White & Nerdy: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox single |
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| Name = White & Nerdy| Artist = [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] |
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| Album = [[Straight Outta Lynwood]] |
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| Released = September 12, 2006 |
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| Cover = White And Nerdy.jpg |
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| track_no = 1 |
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| B-side = "[[Don't Download This Song]]" |
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| Format = [[CD]], [[Music download|Digital download]], [[12"]] |
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| Recorded = July 22, 2006 |
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| Genre = Comedy hip hop, [[nerdcore]] |
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| Length = 2:50 |
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| Writer = "Weird Al" Yankovic, [[Chamillionaire|H. Seriki]], [[Krayzie Bone|A. Henderson]] |
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| Label = [[Volcano Records|Volcano]] |
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| Producer = "Weird Al" Yankovic |
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| Certification = Platinum <small>([[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]])</small> |
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| Last single = "[[Don't Download This Song]]"<br>(2006) |
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| This single = "'''White & Nerdy'''"<br>(2006) |
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| Next single = "[[Canadian Idiot]]"<br>(2006) |
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| Misc = {{Extra track listing | |
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| Album = [[Straight Outta Lynwood]] |
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| Type = single |
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| Tracks = |
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# "White & Nerdy" |
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# "Pancreas" |
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# "[[Canadian Idiot]]" |
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# "I'll Sue Ya" |
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# "[[Polka Medleys#Polkarama!|Polkarama!]]" |
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# "[[Virus Alert]]" |
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# "Confessions Part III" |
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# "[[Weasel Stomping Day]]" |
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# "[[Close But No Cigar (song)|Close But No Cigar]]" |
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# "[[Do I Creep You Out]]" |
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# "[[Trapped in the Drive-Thru]]" |
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# "[[Don't Download This Song]]" |
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}} |
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}} |
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"'''White & Nerdy'''" is the second single from [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]'s album ''[[Straight Outta Lynwood]]'', which was released on September 26, 2006. It parodies the song <!-- the song is just called "Ridin'", not "Ridin' Dirty". Yes, I know, that's weird. Please don't change this. -->"[[Ridin']]" by [[Chamillionaire]] and [[Krayzie Bone]]. The song both laments and revels in nerdiness, as recited by the subject who cannot "roll with the [[gangsta rap|gangstas]]" because he is "just too [[White people|white]] and [[nerd]]y", and includes constant references to stereotypically "nerdy" things, such as collecting [[comic books]], playing ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]] (D&D)'', and editing [[Wikipedia]], as well as stereotypically "white" things, like watching ''[[Happy Days]]'', playing [[ping pong]], and "eating all my [[sandwiches]] with [[mayonnaise]]". |
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The song itself has won many accolades, including being Yankovic's first [[Billboard Hot 100]] top 10 hit, peaking at #9. It was also certified platinum by the [[RIAA]], the first Yankovic single to achieve this feat. Chamillionaire himself also stated that he enjoyed the song. |
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==Track listing== |
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===CD single=== |
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The following tracks are on the single: |
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# "White & Nerdy" – 2:50 |
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# "Don't Download This Song" – 3:54 |
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The promo single contains only "White & Nerdy". |
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===Promo 12" single=== |
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The following three songs were featured as triple A-sides on a 12" [[Selections From Straight Outta Lynwood|promotional record]]: |
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# "White & Nerdy" – 2:50 |
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# "Confessions Part III" – 3:52 |
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# "Trapped in the Drive-Thru" – 10:50. |
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==Music video== |
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The single has an accompanying [[music video]], which was recorded in [[high-definition video|high definition]]. The video, loosely parodying the video for [[Chamillionaire]]'s ''[[Ridin' (Chamillionaire song)|Ridin']]'', following the song's lyrics, shows Yankovic, dressed as a stereotypical nerd with a button-up shirt, dress slacks, and horn-rimmed glasses (see also [[Yuppie]] or [[Preppie]]), attempting to fit in with the "gangsters" but instead either scaring them away, causing them to [[finger (gesture)|flip him off]] (shown on the scene where Yankovic is riding on a [[Segway PT|Segway]] in the park), or to direct him away from their group and instead towards a herd of other nerds (shown when Yankovic is in a bowling alley). These scenes include shots that directly parody the "Ridin'" video, including similar outfits by both artists. Yankovic is seen at night dancing in front of a set of road flares arranged in the form of [[Pac-Man]], similar to the shot of Chamillionaire in front of the figure of a lizard, his personal logo. Another repeated scene shows Yankovic along with [[Donny Osmond]]—the "whitest guy I could think of", according to Yankovic<ref>[http://www.retrocrush.com/archive2006/weirdal/index.html retrocrush.com]</ref>—dancing in front of the [[Schrödinger equation]] for a hydrogen atom,<ref>However, the equation shown is incorrect in that ''ħ''<math>^2</math> (reduced [[Planck's constant]]) is replaced by a <math>h^2</math>.</ref> mimicking shots of Chamillionaire and [[Krayzie Bone]] from the "Ridin'" video. Whereas Chamillionaire's video ends with the artist [[Gang signal#Hand signs|throwing up a gang hand sign]] to the camera, "White & Nerdy" ends with Yankovic giving a mistaken version of the [[Vulcan salute]] (his thumb is against the side of his hand instead of perpendicular). |
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[[Image:White Nerdy YOU SUCK cropped.jpg|thumb|Al depicted expressing his opinion about [[Atlantic Records]] on [[Wikipedia]]]] |
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Further interspersed among these shots are additional shots of Yankovic demonstrating his "white and nerdy" life, some cases depicting more than just the statements in the lyrics. One scene shows Yankovic blanking out the [[Wikipedia]] page for [[Atlantic Records]], replacing it with the words (in excessively large type) "YOU SUCK!", referencing his recent trouble with the company in getting permission to release "[[You're Pitiful]]", a parody of [[James Blunt]]'s song "[[You're Beautiful]]"; the video is the first appearance of Wikipedia in a music video.<ref name="Herald">Adams, Cameron. “[http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20523843-5006024,00.html Weird Al Yankovic].” ''Herald Sun'', October 5, 2006.</ref> The video shows a fictional [[Trivial Pursuit]] card, with questions that include the location of "[[The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota]]", on what page [[Harry Potter]] would die in [[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows|the next book]], and the number of Wicket men there are on a [[43-Man Squamish]] team.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2006/09/28/weird-al-not-one-to-neglect-the-details/ | title = “Weird Al” Yankovic: Not One to Neglect the Details | publisher = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' | date = 2006-09-28 | accessdate = 2009-06-30 | first = Elizabeth | last = Goodman }}</ref> Yankovic is shown making a shady deal with a thug in a back alley to acquire a [[bootleg recording|bootleg]] [[VHS]] copy of ''[[The Star Wars Holiday Special]]''.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/16/entertainment/ca-starwars16 | title = 'The Star Wars Holiday Special': May the farce be with you. | publisher = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' | first = Donald | last = Liebenson | date = 2008-11-16 | accessdate = 2009-06-30}}</ref> |
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In addition to Osmond, there are other cameos in the video. [[Jordan Peele]] and [[Keegan-Michael Key]] of ''[[MADtv]]'' appear in the blue 1967 [[Chevy Impala]] convertible at the beginning of the video, two "gangsters" that are scared away by Yankovic's nerdiness. The license plate on the Impala reads "OG4LIFE", a reference to [[Ice-T|Ice-T's]] 1991 album [[O.G. Original Gangster|Original gangster]]. [[Seth Green]] appears in front of a wall display of action figures; Green has a huge personal collection of action figures (including [[Star Wars]]) that are stored in a large storage unit he shares with Hugh Sterbakov.<ref>[http://www.kid4life.com/yoda2/green-sterbakov-interview.html kid4life.com]</ref> [[Judy Tenuta]], a regular on ''[[The Weird Al Show]]'' and who previously appeared in "[[Headline News (song)|Headline News]]", appears as the woman who receives a [[power strip]] as a Christmas present. Other actors were personally recruited by Yankovic through a post on his [[MySpace]] page, from which he received several interested extras that said they would appear for free. These extras include: [[Jon Katz]], [[Michael Bueno]], Tom Schuler, [[Peter Withers]], [[John Reynolds]], [[Jennifer More]], [[Christina Rodriguez]], Benjamin Baker, [[Jason Van Kemseke]], [[George Garcia]], [[Deborah Schuler]], [[Cristina Malesci]], [[Shawn Avery]], [[Maxx Gillman]], [[Mikel Browning]], [[Diego Kontarousky]], [[David Stephens]], and [[Jack DeVries]]. [[IGN]] Freelance Editor and MiraCosta College Chariot Copy Editor Jack DeVries is featured twice in the video: once playing [[Dungeons & Dragons]] at the beginning and at the end playing [[ten-pin bowling]]. |
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The comic book store featured in the video is [[Golden Apple Comics]], located in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]].<ref>http://www.goldenapplecomics.com/orchard/wierdal/index.php</ref> while the [[Gap (clothing retailer)|Gap store]] is located on [[Wilshire Boulevard]] in [[Santa Monica, California|Santa Monica]]. |
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Also in the comic book store, he is wearing a yellow jersey that says "[[Carl Sagan]] is my HomeBoy". |
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The video was leaked onto [[YouTube]] on September 17, 2006, just one day before the video was planned to be officially released at 9 PM [[Pacific time]] at [[AOL]].com. Due to the leak, the premiere was canceled, and AOL silently slipped the video onto their website hours <!-- What does the word 'hours' mean? Does it mean very shortly before, as is 'just hours before' or a long time before, as in 'HOURS before!'? --> before the premiere was set to take place. [[VH1]] started airing the video in "large rotation" on September 20, 2006, and it debuted at #5 on their Top 20 countdown.<ref name="official">[http://www.weirdal.com/home.htm The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It is available to watch on Yankovic's MySpace page, as well as on several other video hosting sites and P2P theaters. |
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As of September 10, 2007 it reached the 4th position on the [[Viral Video Chart]] (for over 365 days).<ref name="viralvideochartposition">[http://www.viralvideochart.com/google/white_and_nerdy?id=-5850712885114934940 Viral Video Chart - White and nerdy<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> |
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===Other videos=== |
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====Fan-made video==== |
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[[Yahoo! Music]] solicited online members to make a fans-only video for "White & Nerdy". The video was released in late 2006.<ref>[http://music.yahoo.com/ar-269394-videos--Weird-Al-Yankovic Weird Al Yankovic Music Videos on Yahoo! Music]</ref> |
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====Live performances==== |
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<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Tonightshow white-nerdy.png|thumb|right|"Weird Al" Yankovic on [[The Tonight Show]] with his band, Jay Leno, Penélope Cruz, and John Stamos after finishing his performance of "White and Nerdy".]] -->On November 2, 2006, Yankovic performed "White & Nerdy" live on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992 TV series)|The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]''. (He rode a [[Segway PT|Segway]] as he came on stage.) This being his first public live performance of the song, various background vocals from the original recording are played to allow him time to breathe during the fast-paced lyrics. Since then, however, his band has provided live background vocals. On December 3, he performed the song live at the [[VH1]] "Big In '06" Awards. Yankovic also performed the song during his 2007 tour, also using a Segway during the performance. This tradition copies the way he moves his Segway on the music video, only during these shows he is not wearing the same nerdy garments as he did on the music video. |
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==Awards and accolades== |
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The song became Yankovic's first career Top 10 hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100]], a record 23 years after his first appearance on the Hot 100 chart with "[[Ricky (song)|Ricky]]" in 1983. It peaked at #9, beating his previous #12 peak for 1984's "[[Eat It]]". This was also his first Top 40 single since 1992's "[[Smells Like Nirvana]]".<ref>[http://www.weirdal.com/ News on Yankovic's official site] The text, in case the homepage changes: BREAKING NEWS |
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"White & Nerdy" is the Hot Shot Debut (the highest charting debut single of the week) on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It enters at #28... which already makes it Al's highest charting single in over 22 years!</ref> It peaked on the [[Hot Digital Songs]] chart at #5. Both the song and the music video reached #1 at the U.S. and Australian [[iTunes Store]], and peaked at #1 on [[VH1]]'s top 20 video countdown. Both "White & Nerdy" and ''[[Straight Outta Lynwood]]'' were [[RIAA certification|certified gold]], and later [[RIAA certification|platinum]], by the [[RIAA]].<ref>www.weirdal.com</ref> This marks the first time any one of Yankovic's singles has been certified platinum.<ref>[http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS "White & Nerdy" Certified Platinum]</ref> |
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==Reaction from original artist== |
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Chamillionaire himself put "White & Nerdy" on his official [[MySpace]] page, and commented that he enjoys the parody.<ref name="MTVNews.com story">[http://www.mtv.com/bands/m/mixtape_monday/091106/ MTVNews.com story]</ref> In an interview, he also stated he was pleasantly surprised by "Weird Al"'s [[rapping]] ability, saying: "He's actually rapping pretty good on it, it's crazy ... I didn't know he could rap like that."<ref name="MTVNews.com story"/> |
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==Chart positions== |
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{| class="wikitable sortable" |
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!Chart (2006) |
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!Peak<br>position |
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|- |
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|align="left"|[[Swedish Singles Chart]] |
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|align="center"|14<ref>[http://finnishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Weird+Al+Yankovic&titel=White+%26+Nerdy&cat=s Swedish Chart @ finnishcharts.com]</ref> |
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|- |
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|align="left"|[[UK Singles Chart]] |
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|align="center"|80 |
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|- |
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|align="left"|U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] |
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|align="center"|9 |
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|- |
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|align="left"|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Hot Digital Songs]] |
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|align="center"|10 |
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|- |
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|align="left"|U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Pop 100]] |
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|align="center"|12 |
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|- |
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|} |
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==See also== |
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*[[List of singles by "Weird Al" Yankovic]] |
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*[[List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic]] |
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*[[It's All about the Pentiums]] - a song with a similar topic; also by Yankovic |
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*[[Wikipedia in popular culture]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.whiteandnerdy.com Official e-card for the song, includes quiz and video] |
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* Music video <!-- do not add link to unofficial postings of the video—these are copyright infringements] --> |
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** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9qYF9DZPdw YouTube] |
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** [http://myplay.com/videos/weird-al-yankovic/white-and-nerdy MyPlay.com] |
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** [http://media.bmgonline.com/zombalabelgroup.com/weird_al/video/white_and_nerdy_300.asx Windows Media streaming video] |
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*[http://weirdal.wikia.com/wiki/White_%26_Nerdy Article at weirdal.wikia.com] |
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{{"Weird Al" Yankovic}} |
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[[Category:2006 singles]] |
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[[Category:"Weird Al" Yankovic songs]] |
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[[Category:Music videos directed by "Weird Al" Yankovic]] |
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[[Category:Songs with lyrics by "Weird Al" Yankovic]] |
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[[Category:Nerdcore hip hop]] |
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Revision as of 19:19, 17 May 2011
WORDS GO HERE