Happy Birthday, Weird Al!

One of music's innocuous yet consistently relevant figures is "Weird Al" Yankovic, the parody songwriter. The satirist turns 56 years old today (Oct 23).

Weird Al has been making comedic magic since the '80s. His parodies are wide-ranging, moving from the funk of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" to Michael Jackson's mega-hit "Bad" to Madonna's "Like a Virgin." None of his albums throughout the '80s broke the Billboard's Top 10, but three of them -- "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D, Dare to Be Stupid and Even Worse -- went platinum.

Like most longtime comedians, Weird Al didn't make it through his career without striking a nerve. That's what happened with Coolio when he made "Amish Paradise," inspired by the rapper's biggest hit "Gangsta's Paradise." Weird Al said he got permission from Coolio's label to parody the song, but rhymer said he never gave the OK. Tensions have sense calmed between the two.

In 2006, Weird Al struck gold again with the Chamillionaire parody "White & Nerdy." Last year, he hit another peak: After two decades, Weird Al scored his first No. 1 album with Mandatory Fun. It's safe to say he won't stop anytime soon.

Watch "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Word Crimes" Video

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