Running With Scissors by “Weird Al” Yankovic

Running with Scissors is the tenth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 29, 1999. It was the fourth studio album self-produced by Yankovic, and his first album for Volcano Records after leaving Scotti Brothers. The musical styles on the album are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the late 1990s, largely targeting alternative rock and hip-hop. The album's lead single, "The Saga Begins", however, was a parody of the 1971 single "American Pie" by Don McLean, and it recounts the plot of the film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which was released around the same time. None of the album's singles charted domestically, although "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi" (a parody of "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" by the Offspring) charted at number 67 in Australia. The album featured five parodies. Aside from the aforementioned "The Saga Begins" and "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi", the album also contains lampoons of "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies, "It's All About the Benjamins" by Puff Daddy, and "Zoot Suit Riot" by Cherry Poppin' Daddies. The other half of the album is original material, featuring many "style parodies", or musical imitations of existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists like Nine Inch Nails and the Rugburns, as well as imitations of different musical genres like zydeco, third-wave ska, and truck-driving country. Running with Scissors was met with mostly positive reviews, with many critics praising "The Saga Begins"; some, however, felt that the album was rushed. The album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200. "The Saga Begins" went on to become one of Yankovic's best-known singles, although it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Running with Scissors was Yankovic's seventh Gold record in the United States, and went on to be certified Platinum for sales of over one million copies in the US. The album also was certified Gold in both Australia and Canada.