In many ways, the history of popular music over the last several decades can be traced through the eyes of one Alfred M. Yankovic. A master satirist who spent years fashioning pun-filled, ornately produced send-ups of the most popular hits of any given time period, “Weird Al” Yankovic paid homage to the ‘80s pop anthems of Michael Jackson and Madonna, the ‘90s grunge of Nirvana, the turn-of-the-century top 40 Billboard Hot 100 fodder of Backstreet Boys and Avril Lavigne, the rap stylings of Eminem and T.I. and much more. While Yankovic makes a habit of asking the permission of any artist he’s satirizing, being spoofed by “Weird Al” has long been a badge of honor — if he’s making a parody of your song, your song is important.
And yet, Yankovic does not only exist for comedy fans: his send-ups of popular tracks are so well-done, and so catchy, that they have often become popular on their own merit. Over the course of his career, “Weird Al” has launched multiple songs onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart — with one even reaching the top 10. And while Yankovic hasn’t released a proper album since 2014’s Mandatory Fun, he’s still active on tour, playing these parody hits to thousands of adoring fans. In 2022, Yankovic tapped Daniel Radcliffe to play him in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, a “Weird Al” biopic that fittingly satirized musician biopic tropes (and had little basis in reality, but was still hilarious).
Check out “Weird Al” Yankovic’s 10 biggest Billboard hits to date below.
