Initially, Lady Gaga gave Weird Al Yankovic’s parody on “Born This Way” two thumbs down and refused to give him permission to include it on his next album. Even though Weird Al’s creative liberties is protected legally by fair-use statues, he always seeks the approval from the artists before going public with his parodies. When Gaga’s team saw the lyrics and heard the finished song, they refused to give their seal of approval. I wonder what specifically they found so offensive, it rubbed them the wrong way.

No longer allowed to use “Perform This Way” as the first single off his upcoming album, he decided to release his version for free on his website. He also wrote a blog post explaining the circumstances surrounding his track to his fans. Maybe it was Weird Al’s public outing of Gaga’s lack of a sense of humor or pissing off Al’s over two million Twitter followers, but Gaga’s team eventually changed their minds and gave him the go-ahead to include it on his next album. Check out the single below and try to figure out what initially ruffled Gaga’s feathers.

Weird Al “Perform This Way” – Lady Gaga “Born This Way”

Now that the two parties have kissed and made up, now we can probably expect a music video to debut soon. Weird Al has pledged that any profits from the song will go to the Human Rights Campaign.

As an added bonus, I thought I’d embed some of Weird Al’s most notable parodies. Check them all out below.

Weird Al “Eat It” – Michael Jackson “Beat It” Parody”

This was Yankovic’s breakout single and put him on the map. It hit a peak of No. 12 on the Billboard charts. Haven’t seen it in years, but still chuckled when I saw it today.

Weird Al “Amish Paradise” – Coolio “Gangsta’s Paradise”

Coolio infamously got upset after his gangsta hit went all Pennsylvania Dutch.

Weird Al “Smells Like Nirvana” – Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Al’s lyrics referring to Cobain’s slurring still cracks me up. “It’s unintelligible. I just can’t get it through my skull. It’s hard to bargle nawdle zouss??? With all these marbles in my mouth”

Weird Al “Like A Surgeon” – Madonna’s “Like A Virgin”

If you’ve watched Madonna’s original video, you’ll appreciate the randomness of the lion in Al’s music video.

Which parody is your favorite? Did I leave out one of your favorites? If so, leave a comment and let me know.

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