Living with a Hernia

"Living with a Hernia" is a spoof of "Living in America" by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight (which was also the theme to the 1985 film Rocky IV). As the title suggests, it is about hernias.{{cite AV media notes|title=Polka Party!|others="Weird Al" Yankovic|year=1986|type=liner|publisher=Scotti Bros. Records}} Note: the original vinyl and CD release of the album contained complete liner notes, which included lyrics and personnel. The 1991 re-issue, however, does not feature liner notes as a cost saving measure. When it came time to pick a song to parody as the lead single for Polka Party! Scotti Brothers Records "had some very strong ideas" and wished to have Yankovic parody a musician who was signed on the same label. After "Living in America" became a hit, the record label insisted that Yankovic parody the song, to which Yankovic obliged.Rabin and Yankovic, p. 77 In order to accurately write the song, Yankovic researched the various types of hernias. On August 4, 1986, Yankovic began recording parodies for Polka Party!, starting with "Living With a Hernia".{{Cite web|url=http://www.weirdal.com/rcdgdate.htm |title=Recording Dates |accessdate=26 June 2010 |last=Yankovic |first=Alfred M. |author-link="Weird Al" Yankovic |date=December 2007 |work=The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709121948/http://www.weirdal.com/rcdgdate.htm |archivedate=9 July 2010 }}

The single received mostly mixed reviews. In a review just after release, Keith Thomas of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution called the single "a comical classic",{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Keith |date=November 16, 1986 |title=Clapton on Showtime: 'Forever Man' of Music |url=http://docs.newsbank.com.www2.lib.ku.edu:2048/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:AJBK&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0EB7C25F8509B164&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0F8479522BD09CA1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230813190819/https://login.ku.edu/cas/login?service=https%3A%2F%2Flibauth.ku.edu%2Flibauth%2Findex.php%3Furl%3Dezp.2aHR0cDovL2RvY3MubmV3c2JhbmsuY29tL29wZW51cmw.Y3R4X3Zlcj16MzkuODgtMjAwNCZyZnRfaWQ9aW5mbzpzaWQvaXcubmV3c2JhbmsuY29tOk5ld3NCYW5rOkFKQksmcmZ0X3ZhbF9mb3JtYXQ9aW5mbzpvZmkvZm10OmtldjptdHg6Y3R4JnJmdF9kYXQ9MEVCN0MyNUY4NTA5QjE2NCZzdmNfZGF0PUluZm9XZWI6YWdncmVnYXRlZDUmcmVxX2RhdD0wRjg0Nzk1MjJCRDA5Q0Ex |archive-date=August 13, 2023 |accessdate=July 5, 2014 |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |publisher=Cox Enterprises}}{{subscription required}} praising Yankovic's lampooning of Brown's stage performance. He was particularly pleased with Yankovic naming specific types of hernias as opposed to cities in the United States. He concluded that, "Some people say Weird Al's appeal will wear out [but] I beg to differ."

While reviewing it fifteen years after release, Eugene Chadbourne of AllMusic was critical of the parody, and wrote that "'Living in America' in its original version has all the overblown grandeur needed to make a good parody target, but 'Living With a Hernia' just isn't funny."{{Cite web | last = Chadbourne | first = Eugene | title = Polka Party! – Weird Al Yankovic | publisher = Allmusic | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/polka-party%21-mw0000196425 | accessdate = April 21, 2011 | archive-date = June 6, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120606133839/http://www.allmusic.com/album/polka-party!-mw0000196425 | url-status = live }} Christopher Thelen of the Daily Vault noted in 2001 that "Yankovic even falls flat tackling" Brown with this parody.{{Cite web | last = Thelen | first = Christopher | title = Polka Party! | publisher = Daily Vault | date = September 2, 2001 | url = http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=1994 | accessdate = April 21, 2011 | archive-date = October 4, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111004072747/http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=1994 | url-status = live }}

Yankovic noted that "it was a real thrill to do James Brown. I'm a total non-dancer, never went to any dances in high school, but if I analytically dissect a dance routine I can figure it out." Choreographer Chester Whitmore was hired to accurately create the dance scenes featured in the video, which was shot on the concert set used in the movie Rocky IV.{{cite AV media notes|title = Permanent Record: Al in the Box|others = "Weird Al" Yankovic|year = 1994|url = http://dmdb.org/al/booklet.html|first = Barret|last = Hansen|authorlink = Dr. Demento|type = liner|publisher = Scotti Brothers Records|location = California, United States}}

1. "Living with a Hernia" – 3:16
2. "Don't Wear Those Shoes" – 3:35

According to the liner notes of the 3.0 version of The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic:{{Cite AV media notes |last=Yankovic |first="Weird Al" |title=The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic: 3.0 version |date=2010 |others= |language=English |type=booklet}}

• "Weird Al" Yankovic – lead vocal and background vocals
• Steve Jay – bass guitar
• Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drums, drum programming
• Pat Regan – keyboards
• Warren Luening – trumpet
• Bill Anderson – tenor saxophone

• List of singles by "Weird Al" Yankovic
• List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|last=Rabin|first=Nathan|title=Weird Al: The Book|publisher=Abrams Image|isbn=9781419704352|author2=Yankovic, Alfred M. |date=September 25, 2012}}

{{"Weird Al" Yankovic}}

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Category:Songs about diseases and disorders

Category:"Weird Al" Yankovic songs

Category:1986 singles

Category:Songs written by Charlie Midnight

Category:Songs with lyrics by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Category:1986 songs

Category:American funk songs

Category:James Brown

Category:Scotti Brothers Records singles