Shortly after release, Michael Jackson’s Bad (1987) and Weird Al Yankovic’s brilliant response Even Worse (1988) were spotted side by side in record stores – cover to cover, serious meets satire. Weird Al fully embraced the iconic leather look, shot the video for “Fat” using the exact same subway set as Jackson’s “Bad” video, and went on to win a Grammy for it.
This snapshot became a cultural moment in ‘80s pop history: irony meets influence, parody meets pop royalty. Two artists, one legendary visual – truly iconic.
Released in April 1988, Even Worse was Yankovic’s fifth studio album. The album’s title and cover art were direct parodies of Jackson’s Bad. The cover featured Yankovic in a similar pose and outfit, with the title Even Worse printed in a font that mimicked the Bad logo.
The lead single was “Fat,” a parody of Jackson’s “Bad.” The song’s lyrics humorously detailed the struggles and pride of being overweight. The music video for “Fat” was a shot-for-shot, scene-for-scene parody of Jackson’s “Bad” video. Yankovic, wearing a fat suit, mimicked Jackson's dance moves and swagger in the same subway setting.
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| The cover art for Michael Jackson’s Bad album. |
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| The cover art for Al Yankovic’s Even Worse album. |
On July 9, 2009, in the wake of Michael Jackson’s death, Rolling Stone published an article written by Weird Al, a kind of tribute/remembrance piece. In the article, Weird Al talked about the first contact he had with the King of Pop, and how even he was surprised about the warm reception that his request was given.
“The first time around I pursued Michael Jackson about a song parody, it was a shot in the dark. We’re talking about the most popular and famous person in the known universe, and here I was, this goofy comedy songwriter. He not only returned our phone calls, but he approved it. He thought it was a funny idea.”
Weird Al went on to describe his conversations with Jackson when Weird Al wanted to create a second parody. Not only did Michael Jackson approve the request, but he also offered Weird Al the real set from his “Badder” music video.
The resulting “Fat” music video went on to win a Grammy award in 1988 for Best Concept Music Video, which may not have come to pass had Michael Jackson not been so generous with his offer.
In his Rolling Stone tribute, Weird Al remembered that, not only did Michael Jackson approve his request to record “Eat It,” but he also signed a contract to say that the two artists were co-creators of the new parody song.
“There’s a contract somewhere that has his signature next to mine, proving that we are the co-writers of ‘Eat It,’ which is surrealistic in and of itself.”
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| Signature page of Weird Al’s contract with Michael Jackson indicating that they are co-writers of “Eat It.” |
Weird Al largely credits his success to Michael Jackson, which seems generous and kind of him. Yes, it’s certainly true that Weird Al might still have found the same level of international fame and recognition even if Michael Jackson had taken the same road as Prince and denied Weird Al the right to create his parody songs, but it seems that Weird Al’s star really started to rise after those two Michael Jackson songs went viral.
“I don’t know what kind of career I would have today if it hadn’t been for Michael Jackson. In a very real sense, he jump-started my career. ‘Eat It’ basically changed me from an unknown into a guy that got recognized at Burger King.”
(via MJVibe)
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