Varied Reactions from Musicians on Weird Al Yankovic Parodies of Their Songs

Weird Al Yankovic has been making funny parody versions of pop songs for about 40 years now. He famously always seeks permission from the original artists, even though he's not required to under fair use regulations. Some say no, but most are thrilled to have the honor of a Weird Al parody. Or at least they do before they hear the song. Some will work closely with Yankovic to produce something they would be proud of, and a few were publicly upset when they heard the final result. Prince never gave permission. Paul McCartney's vegetarianism is the reason we never heard the parody of "Live and Let Die," which was going to be named "Chicken Pot Pie." A few artists liked the parodies so much that they use Weird Al's lyrics instead of their own on occasion! Read the stories of how 15 artist reacted to Weird Al parodies of their songs at Cracked.