Living with a Hernia explained

Living with a Hernia
Cover:Living With a Hernia Cover.jpeg
Type:single
Artist:"Weird Al" Yankovic
Album:Polka Party!
B-Side:Don't Wear Those Shoes
Released:October 21, 1986
Recorded:August 4, 1986
Genre:
Length:3:16
Label:Scotti Brothers
Producer:Rick Derringer
Prev Title:Dare to Be Stupid
Prev Year:1986
Next Title:Christmas at Ground Zero
Next Year:1986

"Living with a Hernia" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. The song is a parody of "Living in America" by James Brown, from the film Rocky IV. The song mostly describes the terrible "aggravation" and "back pain" that a hernia causes. The narrator himself claims to be suffering from a hernia, and that he's "Got to have an operation".

Recording

"Living with a Hernia" is a spoof of "Living in America" by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight (which was also the theme to the 1985 film Rocky IV). As the title suggests, it is about hernias.[1] When it came time to pick a song to parody as the lead single for Polka Party! Scotti Brothers Records "had some very strong ideas" and wished to have Yankovic parody a musician who was signed on the same label. After "Living in America" became a hit, the record label insisted that Yankovic parody the song, to which Yankovic obliged.[2] In order to accurately write the song, Yankovic researched the various types of hernias. On August 4, 1986, Yankovic began recording parodies for Polka Party!, starting with "Living With a Hernia".[3]

Critical reception

The single received mostly mixed reviews. Eugene Chadbourne of AllMusic was critical of the parody, and wrote that "'Living in America' in its original version has all the overblown grandeur needed to make a good parody target, but 'Living With a Hernia' just isn't funny."[4] Christopher Thelen of the Daily Vault noted that "Yankovic even falls flat tackling" Brown with this parody.[5] In a positive review, Keith Thomas of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called the single "a comical classic", praising Yankovic's lampooning of Brown's stage performance. He was particularly pleased with Yankovic naming specific types of hernias as opposed to cities in the United States. He concluded that, "Some people say Weird Al's appeal will wear out [but] I beg to differ."[6]

Music video

Yankovic noted that "it was a real thrill to do James Brown. I'm a total non-dancer, never went to any dances in high school, but if I analytically dissect a dance routine I can figure it out." Choreographer Chester Whitmore was hired to accurately create the dance scenes featured in the video, which was shot on the concert set used in the movie Rocky IV.[7]

Track listing

  1. "Living with a Hernia"  - 3:16
  2. "Don't Wear Those Shoes"  - 3:35

See also

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Polka Party!. "Weird Al" Yankovic. 1986. liner. Scotti Bros. Records. Note: the original vinyl and CD release of the album contained complete liner notes, which included lyrics and personnel. The 1991 re-issue, however, does not feature liner notes as a cost saving measure.
  2. Rabin and Yankovic, p. 77
  3. Web site: Recording Dates . 26 June 2010 . Yankovic . Alfred M. . "Weird Al" Yankovic . December 2007 . The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100709121948/http://www.weirdal.com/rcdgdate.htm . 9 July 2010 .
  4. Web site: Chadbourne . Eugene . Polka Party! – Weird Al Yankovic . . April 21, 2011 . June 6, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120606133839/http://www.allmusic.com/album/polka-party!-mw0000196425 . live .
  5. Web site: Thelen . Christopher . Polka Party! . Daily Vault . September 2, 2001 . April 21, 2011 . October 4, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111004072747/http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=1994 . live .
  6. News: Thomas. Keith. Clapton on Showtime: 'Forever Man' of Music. July 5, 2014. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Enterprises. November 16, 1986. August 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230813190819/https://login.ku.edu/cas/login?service=https%3A%2F%2Flibauth.ku.edu%2Flibauth%2Findex.php%3Furl%3Dezp.2aHR0cDovL2RvY3MubmV3c2JhbmsuY29tL29wZW51cmw.Y3R4X3Zlcj16MzkuODgtMjAwNCZyZnRfaWQ9aW5mbzpzaWQvaXcubmV3c2JhbmsuY29tOk5ld3NCYW5rOkFKQksmcmZ0X3ZhbF9mb3JtYXQ9aW5mbzpvZmkvZm10OmtldjptdHg6Y3R4JnJmdF9kYXQ9MEVCN0MyNUY4NTA5QjE2NCZzdmNfZGF0PUluZm9XZWI6YWdncmVnYXRlZDUmcmVxX2RhdD0wRjg0Nzk1MjJCRDA5Q0Ex. live.
  7. Permanent Record: Al in the Box. "Weird Al" Yankovic. 1994. Barret. Hansen. Dr. Demento. liner. Scotti Brothers Records. California, United States.