If you’ve been catching up on previous posts here during the FTABlog Summer of 80s Music Videos, you’ve already noticed that I’m a big Weird Al Yankovic fan. Music videos are great, but funny music videos are even better.

Just as some food pairings make each ingredient better, I found a way to improve the Weird Al viewing experience: Watch the original target video first. In this case, it’s Joan Jett’s I Love Rock & Roll, the perfect complement to one of Al’s first, low-budget videos, I Love Rocky Road.

You could make a case that Rocky Road was the song that proved Al was more than a one-hit novelty. If it had completely tanked, only trivia buffs would know his name. Al would be remembered for Ricky, the parody of Mickey, the sadly memorable output of one-hit wonder Toni Basil. Nice theory, except Rocky Road kinda did tank; it peaked at #106 on Billboard. No, Al’s true breakthrough came with the song I’ll post in my next Al installment.

For now, check out the subtle notes that Al captured. Notice how he matches Joan’s glove slap (0:41) with his own at 0:21. His crowd scene (such as 1:27) looks just like Joan’s (1:55). I could go on, but you’ll have more fun if you see for yourself.