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"Craigslist"
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Internet Leaks and Alpocalypse
ReleasedJune 16, 2009
RecordedApril 21, 2009
Genre
Length4:50
Label Volcano
Songwriter(s)"Weird Al" Yankovic
Producer(s)"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
" Whatever You Like"
(2008) 		"Craigslist"
(2009) 		" Skipper Dan"
(2009)
Music video
”Craigslist” on YouTube

"Craigslist" is a song by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a style parody of the Doors, and contains lyrics inspired by postings at the online classified advertising service, Craigslist. [1] Yankovic described the idea of the song coming about thinking how it would be "anachronistically weird" for Jim Morrison to scream about Craigslist. [2] Yankovic opted to use Craigslist as an example of something big in both the popular culture and his own life, and spent time exploring its listings to compose the lyrics. [2] The song was released shortly after the closure of the Michael John Anderson ( Craigslist Killer) case, a factor Yankovic considered "unfortunate timing". [2]

Founding Doors member and keyboardist Ray Manzarek played keyboards on the studio recording of the song. [1] [3]

The single was the first of four new singles that were being released as part of the Internet Leaks EP. Craigslist was released digitally on June 16, 2009.

Composition

As a "style parody", the song does not take directly from any single Doors tune, but instead transposes bits from various songs (especially from their first, self-titled album) and combines them. The intro guitar and organ riffs are similar to " Soul Kitchen" and " When the Music's Over", while the verses are reminiscent of "Twentieth Century Fox" and a short section of scat singing as in " Roadhouse Blues". Discrete sections in the guitar solo recall "When the Music's Over", " The End" and " Light My Fire". [4]

Personnel

Reception

The music style of "Craigslist" has been considered to be a "dead-on parody of the Doors". [1] [5] Marc Hirsh of NPR noted that the composition and performance of "Craigslist" are evidence that Yankovic is a "Stealth Pop Musicologist", able to deconstruct a genre of work and recreate it into something new without being unrecognizable. [4] Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, after being asked how he felt about the song, responded, "The thing's pretty funny!" [1]

Music video

The song has an associated video produced by Liam Lynch and was released on the same day as the single, though AOL previewed the video a day before. The budget for the video was much lower than Yankovic's " White & Nerdy" and was shot in Lynch's garage. Yankovic stated that the low budget video "dovetails well" with the concept of the song. [6] The video incorporates similar imagery seen in the Doors' videos, including stock footage and art house effects. [2] Yankovic dressed as Morrison, having to lose some weight to look like the singer at age 24, and performed in front of a green screen to allow effects to be added afterward. [2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d McCarthy, Caroline (2009-06-16). "Weird Al takes on Craigslist with The Doors". CNet. Archived from the original on 2009-07-29. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  2. ^ a b c d e Reilly, Dan (2009-06-15). "'Weird Al' Yankovic, 'Craigslist' -- Video Premiere". Spinner.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-27. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  3. ^ Yankovic's video of the 2009 recording session
  4. ^ a b Hirsh, Marc (2009-06-18). "Meet 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Stealth Pop Musicologist". NPR. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  5. ^ Chalk, Andy (2009-06-16). ""Weird Al" Puts The Doors on Craigslist". The Escapist. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-18.
  6. ^ Yankovic, Weird Al (2009-06-14). "New single & video soon!". MySpace. Archived from the original on 2009-06-19. Retrieved 2009-06-14.

External links

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