How a Star Wars spoiler became a platinum-selling comedy masterpiece
In short: In 1999, "Weird Al" Yankovic released a platinum-selling album built on internet spoilers and musical mimicry. By using online leaks to summarize the plot of a highly anticipated Star Wars film, he created a topical masterpiece that transformed late-90s pop culture into a legendary, chart-topping comedy achievement.
In June 1999, "Weird Al" Yankovic released *Running with Scissors*, his tenth studio album and a significant turning point in his career. It marked his first release under Volcano Records and featured a radical physical transformation: Yankovic debuted a clean-shaven face, longer hair, and the results of LASIK eye surgery, abandoning his signature glasses for the first time in nearly two decades. While the album's parodies targeted the late 9/90s landscape of alternative rock and hip-hop, its most enduring legacy was built on clever anticipation.
One of the album's most famous tracks, "The Saga Begins," was a masterclass in topical songwriting. In December 1998, Yankovic started drafting lyrics for his 'American Pie' spoof, using only online leaks to summarise the story of *Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace*.
He even attempted to secure an advanced screening from Lucasfilm to verify details, though he was ultimately denied. The song was so timely that he only had to adjust a single line after attending a charity screening. Despite some critics suggesting the album felt rushed, *Running with Scissors* was a massive commercial success. It reached number 16 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum in the United States, with sales exceeding 1.18 million copies by 2014. The album also showcased Yankovic's versatility through "style parodies," ranging from the industrial rock of Nine Inch Nails in "Germs" to an eleven-minute, hard-driving rock narrative titled "Albuquerque," which became an unexpected fan favorite despite Yankovic's original intent to simply annoy listeners.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Running with Scissors ("Weird Al" Yankovic album)
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