Lasagna (song)

"Lasagna"
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Even Worse
B-side "Velvet Elvis"
Released May 27, 1988
Format 7", 3"
Recorded February 19, 1988
Genre Comedy rock, Latin, Chicano rock
Length 2:45
Label Scotti Brothers
Producer(s) Rick Derringer
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
"Fat"
(1988)
"Lasagna"
(1988)
"I Think I'm a Clone Now"
(1988)
Even Worse track listing
  1. "Fat"
  2. "Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White"
  3. "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long"
  4. "You Make Me"
  5. "I Think I'm a Clone Now"
  6. "Lasagna"
  7. "Melanie"
  8. "Alimony"
  9. "Velvet Elvis"
  10. "Twister"
  11. "Good Old Days"

"Lasagna" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "La Bamba", a traditional song popularized by Ritchie Valens and Los Lobos.

Track listing

  1. "Lasagna" 2:45
  2. "Velvet Elvis" 4:27

Writing and release

When Yankovic began writing the song, he claimed:

My original thought for this was to record the entire song in Italian.

I was actually going through Italian phrase books and dictionaries until I realized that the humor would be lost on 99% of the audience, so I decided to do the whole thing in English but with kind of a bad Italian accent.[1]

Under U.S. law, Yankovic can parody any song as long as he pays royalties to use the original music. However, as a personal rule, he asks for permission to maintain good relations with the industry. This song is an exception to that rule. Although it is a parody of the Los Lobos cover version, "Lasagna" marked Yankovic's first parody that did not require permission from an artist or a payment of royalties, since "La Bamba" is a traditional folk song that is not attributed to any specific writer.[2]

The single was released exclusively in Japan as a mini 3" CD single.[2][3]

Music video

There is no full-length music video for this single, though a shortened music video segment was shown in 1997 as a part of The Weird Al Show.

Italian dishes mentioned in "Lasagna"

Yankovic names many Italian dishes in "Lasagna", including:

In pop culture

This song plays on a radio in a cave scene in the live-action/animated Yogi Bear movie.

See also

References

  1. "Permanent Record Booklet: "Lasagna"". Al Yankovic. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
  2. 1 2 ""Lasagna" Single". Al Yankovic. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
  3. ""Lasagna" 3" CD Single". Al Yankovic. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
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