect stuff you speak of.
Contrary to anyone who fit the word "midichlorians" in movies has my utmost disgust!
“Um, actually, it’s mitochlorians” 🤓
When the parody is as EPIC and classic as the original classic!
this is not parody, just epic lyrics on cool music track
@@Visnjik1986 look up american pie by don mclean
it is a parody
@@Visnjik1986 wow it's like you don't know what you're talking about
The definition of weird al songs.
Weird Al's parodies are always better than the originals. And this one is just a legendary song in it's own right.
I can’t admit to finding all his parodies better than the original, but I’ve yet to hear one that isn’t just as good.
I don't know what word crimes is a parody of, but I know it is a parody.
It says a lot when Don McLean commented that he struggles with not using Al's lines while performing American Pie.
If I was Don McLean, I would not only be proud of creating one of the best Americana pop songs ever but also one of the best “spoofs” ever. Haha so amazing the way Al treats the songs and even more amazing how the OG artists love them so much.
Don McLean even helped write this version!
Yeah, Don said he sang the Weird Al version so many times with his kids he struggles to sing his original version sometimes.
Let’s go Brandon!
@@kodakcourage7255 Why?
I can’t believe they went all the way to tatooine to film this
That must have taken a while.
Time Lord Gina must have taken them YEARS to get there!
maybe even LIGHT YEARS
That planet is in a Galaxy AT LEAST far far away
It takes more than half a year to get to Mars, how long does it take to go to Tatooine?
This was technically the first ever prequel meme.
Magnificent arent they?
a good one at that
With a million more well on the way
And u want a fact ? It was recorded the same day as columbine massacre.
The fuck
Weird Al could rename himself "F*cking Awesome Al" and everybody would just be like "Yeah."
Real
Saw him in concert 3 times, my neighbor was his base guitarist amd gabe us back stage tickets , I was just a little kid , weird al came over to us all three times, said hi to my and my sister talked a little signed our back stage tickets, and left a lasting impression, I ❤ WEIRD AL, still the too 3 concerts I've ever been to 😂😂
Petition for him to change his name to "Fucking Awesome Al"
👇
@@Cassette-Cryptidi second this
Wow that's crazy @@bigfoot163
"But I'm still here and he's a ghost."
CANON
Just some bros
Warner bros
😆
He can see things before they happen. It's a Jedi trait.
@@ajh3461 well then he can see years into the future
It is literally impossible for me to hear the song American Pie and not start singing this song's chorus.
I've listened to this song so many times I still get them confused, when American Pie comes on, I sing a line from this, then line from that and it sounds horrible
slammedniss fun fact- the singer of American pie (sorry I’m not good with names) also makes that mistake sometimes. He said that in an interview
@@user-uo7yk3iz5q I swear I do that, too.
Which is a parody of which? Help?
@@dylanvan3300 Don McLean yes, he did
No one else could do a better synopsis of Episode 1 in 5 minutes and 36 seconds then Weird Al did in this video.
@@willydawookiee1163 😆 ??? I just love when people join the discussion to add....... nothing.. No argument? Let us know when you find that person.
It's even better than actually watching episode 1
ummmmmm.... he only talked about episode 1. otherwise, i agree. this is the best summary of episode 1 possible
Even though this is a joke, it shows that Episode 1 told a great story.
Star wars cantina, Richard cheese
Long ago I ceased being surprised at the incredible abilities of Al's band to cover ANY song..... I just listen and marvel.
Right? How do they all get their instruments to sound like other bands so damn closely?
Some earlier songs are hit or miss with that, but starting mid to late 90s they pretty much nail it every time.
I'd say you have to be an absolute expert on your instrument to pull that off that well.
(And the occasional guest musician _from_ the original band doesn't hurt either, lol)
Seriously. The fact that they can nail any genre or style, plus that they've been together (and with Al) for so long, makes them arguably one of the greatest cover bands in history. Major props to Jim West (guitar), Steve Jay (bass), Rubén Valtierra (keyboard), and Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz (drums). More people need to know who they are.
This is canon.
I once saw him and I autographed his robe
@Alexander Atkinson the fans have learned not to listen to disney on whats cannon.
@Alexander Atkinson Disney LIES
@@beefthedog2776 this song is more canon than the disney trilogy
Hopefully Disney won't say otherwise...
This is his absolute top song, and not BECAUSE it's Star Wars.... that's just a perk. He truly retells the entire movie, in sequential order, and he uses all actual movie/franchise specific terms, proper names, etc yet does not have any gibberish or obscure rhyming (think like Dr Seuss style). Plus, his verses are almost all completely on par with tempo, pitch, bps, and rhyme schemes from the original song, while the music is only very slightly altered; nearly indistinguishable from the original, but still very Al. You don't really have to be a Weird Al or Star Wars fan to appreciate the amazing structure of this parody. You may not understand all the jokes, but you can still appreciate it.
One term that felt was a bit off was the word “plane” in “…flew his plane and saved the day…” but I can’t really think of a better one syllable word to put there so I guess it worked as well as it could
@@nickfbutler yeah, that's when he's talking about the podrace right? I agree it's odd
@@FionaApplewright Pretty sure that verse is about the battle of Naboo, when Anakin blews up the droid control ship from inside.
cool story bro
@@nickfbutler 'craft'? 'Flew his craft'?
“He who is tired of Weird Al … is tired of life itself.” - Homer Simpson ❤️
AMEN
The corollary is not true. I'll never be tired of Weird Al.
When did he say that? Source?
@@feedmepaperr The Simpsons
“That '90s Show”
Episode aired Jan 27, 2008
@@80sgirl96 thanks I'll check it out
Weird Al, a musical genius in his own right. He should be in the musical Hall of Fame of every genre in which he has crafted a parody.
Less than half of the songs on AL's 14 studio albums are parodies.
AL is an incredible songwriter.
I've been to 3 of his original's only tours and he is an amazing musician.
Weird Al has a crazy good voice. Parody aside, this song legit gives me chills. Also, they should have given Al a cameo as a Jedi in the arena scene in Attack of the Clones.
That would've been so amazing.
He alternatively could’ve had a cameo in either of the Clone Wars series, considering Weird Al does a lot of voiceover work in animation.
Maybe they did.
he played ki adi mundi
@@lemonferret YES
DonMcLean : "Love this song, my kid does too, sometimes I start singing it by mistake on concert"
Lucasfilms : "You should have seen the smile on george's face"
This is what we call success
It is the epitome of parody when you can get the original artist to slip on your lyrics for a song he's been singing for decades.
@@Xel_Rendwyn Is this true?
@@oninada Well it is my opinion...not sure on any method to determine the "true" epitome of something so subjective. For me, yes.
@@Xel_Rendwyn Is there a video of this somewhere? I would love to see it.
@@oninada You are talking to the wrong person 😉
Al has outlasted most of the people he's spoofed.
he outlasted George Lucas
And Michel Jackson
Cheesy Fries whos michel jackson
@Big Daddy Egg to be fair, that isn't so hard to outlast
There's a good reason for that.
One of history GREATEST lyricists. Nuff said.
He wrote almost all of this based on internet spoilers. Legend.
George Lucas also granted him an early showing so the song could be as accurate as possible
@@Azwethinkweiz17 fr ?
@@user-oq4yk1xd7d Yeah
"Yankovic paid $500 to view an advance screening after writing the song, but most of his lyrics were correct, so he made minor changes; the only major change he had to make after the screening of The Phantom Menace was that Anakin did not tell Amidala that he was going to marry her, like Yankovic originally thought."
Satyr is chill
There was widespread online spoilers in 99?
This needs to be sung at every major Star Wars convention, period.
This sentence needs restructuring. This song needs to be sung at every major Star Wars convention, period.
@@kerrynicholls6683 he listened man
absolutely
@@thedisappearingfoxbros4001 the good ending
yes
I can’t believe he rhymed the whole plot of Star Wars
I know right!
It's like poetry, it rhymes
It's his world, and we're all livin in it.
🤣
XD
“The dark side of the force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be... unnatural.”
But the light side is too
It's just one movie, but I know what you mean.
Can we talk about just how good Al's voice is and how his range is kinda insane for him
I've screamed at a concert once in my life and that was when Al performed this when I saw him live. I thought the concert was over when suddenly storm troopers came out on the stage. I love this man. I've listened and laughed so much to his songs but this is my favorite.
In San Diego?!
@@coney6796 No, in Oslo, Norway.
Darth Sidious can play the piano? That's the biggest kept secret in the galaxy.
Thats not a piano, it actually has a much stupider name with about 9 paragraphs of information gathered from extended universe stuff that is no longer canon because disney
@@trollshamanpwnage be it’s a piano
@@bloop1470 there's no such thing as a piano in star wars
@@trollshamanpwnage tf of course there is idiotic human being
@@trollshamanpwnage yeah, but it’s kinda pointless to correct someone on it.
This is probably Weird Al's most lyrically impressive parody.
"We took him there and we told the tale
How his midichlorians were off the scale
And he might fulfill that prophecy.
The council was impressed, of course.
Could he bring balance to the force?
They interviewed the kid...
Oh, training they forbid
Because Yoda sensed in him much fear
And Qui-Gon said: now listen here!
Just stick it in your pointy ear,
I still will teach this boy.
he has a few songs that are legitimately better than the originals (lyrics+)
White and Nerdy is the tops
While this song is my very favorite of his, Bob is more impressive lyrically. An entire song of palindromes is awesome.
Major Damage 69 I disagree. Bob is amazing, and the use of nonsensical palindrome phrases is a perfect parody of Bob Dylan's original. But lyrically, it's not as impressive as this. This is his most successful parody. So much so that Don McLean has stated that he often thinks of Weird Al's lyrics before his own.
I love that the part of American Pie that says "the father, son, and holy ghost" is now "I'm alive and he's a ghost"
"The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost" became "met up with Darth Maul, now he's toast."
"They caught the last train for the coast" became "Now I'm still here and he's a ghost."
I mean he is a ghost. and a pretty holy one at that...
BECAUSE HE HAS A HOLE IN HIM! GET IT?! IT WAS A PUN! IM SO FUNNY EVERYONE SAYS IM SO FUNNY
@@stinky1426 Man, I'm dead 💀
I have a fond history with this song. Back in 2007, when I was only 5, my dad was in a big star wars charity organization called the 501st, or Vader's Legion. For one of Al's concerts, he and about 30-40 other stormtroopers went up on stage with Al and did a kick line.
I still have the DVD that was made in correlation with that show, and I'll frequently go back to this song and hum it to myself while I'm at work. Weird Al means so much to me, and I wish I could have been there alongside my dad with the King of Parodies. That's why I plan to re-adopt my dad's old TK number and stormtrooper armor, and carry on what he did years prior. I promise, dad.
your father would be so proud to hear this. I just know it. The force is strong with you. Continue to strive and keep a clear mind. Protect the weak and May the force be with you...Always.
lmao you were 5 in 2007
Sounds awesome, you should totally share that dvd
This comment confused the living hell out of me because I have a very similar story! My mom was in the 501st legion when I was growing up and my brother and her went on stage as troopers during one of his concerts. I remember listening to this song all the time as a kid. I have my moms old car now, so my license plate is her TK number
Good luck man!
whats really funny about this song is it came out before the movie did, so weird al wrote the song based on the trailer and internet rumor and still got the story line pretty accurate.
He also paid a lot for a ticket to a premier showing Lucas was putting on to make sure it was correct. He even said in an interview he only had to change a few minor parts in the lyrics to fit the actual plot.
Actually read somewhere that the soundtrack of the movie came before the movie too, and for example one of the songs is titled "Qui-Gon's Noble End" (spoiler alert much). But still great achievement on Al side tho. Also i dont think he predicted the word "midichlorians" like come on.
He really must be a Jedi because if his fore sight was that good
@@kingaxolotl4085 If Jedi had good foresight the Skywalker saga would never have happened
incorrect, Episode 1 was released May 19th 1999, this song was released July 29th
One of the most underrated artists of all time. For a guy who does parodies, He can actually sing really well. I sing his songs in place of the real ones just about everytime I hear one
Less than half of Al's 14 studio albums are parodies, the rest are his amazing and funny original songs.
Btw, go to one of his concerts, you'll have your mind blown. He's an incredible performer. :-)
th-cam.com/video/ZStBtt9syZI/w-d-xo.html
@@PBryanMcMillin Yup, I find it difficult to know anyone who doesn't rate him.
LOL I'm glad I'm not the only one! We had Party in the USA playing on the CD at work, and all I could hear was Party in the CIA!
Lol I thought it said mister Anakin guy, guess not
Blake, you have no idea what the U-Word means.
this is the highest quality and highest effort parody I have ever heard in my life
"Could he bring balance to the force?"
Technically, yes.
Well, technically he did it. There were so many adepts of Light side and only a few - of Dark. So he really brought balance between sides of the Force in the galaxy by destroying Jedi Order :)
They interviewed the kid, OH training they forbid
Obi-Wan: You were supposed to bring balance to the Force!
Anakin: I did. There's 2 Sith and 2 Jedi left.
@@leesmith6739 That's not balance, though.
@@reginaldfromnigeria5206 I know I was making what's called a joke
Fun fact: this got praise from both Don McLean and George Lucas!
That’s how you know he’s good at what he does!
Fun fact: People didn’t have to preface everything they said with Fun Fact when this came out.
@@aldunlop4622 Fun fact: That’s not the point!
Don McLean loved the parody so much that sometimes he would sing it by mistake when he sang American Pie live.
@@lanceplaxton6967 that was also partially because his children owned Al’s album “Running With Scissors”, which opens with this song on it
@@lanceplaxton6967 That would be remembered by those who experienced it for ever afterwards, some with enormous mirth, and others with enormous irritation and indignation! "Maybe Vader someday later..."! Hahaha!
No one on this Earth does parody like Wierd Al. The man is a national treasure.
Al Yankovic to me is as of a legend as Obi-Wan
Ikr, Jim H.
Global Treasure, Ftfy.
And if we colonize the Moon he will be an Interstellar treasure.
You mean an international treasure
As someone who grew up a major Star Wars fan and then who loves Weird Al and of course a rock classic like American Pie every time I see this I get a kick out of it. Weird Al is an absolute genius and if he's not in the RnR HOF he most certainly deserves it.
Same lol
Fun fact: Weird Al actually wrote the lyrics BEFORE the movie even came out. He got all his information from spoilers and leaks. Impressively, when he saw the movie (as part of a preview screening IIRC), he only had to make minor changes.
satinsguard HOLY SHIT REALLY?
@@thepi399 Yep, it's true! Charity screening of the movie let him know how little he had to change.
Are you sure George Lucas just didn’t make a movie based on this song?
@@taylormerriweather2824 No, no I am not.
Donald Lapham this story’s great! Now it just needs bad cgi and some fake English accents
Weird Al’s ability to follow an original songs lyrics so closely while make sense and being funny is ASTOUNDING
Yeah, wonderful songwriter and comedian.
It truly is astounding. 😄😄😄
If you think this is astounding, there is a TH-cam side-by-side comparison of his parody of Michael Jackson's Beat It and Weird Al's Eat it. Weird Al not only kept in synch with the original song, but he even danced in synch with MJ's moves.
The lyricism of this song is impeccable. Fitting in the Star Wars details with the original melody..just chef's kiss
is it okay to you if i assume you are a Meat Canyon fan asweII?
@@Jeremy_the_unfallible_n-a LOL
Comedy is tough because everyone has their own "funny," but without a doubt, this song parody is BRILLIANT. Kudos Al.
Palpatine and I actually had a vocal-piano duet band while the Empire was still around. We performed at the Mos Eisley cantina lots of times and actually got to play for Jabba once.
impressive
Darth Vader I knew I recognized the man on the Piano. Most Impressive! I sensed it was the Emperor & as it turns out I was right
Lord Vader those where great shows. I miss those days
Vader, why would you perform for Jabba? He sold you and your mother into slavery.
Darth Vader did you ever play piano man?
"Their response, it didn't thrill us. They locked the doors and tried to kill us." That is the most Jedi way of rationalising stupidly walking into an obvious trap. Also, sheev on the keys is chef's kiss gold
Should’ve been playing a fiddle
I would like to mention that this song came out before the phantom menace came out
"I'm still here and he's a ghost" - - - Interesting how Canonically correct that line was years in advance.
To be fair, the original trilogy already established that dead Jedi’s became Force ghosts so most people just assumed it was going to work that way in the prequels too.
@@shelbyvillerules9962 yeah technically he did not become a ghost, or he did, from a certain point of view. Not a physical ghost at least. and auditory ghost perhaps
@@mrexpendable1232 he did become a full force ghost in canon, he taught obiwan how to become a full force ghost in tatooine.
It also implies that someone taught Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader how to become a Force Ghost. I have long suspected that when Obi-Wan Kenobi became a Force Ghost he then haunted Darth Vader and turned him back towards the Light.
@@peterjohnson1379 he did not become a full ghost in canon. He figured out how, but the force "claimed" him too much before he could acheive it. it was also something that could only be maintained for a few years, but that was changed by disney for a yoda insert. In the EU yoda and obi wan both faded into the force not long after luke got his new jedi order functioning. Qui-gon faded long before ANH happened
My absolute favorite Weird Al song out of all his awesome songs.
Weird Al is a genius. These lyrics were so well thought out, and arranged. Probably my favourite of his songs.
I think my favorite line is "he was a prepubescent flying ace" pure brilliance 😂😂😂
Weirdly emotional too, it's still got the slight melancholy of the original, like Obi-Wan is wistfully remembering the good times.
Definitely his Magnum Opus IMO. White and Nerdy a close second
🤓🤓🤓🤓
@@Cuzjudd I would say his magnum opus is the song "Albuquerque ". That one is really out there, and it's amazing he remembers it live.
I can't believe Weird Al made the best Star Wars movie
What did you expect
I can't believe Weird Al made Phantom Menace into a better movie than the final product we got.
Pierce Martinez can’t believe the phantom menace is better than the entire sequal trilogy
@@lebronjames1472 Meh. I'll take Rey Palpatine and lame imitation of Jacen Solo over Jar Jar, Jake Lloyd's acting, midi-chlorians, the Twilight level romance, and Space CNN scenes any day.
@@lebronjames1472 phantom menace is by far the worst Star wars film ever
“He who is tired of weird Al is tired of his life.”
- Homer Simpson
Weird Al is the person that inspired me to do parodies myself.
@@Angie2343 cool
@@TheLittleRedVixen yup!
True but i'm tired of vevo sending me bilie elish in the i and some other bs when the song is over with a chick in a desert with a chicken
@@brunobrekalo5502 lol
Disney wishes it could make Star Wars content this good
100% I'd watch a 2 hour film of this.
They can’t make anything good anymore
If it was half as good as this Disney would be doing alright!!
they made rogue one
@@valentinlageot4101 They got out of their own way and allowed skilled writers write without picking everything that would make the movie worse. It was more that Disney ignored Rogue One until it happened to get completed
Anyone: "Can anyone give me a quick summary of Episode 1?"
Weird Al: "Hold my accordion."
Good one!!
😂
The most detailed and efficient retelling of phantom menace.
“Maybe Vader someday later” has no right being THAT catchy
It's a trap!
"Now he's just a small fry"
"He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye"
The original line, “drove my Chevy to the levee” is just as catchy, and Al manages to put in a rhyme just as good
@@Yakkymania Yes indeed
Getting a remix by weird al is a trophy of the highest honor
Fun Fact: Weird Al wrote this song using only internet rumors. Lucasfilm wouldn't give him an advanced screening, and when he finally saw the movie, he had to change only two lyrics. He nailed the entire plot of the movie just based on rumors lmao
Wow
Now I wanna know what two lines he changed!
@@RoseMairie According to another comment on here, there was originally a line about Anakin telling the queen that he was going to marry her
It is too precise for just internet rumors unless script security had more holes than a George Lucas plot.
Weird Al said that he wouldn't have made this song without George Lucas' blessing. So he sent Lucas the unreleased song to see if he liked it.
Lucasfilm replied with "you should've seen the smile on George's face when he heard the song for the first time". He loved it and Weird Al was relieved about getting the stamp of approval.
BTW, Lucas was not annoyed that Weird Al's song revealed plot point from the yet to be released movie it was based on.
One of many scenes that George lucas had to cut out from his movies.
Instead including all that CGI, what a disgrace
What about the droid attack on the wookies.
🤣
It's really a shame, I think the phantom menace would have benefitted greatly from this scene. Obi wan singing in the cantina was beautiful characterization for him. It really shows off his more playful side which we dont see enough of in the prequels.
Finally, proof that this wasn't a fever dream of mine
Ya seriously I saw this on live TV and couldn't find it for years
Mhmmm
Ikr?
@Carter Hughes What are you talking about that's vet dream
BRO SAME!!! I told my friends about this and they all thought i was crazy
It's 2024 and I'm just going through watching random Weird Al videos. This is the song that made me realize what a genius he really is!
totally agree
It's the first one my Dad showed me years ago, the masterpiece
Yes. He’s a total genius!!
Always loved Weird Al, but it was this song that catapulted him far above other artists.
This is what Obi-Wan was really doing on Tatooine while watching Luke.
Lol
Jedi Bard, subset of Jedi Sage.
He shaved between episode 3 and 4 😆
Just holding in a nut
I'm convinced that this is canon.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate that this man, this glorious man, had the wherewithal, or the divine inspiration, to be able to see "A Long Long Time Ago," and connect that with some other version of "A Long Long Time Ago" (American Pie)... like he not only made that connection but then had the genius to construct this entire song from it. Guy saw one phrase made one of contemporary music's best parodies around, and he did it before the movie even released. Absolute legend.
I can’t understand a word this says #grammar police
@@kylebarsness118 Correction: Word Crimes.
Except that nothing in “Star Wars” ever said or showed “A long long time ago.” It’s “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away …”
@@DennisKovacich Yes but the original song says A Long Long Time Ago. It's similar enough to easily see the connection.
You are just a genius
"Because Yoda sensed in him much fear, but Qui Gon said now listen here, just stick it in your pointy ears, I still will teach this boy." best lyrics ever!
It’s “I still will teach this boy”
"But their response, it didn't thrill us. They locked the doors, and tried to kill us." Still makes me laugh every time.
Much anger in him.
@@boarbot7829 oo
"prepubescent flying ace" might just win
25 years later and still a Gem..
Palpatine is an amazing piano player. Shame about the fact he's evil.
That all a matter of perspective.
+swissnor clever.
Sheev did nothing wrong
+vincentpol It's true tho
Valpas Kankaristo I wasn't being sarcastic. The perspective literally matters whether he's a good pianist or not.
I love that this song tells the entire plot of The Phantom Menace in a mere 5 minutes and 37 seconds while being highly entertaining.
Pashha Theosifon and it’s much better acting than in the phantom menace 😂
unlike the phantom menace
5 min and 35 sec
Gusdebo thank you
and he only knew a little bit of the movie when he wrote this song (which was before it was released), mind you.
Apparently Don McLean loves this so much that occasionally he’ll play it instead of American Pie in concerts
seriously?!
wait what???
Yes to you two so far, he legitimately loves this version and sometimes he almost accidentally sings this version.
@@thehunterator520 i accidentally sing this a lot
there ya go.
The song that started my love of Weird Al. I remember my Dad showing me this back when I was 8 and I immediately fell in love.
My 4 and 5 year old granddaughters listening to this yesterday: “I love Weird Al.” Ahhhh, we’ve raised them right!
:) Now this brings a smile to my face.
:)
Quite obviously! Good kids!
congratulations, grandma. keep them in the good way
Pretty cool how that George Lucas guy made a whole Saga about this song
Yeah and the fact it was so good
🤣
🤣
george stole the idea from alyan!
You Sir, win the comment section.
I can't believe Al is 60 now. How time flies...
No kidding. I first heard Al on Dr. Demento back in the 1980s.
WOW with a capital W
I feel old now
And doing something right. Had barely aged over the years
WHAAAAAAAAT???? Oh God...
He nails the narrative of Phantom Menace so well lyrically in this parody.
Every copy of Attack of the Clones should include this as a prologue before the opening title scroll.
Every copy of Revenge of the Sith should have this as the prologue and skip Attack of the Clones completely.
@@Drums_of_Liberation Good Idea and all, but its about phantom menace
@@thewiseguy2307 "as a prologue"
Yeaaaaahhhh
And then be destroyed only leaving the prologue
When this song was released, I was a new mom and an established Weird Al fan. At night, when I'd rock my son to sleep, I couldn't think of lullabies to sing that I knew the lyrics to, so after getting tired of singing the same Christmas songs over and over, I started singing this to him. It's perfect because it's a longer song and I knew all the lyrics. My kids are 8, 10, and 12 now, also established Weird Al fans, and they "somehow" know all the words to "The Saga Begins". I guess it does live up to its name. :-)
This song was released over 20 years ago in 1999. If your oldest is 12 then your timeline has a plot hole. Cool way to put your kids to sleep though.
@@ashketchum5946 You're right! I guess it came out 10 years before my son was born. Time is a bit of a blur.
:) heartwarming
" Established " Weird Al fans hahaha!!!
@@firehazzard8497 My son just turned twelve. I should have said "about 10 years before my son was born". I wasn't thinking of timeline accuracy, just the memories.
It is amazing because you listen to the original amazing classic then you listen to weird Al’s version and it not only fits in musically but it fits in with the syllables. He is just a musical genius!
It is way better :)
@@andreasakritas
American Pie is a classic, but impressive how Weird Al capture the same upbeat/melancholy, folksy spirit of the og song while retelling the lore a Star Wars prequel.
Parody writing 101. It makes it funnier if it rhymes with the original lyrics.
For me, this IS the original lol I never heard the actual song this is a parody of and don't really want to.
@@ArtIsAPassion24 Are you locked in a dungeon on an uninhabited planet in a galaxy far, far away? How can you not have listened to American Pie?
This song has made me smile so many times over the past 25 years and somehow I have never seen the video. This song and video had me smiling and singing along throughout. Thank you Weird Al and crew for the years of entertainment.
I personally never watched Star Wars, but I've got enough of the movies' plots from this song that I understand the saga.
11/10 amazing song.
You should watch it. They are great movies
Sorry bro this is 1/9
Watch 1-6, just avoid 7-9.
@@grayski3324 force awakens isnt horrible I'd skip 8 and 9
@@harryhoran3403 TFA is only good when compared to the rest of the garbage Sequel trilogy. That film started the fire and made the achievements of the OT cast mean fuck all. They were forgotten and left to rot as shadows of their former selves. Han was reset back to ANH Han and was shown as an incompetent old man who died to the blade of his own emo son. Leia wasn't in a high position of the Senate or something like that but a simple general who was barely in the film. While Luke and Lando fell off the face off the earth for wack reasons.
The new characters are pretty bad in the writing department and the poster child of this was Rey/Kylo. Both are terrible for different reasons: one is an inconsistent dumbass who can't handle simple interrogation and actually forgot about his faction's main goal to capture a random civilian. It's also on him for only sending a grand total of 4 dudes to capture the droud while he did fuck all at that console. Now for the other, Rey, a near blank slate who has no reason to even be here is given all the power right off the bat for no reason. She has all the abilities needed for an situation and gets out of danger without a scratch. She even wins the day against Kylo in a field that he should dominate in even when injured. What broke me on a 1st viewing was when she used the Jedi mind trick with ease.
As for Finn, the man at base is contradicting since he can't handle needlessly suffering but he doesn't blink an eye to the murder of stormtroopers even though he know the brainwashing can be broken with the right push. Hell, it's never talked about how Finn is here because Poe shot his stormtrooper friend. That could've been a good conversation to have if the man didn't disappear for good chunk of the film then pops back up to destroy starkiller base. This leads onto the massive worldbuilding issue of how the hell the FO rose under the republic's nose? Nobody noticed all this money, men, material being moved to create this army to the point of turning a planet into a deathstar? How did no information about any of this get leaked? The republic was made so limp-dicked to retell the empire vs. Rebel plotline but the writers didn't give a damn about the consequences.
"A lot of folks were croakin', the battle droids were broken..." 10/10 lyrics
I just got to that line as I saw this comment
bunch of clankers
"Alot of folks" if I'm not mistaken.
I saw this comment right when I saw him say that
@@jacwilliams5329 Thanks man!
The original prequel memer.
A surprise to be sure
@@simonkim8646 absolutely welcome*
@@dimefuls Only a Sith deals in absolutes!
From my point of view, Weird al is the true prequel memer
HELLO THERE
There is this sense of hope and wonder within this song that I remember from when the movie first came out. It is perfectly captured here, and in the novel The Encroaching Storm (I think that was the title). I miss feeling like that about Star Wars.
Me too. But you know what? I _did_ feel that way about Star Wars, at one time. it's one of many feelings we'll never get to truly know again. But we have our memories, and that's what makes them so special. :)