Tag Archives: Jay Levey

Music Video of the Day: Eat It by Weird Al Yankovic (1984, directed by Jay Levey)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Reportedly, Michael Jackson really liked the video for Weird Al Yankovic’s Eat It and why shouldn’t he?  The video so closely followed the video for Beat It, duplicating it scene-for-scene, that Jackson was actually paid royalties from it.

Another fan of this song and also of Fat was Kurt Cobian who was flattered when Weird Al asked to parody Smells Like Teen Spirit but who also specifically asked, “Is it going to be about food?”  (Al assured Kurt it would be about how no one could understand his lyrics.)

This is the song and the video that put Weird Al on the map.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Fat by Weird Al Yankovic (1988, directed by Jay Levey)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Yesterday, the video was bad.

Today, it’s fat.

This video was shot on the same set where the video for Bad was filmed.  Weird Al had to get permission for Michael Jackson to use the set and Jackson granted it.  Jackson appreciated almost all of Weird Al’s parodies, though he did ask Weird Al not to do a parody of Black or White.

I’ve always thought Fat was the better song.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies by Weird Al Yankovic (1989, directed by Jay Levey)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

On Friday night, myself, Lisa, Leonard, and several other people all watched UHF, the ahead-of-its-time comedy starring Weird Al Yankovic.  One of the highlights of the movie was this music video, which combined Dire Straits’s Money For Nothing with the Beverly Hillbillies.

The video’s animation was done by David Silverman, who would go on to work on The Simpsons.  Mark Knopfler and Guy Fletcher, both of Dire Straits, both performed on the song.  Knopfler later said was that his one condition for allowing the parody was that he and Fletcher be allowed to play on it.

According to Yankovic, the song’s strange title was due to the demands of the lawyers.  He prefers to call the song “Beverly Hillbillies For Nothing.”

Enjoy!