UHF (song)

"UHF"
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff
B-side "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet near Mars"
Released July 1989
Format Cassette, 7", CD single, 3"
Recorded February 24, 1989
Genre Comedy rock, pop rock
Length 5:09 (Album version)
3:49 (Compilation/single version)
Label Scotti Brothers
Producer(s) Rick Derringer
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
"I Think I'm a Clone Now"
(1988)		 "UHF"
(1989)		 "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*"
(1989)
UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff track listing
  1. "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*"
  2. "Gandhi II"
  3. "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet near Mars"
  4. "Isle Thing"
  5. "The Hot Rocks Polka"
  6. "UHF"
  7. "Let Me Be Your Hog"
  8. "She Drives Like Crazy"
  9. "Generic Blues"
  10. "Spatula City"
  11. "Fun Zone"
  12. "Spam"
  13. "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota"

"UHF" is an original song by "Weird Al" Yankovic in the key of E major and based on several different riffs. It is the theme song from the film UHF. It is a style parody of themes that are played to advertise television stations. The video parodies other artists and music videos popular during the 1980s, including Guns N' Roses, George Michael, Robert Palmer, Prince, Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, ZZ Top, Billy Idol, The Beatles, INXS and Randy Newman.

Track listing

7" single

The following tracks are on the 7" single:

  1. "UHF" (Single version) – 3:49
  2. "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet near Mars" – 3:28

The promo single only contains "UHF".

CD single

The following tracks are on the CD single:

  1. "UHF" – 5:10
  2. "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet near Mars" – 3:28

The promo single only contains "UHF".

Music video

The "UHF" music video features pastiches of several other music videos, intermixed with clips from the film. The videos parodied in the "UHF" video are:

  • Yankovic and his band are dressed like Guns N' Roses as they perform on a stage similar to the one in the original video.
  • Yankovic is dressed similarly to Michael in the original, even sporting a five o'clock shadow. The back of the jacket Michael wears in the original read "Revenge," while the one Yankovic wears in "UHF" reads "Look at my butt". Also, Michael's jacket appears to say "BSA" in the front, while Yankovic's says "UHF".
  • The women, who are the exact same ones from the original video, have glasses and mustaches similar to those of Yankovic.
  • Yankovic is dressed similar to Prince and is performing on a stage similar to the one in the original video. He exaggerates usage of his tongue, and flails around with a guitar.
  • Yankovic is dressed like David Byrne and makes sudden flings of his arm. In the background, we see several Yankovics dancing in perfect synchronization; in the foreground, a large Al is getting further and further out of sync.
  • Both pixilation and stop-motion animation are used. Later, Yankovic sings next to two bumper cars, as in the original video.
  • Yankovic and two members of his band appear as ZZ Top in front of a supermarket. The two guitarists spin their guitars around; the complete revolution launches into the next scene. Later, the three appear without instruments and wave at the camera.
  • Yankovic unwraps a white towel from around himself doing Idol's patented raised upper lip. The towel gets caught slightly and Yankovic ends up tossing it down rather roughly.
  • Yankovic and the members of his band descend a grand staircase in white tuxedos.
  • Similar to Yankovic's later video "Bob", the placards that Yankovic tosses read as follows: "Sit", "Stare", "Picture", "Tube", "Brain", "Cottage cheese", and a question mark.
  • Al is seen driving down the street in an old convertible with a red-haired woman.
  • Yankovic is shown in a bathtub. His hairstyle is similar to that of Prince, and he is shown without glasses.
  • Al repeatedly throws punches at the camera. His last punch "breaks the lens".
  • Yankovic is dressed in a replica of the iconic "big suit" David Byrne wore during this performance, and recreates Byrne's dancing. To this day, Yankovic dons a similar attire for concert performances of "Dog Eat Dog," a Talking Heads pastiche.

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, March 14, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.