Amish Paradise

1996 single by "Weird Al" Yankovic

"Amish Paradise"

Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album  Bad Hair Day
B-side|

* "Everything You Know Is Wrong"
* "The Night Santa Went Crazy" (extra gory version)

Released| March 12, 1996
Recorded| January 15, 1996, in Houston, Texas
Genre|

* Comedy hip hop
* parody

Length| 3:20
Label| Scotti Brothers
Songwriter(s)|

* Artis Ivey, Jr.
* Larry Sanders
* Doug Rasheed
* Stevie Wonder
* "Weird Al" Yankovic

Lyricist(s)|

* "Weird Al" Yankovic
* Sherwood Schwartz
* George Wyle

"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
| "Headline News"
(1994)  | "Amish Paradise"
(1996)  | "Gump"
(1996)

|
|

Music video
"Amish Paradise" on YouTube

"Amish Paradise"[1] is a 1996 single by satirist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the hip hop song "Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V. (which itself is a reworking of the Stevie Wonder song "Pastime Paradise"). Featured on the album Bad Hair Day, it turns the original "Gangsta's Paradise", in which the narrator laments his dangerous way of life, on its head by presenting an Amish man praising his relatively plain and uncomplicated existence.

## Track listing

[edit]

1. "Amish Paradise" – 3:20
2. "Everything You Know Is Wrong" – 3:46
3. "The Night Santa Went Crazy" (extra gory version) – 3:59
4. "Dare to Be Stupid" (instrumental) – 3:25

## Coolio's response

[edit]

Yankovic sought permission from Coolio before making "Amish Paradise", offering a percentage of the revenues. Yankovic was given rights to use the song by the record company (non-exclusive rights holders) and producer Doug Rasheed, but not by Coolio himself, who declined when presented with Weird Al's offer and subsequently decried the release.[2][3][4][5]

Yankovic later stated on VH1's Behind the Music that he had written a sincere letter of apology to Coolio, which was never returned, and that Coolio never complained when he received his royalty check from proceeds of the song. A series of photos taken at the XM Satellite Radio booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show suggests that Yankovic and Coolio had made amends.[6] In a 2014 interview, Coolio stated that the decision to refuse the parody at the time was "stupid" and he wished that someone on his management had stopped him, and then considered the final parody to be "funny".[7]

During an interview with Sean Evans on Hot Ones in 2016, Coolio further expressed regret for how he initially responded to "Amish Paradise". "In hindsight, it was stupid of me to say something about [Yankovic] doing a parody of 'Gangsta's Paradise'," he said. "I mean, he did Michael Jackson, he did Prince. You know, people who were definitely more talented than I am. I think Prince did say something... but he wasn't very vocal about it like I was. And it just made me look dumb... It was one of the dumb things I did. And I'm willing to admit I did something stupid."[8]

## Music video

[edit]

Yankovic directed the music video for "Amish Paradise" himself, as he has done for many of his music videos since 1986. The music video for "Amish Paradise" closely mirrors the "Gangsta's Paradise" music video, although several concepts are parodied.[9] Though Yankovic wanted to film in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where there is a large concentration of Amish, the travel cost to bring everyone needed for filming there was too much, so filming took place in southern California. Many of the extras in the video are Yankovic's own relatives.[10] The video also features Florence Henderson as the Michelle Pfeiffer character from Dangerous Minds in the original video.[11] Yankovic said in 2022 that recording the Buster Keaton gag with the falling house frame was the scariest stunt he had ever done.[12]

## Personnel

[edit]

According to the liner notes of The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic:[13]

* "Weird Al" Yankovic – lead & background vocals, choir vocals
* Steve Jay – bass guitar, synth bass, choir vocals
* Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drum programming
* Rubén Valtierra – synthesizers
* Lisa Popeil – choir vocals
* Jim West – choir vocals

## Chart performance

[edit]

Chart (1996)  | Peak
position

|

US Billboard Hot 100[14] | 53
US Cash Box Top 100[15] | 50

## Rerecording

[edit]

In 2022, for the film Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Yankovic rerecorded the track, as well as four others. In the film, Yankovic's fictional father reveals that he was raised Amish, and Yankovic finds a lyric sheet written by his father called "Amish Paradise" and decides to perform the song.

## See also

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Weird" Al Yankovic Amish paradise song and video, retrieved May 2, 2022
2. ^ Mc Keon, Connor (December 19, 2011). "Gangsta's Parodist: Revisiting "Weird Al" vs. Coolio". Vulture magazine. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
3. ^ Nunn, Christina (March 7, 2021). "Coolio Deeply Regrets Rejecting an Offer From 'Weird Al' Yankovic: 'That Was 1 of the Dumbest Things I Did in My Career'". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
4. ^ "Why Did 'Weird Al' Yankovic and Coolio Have Beef? (Don't post)". September 30, 2022.
5. ^ "'He put some magic on that track': The story of Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio's biggest hit". The Irish Times.
6. ^ "Weird and COOLIO?!". Yank Blog. January 8, 2006. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2008.
7. ^ Ozzi, Dan (April 28, 2014). "After All These Years, Coolio Still Lets His Nuts Hang". Vice. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
8. ^ Coolio Talks Hip-Hop Cooking and "Gangsta's Paradise" Folklore While Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones, retrieved January 20, 2020
9. ^ "Video Facts". weirdal.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
10. ^ Does Weird Al Know His Lyrics From His Biggest Songs?. Variety. June 23, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025 - via YouTube.
11. ^ Reese, Doug (March 30, 1996). "Directing Is Yankovic's "Paradise"". Billboard. p. 144. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
12. ^ GQ. ""Weird Al" Yankovic Breaks Down His Most Iconic Tracks". YouTube. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
13. ^ Yankovic, "Weird Al" (October 29, 2009). The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic (booklet).
14. ^ [Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2002]
15. ^ "Top 100 1996-05-18". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved March 19, 2015.

* v
* t
* e

"Weird Al" Yankovic

* "Weird Al" Yankovic
* Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz
* Steve Jay
* Jim West
* Rubén Valtierra

* Rick Derringer

Studio albums|

* "Weird Al" Yankovic
* "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D
* Dare to Be Stupid
* Polka Party!
* Even Worse
* UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff
* Off the Deep End
* Alapalooza
* Bad Hair Day
* Running with Scissors
* Poodle Hat
* Straight Outta Lynwood
* Alpocalypse
* Mandatory Fun

Soundtrack albums|

* Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

EPs|

* Another One Rides the Bus
* Internet Leaks

Compilations|

* Greatest Hits
* The Food Album
* Permanent Record: Al in the Box
* Greatest Hits Vol. II
* The TV Album
* The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic
* Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic

Songs|

* "My Bologna"
* "Another One Rides the Bus"
* "Ricky"
* "I Love Rocky Road"
* "Eat It"
* "I Lost on Jeopardy"
* "Like a Surgeon"
* "Yoda"
* "Hooked on Polkas"
* "Dare to Be Stupid"
* "I Want a New Duck"
* "Living with a Hernia"
* "Christmas at Ground Zero"
* "Fat"
* "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies"
* "Chicken Pot Pie"
* "Smells Like Nirvana"
* "You Don't Love Me Anymore"
* "Jurassic Park"
* "Bedrock Anthem"
* "Achy Breaky Song"
* "Headline News"
* "Amish Paradise"
* "Everything You Know Is Wrong"
* "Spy Hard"
* "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
* "The Saga Begins"
* "It's All About the Pentiums"
* "Polka Power!"
* "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi"
* "Albuquerque"
* "Bob"
* "Couch Potato"
* "You're Pitiful"
* "Don't Download This Song"
* "White & Nerdy"
* "Pancreas"
* "Canadian Idiot"
* "Virus Alert"
* "Trapped in the Drive-Thru"
* "Whatever You Like"
* "Craigslist"
* "Perform This Way"
* "Tacky"
* "Word Crimes"
* "Foil"
* "Handy"
* "First World Problems"

Videography|

* Al TV
* The Compleat Al
* UHF
* The "Weird Al" Yankovic Video Library
* Alapalooza: The Videos
* Bad Hair Day: The Videos
* The Weird Al Show
* "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection
* "Weird Al" Yankovic Live!: The Alpocalypse Tour

Tours|

* An Evening of Dementia with Dr. Demento in Person Plus "Weird Al" Yankovic
* Mandatory World Tour
* Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour
* Strings Attached Tour
* The Unfortunate Return of the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour

Related articles|

* Cheese Sandwich
* Discography
* Videography
* Polka medleys
* Peter & the Wolf/Carnival of the Animals – Part II
* Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work
* MusicBrainz release group

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