The Saga Begins
"The Saga Begins" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
from the album Running with Scissors | ||||
A-side | "It's All About the Pentiums" | |||
Released | June 24, 1999 | |||
Recorded | April 20, 1999 | |||
Genre | Comedy rock, folk rock | |||
Length | 5:27 | |||
Label | Volcano | |||
Songwriter(s) | Don McLean, "Weird Al" Yankovic | |||
Producer(s) | "Weird Al" Yankovic | |||
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
”The Saga Begins” on YouTube | ||||
"The Saga Begins" is a parody song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It parodies "American Pie" by Don McLean, with lyrics that humorously summarize the plot of the film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace through the point of view of Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the film's protagonists.
The song's title, not mentioned in the lyrics, derives from a tagline that appeared in teaser trailers and the film poster[1] for The Phantom Menace: "Every saga has a beginning". "The Saga Begins" was released as a single from the 1999 album Running with Scissors, and later appearing on the compilation album The Saga Begins.
History
Set to the tune of Don McLean's "American Pie", "The Saga Begins" recounts the plot of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, from Obi-Wan Kenobi's point of view. Yankovic gathered most of the information he needed to write the song from Internet spoilers.[2] Lucasfilm declined a request for an advance screening, and Yankovic paid to attend a charity fundraiser pre-screening.[2] He had done such an accurate job with the storyline that he made only minor alterations after the pre-screening.[2]
McLean approved of the song and,[2] according to Yankovic, also has said that his children played it so much that "he'd start thinking about Jedis [sic] and Star Wars, and it would mess him up" in concert.[3] According to Yankovic's website, Lucasfilm's official response to the song was, "You should've seen the smile on [George Lucas's] face."[4] This is the second Star Wars song Weird Al has created, with the first being 1985's "Yoda", a parody of "Lola" by The Kinks.
Music video
The video begins in the desert on the planet Tatooine. Yankovic, dressed like Obi-Wan Kenobi, the protagonist of Episode I, walks until he comes across Darth Sidious playing the piano. Yankovic uses the Force to get a resonator guitar, and in the second verse he reappears performing in a Mos Eisley cantina leading a band also dressed as Jedi. In the last verse, he returns to the desert; and in the last chorus, numerous "Obi-Wan" clones sing as a group.
- Some Star Wars characters can be seen, such as Queen Padmé Amidala (played by Al's cousin, Tammy), Qui-Gon Jinn, Mace Windu, and Yoda.
- The upper half of the pianist's face is always covered by the hood of the robe that he is wearing much like the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. When asked why, Yankovic stated that, "They didn't want to scare small children," a reference to the playful teasing of Yankovic's pianist, Rubén Valtierra, commonly used in his live shows.
In 2011, the entire video was released as a bonus feature in a Star Wars spoofs compilation for the 2011 Blu-ray box set release of the saga.
Live version
Al and his band usually perform "The Saga Begins" and Al's earlier Star Wars parody, "Yoda" as an encore. It is usually preceded by a cover of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Al's keyboardist, Rubén Valtierra. During the 2007-2008 Straight Outta Lynwood Tour, the two were moved to the middle, and Al and his band performed "Albuquerque" as the encore.
Response from Don McLean
McLean gave Yankovic permission to release the parody, although he did not make a cameo appearance in its music video, despite popular rumor. McLean himself praised the parody, even admitting to almost singing Yankovic's lyrics during his own live performances because his children played the song so often.[5][6]
Radio edit
The song was played frequently on Radio Disney and later released on Radio Disney Jams Volume 2. Radio Disney took issue with his line "Did you see him hitting on the queen?" and removed it (so that the song skipped slightly). Yankovic, who usually does not like to change lyrics to suit the needs of others, provided Radio Disney with an updated version, having changed the words to "Did you see him talking to the queen?" He said that the alternate lyrics were preferable to the bad edit.
Charts
Chart (2010) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Comedy Digital Tracks (Billboard)[7] | 20 |
References
- ^ File:Star Wars Phantom Menace poster.jpg
- ^ a b c d TheForce.Net - Jedi Council - Interviews | Weird Al Yankovic
- ^ Mansfield, Brian (May 10, 2015). "On the Road Again: "Weird" Al Yankovic". USA Today. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ AskAl Archive, published August 1999; retrieved June 27, 2015
- ^ ""Ask Al" Q&As for September, 1999". Archived from the original on September 2, 2006. Retrieved October 29, 2006.
- ^ "Jedi Council – Interviews Weird Al Yankovic". TheForce.Net. September 14, 1980. Retrieved May 20, 2010.
- ^ "Weird Al Yankovic – Chart History: Comedy Digital Tracks". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
External links
- "Weird Al" Yankovic - The Saga Begins - Official music video on YouTube
- v
- t
- e
- "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz
- Steve Jay
- Jim West
- Rubén Valtierra
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
- Another One Rides the Bus
- Internet Leaks
- Greatest Hits
- The Best of Yankovic
- The Food Album
- Permanent Record: Al in the Box
- Greatest Hits Vol. II
- The TV Album
- The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic
- "My Bologna"
- "Another One Rides the Bus"
- "Ricky"
- "I Love Rocky Road"
- "Eat It"
- "I Lost on Jeopardy"
- "Like a Surgeon"
- "Yoda"
- "Hooked on Polkas"
- "Dare to Be Stupid"
- "I Want a New Duck
- "Living with a Hernia"
- "Christmas at Ground Zero"
- "Fat"
- "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies"
- "Chicken Pot Pie"
- "Smells Like Nirvana"
- "You Don't Love Me Anymore"
- "Jurassic Park"
- "Bedrock Anthem"
- "Achy Breaky Song"
- "Headline News"
- "Amish Paradise"
- "Spy Hard"
- "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
- "The Saga Begins"
- "It's All About the Pentiums"
- "Polka Power!"
- "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi"
- "Albuquerque"
- "Bob"
- "Couch Potato"
- "eBay"
- "You're Pitiful"
- "Don't Download This Song"
- "White & Nerdy"
- "Pancreas"
- "Canadian Idiot"
- "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
- "Whatever You Like"
- "Craigslist"
- "Perform This Way"
- "Tacky"
- "Word Crimes"
- "Foil"
- "Handy"
- Al TV
- The Compleat Al
- UHF
- The "Weird Al" Yankovic Video Library
- Alapalooza: The Videos
- Bad Hair Day: The Videos
- The Weird Al Show
- "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection
- "Weird Al" Yankovic Live!: The Alpocalypse Tour
- An Evening of Dementia with Dr. Demento in Person Plus "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Mandatory World Tour
- Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour
- Strings Attached Tour
- The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour
- Discography
- Videography
- Polka medleys
- Peter & the Wolf/Carnival of the Animals – Part II
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
- Category