Although critical reception to the song was mixed, "Canadian Idiot" is among Yankovic's best-charting songs, peaking at No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100. He included it on the set lists of four of his concert tours, and fans responded with hundreds of homemade music videos.
Yankovic has said the lyrics reflect the viewpoint of an ignorant American and that the song is "a love letter to Canada".[5] Yankovic's time in Canada during his career, in particular at cable music channel MuchMusic, was such that he "felt like an honorary Canadian".[6] While hoping that listeners understood the song is a joke, Yankovic was a bit worried about how "irony-impaired people" would receive it.[7][3][8]
In Weird Al: Seriously, musicologist Lily Hirsch notes the lyrics reprimand Canadians for not being like Americans, and are an ironic look at American xenophobia.[1] She notes the line in which the singer admits to being "nervous" about Canada, and how it stands apart from the rest of the song like "a radioed request for help".[1]
Hirsch wrote that the parody had the same energy and drive as the original but its message was more veiled and some missed its irony. She quotes blogger Nathan Rabin: "'Canadian Idiot' is fundamentally about the way we demonize people who are not like us, even when those differences actually make them better than us, not worse." Illustrating this, Hirsch notes that, like Yankovic's 1992 song "Trigger Happy", "Canadian Idiot" satirizes gun culture in the United States. The singer disparages Canadians for not carrying firearms in public places but later refers to the country's low crime rates, "implying a relationship between gun ownership and crime".[1]
Sociologist Shoshana Magnet notes the song's effective use of common but conflicting stereotypes, such as how it "mocks Canadian earnestness ... while paying homage to the continued Canadian commitment to the welfare state".[2]
Recording and release
"Canadian Idiot" is the first parody Yankovic recorded for Straight Outta Lynwood, with production beginning on 19 February 2006.[9] The song was released with the album and as a digital single on 26 September 2006.
The song appeared on the Billboard charts despite not having a physical single in the US.[10] It peaked at No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100,[11][12] No. 35 on Hot Digital Songs,[13] and No. 57 on the Pop 100.[14] Promotional single-CDs of "Canadian Idiot" were pressed in Australia and shipped for play on radio stations.[15]
Live performances
Yankovic performing during the Straight Outta Lynwood tour in 2007
"Canadian Idiot" was the second song performed on Yankovic's 2007–08 Straight Outta Lynwoodconcert tour, following a polka medley.[16] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Yankovic said of the tracks on the album "Canadian Idiot" was "the most fun to perform live".[17] Audience response was positive enough that he included the song on the set lists of three subsequent album tours.[16]
During performances of the song on the Straight Outta Lynwood tour, Yankovic and his band wore black collared shirts and red ties, similar to that which Armstrong wore at American Idiot performances and promotions. On subsequent tour performances, Yankovic wore a red-and-white jacket patterned with maple leaves.[18][19][20]
The first Canadian performance of the song was to 4,000 fans at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on 20 June 2007. Rob Williams of the Winnipeg Free Press wrote that the polka medley and "Canadian Idiot" were "the perfect way to start" his return to Canada and rated the concert 4 out of 5 stars.[21][a] David Schmeichel of the Winnipeg Sun wrote that the song was received well, included the McKenzie Brothers' signature "Call of the Loon" as a chorus and concluded with an explosion of red and white streamers. After the song, Yankovic joked to the audience, "This is the first time we've played that in Canada so thanks for not killing us."[23]
On 19 February 2013, Yankovic performed "Canadian Idiot" with independent artists Portugal. The Man to close a one-hour telethon-styled webcast announcing the lineup for the Bonnaroo Music Festival.[28]
The song was included in a special free outdoor show of the Mandatory Fun tour on 21 July 2015 at Place des festivals in Montreal, Quebec, as part of the Just For Laughs comedy festival.[18][20][b] Despite some early rain, attendance in the public square approached its capacity of 25,000.[18]
Reception
Fan-made music videos
Fans created homemade music videos, ranging from crude animation to choreographed lip-synchronization, embracing the song's bizarre imagery, which were posted on YouTube. Many of the young filmmakers were admittedly ignorant about Canada, and perhaps also of the song's irony, drawing criticism in YouTube's comment sections.[5][30] At the end of 2006, the Toronto Star put the song on its "naughty list" for inviting "hundreds of young Americans [to create] Youtube videos" mocking Canada.[31]
Canadian music channel MuchMusic ran a contest for the song, calling for entrants to submit a video of themselves being the "ultimate Canadian idiot". Five winning clips were to be shown on Much on Demand. Some time after the deadline of 27 December 2006,[32] the contest was canceled because of a lack of submissions.[33] Later, an update brought the project back, and the five finalists received digital cameras and a personalized recording from Yankovic.
Critical reception
Critical reception to the song was mixed. David Jeffries of AllMusic applauded "Canadian Idiot" as one of the better contributions on an "inspired" album.[34]The Hamilton Spectator's Jeff Mahoney wrote that the song is a great parody and "a delicious shish kebab of Great White North cliches".[35]
Chris Carle of IGN likened the parody to Yankovic giving Canada a spanking.[36] A review in The New Yorker described the song as a repetitive "one-liner".[37] Al Shipley of Stylus called the song a "toothless" send-up of tired Canadian stereotypes.[38]Slate's Sam Anderson described the song as "formulaic and calculated" as if generated by a computer.[39] Scott Shetler of Slant Magazine felt it had "predictable jokes" which had been done better on South Park with the satirical song "Blame Canada".[40]
^The MTS Centre concert was Yankovic's first regular tour performance in Canada in seven years.[22] He explained that his absence from Canada on the Poodle Hat tour had been due to an unspecified contract dispute.[21]
^Aside from a few songs played in 2011 while hosting a comedy show, this was Yankovic's first concert in Montreal since 1996.[29][22]
^ abChamberlain, Adrian (6 September 2007). "Weirder than ever; Weird Al's latest foray into pop parody a Top 10 hit". Don Mills, Ontario. Canwest News. ProQuest460123390.
^ abSzklarski, Cassandra (22 November 2006). "Cdn stereotypes abound on Net thanks to homemade 'Canadian Idiot' videos". Toronto, Ontario. The Canadian Press. ProQuest359756053.
^Lewis, Nick (30 July 2008). "World of weird; Comic musician still parodying the hits of today and tomorrow in silly but astute songs". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. p. C1. ProQuest243757289.
^"The bad and the ugly; Sure, there were a lot of terrific things that happened this year. But before we get to the nice, let's pay respects to the naughty". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario. 23 December 2006. p. H15. ProQuest439117098.
