"Like a Surgeon" is a song recorded by
"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 ...
that appears as the opening track on his third studio album, ''
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 ...
'' (1985). It was released as the album's second single on June 4, 1985, by
Scotti Brothers Records
Scotti Brothers Records (typically spelled Scotti Bros. Records) was a California-based record label founded by Tony and Ben Scotti in 1974. Their first success was releasing singles and albums from teen pop star Leif Garrett. They later helpe ...
. It was issued as a
7",
12", and
picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone record, gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics ...
. A
parody
A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...
of the
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
song "
Like a Virgin" by
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
, its lyrics describe a hospital environment, with the same melody as Madonna's original. The track was written by Yankovic,
Tom Kelly and
Billy Steinberg
William Endfield Steinberg (born February 26, 1950) is an American songwriter. He achieved his greatest success in the 1980s with songwriting partner Tom Kelly (musician), Tom Kelly; together they wrote or co-wrote the No. 1 hits "Like a Virgin ...
, the latter two are credited as co-writers due to the "Like a Virgin" sample. Madonna came up with the parody's title, an act Yankovic generally discourages.
Rick Derringer
Richard Dean Zehringer (August 5, 1947 – May 26, 2025), known professionally as Rick Derringer, was an American musician, producer and songwriter. He gained success in the 1960s with his band, the McCoys. Their debut single, " Hang On Sloopy", ...
served as the executive producer.
"Like a Surgeon" was well received by music critics, who praised Yankovic's take on Madonna's single. Another critic called it "as good" as "Like a Virgin". In the United States, it peaked at number 47 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming his fifth entry in that country at the time. It also peaked in the top forty of Australia and Canada, with the former peaking at number 19. For live performances of the recording, Yankovic further borrowed elements from Madonna's renditions, singing live in a hospital surrounding, sporting similar outfits and costumes.
Writing and development
Although Yankovic generally did not use parody ideas from other musicians, Madonna was partly involved during the writing process of the track. Reportedly, Madonna was walking with a friend in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
when she wondered out loud when Yankovic would parody her 1984 hit "Like a Virgin" with "Like a Surgeon". The friend was a mutual acquaintance of Jay Levey, Yankovic's manager, and brought the idea up to him following the encounter.
This is the only known time that Yankovic has obtained an idea directly from the original artist, as he "openly discourages people from giving him parody ideas".
It was recorded alongside other singles in February 1985: "
I Want a New Duck" and "
Hooked on Polkas", and album track "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch".
Yankovic parodies the
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
song
by speaking from the
point of view
Point of View or Points of View may refer to:
Concept and technique
* Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the pronoun used in narration
* Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or ...
of a new
surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...
who is "more bothered by the fact that his patients are dying before they can pay than the fact that they're dying at all".
Before the chorus, he also coos: "I'll pull his insides out, pull his insides out / And see what he ate".
Reception
Critical reception for "Like a Surgeon" was generally positive. In
Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic.
Life and career
Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar wh ...
's
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
album review for ''Dare to Be Stupid'', he congratulated Yankovic for "perhaps his best parody ever, the brilliant and cutting 'Like a Surgeon'". Chadbourne continued: "Turning the tacky Madonna hit inside out and upside down, Yankovic comes up with a hilarious satire of the medical profession."
Richard Stim, claimed in his book ''Music Law: How to Run Your Band's Business'' that "Like a Surgeon" was "an effective parody",
while Bryan Brewer from the ''Digital Audio and Compact Disc Review'' called it "as good on CD as the original, digitally recorded 'Like a Virgin'".
Christopher Thelen of Daily Vault didn't find it up to par with the singer's previous parodies; however, Thelen stated: "but since I've developed a healthy distrust of the medical community, I appreciate the somewhat biting sarcasm that Yankovic works in."
Commercially, the single became one of Yankovic's more well-known works. In the United States, it became his fifth entry on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100, and highest since "
Eat It
"Eat It" is a 1984 song by American comedy music artist "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of Michael Jackson's 1983 single "Beat It", with the contents changed to be about an exasperated parent attempting to get their picky child to eat anythi ...
"'s peak of number 12 in 1984.
It climbed the charts for eight weeks in mid 1985, before reaching its peak at number 47 for the week ending July 13, 1985.
On list compiling Yankovic's most successful releases, ''Billboard'' described "Like a Surgeon" as his third biggest hit single.
According to ''
RPM
Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines.
One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...
'', the single reached its peak of 37 on August 17 of the same year, becoming his second entry in Canada.
In Australia, it peaked at number 19, similarly his third highest peak in that country at the time.
Promotion
The
music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was directed by
Robert K. Weiss and is set in a
hospital
A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
.
It parodies several elements of the promotional video for "Like a Virgin", famously set in
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
; Yankovic singing on a moving
gurney
A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often ...
references Madonna on a canal boat, and both videos feature a lion at the beginning. During one scene, a
Madonna wannabe
A Madonna wannabe, or Madonnabe, is a person (usually female) who dresses or acts like American singer Madonna. When she emerged into stardom in the mid-1980s, an unusually high number of women, particularly young women and girls, began to dress ...
is sitting in a corner filing her nails. At the end of the "Like a Surgeon" music video, dance moves and scene changes spoof the video for Madonna's "
Burning Up", then Yankovic and two dancers perform a routine that spoofs the video for "
Lucky Star". Both songs appear on Madonna's
first album. The video also includes the famous PA announcement from
The Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...
("Paging Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard"). The visual would later be included on Yankovic's 1992 video album ''
The "Weird Al" Yankovic Video Library''.
Filming was done at a closed hospital that had been turned into a set for various productions where hospital shots were needed. The lion was real, and Yankovic recalled several of the actors were slightly intimidated by the lion being led through the sets.
The singer has performed "Like a Surgeon" at several of his concert tours. A staff member from ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' called the renditions a "key part of Yankovic's live show
for decades".
For the performance, he mocks Madonna's "Middle Eastern rendition" from her
Blond Ambition World Tour
The Blond Ambition World Tour (billed as Blond Ambition World Tour 90) was the third concert tour by American singer Madonna. It supported her fourth studio album '' Like a Prayer'' (1989), and the soundtrack album to the 1990 film ''Dick Tracy ...
of 1990, as shown in her 1991 documentary film ''
Madonna: Truth or Dare''.
Track listing and formats
*;US 7" single
# "Like a Surgeon" – 3:27
# "King of Suede" – 4:12
*;US 7" picture disc single
# "Like a Surgeon" – 3:27
# "Like a Surgeon" – 3:27
*;Mexico 12" vinyl single
# "Like a Surgeon" – 3:27
# "
Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch" – 4:21
*;German 12" single
# "Like a Surgeon" – 3:27
# "Slime Creatures from Outer Space" – 4:23
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Dare to Be Stupid'', Scotti Brothers.
Recording
* Recorded at Santa Monica Sound Records,
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
Personnel
* "Weird Al" Yankovic – lead vocals,
songwriting
A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...
*
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
– songwriting
* Rick Derringer –
production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stat ...
*
Tom Kelly – composition
* Tony Papa – engineer
* Billy Steinberg – composition
Charts
Release history
On June 4, 1985, "Like a Surgeon" was released as a
7" single by
Scotti Brothers Records
Scotti Brothers Records (typically spelled Scotti Bros. Records) was a California-based record label founded by Tony and Ben Scotti in 1974. Their first success was releasing singles and albums from teen pop star Leif Garrett. They later helpe ...
,
while a
12" and
picture disc
Picture discs are gramophone record, gramophone (phonograph) records that show images on their playing surface, rather than being of plain black or colored vinyl. Collectors traditionally reserve the term picture disc for records with graphics ...
would also be released in Mexico and Germany, respectively.
Legacy
The creation of the song was parodied in the show ''
How I Met Your Mother
''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom created by Craig Thomas (screenwriter), Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005, to March 31, 2014, follows main char ...
''. In one episode, lead character
Ted Mosby
Theodore Evelyn Mosby is a fictional character and the protagonist in the American sitcom '' How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Josh Radnor. He serves as the show's narrator from the future, voiced by Bob Saget, as he tells his children ...
gave "Weird Al" the idea to the song after sending him a fan letter when he was 8 years old.
The creation of "Like a Surgeon", partially from Madonna's suggestion, became part of several scenes in the 2010 satirical
Funny or Die
Funny or Die, Inc. is a comedy video website and production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a regular staf ...
web short, "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" in which Yankovic (played by
Aaron Paul
Aaron Paul (born Aaron Paul Sturtevant; August 27, 1979) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Jesse Pinkman in the AMC series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013), for which he won several awards, including three Primetime Emmy ...
) ends up in a love affair with Madonna (played by
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde (born Olivia Jane Cockburn, , March 10, 1984) is an American actress and director. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' (2007–2012), and appeared ...
).
The short, including this love affair, was later expanded into a full film, ''
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story'' for 2022, with Yankovic now played by
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989) is an English actor. Radcliffe rose to fame at age twelve for portraying the title character in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. He starred in all eight films in the series, from '' Harry Potter a ...
, and
Evan Rachel Wood
Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards.
She began acting in the 1990s, a ...
as Madonna.
See also
*
List of singles by "Weird Al" Yankovic
*
List of songs by "Weird Al" Yankovic
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Like a Surgeon (Weird Al Yankovic song)
1985 singles
1985 songs
"Weird Al" Yankovic songs
Cultural depictions of Madonna
Songs with lyrics by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Songs written by Billy Steinberg
Songs written by Tom Kelly (musician)
American pop songs
Hospitals in fiction
Scotti Brothers Records singles