Gump (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Gump


Artist = "Weird Al" Yankovic
from Album = Bad Hair Day
B-side = "Spy Hard (Theme from the Motion Picture Spy Hard)""Since You've Been Gone"
Released = May 7, 1996
Format = CD, cassette
Recorded = January 3, 1996
Genre = Comedy / parody
Length = 2:10
Label = Scotti Brothers
[ Writer = ]
Producer = "Weird Al" Yankovic
Chart position = * #102 (US Billboard Hot 100)
Last single = "Amish Paradise"
(1996)
This single = "Gump"
(1996)
Next single = '"Spy Hard"
(1996)
Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption =
Type =


Cover size =
Lower caption = Cover for the "Gump" promo
Border = Extra tracklisting
Album = Bad Hair Day
Type = studio
Tracks =
# "Amish Paradise"
# "Everything You Know is Wrong"
# "Cavity Search
# "Callin' In Sick"
# "The Alternative Polka"
# "Since You've Been Gone"
# "Gump"
# "I'm So Sick of You"
# "Syndicated Inc."
# "I Remember Larry"
# "Phony Calls"
# "The Night Santa Went Crazy"

Gump is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of "Lump" by The Presidents of the United States of America and also parodies the title character from the movie Forrest Gump.

The cover for the single is itself a parody of the Presidents of the United States of America's logo. This is one of Yankovic's shortest album parodies, second only to his remade version of "My Bologna".

Track listing

The following tracks are on the single:
# "Gump" - 2:10
# "Spy Hard" - 2:49
# "Since You've Been Gone" - 1:22
# "Since You've Been Gone (Karaoke Version)" - 1:22
# "Callin' In Sick (Instrumental)" - 3:40
# "Spy Hard (Instrumental)" - 2:49
# "Spy Hard (Orchestral Mix)" - 2:49

The promo single only contains "Gump". The cassette single only contains "Gump" and "Spy Hard".

Music video

The music video for "Gump" is a double parody of both the movie "Forrest Gump" and the Presidents of the United States of America's music video for "Lump". The single's cover art is directly taken from the video shoot.
* The video begins with a feather blowing through the air, much like the beginning of the original movie.
* Andy Comeau appears as the titular character, Forrest Gump. [http://www.weirdal.com/videtc.htm www.weirdal.com "Video Facts"] ]
* Yankovic appears as Chris Ballew, complete with bald head.
* John "Bermuda" Schwartz appears as Jason Finn, and Steve Jay appears as Dave Dederer. Yankovic has stated that originally his guitarist, Jim West, was supposed to play the part of Dederer, but his hair was too long. Jay later filled in. [ [http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0996 Ask Al: Sept/Oct 1996] ]
* Throughout the video Forrest offers different people chocolates. He first offers Gladys Ormphby (Ruth Buzzi's Laugh-In character) some chocolates and she hits him with her purse. The second offer is to large, strong man Henry Reichenbach which results in Gump being spun around by his head. He then offers Pat Boone some chocolates. Boone greedily devours most of the box.
* The instruments used in the song are over-simplified as a parody of the Presidents Of The United States Of America's actual instruments (a basitar, or 2 stringed guitar for bass, and a guitbass, which is a 3 stringed guitar). Al uses a one stringed bass in the video, while the guitarist uses a two stringed "guitar".
* As mentioned before, half of the music video is also a parody of the "Lump" music video: Instead of singing in a bog/marsh, Al and his band are dancing in the water fountain in the middle of the park. The silhouette scene in the Lump music video is also parodied, with Al and his band making hand shadows against the background.
* At 1:04, during the silhouette scenes, Yankovic can be seen bending his guitar. This is similar to the videos for Smells Like Nirvana and Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*.

Chart positions

ee also

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

References

External links

* [http://www.weirdal.com "Weird Al's" Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/weirdal Al's Official MySpace page]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TICJUO_ooL0 The video on YouTube]