Thursday, February 20, 2014
Jurassic World Fan website news and Jurassic Park song Wikipedia page
Jurassic World Movie Film News
Powered by SciFied.com
Sign Up
Sign In
Canel
Jurassic World (Jurassic Park 4) Movie Directed by Colin Trevorrow, Produced by Steven Spielberg
Jurassic World Hits Theaters In:
476 days 01:00:12
Latest News & Info
Jurassic World Plot
Cast & Characters
Image Gallery
JP Fan Forums
Directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson, Jurassic World will hit theaters June 12th, 2015.
Visit the Jurassic World Forums
This website brings you the latest News on Universal Studios' fourth Jurassic Park movie, Jurassic World, Directed by Colin Trevorrow, coming June 12th, 2015.
Latest Jurassic World Movie News
Jurassic World Movie News
New Photo from the Set of Jurassic World Released!
Feb-17-2014 11:38 PM
2 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Early render of a Dinosaur cage for Jurassic World leaked?
Feb-16-2014 3:03 PM
7 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
First Batch of Jurassic World Set Photos from Hawaii Now Online!
Feb-13-2014 12:32 AM
9 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Rick Carter talks Jurassic World
Feb-11-2014 10:34 PM
1 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Legendary Pictures is co-producing Jurassic World!
Feb-10-2014 12:31 AM
5 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Jurassic World star Chris Pratt says He loves Velociraptors
Feb-08-2014 3:20 PM
11 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Chris Pratt Talks Jurassic World Plot!
Feb-07-2014 12:29 AM
6 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Colin Trevorrow confirms Jurassic World will start filming in April on 35mm and 65mm film!
Feb-06-2014 12:43 AM
10 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Jurassic World will be set on Isla Nublar & is currently casting supporting roles and prepping set locations in Hawaii!
Jan-28-2014 3:49 PM
7 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Chris Pratt Speaks About Jurassic World for the First Time!
Jan-27-2014 12:28 AM
8 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Phil Tippett talks Jurassic World with the Jurassic Cast Podcast!
Jan-18-2014 12:26 AM
10 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Chris Pratt Officially Confirmed to Star in Jurassic World!
Jan-13-2014 3:13 PM
11 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Jurassic World Update: Filming to start in Louisiana on June 2nd, 2014!
Jan-11-2014 11:12 PM
15 Comments
Load More Jurassic World News
Follow News on Jurassic World
Latest JP Fan Discussions
Recent Discussions
0 replies
Abbie Cornish in Jurassic World?
Feb-20-2014 7:49 PM
20 replies
Prehistoric Future: The Story of Raptor401: Chapter 6: Battlefield PART 3
Feb-20-2014 6:11 PM
6 replies
Giganotosaurus Carolinii
Feb-20-2014 5:51 PM
17 replies
PREDATORY- Chapter 1: Dinosaurs are back
Feb-20-2014 5:37 PM
7 replies
Some Announcements
Feb-20-2014 8:03 AM
View More Here
Latest Jurassic World News
2 Replies
New Photo from the Set of Jurassic World Released!
Following last week's first look at the set construction ...
Feb-17-2014 11:38 PM
7 Replies
Early render of a Dinosaur cage for Jurassic World leaked?
As production kicks off for Colin Trevorrow's
Feb-16-2014 3:03 PM
9 Replies
First Batch of Jurassic World Set Photos from Hawaii Now Online!
According to onlocationvacations.com, set c...
Feb-13-2014 12:32 AM
View More Here
Latest Jurassic World Images
View
View
View
View
View
View
View
View
Jurassic Park Fan Ratio
Fans who are team REX!
576
Fans who are team Spinosaurus!
259
Learn More About The Rex vs. Spinosaurus RPG!
Recent Status Updates
ShazoTheHedgehog › Just made a topic on the funniest music video animation I have ever seen! Come by and Watch it!
Feb-20-2014 9:58 PM From Godzilla 2014
Svanya › *Gives Arkenstone and Gold to Smaug*
Feb-20-2014 9:18 PM From Jurassic World
Smaug The Magnificent › my birthday in two days guys, get meh a gift.... NOW
Feb-20-2014 9:10 PM From Godzilla 2014
Elite Raptor 007 › i,ll be it, send me someting and take oit easy, Raptorr401
Feb-20-2014 9:10 PM From Jurassic World
raptor401 › Anyone want to proofread chapter 7?
Feb-20-2014 8:55 PM From Jurassic World
raptor401 › I think Chapter 8 is going to be the FINAL chapter!
Feb-20-2014 8:11 PM From Jurassic World
raptor401 › Bye!
Feb-20-2014 7:18 PM From Jurassic World
View More - Visit The Status Board
Jurassic World
Talk About the Jurassic World Movie
Jurassic Park Movies
Discuss the Jurassic Park movies
Jurassic Park Games
Talk about Jurassic Park games here
Dinosaur Discussions
Talk all things Dinosaurs
up
More from Scified
Latest News & Articles
General Movie News & Posts
Will Smith to Star in Sci-Fi Thriller 'Brilliance'
Superhero Movie News
New 'Amazing Spiderman 2' featurette and first image of Dane DeHaan as the 'Green Goblin'.
Superhero Movie News
Marvel releases the first official 'Guardians of the Galaxy' movie poster.
Superhero Movie News
New 'Guardians of the Galaxy' featurettes spotlight Rocket Raccoon, Groot and crew!
Godzilla 2014 Movie News
New Godzilla (2014) Movie Poster Revealed! [Updated with Alternate Version]
Part of the SciFied Fan Site Network
© 2012 - 2013 SciFied.com
Legal | Terms of Use
Site
Jurassic World News
My.SciFied
Latest News & Posts
Contact Us
Administration:
info@SciFied.com
Social
Jurassic World on Facebook! Jurassic World on Twitter! Jurassic World on Twitter!
Community
Jurassic World Forums
View All Members
View Who's Online
Start A New Discussion
Latest Jurassic World Discussions
Jurassic World Status Board
Forum FAQs
Forum Rules
How to Post Images
How to Post Links
How to Edit Your Profile
How to Start a Discussion
About
Jurassic World is the fourth Jurassic Park movie in the series. Directed by Colin Trevorrow and produced by Steven Spielberg, formerly Jurassic Park 4, Jurassic World will hit theaters June 12th, 2015. For the latest news on Jurassic World, as well as info on the cast, plot and trailer. JurassicWorld-Movie.com is the place for the fans of Jurassic Park and those looking forward to Jurassic Park 4.
Scified Movie Fan Sites: Pacific Rim Jurassic Park 4 Godzilla (2014) Prometheus 2 Mad Max: Fury Road RoboCop (2014) Blade Runner 2 Robopocalypse Interstellar
Jurassic World Movie Film News
Powered by SciFied.com
Sign Up
Sign In
Canel
Jurassic World (Jurassic Park 4) Movie Directed by Colin Trevorrow, Produced by Steven Spielberg
Jurassic World Hits Theaters In:
476 days 00:56:24
Latest News & Info
Jurassic World Plot
Cast & Characters
Image Gallery
JP Fan Forums
Directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson, Jurassic World will hit theaters June 12th, 2015.
Visit the Jurassic World Forums
This website brings you the latest News on Universal Studios' fourth Jurassic Park movie, Jurassic World, Directed by Colin Trevorrow, coming June 12th, 2015.
Latest Jurassic World Movie News
Jurassic World Movie News
New Photo from the Set of Jurassic World Released!
Feb-17-2014 11:38 PM
2 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Early render of a Dinosaur cage for Jurassic World leaked?
Feb-16-2014 3:03 PM
7 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
First Batch of Jurassic World Set Photos from Hawaii Now Online!
Feb-13-2014 12:32 AM
9 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Rick Carter talks Jurassic World
Feb-11-2014 10:34 PM
1 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Legendary Pictures is co-producing Jurassic World!
Feb-10-2014 12:31 AM
5 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Jurassic World star Chris Pratt says He loves Velociraptors
Feb-08-2014 3:20 PM
11 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Chris Pratt Talks Jurassic World Plot!
Feb-07-2014 12:29 AM
6 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Colin Trevorrow confirms Jurassic World will start filming in April on 35mm and 65mm film!
Feb-06-2014 12:43 AM
10 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Jurassic World will be set on Isla Nublar & is currently casting supporting roles and prepping set locations in Hawaii!
Jan-28-2014 3:49 PM
7 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Chris Pratt Speaks About Jurassic World for the First Time!
Jan-27-2014 12:28 AM
8 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Phil Tippett talks Jurassic World with the Jurassic Cast Podcast!
Jan-18-2014 12:26 AM
10 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Chris Pratt Officially Confirmed to Star in Jurassic World!
Jan-13-2014 3:13 PM
11 Comments
Jurassic World Movie News
Jurassic World Update: Filming to start in Louisiana on June 2nd, 2014!
Jan-11-2014 11:12 PM
15 Comments
Load More Jurassic World News
Follow News on Jurassic World
Latest JP Fan Discussions
Recent Discussions
0 replies
Abbie Cornish in Jurassic World?
Feb-20-2014 7:49 PM
20 replies
Prehistoric Future: The Story of Raptor401: Chapter 6: Battlefield PART 3
Feb-20-2014 6:11 PM
6 replies
Giganotosaurus Carolinii
Feb-20-2014 5:51 PM
17 replies
PREDATORY- Chapter 1: Dinosaurs are back
Feb-20-2014 5:37 PM
7 replies
Some Announcements
Feb-20-2014 8:03 AM
View More Here
Latest Jurassic World News
2 Replies
New Photo from the Set of Jurassic World Released!
Following last week's first look at the set construction ...
Feb-17-2014 11:38 PM
7 Replies
Early render of a Dinosaur cage for Jurassic World leaked?
As production kicks off for Colin Trevorrow's
Feb-16-2014 3:03 PM
9 Replies
First Batch of Jurassic World Set Photos from Hawaii Now Online!
According to onlocationvacations.com, set c...
Feb-13-2014 12:32 AM
View More Here
Latest Jurassic World Images
View
View
View
View
View
View
View
View
Jurassic Park Fan Ratio
Fans who are team REX!
576
Fans who are team Spinosaurus!
259
Learn More About The Rex vs. Spinosaurus RPG!
Recent Status Updates
ShazoTheHedgehog › Just made a topic on the funniest music video animation I have ever seen! Come by and Watch it!
Feb-20-2014 9:58 PM From Godzilla 2014
Svanya › *Gives Arkenstone and Gold to Smaug*
Feb-20-2014 9:18 PM From Jurassic World
Smaug The Magnificent › my birthday in two days guys, get meh a gift.... NOW
Feb-20-2014 9:10 PM From Godzilla 2014
Elite Raptor 007 › i,ll be it, send me someting and take oit easy, Raptorr401
Feb-20-2014 9:10 PM From Jurassic World
raptor401 › Anyone want to proofread chapter 7?
Feb-20-2014 8:55 PM From Jurassic World
raptor401 › I think Chapter 8 is going to be the FINAL chapter!
Feb-20-2014 8:11 PM From Jurassic World
raptor401 › Bye!
Feb-20-2014 7:18 PM From Jurassic World
View More - Visit The Status Board
Jurassic World
Talk About the Jurassic World Movie
Jurassic Park Movies
Discuss the Jurassic Park movies
Jurassic Park Games
Talk about Jurassic Park games here
Dinosaur Discussions
Talk all things Dinosaurs
up
More from Scified
Latest News & Articles
General Movie News & Posts
Will Smith to Star in Sci-Fi Thriller 'Brilliance'
Superhero Movie News
New 'Amazing Spiderman 2' featurette and first image of Dane DeHaan as the 'Green Goblin'.
Superhero Movie News
Marvel releases the first official 'Guardians of the Galaxy' movie poster.
Superhero Movie News
New 'Guardians of the Galaxy' featurettes spotlight Rocket Raccoon, Groot and crew!
Godzilla 2014 Movie News
New Godzilla (2014) Movie Poster Revealed! [Updated with Alternate Version]
Part of the SciFied Fan Site Network
© 2012 - 2013 SciFied.com
Legal | Terms of Use
Site
Jurassic World News
My.SciFied
Latest News & Posts
Contact Us
Administration:
info@SciFied.com
Social
Jurassic World on Facebook! Jurassic World on Twitter! Jurassic World on Twitter!
Community
Jurassic World Forums
View All Members
View Who's Online
Start A New Discussion
Latest Jurassic World Discussions
Jurassic World Status Board
Forum FAQs
Forum Rules
How to Post Images
How to Post Links
How to Edit Your Profile
How to Start a Discussion
About
Jurassic World is the fourth Jurassic Park movie in the series. Directed by Colin Trevorrow and produced by Steven Spielberg, formerly Jurassic Park 4, Jurassic World will hit theaters June 12th, 2015. For the latest news on Jurassic World, as well as info on the cast, plot and trailer. JurassicWorld-Movie.com is the place for the fans of Jurassic Park and those looking forward to Jurassic Park 4.
Scified Movie Fan Sites: Pacific Rim Jurassic Park 4 Godzilla (2014) Prometheus 2 Mad Max: Fury Road RoboCop (2014) Blade Runner 2 Robopocalypse Interstellar
Amending our Terms of Use:
Please comment on a proposed amendment regarding undisclosed paid editing.
[ Help with translations! ]
close
Jurassic Park (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
"Jurassic Park"
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Alapalooza
B-side
"Frank's 2000" TV"
Released
October 1993
Format
CD, cassette
Recorded
July 16, 1993
Genre
Comedy rock
Length
3:53
Label
Scotti Brothers
Writer(s)
Jimmy Webb, Al Yankovic
Producer(s)
"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
"Taco Grande"
(1992) "Jurassic Park"
(1993) "Bedrock Anthem"
(1993)
"Jurassic Park" is a parody of Jimmy Webb's single "MacArthur Park" written and performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic; it was released both as a single and as part of Yankovic's Alapalooza album in October 1993. "Jurassic Park" was penned by Yankovic after he remembered the enjoyment he had when he combined a classic rock track with a recent movie topic with his 1985 song "Yoda". Yankovic decided to combine the plot of the recent movie Jurassic Park—a film about a park on a fictional island where geneticists have succeeded in cloning dinosaurs.
The song was paired with an elaborately animated music video, which was created by Mark Osborne and Scott Nordlund almost entirely via claymation. The video did not receive extensive play on MTV, although it was popular on The Box, VH1, and in Canada, where it was played on MuchMusic. The video, due to its animation, also later went on to be praised at various animation festivals worldwide.
"Jurassic Park" was met with mixed to positive reviews; while many reviewers enjoyed Yankovic's humor, others felt that the song did not satirize the source material, but instead merely recounted the plot to the movie. Webb himself was very pleased with the final result and has been known to sing the parody lyrics in concert. Although the single did not chart in the United States, it peaked at number 5 on the Canadian magazine The Record's single chart. The video was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video at the 37th Grammy Awards, although it did not win.
Contents [hide]
1 Writing
2 Recording and lyrics
3 Music video
4 Release 4.1 Reception
4.2 Reviews
5 Track listing
6 Charts
7 Credits and personnel
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Writing[edit]
Yankovic was inspired to write the song after he heard the The Kinks' song "Lola" while driving in his car one day. He noted, "I was driving a rent-a-car through Florida when the song 'Lola' came on the radio, and it got me thinking about how much fun I had doing 'Yoda' [a song from 1985's Dare to Be Stupid] where I took a then-current topic and combined it with a classic rock tune."[1] He soon turned his attention to the film Jurassic Park—about a park on a fictional island, where geneticists have succeeded in cloning dinosaurs. The film is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton—which had just come out and was already a blockbuster success. Yankovic decided to write a parody about the movie, and considered various songs that he could spoof. Eventually, he decided to parody the 1968 hit single "MacArthur Park", which was performed by Richard Harris. Yankovic approached the original song's writer, Jimmy Webb, who agreed to the idea.[1] In fact, Webb was so amused by the parody that he penned a letter to Yankovic stating "Well, this [the parody] oughta [sic] bury that song once and for all!"[2] In addition, Yankovic received permission from Crichton and director Steven Spielberg to produce the track.[1]
Recording and lyrics[edit]
Yankovic entered the studio to record "Jurassic Park" on July 16, 1993.[3] Backing Yankovic were Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, and Jim West on guitar.[4] "MacArthur Park" contained an actual orchestra complete with a strings section.[5] "Jurassic Park", however, features synth strings courtesy of keyboardist Brad Buxer, who programmed the section himself.[4][6] Intermixed during the interlude are various dinosaur sound effects courtesy of Sandy Berman; Berman had previously created dinosaur yells for a major theme park attraction, and loaned Yankovic the sound effects.[7] At 3:53 in length, the song is considerably shorter than the original, which clocks in at 7:21.[4][8] Largely, this is due to the fact that the middle section featured in the original—the so called "After the Loves of My Life" section[5]—is omitted from Yankovic's parody.[9][10]
The song itself recounts both the plot of the movie, and contains various in-jokes and references therein.[4] One line about lawyers—"A huge tyrannosaurus ate our lawyer/Well, I suppose that proves they're really not all bad"—was deliberately placed in the song to be ambiguous, as it could either be referring to lawyers or dinosaurs as being "not all bad".[4][11][12] The song also makes various pop culture references, alluding to the idea of an E ticket and Barney.[4]
Music video[edit]
A claymation version of "Weird Al" Yankovic, surrounded by dinosaurs. The video was directed by Mark Osborne and Scott Nordlund, and completed in two months.
When it came time for a video for "Jurassic Park", Yankovic opted to use stop-motion and claymation; he joked during a Q&A that this was because "it's just too hard to find real live dinosaurs these days."[13] "Jurassic Park" was Yankovic's first video that was entirely animated—previous videos, such as "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies" and "Dare to Be Stupid" had featured elements of animation.[1][14] The video was directed by Mark Osborne and Scott Nordlund.[15] Yankovic initially heard of the duo from Bill Manspeaker, the leader singer of the comedy rock band Green Jellÿ.[1] After being hired for the project, the two "basically turned a private residence in Los Angeles into a clay animation studio."[14] The two worked between July and August 1993, and slept in shifts, so that the final project would be ready for its release in October of 1993.[1][14] One critic noted that the music video seems to have been done in the style of Will Vinton's Dinosaurs! – A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time![16] The video parodies scenes from, as well as the general plot of the 1993 movie, and contains a myriad of sight-gags—as is usual for Yankovic's videos—such as a claymation version of Steven Spielberg running from dinosaurs, Barney having his head ripped off, and a Velociraptor attempting to break down a door, only to realize it has a key.[17]
Release[edit]
Reception[edit]
"Jurassic Park" was released as the lead single from Yankovic's 1993 album Alapalooza. The single did not chart in the United States. However, the song was a sales success in Canada, and peaked at number 5 on the Canadian magazine The Record's single chart.[18] The video for "Jurassic Park" received light rotation on MTV. Yankovic later explained in an interview that "[MTV] played it a few times, and then just yanked it, because it wasn't really part of their sound."[19][20] However, the single was a success on The Box and they played it "incessantly".[19] Furthermore, in Canada, the song was a massive success on MuchMusic. Due to this, Alapalooza is Yankovic's best selling album in Canada, with over 200,000 units sold, according to Music Canada.[19] However, the video was played and remained popular on VH1 well after its release; it ranked within the Top 50 Most-Played Clips during the months of August and September of 1999, according to Billboard magazine.[21][22] The video for "Jurassic Park" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video at the 37th Grammy Awards,[23] but lost to the video for "Love Is Strong" by The Rolling Stones.[24] Nonetheless, it received attention in animation festivals worldwide for its use of claymation effects.[1]
Jimmy Webb was particularly pleased with the finished product. According to Yankovic, several times during different concerts in New York and Los Angeles that Yankovic was in attendance, Webb would start to perform the original, feign forgetting the words, and then invite Yankovic on stage to help him sing "Jurassic Park" instead. For a Christmas present one year, Webb even sent Yankovic a rubber dinosaur mask as a joke. Yankovic later noted that Webb "was the coolest".[2]
Reviews[edit]
Chris Hicks of the Deseret News called the single "absolutely hilarious", and rhetorically asked "who else would think of adapting that ridiculously popular movie's themes to new lyrics for Jimmy Webb's classic ditty 'MacArthur Park'?"[11] Hicks' felt that the song's funniest moments involved the jokes revolving around lawyers and the mention of Barney.[11] Amanda Cohen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that it combined "the schlock of the original song with schtick about the dinosaur movie" and proved that "Yankovic is as funny as ever".[25] Furthermore, she noted that it was evidence that "his voice improves with every new release".[25] In a review of the Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation, Arthur Salm called the piece a "knockout" and praised the humor, specifically highlighting the claymation cameo of Steve Spielberg and the "goofy velociraptor" from the opening of the video.[17]
Some critics felt that the song did not satirize the source material, but instead merely recounted the plot to Jurassic Park. Entertainment Weekly referred to the claymation video for the "Jurassic Park" as "clever but toothless".[26] The magazine argued that Yankovic's parody did not satirize the original material, but instead transposed new elements on top of them.[26] Rob Owen of Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote that the song "does nothing but recount the plot of the hit movie" and that "dinosaurs don't lend themselves to music".[27]
Track listing[edit]
CD single[28]1."Jurassic Park" – 3:53
2."Frank's 2000" TV" – 4:04
Promo single[29]1."Jurassic Park" – 3:53
Charts[edit]
Chart (1994)
Peak
position
Canada The Record Singles Chart
5[18]
Credits and personnel[edit]
"Weird" Al Yankovic – vocals, background vocals, production, arrangement[4]
Jim West – guitar
Steve Jay – bass guitar
Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drums
Brad Buxer – keyboards, synthetic orchestration
Sandy Berman – dinosaur growls
Tony Papa – engineering
See also[edit]
List of singles by "Weird Al" Yankovic
List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Hansen, Barret (1994). Permanent Record: Al in the Box (liner). California, United States: Scotti Brothers Records.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Yankovic, Alfred M. (April 1999). "'Ask Al' Q&As for April, 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
3.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 2007). "Recording Dates". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Alapalooza (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. Scotti Brothers Records. 1993.
5.^ Jump up to: a b "Harris, Richard MacArthur Park – Phonograph Recording Contract". The Wrecking Crew. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
6.Jump up ^ "The Players". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
7.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (August 1999). "'Ask Al' Q&As for August, 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
8.Jump up ^ A Tramp Shining (liner). Richard Harris. Dunhill Records. 1968.
9.Jump up ^ The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Anthology: Piano – Vocal – Guitar. Cherry Lane Music. July 1, 1996. ISBN 9781575600215.
10.Jump up ^ MacArthur Park (Sheet Music). Canopy Music. 1968. ASIN B000PI5W4Q.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c Hicks, Chris (November 28, 1993). "Weird Al's 'Jurassic' is Comedy Classic". Deseret News (Deseret News Publishing Company). Retrieved April 28, 2013. (subscription required)
12.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 1998). "'Ask Al' Q&As for December, 1998". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
13.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (September 1999). "'Ask Al' Q&As for September, 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c Yankovic, Alfred (2013), "Jurassic Park", 'Weird Al' Yankovic Official Limited Edition Trading Cards (Volcano Records) (50)
15.Jump up ^ Jay Levey, "Weird Al" Yankovic (2003) [2003]. 'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection (Liner notes). Volcano Entertainment. 82876-53727-9.
16.Jump up ^ Hazen, Natalie. "For Nearly Three Decades...". Splitsider.com. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Salm, Arthur (January 20, 1994). "Wallace, Gromit Return in Delightful Claymation". The San Diego Union-Tribune (MLIM Holdings). Retrieved April 28, 2013.
18.^ Jump up to: a b "Hits of the World". Billboard 106 (8). February 19, 1994. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
19.^ Jump up to: a b c Yankovic, Alfred M. (February 1995). Visions of Gray. Interview with Jeff Elbel. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
20.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (January 2000). "'Ask Al' Q&As for January, 2000". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
21.Jump up ^ "Video Monitor". Billboard 111 (34). Aug 21, 1999. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
22.Jump up ^ "Video Monitor". Billboard 111 (39). Sep 25, 1999. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
23.Jump up ^ "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). January 6, 1995. p. 16. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
24.Jump up ^ "1994 Best Music Video, Short Form". Past Winners Search. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 1995. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
25.^ Jump up to: a b Cohen, Amanda (October 8, 1993). "Entertainment". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Block Communications). Retrieved April 28, 2013. (subscription required)
26.^ Jump up to: a b Kenny, Glenn (March 18, 1994). "Alapalooza Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
27.Jump up ^ Owen, Rob (October 31, 1993). "'Weird Al's Latest Venture Into Parody is a Little Weak". Richmond Times-Dispatch (Berkshire Hathaway). Retrieved April 28, 2013. (subscription required)
28.Jump up ^ Jurassic Park CD single (liner notes). "Weird Al" Yankovic. California, USA: Scotti Bros. Records. 1993.
29.Jump up ^ Schwartz, Jon (December 11, 2008). "Jurassic Park". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
External links[edit]
Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
"Weird Al" Yankovic
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
Jurassic Park
Categories: "Weird Al" Yankovic songs
Songs written by Jimmy Webb
1993 singles
Jurassic Park
Songs with lyrics by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Navigation menu
Create account
Log in
Article
Talk
Read
Edit
View history
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
Print/export
Languages
Català
Italiano
Simple English
Edit links
This page was last modified on 1 February 2014 at 18:45.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
Amending our Terms of Use:
Please comment on a proposed amendment regarding undisclosed paid editing.
[ Help with translations! ]
close
Jurassic Park (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
"Jurassic Park"
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Alapalooza
B-side
"Frank's 2000" TV"
Released
October 1993
Format
CD, cassette
Recorded
July 16, 1993
Genre
Comedy rock
Length
3:53
Label
Scotti Brothers
Writer(s)
Jimmy Webb, Al Yankovic
Producer(s)
"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
"Taco Grande"
(1992) "Jurassic Park"
(1993) "Bedrock Anthem"
(1993)
"Jurassic Park" is a parody of Jimmy Webb's single "MacArthur Park" written and performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic; it was released both as a single and as part of Yankovic's Alapalooza album in October 1993. "Jurassic Park" was penned by Yankovic after he remembered the enjoyment he had when he combined a classic rock track with a recent movie topic with his 1985 song "Yoda". Yankovic decided to combine the plot of the recent movie Jurassic Park—a film about a park on a fictional island where geneticists have succeeded in cloning dinosaurs.
The song was paired with an elaborately animated music video, which was created by Mark Osborne and Scott Nordlund almost entirely via claymation. The video did not receive extensive play on MTV, although it was popular on The Box, VH1, and in Canada, where it was played on MuchMusic. The video, due to its animation, also later went on to be praised at various animation festivals worldwide.
"Jurassic Park" was met with mixed to positive reviews; while many reviewers enjoyed Yankovic's humor, others felt that the song did not satirize the source material, but instead merely recounted the plot to the movie. Webb himself was very pleased with the final result and has been known to sing the parody lyrics in concert. Although the single did not chart in the United States, it peaked at number 5 on the Canadian magazine The Record's single chart. The video was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video at the 37th Grammy Awards, although it did not win.
Contents [hide]
1 Writing
2 Recording and lyrics
3 Music video
4 Release 4.1 Reception
4.2 Reviews
5 Track listing
6 Charts
7 Credits and personnel
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Writing[edit]
Yankovic was inspired to write the song after he heard the The Kinks' song "Lola" while driving in his car one day. He noted, "I was driving a rent-a-car through Florida when the song 'Lola' came on the radio, and it got me thinking about how much fun I had doing 'Yoda' [a song from 1985's Dare to Be Stupid] where I took a then-current topic and combined it with a classic rock tune."[1] He soon turned his attention to the film Jurassic Park—about a park on a fictional island, where geneticists have succeeded in cloning dinosaurs. The film is based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton—which had just come out and was already a blockbuster success. Yankovic decided to write a parody about the movie, and considered various songs that he could spoof. Eventually, he decided to parody the 1968 hit single "MacArthur Park", which was performed by Richard Harris. Yankovic approached the original song's writer, Jimmy Webb, who agreed to the idea.[1] In fact, Webb was so amused by the parody that he penned a letter to Yankovic stating "Well, this [the parody] oughta [sic] bury that song once and for all!"[2] In addition, Yankovic received permission from Crichton and director Steven Spielberg to produce the track.[1]
Recording and lyrics[edit]
Yankovic entered the studio to record "Jurassic Park" on July 16, 1993.[3] Backing Yankovic were Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, and Jim West on guitar.[4] "MacArthur Park" contained an actual orchestra complete with a strings section.[5] "Jurassic Park", however, features synth strings courtesy of keyboardist Brad Buxer, who programmed the section himself.[4][6] Intermixed during the interlude are various dinosaur sound effects courtesy of Sandy Berman; Berman had previously created dinosaur yells for a major theme park attraction, and loaned Yankovic the sound effects.[7] At 3:53 in length, the song is considerably shorter than the original, which clocks in at 7:21.[4][8] Largely, this is due to the fact that the middle section featured in the original—the so called "After the Loves of My Life" section[5]—is omitted from Yankovic's parody.[9][10]
The song itself recounts both the plot of the movie, and contains various in-jokes and references therein.[4] One line about lawyers—"A huge tyrannosaurus ate our lawyer/Well, I suppose that proves they're really not all bad"—was deliberately placed in the song to be ambiguous, as it could either be referring to lawyers or dinosaurs as being "not all bad".[4][11][12] The song also makes various pop culture references, alluding to the idea of an E ticket and Barney.[4]
Music video[edit]
A claymation version of "Weird Al" Yankovic, surrounded by dinosaurs. The video was directed by Mark Osborne and Scott Nordlund, and completed in two months.
When it came time for a video for "Jurassic Park", Yankovic opted to use stop-motion and claymation; he joked during a Q&A that this was because "it's just too hard to find real live dinosaurs these days."[13] "Jurassic Park" was Yankovic's first video that was entirely animated—previous videos, such as "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies" and "Dare to Be Stupid" had featured elements of animation.[1][14] The video was directed by Mark Osborne and Scott Nordlund.[15] Yankovic initially heard of the duo from Bill Manspeaker, the leader singer of the comedy rock band Green Jellÿ.[1] After being hired for the project, the two "basically turned a private residence in Los Angeles into a clay animation studio."[14] The two worked between July and August 1993, and slept in shifts, so that the final project would be ready for its release in October of 1993.[1][14] One critic noted that the music video seems to have been done in the style of Will Vinton's Dinosaurs! – A Fun-Filled Trip Back in Time![16] The video parodies scenes from, as well as the general plot of the 1993 movie, and contains a myriad of sight-gags—as is usual for Yankovic's videos—such as a claymation version of Steven Spielberg running from dinosaurs, Barney having his head ripped off, and a Velociraptor attempting to break down a door, only to realize it has a key.[17]
Release[edit]
Reception[edit]
"Jurassic Park" was released as the lead single from Yankovic's 1993 album Alapalooza. The single did not chart in the United States. However, the song was a sales success in Canada, and peaked at number 5 on the Canadian magazine The Record's single chart.[18] The video for "Jurassic Park" received light rotation on MTV. Yankovic later explained in an interview that "[MTV] played it a few times, and then just yanked it, because it wasn't really part of their sound."[19][20] However, the single was a success on The Box and they played it "incessantly".[19] Furthermore, in Canada, the song was a massive success on MuchMusic. Due to this, Alapalooza is Yankovic's best selling album in Canada, with over 200,000 units sold, according to Music Canada.[19] However, the video was played and remained popular on VH1 well after its release; it ranked within the Top 50 Most-Played Clips during the months of August and September of 1999, according to Billboard magazine.[21][22] The video for "Jurassic Park" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video at the 37th Grammy Awards,[23] but lost to the video for "Love Is Strong" by The Rolling Stones.[24] Nonetheless, it received attention in animation festivals worldwide for its use of claymation effects.[1]
Jimmy Webb was particularly pleased with the finished product. According to Yankovic, several times during different concerts in New York and Los Angeles that Yankovic was in attendance, Webb would start to perform the original, feign forgetting the words, and then invite Yankovic on stage to help him sing "Jurassic Park" instead. For a Christmas present one year, Webb even sent Yankovic a rubber dinosaur mask as a joke. Yankovic later noted that Webb "was the coolest".[2]
Reviews[edit]
Chris Hicks of the Deseret News called the single "absolutely hilarious", and rhetorically asked "who else would think of adapting that ridiculously popular movie's themes to new lyrics for Jimmy Webb's classic ditty 'MacArthur Park'?"[11] Hicks' felt that the song's funniest moments involved the jokes revolving around lawyers and the mention of Barney.[11] Amanda Cohen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that it combined "the schlock of the original song with schtick about the dinosaur movie" and proved that "Yankovic is as funny as ever".[25] Furthermore, she noted that it was evidence that "his voice improves with every new release".[25] In a review of the Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation, Arthur Salm called the piece a "knockout" and praised the humor, specifically highlighting the claymation cameo of Steve Spielberg and the "goofy velociraptor" from the opening of the video.[17]
Some critics felt that the song did not satirize the source material, but instead merely recounted the plot to Jurassic Park. Entertainment Weekly referred to the claymation video for the "Jurassic Park" as "clever but toothless".[26] The magazine argued that Yankovic's parody did not satirize the original material, but instead transposed new elements on top of them.[26] Rob Owen of Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote that the song "does nothing but recount the plot of the hit movie" and that "dinosaurs don't lend themselves to music".[27]
Track listing[edit]
CD single[28]1."Jurassic Park" – 3:53
2."Frank's 2000" TV" – 4:04
Promo single[29]1."Jurassic Park" – 3:53
Charts[edit]
Chart (1994)
Peak
position
Canada The Record Singles Chart
5[18]
Credits and personnel[edit]
"Weird" Al Yankovic – vocals, background vocals, production, arrangement[4]
Jim West – guitar
Steve Jay – bass guitar
Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drums
Brad Buxer – keyboards, synthetic orchestration
Sandy Berman – dinosaur growls
Tony Papa – engineering
See also[edit]
List of singles by "Weird Al" Yankovic
List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Hansen, Barret (1994). Permanent Record: Al in the Box (liner). California, United States: Scotti Brothers Records.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Yankovic, Alfred M. (April 1999). "'Ask Al' Q&As for April, 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
3.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 2007). "Recording Dates". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Alapalooza (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. Scotti Brothers Records. 1993.
5.^ Jump up to: a b "Harris, Richard MacArthur Park – Phonograph Recording Contract". The Wrecking Crew. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
6.Jump up ^ "The Players". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
7.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (August 1999). "'Ask Al' Q&As for August, 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
8.Jump up ^ A Tramp Shining (liner). Richard Harris. Dunhill Records. 1968.
9.Jump up ^ The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Anthology: Piano – Vocal – Guitar. Cherry Lane Music. July 1, 1996. ISBN 9781575600215.
10.Jump up ^ MacArthur Park (Sheet Music). Canopy Music. 1968. ASIN B000PI5W4Q.
11.^ Jump up to: a b c Hicks, Chris (November 28, 1993). "Weird Al's 'Jurassic' is Comedy Classic". Deseret News (Deseret News Publishing Company). Retrieved April 28, 2013. (subscription required)
12.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 1998). "'Ask Al' Q&As for December, 1998". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
13.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (September 1999). "'Ask Al' Q&As for September, 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c Yankovic, Alfred (2013), "Jurassic Park", 'Weird Al' Yankovic Official Limited Edition Trading Cards (Volcano Records) (50)
15.Jump up ^ Jay Levey, "Weird Al" Yankovic (2003) [2003]. 'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection (Liner notes). Volcano Entertainment. 82876-53727-9.
16.Jump up ^ Hazen, Natalie. "For Nearly Three Decades...". Splitsider.com. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Salm, Arthur (January 20, 1994). "Wallace, Gromit Return in Delightful Claymation". The San Diego Union-Tribune (MLIM Holdings). Retrieved April 28, 2013.
18.^ Jump up to: a b "Hits of the World". Billboard 106 (8). February 19, 1994. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
19.^ Jump up to: a b c Yankovic, Alfred M. (February 1995). Visions of Gray. Interview with Jeff Elbel. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
20.Jump up ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (January 2000). "'Ask Al' Q&As for January, 2000". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
21.Jump up ^ "Video Monitor". Billboard 111 (34). Aug 21, 1999. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
22.Jump up ^ "Video Monitor". Billboard 111 (39). Sep 25, 1999. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
23.Jump up ^ "The 37th Grammy Nominations". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). January 6, 1995. p. 16. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
24.Jump up ^ "1994 Best Music Video, Short Form". Past Winners Search. National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. 1995. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
25.^ Jump up to: a b Cohen, Amanda (October 8, 1993). "Entertainment". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Block Communications). Retrieved April 28, 2013. (subscription required)
26.^ Jump up to: a b Kenny, Glenn (March 18, 1994). "Alapalooza Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 14, 2012.
27.Jump up ^ Owen, Rob (October 31, 1993). "'Weird Al's Latest Venture Into Parody is a Little Weak". Richmond Times-Dispatch (Berkshire Hathaway). Retrieved April 28, 2013. (subscription required)
28.Jump up ^ Jurassic Park CD single (liner notes). "Weird Al" Yankovic. California, USA: Scotti Bros. Records. 1993.
29.Jump up ^ Schwartz, Jon (December 11, 2008). "Jurassic Park". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
External links[edit]
Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
"Weird Al" Yankovic
[show]
v ·
t ·
e
Jurassic Park
Categories: "Weird Al" Yankovic songs
Songs written by Jimmy Webb
1993 singles
Jurassic Park
Songs with lyrics by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Navigation menu
Create account
Log in
Article
Talk
Read
Edit
View history
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
Print/export
Languages
Català
Italiano
Simple English
Edit links
This page was last modified on 1 February 2014 at 18:45.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment