Now that “Weird Al” Yankovic has secured the first No.1 album of his career in Mandatory Fun, what is there left to conquer for the musician who has enjoyed a 30-year career and earned the respect of every human being on the planet?
Perhaps it’s the Super Bowl, the biggest single event in the world. The push for him to perform at Super Bowl XLIX and truly cement his legacy as the greatest artist of all time is in full force, and it’s being aided by an online petition that, at the time of this writing, has more than 8,200 supporters (and the number is rising quickly).
This isn’t the first time a petition to get Weird Al to the Super Bowl has been started; there was another one last year, but it never caught the steam that this one has (chalk it up to another victory born from Mandatory Fun‘s genius release). And he didn’t have “Sports Song” in his repertoire at that point, either.
Ed Ball, who created this incarnation of the petition, had this to say about why he did it:
“For decades Weird Al has entertained fans, young and old, with his popular clever parodies and unique sense of humor. Having him headline the Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show would not only be overly accepted by the millions of views, but it would remain true to the standards and quality of the show business we have come to love and respect out of this prestigious event. The songs of artists that he is parodying could join him on stage to accompany, as well as other surprise appearances from well-known actors/actresses, adding more prestige and star power. The theatrics alone would be hilarious and a welcoming change, and draw a wider audience of fans that typically would not tune into the championship game or halftime show.”
It’s a noble cause, but maybe the world simply isn’t ready for Weird Al to ascend to such a level of success. Maybe, selfishly, we don’t want him to leave us, knowing he’s climbed every mountain in the business and no longer has any use for it. But what a way it would be for Weird Al to go out, rising from the stage during his last song at the Super Bowl, ascending high above the stadium until he is out of sight forever, leaving his whereabouts to our imaginations until he reveals himself as an Obi-Wan Kenobi-esque blue spirit just when we need him most.
