Weird Al Yankovic was turned down for Beatles cover over star’s wife | Music | Entertainment
Today, October 23, 2022, Weird Al Yankovic turns 63-years-old. The American star, who was born in 1959, has made a name for himself covering pop and rock artists around the world and making parody versions of their songs. While he has used songs from Michael Jackson and Madonna, he never managed to claim a track from The Beatles – but not without trying.
Weird Al tried to cover one major hit from Paul McCartney’s second band, Wings.
The song in question was Live and Let Die, which was the title track for the 1973 James Bond movie of the same name.
Incidentally, Paul met Weird Al for the first time at an event, where they discussed getting a parody song produced. Paul told him: “I love your stuff! Anytime you want to do one of my songs, it’s yours!”
Almost two years later, Weird Al was struck by inspiration. He contacted Paul again and asked to cover Live and Let Die with the new title: Chicken Pot Pie.
Weird Al said at the time: “I finally came up with the perfect song,” however he didn’t envision coming up against the problem he did.
LA Weekly reported Paul replying: “Oh no… I can’t possibly allow this – my ex-wife Linda would never have supported a song that celebrates the killing of chickens.”
Linda McCartney was an uncompromising vegetarian, and even started her own line of meat-free meals that still sell today.
Weird Al recalled: “Paul didn’t want me to do it because he’s a strict vegetarian and he didn’t want a parody that condoned the consumption of animal flesh. He said: ‘You can do something else like tofu pot pie.’ I said: ‘No, the chorus of my song will be ‘Bawk-bawk-bawk-bawk’ and tofu doesn’t make any noise.”
Solemnly, Weird Al added: “It’s not going to work.” (Via Rolling Stone)
READ MORE: George Harrison admitted he was ‘ruined’ by Paul McCartney
This wasn’t the end of Weird Al’s journey with The Beatles, however. The singer also made his own version of Fab Four’s song Taxman in a parody titled Pacman.
He also covered the band’s track Free as a Bird with his song Gee, I’m a Nerd.
McCartney was not the only act to block Weird Al from covering their music.
Michael Jackson was also very reluctant to let the star play one of his songs.
In the past, Weird Al had made a fortune off of covering Bad and Beat it with Fat and Eat It respectively.
However, when it came to covering Jackson’s politically-charged track Black or White, he wasn’t given permission.
Weird Al said: “I considered parodying Black or White … Michael wasn’t quite so into it, because he thought Black or White was more of a message song, and he didn’t feel as comfortable with a parody of that one, which I completely understood.”
