Weird Al, having been in the biz for decades by this point, has a lot of songs under his belt. But, of course, some of these songs are more popular than others. We all know about "Like a Surgeon" and "Smells Like Nirvana", but what about "Mr. Popeil"? Or "The Check's in the Mail"?
Here's where my Scale of Weird Al Song Obscurity comes into play. The scale has 6 (technically 10, but that's not the point) levels (henceforth called classes), with 1 being the most famous and 6 being the least famous. Where I placed all these songs was based on two main things: how well-known it is (if non-Al fans could recognize it, how much I've seen it being talked about, etc) and how "on-brand" (to the view of an outsider) it is (so non-parodies, songs not related to food, and more vulgar songs would be placed lower on the scale). Of course, this may make my placings a bit biased, but I still tried to keep the list as objective as I can. On with the show, now...
And of course, there's a more concise version written up by my good friend 44nifty. Thanks!
0/"Eat It": EVERYONE KNOWS "EAT IT", JERK!
1A: The fervourly famous stuff. And by stuff, I mean song parodies - the only type of song allowed for this tier. You listen to any of these songs, and you'll immediately recognize them as Al. As such, there are very few that fit this category. Some that do, though, are "My Bologna", "Fat", and "Amish Paradise".
1B: This category is for songs that, while recognizable as all hell, aren't mind-bogglingly popular. Unlike 1A, this tier can include originals. Songs like "Dare to be Stupid", "I Lost on Jeopardy", and "One More Minute" belong here.
2: Here lie the songs just short of well-known. I wouldn't call 'em niche by any sense of the term, but they just don't get as much air time as Al's more popular songs. "Everything You Know is Wrong", "Christmas at Ground Zero", and "UHF" belong in this tier.
3A: The last stop for casu-al fans - because the recognizability is gonna drop from here. Still, all the songs in this category are popular, if moreso for reasons tangentially related to the song itself. "Hardware Store", "Germs", and "Perform This Way" all belong here.
3B: This is the tier for Al's more well known polka medleys. It follows the rules of Classes 1B-3. Songs like "Polkas on 45", "The Alternative Polka", and "Bohemian Polka" belong in this tier.
4A: Now we're getting niche. Don't expect some of these to be on the radio - because this is where rarities (really) start showing up. Still, all these songs have an undercurrent of being known - even if you haven't listened to 'em. "You're Pitiful", "It's Still Billy Joel to Me", and "Livin' in the Fridge" go in this tier.
4B: This is the tier for Al's less well known polka medleys. It follows the rules of Classes 2-4. Songs like "The North Korea Polka (Please Don't Nuke Us)", "Hooked on Polkas", and "The Hot Rocks Polka" belong in this tier.
5: Rarely heard songs and actual rarities abound. This is where all the really overshadowed stuff go. Songs like "Patterns", "Gee, I'm a Nerd", and "Stop Draggin' My Car Around" belong in this tier.
6: The obscenely obscure stuff. Only a hardcore Al fan (or perhaps just someone interested in music history and/or lost media) would get these. Songs like "American Slob", "If I Could Make Love to a Bottle", and "I'm Stupid Blues" (all real songs, by the way) belong in this tier.
A full list to be created...eventually.
Come back home, won't you?