'Weird Al' & Band Do A Cappella 'Yoda Chant' In Jack White's Voice-O-Graph Recording Booth

Weird Al's Gibberish Song Is Perfect Nonsense

"Weird Al" Yankovic and his band stopped by Jack White's Third Man Records in Nashville where they recorded a song under some very unique circumstances.

Yankovic and crew piled into White's restored 1947 Voice-o-Graph booth, which records straight to vinyl, and let loose an a cappella series of chants, song snippets and bits of gibberish.

The song is actually a condensed version of "The Yoda Chant," which the band performs during the live version of "Yoda," Yankovic's parody of the 1970 Kinks' classic, "Lola."

The song has evolved over the years, but the version performed here includes bits of “Frère Jacques,” Mighty Boosh's "Four Way Crimp" and "Grim Grinning Ghosts" from Disney's Haunted Mansion ride.

Along with Yankovic, the clip features guitarist Jim "Kimo" West, keyboardist Ruben Valtierra and bassist Steve Jay.

Check it out in the clip above.

"It sounds like that Neil Young album," Yankovic jokes after listening to the tune.

He's referring to "A Letter Home," the disc released last year that was recorded in the Voice-o-Graph booth.

(h/t Radio.com)

Before You Go

1
Yankovic has been playing the accordion since age 7.
Getty
Well, to be exact, one day before his seventh birthday, October 22, 1966.
2
He was the valedictorian of his high school class.
Getty
Some inspiration for "White and Nerdy?"
3
The "Weird Al" nickname started while he was studying architecture at Cal Poly.
Getty
At California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Yankovic hosted a radio show under the moniker "Weird Al."
4
His first single, "My Bologna," was also born during his college days.
Getty
Yankovic recorded his introductory parody (of The Knack's song "My Sharona") in a college bathroom.
5
"Ricky," an "I Love Lucy" themed parody of Toni Basil's hit "Mickey," was his first song to crack the Top 100.
AP
He achieved this feat in 1983. Since then, he's had 10 more Top 100 hits.
6
Coolio is the only artist who did not give Yankovic permission to parody his song.
A breakdown in communication between Yankovic, Coolio, and Coolio's record label led to the release of the "Gangsta's Paradise" parody against Coolio's wishes. Yankovic sent a personal apology and now only acquires permission directly from the artist.
7
He was rejected from working at McDonald's.
Getty
The Golden Arches turned down his post-college application because he was overqualified.
8
"Like a Surgeon" is the only parody idea that Yankovic did not come up with himself.
Madonna asked if he was going to turn "Like A Virgin" into the doctor-themed parody. So he did.
9
WireImage
Yankovic won Best Comedy Recording for "Eat It" (1984), Best Concept Music Video for "Fat" (1985), Best Comedy Album for "Poodle Hat" (2003), and Best Comedy Album for "Mandatory Fun" (2014).
10
The number 27 creeps up in many of Yankovic's songs.
Getty Images
He first started using the number because it was a "pretty funny number." When fans started noticing the references, though, he started integrating it into his work more often. CORRECTION: Although Weird Al uses the number 27 a lot in his music, he did not sing about it in the song "Fat," as previously mentioned.
11
His most recent album, "Mandatory Fun," is the first comedy album to debut at number 1 in over 50 years.
AP
Long live "Weird Al!"

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot