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The problem with the polka medleys is that most of them become instantly dated. By only picking what's popular at the time, a lot of the songs included fail to hold up over a long period of time. "Polka Party!" suffers for me because I was born after the relevance of all of these songs. Sure, I knew of songs like "Sledgehammer," "Rock Me Amadeus," and "Papa Don't Preach," but none of them held any emotional weight with me when I first heard this song. And he goes through them so fast that I barely register when one ends and the next begins. I can still enjoy this song, but not at the same rate as I can the other medleys.
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This is the only original Weird Al polka song on this list and while it's a fine polka song, it definitely feels like an uninspired contract fulfillment. "Pokemon" and "polka" sound the same! Let's get Weird Al to list a few of them! They sure have funny names! As I huge fan of both, I feel I deserve a lot better than this collaboration.
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Like "Polka Party!" this one had trouble resonating with me as a kid, but at least I feel like I learned about more songs with this one. "Sharp Dressed Man," "We're Not Gonna Take It," "99 Luftballoons," "Footloose" and "Relax" all sound great polkafied. This is also the first medley that ended with the signature "Shave and a Haircut" ending. Also, for some reason, the video medley for this one can't be found on Youtube. Copyright issues with one of the original song's videos?
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This is definitely a step up from "Hooked on Polkas" and "Polka Party." It just feels like Al's having more fun. It's got "Love Shack," "Losing My Religion," "Unbelievable," "Enter Sandman," "I Touch Myself," and "Ice Ice Baby." That closing song is what knocked this medley down a few points. Why we gotta immortalize Vanilla Ice?
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This may be the last polka medley we ever get, as Al is finally free from his contractual obligations. This one just feels a bit like he's going through the motions. "Wrecking Ball," "Best Song Ever," and "Scream & Shout" actually have some clever moments, but then he just does "Call Me Maybe," "Gangnam Style," and "Sexy and I Know It" because he has to. The "Get Lucky" closer is also kind of disappointing because when I first heard it, I was expecting another song to follow it and deliver a rousing finale. Checking the other medleys, this one is tied for the lowest number of songs included at 11.
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During the five year wasteland before Alpocalypse, I clung desperately to this song because it was first premiered on his 2010 tour and it was one of the few new Al songs for a long time. When the album came out however, most of the songs had become dated already, but it was fun as a concert-only treat for true fans for a while. Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and Ke$ha each get their just desserts in this medley. Heh, "Polka Face," I get it.
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This is a great medley because it just picks one type of song and sticks with it. As you can tell by the title, we get a lot of "angry white boys," via nu metal, alt. rock, and rap rock. I was unfamiliar with nearly all of these songs when I first heard the medley, but I've since educated myself. This may be the best juxtaposition of tones ever presented in one of these medleys. "Chop Suey," "Outside," "Down with the Sickness," and "Renegades of Funk," all sound spectacular this way, but "Bawitdaba" gets me every time.
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I love me some late '90s pop-songs, so having Spice Girls, Hanson, and Backstreet Boys all together is great. But on top of that, we get "Flagpole Sitta," "Tubthumping," and end with "Closing Time." This may just be the best '90s mix ever produced and you can tell by the "Semi-Charmed Life" breakdown.
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Weird Al said that he has a wide variety of musical tastes that he likes to share with people. This song encapsulates that thought as it had some popular songs mixed in with more indie hits like the Killers and Franz Ferdinand. It introduced me to Modest Mouth's "Float On" and it worked into a song that had "Don't Cha," "Drop It Like It's Hot," and "Gold Digger." That's pretty cool.
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Weird Al's first album had accordion featured on nearly every song. As he moved to a wider array of instruments on his second album, he knew he'd have to feature his accordion skills in a big way in just one song. Thus, the polka medley was boring. Various versions of his first medley first appeared in concerts, based on the popular Stars on 45 craze. He settled on this classic medley that featured solidified hits of the '60s and '70s (and a couple from the '80s)so that it would always remain iconic. The Beatles! The Rolling Stones! Jimi Hendrix! Talking Heads! The Doors! The Police! The Clash! The Who! A perfect medley!
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Although it's classified as a medley, it's really just a complete polka cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." And it's everything you'd ever need out of a concept like that. Because you have to do the whole song when covering it. It's the law!
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After skipping a medley on his Even Worse album, fans screamed until they passed out for Weird Al to return to form. So he decide to pick up the Rolling Stones' greatest hits compliation Hot Rocks 1964-1971 and said, yeah, that'll do. I remember my slow discovery of realization when I first heard this song. "Huh, he just did two Rolling Stones songs...wait, now he did another one...are all of these...whoa!" Like "Polkas on 45," it stands the test of time and like "Bohemian Polka," it serves as a great tribute to one of Al's favorite bands.
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This is just an average polka medley. But it's all from my favorite musical genre: '90s alternative rock. And so, it is my favorite. And surprisingly, this is the other medley that has the shortest tracklist but it does so much with it (and it's 12th song "Buddy Holly" was cut but can be found elsewhere so, you know, it still counts). Alanis Morissette! Red Hot Chili Peppers! Green Day! Beck! Smashing Pumpkins! Foo Fighters! Nine Inch Nails! And, of course, R.E.M!
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