'Weird Al' Yankovic hits No. 1 with 'Mandatory Fun'
It's "Mandatory": "Weird Al" Yankovic is Number One.
Yankovic's album sales were no doubt boosted by the videos he released for each song on the record, a number of which have gone viral. YouTube has set aside a whole row for Yankovic videos on its "Popular on YouTube" page, including "Word Crimes" -- a parody of "Blurred Lines" that's received more than 10 million views -- and "Foil," a parody of "Royals" that's topped 12 million views.
The king of musical parody also has made an excellent showing on Spotify's "Viral 50" chart of most-streamed songs. He currently holds the top four slots with "NOW That's What I Call Polka," "Handy," "Word Crimes" and "Foil."
Yankovic has been taking something of a victory lap to promote "Mandatory Fun" and celebrate his career in the music business, which includes three Grammys, four gold records and more than 12 million in sales. He's been profiled on a number of news outlets, including CNN.
But he's not retiring. With Internet streaming now in ascendancy, he's thinking of what's next.
"It does allow me to try things I wouldn't have tried before," he told CNN's Jake Tapper. "Now, it's basically, 'What do I like? What do the fans like?' "
It's "Mandatory": "Weird Al" Yankovic is Number One.
The long-haired comic musician's new album, "Mandatory Fun," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart of best-selling albums with 104,000 in sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's Yankovic's first No. 1 of his more than 30-year career.
It's the first No. 1 comedy album on Billboard's charts since Allan Sherman's "My Son, the Nut" in 1963 -- the album that contained Sherman's biggest hit, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh."
Yankovic's album sales were no doubt boosted by the videos he released for each song on the record, a number of which have gone viral. YouTube has set aside a whole row for Yankovic videos on its "Popular on YouTube" page, including "Word Crimes" -- a parody of "Blurred Lines" that's received more than 10 million views -- and "Foil," a parody of "Royals" that's topped 12 million views.
The king of musical parody also has made an excellent showing on Spotify's "Viral 50" chart of most-streamed songs. He currently holds the top four slots with "NOW That's What I Call Polka," "Handy," "Word Crimes" and "Foil."
Yankovic has been taking something of a victory lap to promote "Mandatory Fun" and celebrate his career in the music business, which includes three Grammys, four gold records and more than 12 million in sales. He's been profiled on a number of news outlets, including CNN.
But he's not retiring. With Internet streaming now in ascendancy, he's thinking of what's next.
"It does allow me to try things I wouldn't have tried before," he told CNN's Jake Tapper. "Now, it's basically, 'What do I like? What do the fans like?' "
