‘Weird Al’ Yankovic’s Spoof of George Harrison’s ‘Got My Mind Set on You’ Is Hilarious

TL;DR:

• George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set on You” inspired a “Weird Al” Yankovic song about redundancy.
• Yankovic’s parody implies George wasn’t too creative.
• The original version of “Got My Mind Set on You” was in an acclaimed 2020s movie.

George Harrison‘s “Got My Mind Set on You” inspired a spoof by “Weird Al” Yankovic. Yankovic’s parody is hilarious. In addition, Yankovic pokes fun at the ways George changed the original version of “Got My Mind Set on You.”

How ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic mocked George Harrison’s ‘Got My Mind Set on You’

“Got My Mind Set on You” was originally a song by R&B singer James Ray called “I’ve Got My Mind Set on You.” It was written by Rudy Clark, who is also known for penning the standard “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss).” The first rendition of “I’ve Got My Mind Set on You” contains some minor Caribbean elements. 

When George covered the tune under the name “Got My Mind Set on You,” he simplified the chorus and made the track much more repetitive. Yankovic’s spoof, “(This Song’s Just) Six Words Long,” mocks the song’s redundant lyrics.

‘Weird Al’ Yankovic’s spoof implies George Harrison didn’t put a lot of work into his song

Yankvoic hammers home his point by singing “This song is just six words long / This song is just six words long / This song is just six words long / This song is just six words long.” If he didn’t reuse the same line over and over, he might not get his point across.

Yankovic implies George’s song wasn’t very creative with the lyrics “Couldn’t think of any lyrics / No I never wrote the lyrics / So I’ll just sing any old lyrics / That come to mind, child.” His criticism makes sense, but repetition is often what makes a song catchy.

How ‘Got My Mind Set on You’ performed on the charts and impacted pop culture

“Got My Mind Set on You” became one of George’s biggest hits. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week. The track remained on the chart for 22 weeks in total. It was George’s final chart-topper in the United States. The tune’s parent album, Cloud Nine, peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, spending 31 weeks on the chart.

The Official Charts Company reports “Got My Mind Set on You” reached No. 2 in the United Kingdom, lasting on the chart for 15 weeks. George didn’t have another top 10 single in the U.K. until his tune “My Sweet Lord” posthumously topped the chart. On the other hand, Cloud Nine peaked at No. 10 and remained on the chart for 23 weeks.

The thriller film Last Night in Soho features Ray’s original “I’ve Got My Mind Set on You”. The film uses lots of 1960s music, but opts for songs by oft-forgotten musicians such as Petula Clark, Peter and Gordon, and Cilla Black.

“Got My Mind Set on You” is awesome and “(This Song’s Just) Six Words Long” only made it more legendary.