"Amish Paradise" is a 1996 single by

satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Early satirical authors *Aes ...

"Weird Al" Yankovic Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...

. It is a parody of the

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

song "

Gangsta's Paradise "Gangsta's Paradise" is a single by American rapper Coolio, released on August 1, 1995, by Tommy Boy, Warner Bros. and MCA. Interpolating Stevie Wonder's song " Pastime Paradise" (1976), "Gangsta's Paradise" features vocals from American sin ...

" by

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the cours ...

featuring L.V. (which itself is a reworking of the

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

song "

Pastime Paradise "Pastime Paradise" is a song by American musician Stevie Wonder, recorded for his 1976 album ''Songs in the Key of Life''. The song was one of the first to use a synthesizer (the Yamaha GX-1) to sound like a full string section. Built initially f ...

"). Featured on the album ''

Bad Hair Day ''Bad Hair Day'' is the ninth studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on March 12, 1996. It was Yankovic's last studio album for the Scotti Brothers label before it was purchased by Volcano Entertainment in 19 ...

'', it turns the original "Gangsta's Paradise", in which the narrator laments his dangerous way of life, on its head by presenting an

Amish The Amish (, also or ; ; ), formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptism, Anabaptist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, church fellowships with Swiss people, Swiss and Alsace, Alsatian origins. As they ...

man praising his relatively plain and uncomplicated existence.

Track listing

# "Amish Paradise" – 3:20 # "Everything You Know Is Wrong" – 3:46 # " The Night Santa Went Crazy" (extra gory version) – 3:59 # "

Dare to Be Stupid ''Dare to Be Stupid'' is the third studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 18, 1985. The album was one of many Yankovic records produced by former The McCoys, McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded ...

" (instrumental) – 3:25

Coolio's response

Yankovic sought permission from Coolio before making "Amish Paradise", offering a percentage of the revenues. Yankovic was given rights to use the song by the record company (non-exclusive rights holders) and producer Doug Rasheed, but not by Coolio himself, who declined when presented with Weird Al's offer and subsequently decried the release. Yankovic later stated on

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's ''

Behind the Music ''Behind the Music'' is an American documentary television series that initially aired on VH1 from 1997 to 2014. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group, examining career beginnings, roads to success and any resul ...

'' that he had written a sincere letter of apology to Coolio, which was never returned, and that Coolio never complained when he received his

royalty Royalty may refer to: * the mystique/prestige bestowed upon monarchs ** one or more monarchs, such as kings, queens, emperors, empresses, princes, princesses, etc. *** royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen-regnant, and sometimes h ...

check from proceeds of the song. A series of photos taken at the

XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. (XM) was one of the three satellite radio ( SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable ...

booth at the 2006

Consumer Electronics Show CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...

suggests that Yankovic and Coolio had made amends. In a 2014 interview, Coolio stated that the decision to refuse the parody at the time was "stupid" and he wished that someone on his management had stopped him, and then considered the final parody to be "funny". During an interview with Sean Evans on ''

Hot Ones ''Hot Ones'' is an American YouTube talk show, created by Sean Evans and Chris Schonberger, hosted by Evans and produced by First We Feast and formerly Complex Media. Its basic premise involves celebrities being interviewed by Evans over a pl ...

'' in 2016, Coolio further expressed regret for how he initially responded to "Amish Paradise". "In hindsight, it was stupid of me to say something about ankovicdoing a parody of 'Gangsta's Paradise'," he said. "I mean, he did

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, he did

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

. You know, people who were definitely more talented than I am. I think Prince did say something... but he wasn't very vocal about it like I was. And it just made me look dumb... It was one of the dumb things I did. And I'm willing to admit I did something stupid."

Music video

Yankovic directed the music video for "Amish Paradise" himself, as he has done for many of his music videos since 1986. The music video for "Amish Paradise" closely mirrors the "Gangsta's Paradise" music video, although several concepts are parodied. The video also features

Florence Henderson Florence Agnes Henderson (February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016) was an American singer and actress. With a career spanning six decades, she is best known for her starring role as Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''. Henderson ...

as the

Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...

character from ''

Dangerous Minds ''Dangerous Minds'' is a 1995 American drama film directed by John N. Smith, written by Ronald Bass, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. It is based on the 1992 autobiography ''My Posse Don't Do Homework'' by retired U.S. Mar ...

'' in the original video. Yankovic said in 2022 that recording the Buster Keaton gag with the falling house frame was the scariest stunt he had ever done.

Personnel

According to the liner notes of The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic: *

– lead & background vocals, choir vocals *

Steve Jay Eugene Stephen Jay (born January 26, 1951) is an American bassist, best known for working with "Weird Al" Yankovic. Early life Jay was born Eugene Stephen Jay in Detroit, Michigan on January 26, 1951. He auditioned for "Weird Al" Yankovic in 1 ...

– bass guitar, synth bass, choir vocals * Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drum programming *

Rubén Valtierra Rubén Valtierra (born December 26, 1954) is a keyboardist best known for recording and touring with "Weird Al" Yankovic. The two met at the Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary special in October 1991, and shortly after Valtierra joined his band. Biog ...

– synthesizers *

Lisa Popeil Lisa Stephanie Popeil (born February 24, 1956, in Chicago) is an American voice coach, singer, and musician. She is the creator of the trademarked ''Voiceworks Method'' and, as a voice coach, specializes in the pedagogy of vocal styles. She atte ...

– choir vocals * Jim West – choir vocals

Chart performance

Rerecording

In 2022, for the film '' Weird: The Al Yankovic Story'', Yankovic rerecorded the track, as well as four others. In the film, Yankovic's fictional father reveals that he was raised Amish, and Yankovic finds a lyric sheet written by his father called "Amish Paradise" and decides to perform the song.

References

{{Authority control 1996 singles 1996 songs American hip-hop songs Amish in popular culture Comedy hip-hop songs Music controversies Music videos directed by "Weird Al" Yankovic Satirical songs Scotti Brothers Records singles Songs about religion Songs with lyrics by "Weird Al" Yankovic Songs written by Coolio Songs written by Stevie Wonder "Weird Al" Yankovic songs