Headline News (song)

"Headline News"
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Permanent Record: Al in the Box
B-side	"Christmas at Ground Zero (Alternate Mix)"
Released	September 27, 1994
Format	CD, cassette
Recorded	July 27, 1994
Genre	Comedy, alternative rock
Length	3:46 3:28 (video edit)
Label	Scotti Brothers
Producer	"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
"Achy Breaky Song" (1993) "Headline News" (1994) "Amish Paradise" (1996)

"Headline News" is a parody song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the Crash Test Dummies's 1993 hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm".

Track listing

The following tracks are on the single:

1. "Headline News" – 3:46
2. "Christmas at Ground Zero (Alternate Mix)" – 3:07

The promo single only contains "Headline News".

Release

The "Headline News" CD single was released to coincide with the release of the box set entitled Permanent Record: Al in the Box. The song was never officially released on a studio album and was formerly available as a CD single, the cover of which was a parody of the Crash Test Dummies album God Shuffled His Feet. The song, however, does appear on Yankovic's Greatest Hits Volume II album.

Lyrics

Part of the humor of the song lies in that it, being a reworking of the Crash Test Dummies hit "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" which told the story of three abnormal children, tells the story of three famous tabloid stories of the mid 1990s: Singapore caning American delinquent Michael Fay, figure skater Tonya Harding's then-boyfriend attacking her rival Nancy Kerrigan, and Lorena Bobbitt severing her husband's penis with a knife.

Other humor revolves around the fact that many of the parody lyrics mimic the lyrics of the original song:

Original: Once there was this kid who got into an accident and couldn't come to school

Parody: Once there was this kid who took a trip to Singapore and brought along his spray paint

Original: Once there was this girl who wouldn't go and change with the girls in the changing room

Parody: Once there was this girl who swore that one day she would be a figure skating champion

Original: Then there was this boy whose parents made him come directly home right after school

Parody: Then there was this guy who made his wife so mad one night that she cut off his wiener

More humor is derived from the fact that Yankovic imitates the Crash Test Dummies lead vocalist, Brad Roberts' deep bass voice and his peculiar vocal expressions.

Concert lyrics

Yankovic's Straight Outta Lynwood concert tour contains new lyrics as part of the medley, referencing Britney Spears, dealing with her 2007 head-shaving shock and underpants-less limousine trip in late 2006:

Once, there was this girl who

Rode around in limousines and didn't wear her undies

And when she finally cracked up

She shaved all of the hair off of her head

We couldn't understand it

It'd always just been there

Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm

Later in the tour, he changed it to reference Paris Hilton's DUI and imprisonment, and subsequent interview on Larry King Live:

Once, there was this girl who

Got herself a DUI and went away to prison

And when she finally came back

She spoke with Larry King on his talk show

Can someone tell me why we

Should give a crap about this

Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm

(Note: in some performances, the last two lines were sung as

He couldn't quite explain why

Anybody should care...)

Music video

The music video for "Headline News" parodies the "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" video. The video uses the original video's theme of telling each news story as a one act play on stage before an audience of people. The video is included on "Weird Al"'s DVD "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection.

• Both videos feature a little person handing out programs, but in the Yankovic version, the person is shirtless
• Yankovic appears as Brad Roberts, the Crash Test Dummies lead vocalist.
• Al, throughout the video, parodies Brad Roberts' rather peculiar facial expressions.
• The video features several cameos, including an appearance by Doug Llewelyn of People's Court fame, and long time radio show host, and Yankovic supporter, Dr. Demento.
• The gate that Michael Fay steps off has the number '27' on it, a number which Yankovic often hides somewhere in his music, videos, or albums.
• Michael Fay sprays paint in the face of a Singaporean.
• During the shot of the Singapore prison, a hockey stick can be seen hanging on the wall of instruments of torture. This is possibly a reference to the fact that the Crash Test Dummies came from Canada.
• In the middle of the video, Rubén Valtierra is seen wearing a wig while playing the piano, an obvious jest at Ellen Reid, the main keyboard player for the Crash Test Dummies.
• The book that Michael Fay supposedly wrote was called "Ouch! My Butt!" and had a picture of him pointing to his afflicted area. He also 'signs' the books by spraying spray paint on the inside jacket.
• Judy Tenuta is uncredited as Lorena Bobbitt.
• John Bobbitt is evidently clueless as to where his penis is, searching inside his refrigerator. He pulls out a pack of frankfurters, stares at them for several seconds, and tosses them aside with a despondent look on his face.
• At one point in the video, a velvet picture of Elvis Presley is seen hanging on the wall. This is likely a reference to the song "Velvet Elvis" from Yankovic's album Even Worse.
• The second time Al hums, black duct tape can be seen taped over his mouth.
• As Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan fight on the ice skating rink, four judges each hold up a sign, saying "9.7," "8.3," "9.4," and "7.6." Also, while Harding is beating Kerrigan up on the ground, it is clearly seen that Harding is fighting a dummy.
• If you sum the first two judge signs (9+7=16 (8+3=11 (16+11))), you get 27.
• As Tonya Harding is at a news conference sobbing her story, Kerrigan comes, shoves her out of the way, and mouths the words "Why me?" before Harding pulls her down.
• Near the end, the camera moves to a different viewpoint. Al, still humming, leans back on his stool to remain in view and eventually falls off. Manualist "Musical Mike" Keifer can be seen on a platform above him.
• At the end of the "play," the main players, all holding hands, take a bow. Afterwards, Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding, who are right next to each other, shake their hands loose.
• At the end of the video, Yankovic's hair becomes a little less styled, and he is playing his accordion.
• As the video closes, instead of parents as in the original video, odd couples are seen leaving; an insane man with a dog puppet on his hand with an attractive woman, an elderly upper class man (Dr. Demento) with a lower class overweight woman with curlers, a man with a "punk" girlfriend, and Doug Llewelyn with a large sumo wrestler wearing an unbuttoned shirt.
• Even though in the video the man hits Nancy Kerrigan's right knee, at the end when all of the characters are on stage you see that her left knee is the one that's bandaged.

Notes

• "Headline News" was added to Yankovic's concert sets in the summer of 1994, months before it was officially released, making it one of only a few songs that Yankovic has performed live first, then later went on to be officially recorded and released.
• One of many of Al's hit songs that feature the talents of manualist "Musical Mike" Kieffer.
• Yankovic has performed this song in concert with backing from the Crash Test Dummies. As Yankovic's version uses Kazoos, the Crash Test Dummies went out and got Kazoos, much to the surprise of Yankovic. He later said that the group were particularly good sports.
• The picture of Al on the single's cover is the same picture that appeared on the cover of his "In 3-D" album.

Chart positions

Chart (1994)	Peak Position
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles	4

See also

• List of singles by "Weird Al" Yankovic
• List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic

External links

• "Weird Al's" Official Page
• Al's Official MySpace Page