"Bedrock Anthem" is a song by
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
which was featured on his 1993 album ''
Alapalooza
''Alapalooza'' is the eighth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1993. By the completion of his previous album, ''Off the Deep End'', Yankovic had already written all of the original songs that he planned to use on his next release ...
''. It is a
parody
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...
of "
Under the Bridge
"Under the Bridge" is a song by the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the eleventh track on their fifth studio album, ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik'' (1991). Vocalist Anthony Kiedis wrote the lyrics while reflecting on loneliness and the st ...
" and "
Give It Away", both by the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
and features the same
funk rock
Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the rock and roll beat, with a biographer sta ...
musical style. The song also appears on the soundtrack album for the 1994 live-action movie version of ''
The Flintstones
''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...
'', with a portion of the song played during the end credits.
This was the second time Yankovic used two songs by a band in one parody, the first being "
The Plumbing Song", which was a parody of
Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Their debut album, '' All or Nothing'' in Europe, reconfigured as ''Girl You Know It's True'' in ...
's "
Baby Don't Forget My Number
"Baby Don't Forget My Number" is a song by German dance-pop group Milli Vanilli. The track was released in December 1988 as the second single from their debut album, '' All or Nothing'' (1988), as well as its American counterpart, ''Girl You Know ...
" and "
Blame It on the Rain
"Blame It on the Rain" is a song written by Diane Warren and performed by the German dance-pop group Milli Vanilli. It was released as a new track from the group's North American debut album, ''Girl You Know It's True'' (1989), and did not appear ...
". "Bedrock Anthem" included clips from the actual ''Flintstones'' cartoon and, after being a part of ''
Alapalooza
''Alapalooza'' is the eighth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1993. By the completion of his previous album, ''Off the Deep End'', Yankovic had already written all of the original songs that he planned to use on his next release ...
'', was also included in the
compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
''
The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic
''The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic'' is a two disc compilation album by "Weird Al" Yankovic. A limited edition "3.0" version of the album has a third disc. It is published by Sony Music's Legacy Recordings
Legacy Recordings is an America ...
''.
Track listing
# "Bedrock Anthem" – 3:41
# "Young, Dumb & Ugly" – 4:24
Lyrics
The song portrays the narrator's desire to live in
Bedrock
In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet.
Definition
Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
, the setting of TV's ''
The Flintstones
''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...
'', citing such perks as being the first ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' subscriber. The song features an audio clip of ''The Flintstones'', which makes a corresponding appearance in the video.
Yankovic stated that, "I knew there was
a Flintstones movie coming out, and I figured that for once I'd have my song out before the actual phenomenon. So I got to predate the movie by seven months. I'd always wanted to do a tribute to the Flintstones because I think they're a big part of pop culture. I did a lot of research, really immersed myself in the Flintstones. I watched over 100 Flintstones episodes, because I had to not only re-familiarize myself with the characters, I had to find actual sound bites and animation from the series to use in the song and the video."
Music video
The video for "Bedrock Anthem" begins as a parody of the "Under the Bridge" video during the song's slow introduction, before shifting to a parody of the "Give it Away" video for the remainder of the song. For this latter part, Yankovic and his band found what they believed was the exact spot that the Red Hot Chili Peppers has used, including notable landmarks including a bush of which
Flea
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...
had performed in front.
The music video was Yankovic's full video directing debut, following from the short segment from the end of his 1986's "
Christmas at Ground Zero
"Christmas at Ground Zero" is an original song by "Weird Al" Yankovic, the tenth and final track on his 1986 album, '' Polka Party!'' and the final single from the album, released just in time for the 1986 Christmas season. The song is a style p ...
" video.
In the "Under the Bridge" section, parodies include:
*The
Bee Girl from the
Blind Melon
Blind Melon is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Los Angeles by five musicians: three from Mississippi, one from Pennsylvania and one from Indiana. The band currently consists of guitarists Rogers Stevens and Christopher Thorn, drummer G ...
video "
No Rain
"No Rain" is a song by American rock band Blind Melon. It was released in 1993 as the second single from the band's debut album ''Blind Melon''. The song is well known for its accompanying music video, which features the " Bee Girl" character. T ...
" is tap dancing onstage. Guitarist
Jim West pokes her, causing her to fall, while he replaces her and begins to play she tries to climb onto the stage again, but he uses his foot to push her off.
*Jim West is dressed similar to
John Frusciante
John Anthony Frusciante (; born March 5, 1970) is an American musician, best known as the guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers across three stints since 1988. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to e ...
.
*Yankovic replaces
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis ( ; born November 1, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is a founding member and lead vocalist of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis and his fellow band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fa ...
, shirtless, with a long brown wig similar to Kiedis' hair.
*Yankovic has several tattoos on his arm, including one of Pebbles and another of Wilma. This is an obvious pastiche of Kiedis's many tattoos.
*A drawn image of
Bedrock
In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet.
Definition
Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...
replaces the photo of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
The video then quickly segues into a parody of "Give it Away":
*
Dick Van Patten
Richard Vincent Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He was best known for his role as patriarch Tom Brad ...
appears in this video, as he did in "
Smells Like Nirvana
"Smells Like Nirvana" is a song parody written and performed by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. A parody of Nirvana's song "Smells Like Teen Spirit", it was released as the lead single from Yankovic's ''Off the Deep End'' album in April 19 ...
".
*
Jon Schwartz replaces
Chad Smith
Chad Gaylord Smith (born October 25, 1961) is an American musician who has been the drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers since 1988. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Smith is also the drummer of the h ...
. He is also dressed up like a member of the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes, complete with hat and club.
*
Steve Jay
Eugene Stephen Jay (born January 26, 1951) is an American bassist, best known for working with "Weird Al" Yankovic.
Early life
Jay was born Eugene Stephen Jay in Detroit, Michigan on January 26, 1951. He auditioned for "Weird Al" Yankovic in 19 ...
appears as
Flea
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...
.
*Black-and-white footage of ''
The Flintstones
''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...
'' is intercut with the video.
*A monologue from ''The Flintstones'' along with accompanying footage is played over the backwards guitar solo.
*The band members do crazy things, such as blowing a
pinwheel, playing with a
slinky
The Slinky is a helical spring toy invented by Richard James in the early 1940s. It can perform a number of tricks, including travelling down a flight of steps end-over-end as it stretches and re-forms itself with the aid of gravity and its ow ...
, throwing up, playing ring toss with the drummer's fake horns, and playing
Twister
Twister may refer to:
Weather
* Tornado
Aviation
* Pipistrel Twister, a Slovenian ultralight trike
* Silence Twister, a German homebuilt aircraft design
* Wings of Change Twister, an Austrian paraglider design
Entertainment
* ''Twister'' (198 ...
.
*Close-ups of Yankovic's mouth are weirder than the shots of Kiedis' mouth in the original. One shot shows Al performing a
chinface. Another two shots show him with false teeth (which look like zippers), as well as oddly vibrant-colored lipstick, which was also featured in the original.
*In the split-screen shot of the members jumping, a stone-age majorette, Al's aunt Dot, a sumo wrestler,
Dick Van Patten
Richard Vincent Van Patten (December 9, 1928 – June 23, 2015) was an American actor, comedian, businessman, and animal welfare advocate, whose career spanned seven decades of television. He was best known for his role as patriarch Tom Brad ...
, and a poodle and a bird jump as well.
*Near the end, Schwartz is seen with a
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
hat on, a parody of Chad Smith's usage of a
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
German military hat.
Reaction from Red Hot Chili Peppers
According to Yankovic's ''
Behind the Music
''Behind the Music'' is a documentary television series on VH1. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have ...
'' episode, the
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
were not very impressed with the parody, although they approved of Yankovic's work. Bassist
Flea
Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...
later stated:
References
External links
{{authority control
1993 singles
1993 songs
Comedy rock songs
Music videos directed by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Songs about television
Songs with lyrics by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Songs written by Anthony Kiedis
Songs written by Chad Smith
Songs written by Flea (musician)
Songs written by John Frusciante
The Flintstones
"Weird Al" Yankovic songs