"Living with a Hernia" 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 ...

. The song is a parody of " Living in America" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, from the film '' Rocky IV''. The song mostly describes the terrible "aggravation" and "back pain" that a hernia causes. The narrator himself claims to be suffering from a hernia, and that he's "Got to have an operation".

Recording

"Living with a Hernia" is a spoof of " Living in America" by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight (which was also the theme to the 1985 film '' Rocky IV''). As the title suggests, it is about hernias. Note: the original vinyl and CD release of the album contained complete liner notes, which included lyrics and personnel. The 1991 re-issue, however, does not feature liner notes as a cost saving measure. When it came time to pick a song to parody as the lead single for ''

Polka Party! ''Polka Party!'' is the fourth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on October 21, 1986. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between April and September 1986, the album was Yankovic's follow-u ...

'' Scotti Brothers Records "had some very strong ideas" and wished to have Yankovic parody a musician who was signed on the same label. After "Living in America" became a hit, the record label insisted that Yankovic parody the song, to which Yankovic obliged.Rabin and Yankovic, p. 77 In order to accurately write the song, Yankovic researched the various types of hernias. On August 4, 1986, Yankovic began recording parodies for ''Polka Party!'', starting with "Living With a Hernia".

Critical reception

The single received mostly mixed reviews. Eugene Chadbourne of AllMusic was critical of the parody, and wrote that "'Living in America' in its original version has all the overblown grandeur needed to make a good parody target, but 'Living With a Hernia' just isn't funny." Christopher Thelen of the Daily Vault noted that "Yankovic even falls flat tackling" Brown with this parody. In a positive review, Keith Thomas of '' The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' called the single "a comical classic", praising Yankovic's lampooning of Brown's stage performance. He was particularly pleased with Yankovic naming specific types of hernias as opposed to cities in the United States. He concluded that, "Some people say Weird Al's appeal will wear out utI beg to differ."

Music video

Yankovic noted that "it was a real thrill to do James Brown. I'm a total non-dancer, never went to any dances in high school, but if I analytically dissect a dance routine I can figure it out." Choreographer Chester Whitmore was hired to accurately create the dance scenes featured in the video, which was shot on the concert set used in the movie ''Rocky IV''.

Track listing

# "Living with a Hernia" – 3:16 # "Don't Wear Those Shoes" – 3:35

References

Footnotes

Bibliography

External links

Living with a Hernia
music video on YouTube/VEVO {{authority control Songs about diseases and disorders "Weird Al" Yankovic songs 1986 singles Songs written by Charlie Midnight Songs with lyrics by "Weird Al" Yankovic 1986 songs Funk songs James Brown Scotti Brothers Records singles