12 of Weird Al’s Best Songs About Food

Original song: “Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer

Most delicious lyrics: “Potato skins, potato cakes / Hash browns, and instant flakes / baked or boiled or french fried / there’s no kind you haven’t tried”

What to eat: Yankovic gives you some pretty good ideas in those opening lyrics of the song—check out our favorite spud recipes to make some Buffalo Latkes, Polish Potato Dumplings, Millionaire Mashed Potatoes, and more tater-forward dishes.

For easy frozen french fries, go for Grown In Idaho. If you want to go the fast food route, may we suggest two of our favorites: Taco John’s Potato Olés and Checkers/Rally’s french fries. Whatever you do, just don’t rely on In-N-Out.

Original song: “Beat It” by Michael Jackson

Most delicious lyrics: “You better listen, better do what you’re told / You haven’t even touched your tuna casserole / You better chow down or it’s gonna get cold / So eat it / I don’t care if you’re full”

What to eat: You heard the man! Eat some tuna casserole! We have a quick and easy recipe for a traditional Church Lady Tuna Casserole and some tips for incorporating tuna into other pasta dishes.

Original song: “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper

Most delicious lyrics: “Some girls like to buy new shoes / And others like drivin’ trucks and wearing tattoos / There’s only one thing that they all like a bunch / Oh, girls, they want to have lunch / Oh, girls just want to have lunch”

What to eat: The sandwich is the perfect lunchtime dish, and if we’ve learned anything over the last few years, chicken sandwiches is where it’s at. Some of our favorite fast food chicken sandwiches from 2022 have been Wingstop’s choose-your-own-sauceventure creation and Pollo Campero’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

If you’re feeling nostalgic, we have a formula for recreating the classic school cafeteria chicken patty sandwich.

Original song: “Zoot Suite Riot” by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies

Most delicious lyrics: “I think I’m about ready for a Quarter Pounder with extra cheese / I need a side order of onion rings / And don’t forget to Super-Size that”

What to eat: You didn’t think we were going to embrace toxic diet culture, did you? Sure, most of this song is a condemnation of the foods we love most, saying they should be replaced by the Grapefruit Diet, but we’re choosing instead to draw inspiration from the song’s final lyrics. We’ve always said McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese is an underrated fast food marvel, this is the perfect time to celebrate it.

Original song: “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Most delicious lyrics: “Baby, I love rocky road / So won’t you go and buy half a gallon, baby / I love rocky road / So have another triple scoop with me”

What to eat: Don’t overthink it. Pick up some rocky road ice cream.

Original song: “La Bamba” by Ritchie Valens

Most delicious lyrics: “Would you like some-a zucchini / Or-a my homemade linguine, it’s hard to beat / Have-a more fettuccine / Ay, you getting too skinny, you gotta to eat / Ay, mange, mange”

What to eat: This calls for a pasta smorgasbord. If you want to stick to semi-homemade, we have plenty of quick and easy recipes for pasta dishes to mirror the song’s references, from Zucchini Pesto Pasta to Butter Braised Cabbage Fettuccine to, yes, lasagna.

Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Bowl deal is also still in full swing (through November 20), and while you can’t get never ending pasta to-go, you could make Olive Garden your pregame spot so you’re nice and full for the movie.

Original song: “My Sharona” by The Knack

Most delicious lyrics: “Spreadin’ on the mustard now, show me how / Spread it on a little of this bologna / Hopin’ that we don’t run out, don’t run out / If we do I’m sure that I’ll miss bologna”

What to eat: This is the song that started it all, and therefore deserves a high-class sausage to celebrate the occasion. So skip the Oscar Meyer (even though it gets name checked in the song) and treat yourself instead to Lebanon Bologna, a Pennsylvania smoked sausage specialty. You can certainly add mustard if you like, but diehards swear by cream cheese as the ideal condiment.

Original song: “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor

Most delicious lyrics: “Try the rye or the kaiser / They’re on special tonight / If you want, you can have an appetizer / You might like our salami and the liver’s all right / And they’d really go well with the rye / Or the kaiser”

What to eat: It’s time for a trip to the deli! Stock up on your favorite cold cuts (like Zingerman’s corned beef, perhaps?), potato salads, and other prepared food wonders. And of course grab some kaiser and rye rolls while you’re there.

Original song: “Stand” by R.E.M.

Most delicious lyrics: “Spam in my pantry at home (have some more) / Think of expiration, better read the label (oh boy) / Now, Spam breakfast, dinner, or lunch (it’s the best) / Think about how it’s been precooked, wonder if I’ll just eat it cold”

What to eat: There are so many unexpected ways to cook up Spam. For instance, how about some al pastor Spam tacos, made entirely from corner store ingredients? Throw some Spam and Nacho Cheese Doritos on top of a pizza. And as the song says, you can always just eat Spam cold, straight from the can. Yum!

Original song: “Rico Suave” by Gerrardo

Most delicious lyrics: “Well, there’s not a taco big enough for a man like me / That’s why I order two or three / Let me give you a tip, just try a nacho chip / It’s really good with bean dip”

What to eat: This isn’t authentic Mexican food that Mr. Yankovic is evoking with this song. No, instead I’m seeing piles and piles of Taco Bell. Order exactly what you like, customized to the heavens, and it’ll still be a steal—and speaking of steals, you have until November 6 to cash in on a free Doritos Locos Taco to add to the haul.

Original song: “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel (this is a style parody as opposed to a one-to-one song parody)

Most delicious lyrics: “Your eyes roll back and your knees get weak / Aw, you’re gonna lick your plate clean / People come from miles around just to study my technique / I make the best darn waffles this world has ever seen”

What to eat: There are a few ways to approach adding waffles to your spread. First, you can go fancy like the Waffle King himself and make your own gourmet turkey and waffles meal (we have a recipe right here). Second, you can pick up some Annie’s Organic Homestyle Waffles from the freezer section to toast up and enjoy. Or you could always just put out a box of waffle cones as serving vessels for everything else on the table and call it day. This is an occasion for getting weird.

Original song: “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” by New Kids on the Block

Most delicious lyrics: “The first time that I tried it / Got a big sugar buzz. Nothing gets me high as that sandwich cookie does / But I love the filling most / I rub it on my roast / Mix it in with my coffee and spread it on my toast”

What to eat: We all know the white stuff inside Oreos is good. That’s old news. This is instead an opportunity to try as many novelty Oreo flavors as possible (Snickerdoodle and Pumpkin Spice seasonal flavors are out now) and see what stacks up to the OG. We know Weird Al can definitely appreciate a novelty treat.