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Canadian Idiot

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"Canadian Idiot"
Song

"Canadian Idiot" is a 2006 song and single by "Weird Al" Yankovic from his album Straight Outta Lynwood. It is a parody of Green Day's "American Idiot". The song is mostly a sarcastic parody of the stereotypical American view of the Canadian way of life. Yankovic pokes fun at an accentuated Canadian accent and the Canadians' love of ice hockey, beer, macaroni and cheese, and doughnuts. At the end of the song, he says that the Canadians are "up to something" and calls for a "preemptive strike".

Release

"Canadian Idiot" was never meant to be released as a single in the United States, but showed up on the Billboard charts nonetheless. It reached No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] Although it was not released as a tangible single in the U.S.,[2] promo CDs were pressed in Australia and shipped to radio stations to play.[3]

Live performances

The song is performed in Yankovic's 2007 Straight Outta Lynwood Tour. The song was first performed in Canada on June 20, 2007 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After the song Yankovic bellowed, "That was the first time we've played that song in Canada, thanks for not killing us." For the song's live performances, Yankovic and the band wear black collared shirts and red ties, similar to what Billie Joe Armstrong wore in all American Idiot-related band photos, tours and music videos. Yankovic has also sung the "Call of the Loon" (the signature tune of Bob and Doug McKenzie on SCTV) during the main guitar riff in his live shows.

Music video

MuchMusic ran a contest for the song on their website, which ended December 27, 2006. Entrants had to submit a video of themselves being the "ultimate Canadian idiot." Five winning clips were to be shown on Much On Demand.[4] The project was canceled due to lack of submissions.[5] Later, an update brought the project back, and the five finalists received digital cameras and a personalized recording from Yankovic himself.

Reaction from original artist

Billie Joe Armstrong, lead singer of Green Day, after being asked what he thought of the "Canadian Idiot" parody before its release, said "I think it's cool. Weird Al's a funny guy and I think sometimes he does the song better than the original. It should be funny I think. It'll probably be about food or something. And uh... Weird Al." Armstrong gave a thumbs-up to the song and Weird Al himself.[6]

Chart positions

Chart (2006) Peak
Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 82
U.S. Billboard Pop 100 57

See also

References

  1. ^ Canadian Idiot's Chart History
  2. ^ Straight Outta Lynwood Singles History
  3. ^ "Canadian Idiot" Australian Promo CD
  4. ^ [1] Archived 2006-12-09 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ [2] Archived 2007-01-27 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Reactions From Original Artists
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