Al told the story of how this song came to be. He got the idea to do a song about Charles Nelson Reilly and then went to talk to his estate and spoke to Charles Nelson Reilly's partner, whose only request was that Al 'not make him look like a sissy'.

Weird Al is quietly one of the greatest musical geniuses of last 40 years.

It's always nice to go back and rewatch documentaries of famous people.

Al really nailed the White Stripes style here.

I love Al's "Style Parodies" - where he doesn't take a specific song by a group/performer, but borrows riffs from this hit of theirs, that solo from another hit, etc. and makes something that sounds like the parodied band *would*perform* :)

Kudos to Al's guitar player, Jim "Kimo" West, for totally killing it on this song.

It’s unfortunate that this came out after Charles Nelson Reilly passed away. I have a feeling he would have loved this.

Of course I love the parodies, but personally I don't think Al gets enough credit for his original material. This is cool! :)

Honestly I'm applauding the masterfully applied Jim Croce lyrical reference. Leave it to Al to bring that to a track dropped nearly 40 years later.

2:08 “You could spit in the wind, or tug at Superman’s cape”; cheeky little “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” (Jim Croce) nod there. VERY NICE!

In my opinion, this is one of the greatest Weird Al songs.

Did you know CNR played in Star Wars? yea he did! he played the role of the Force :)

Charles Nelson Reilly would definitely have gotten a kick out of this video.

I just watched a video about Charles Nelson Riley's struggles to get accepted into the TV and film world because of his obvious queerness, and about how brave he was that he didn't hide it, and earned his roles through a reputation of kindness, generosity, and being good to work with. This is as awesome a tribute as CNR deserves!

Al does a great Jack White. he can mimic most anyone. his voice is fabulous

When I met Al for the third time on the Vanity tour, I couldn't think of anything to ask him about. So I told him that old guys like me (I'm a few years younger than him) don't always understand the pop music references in his later work, so I'd like to say "thanks" for making 'CNR' for us.

Al has had an amazing band for a long time. They have played nearly every genre of music over the course of nearly 20 years. They are my favorite band and just get better as they go along.

You know you're unstoppable when you have a Chuck Norris head mounted next to a unicorn head.

This is no parody it's a history lesson

Few of us will ever get an epitaph as epic as this.

CNR survived the Hartford circus fire in 1944. That’s actually what inspired him to become an actor. No joke.

I can say I finally saw Weird Al in concert at Blizzcon a couple years ago, and he still nails his shows to this day. Loved his work for years and never thought I'd get to see him in any performances live.

Is anyone else surprised at how good the animation is in this?

"Giddyap, Gene!" Possibly Weird Al's best. Hard to pick a favorite bit, but the Easter Island statue with the glasses is up there.

"You see, this cat Charles Nelson Reilly is a bad mother-" "Shut your mouth!" "But I'm talkin' about Charles Nelson Reilly..." "Then we can dig it."

Weird Al does the best White Stripes music video and it's about Charles Nelson Reilly.

There's a whole verse that's missing from this vedio: "Charles Nelson Reilly sold his toenail clippings As a potent aphrodisiac He ran a four minute mile blindfolded With an engine block strapped to his back He could eat more frozen waffles Than any other man I know Once he fell off the Chrysler building And he barely even stubbed his toe Had a tiny little scratch on his toe Didn't even hurt" Wonder why they cut it out?

Charles Nelson Riley stood 8 feet tall, and yet Gene Rayburn was able to give him a two-hour piggy-back ride every day. Can we give Gene some recognition?

You know, I'm really happy to see Weird Al trying new things. He did a fantastic job with this historical biography, absolutely nailed it.

Weird Al will go down in history as the greatest parody maker of all time, even though some of his music wasn't parodies.

Just got back from Al's newest Tour from Boston Massachusetts! He played this song and almost everyone in the theatre sung along It was fucking awesome!!

One time I considered that CNR wasn't the best, and he walked through a wall and kicked my ass!

As a kid, I used to love watching Match Game simply because of Charles N Reilly. (And Betty White was often hilarious too.) God bless ya, CNR... rest in peace.

Love that you put the Willhelm Scream in. PURE AWESOMENESS.

0:50 Is that Chuck Norris on his wall? Shet.

To this day, still my favorite Weird Al song. RIP in peace CNR

CNR taught Chuck Norris how to be badass

Charles Nelson Reilly was a mighty man The kind of man you'd never disrespect He stood eight feet tall, wore glasses And had a third nipple on the back of his neck He ate his own weight in coal, excreted diamonds everyday He could throw you down a flight of stairs But you still would love him anyway Yeah, you know you'd love him anyway Charles Nelson Reilly won the Tour de France With two flat tires and a missing chain He trained a rattlesnake to do his laundry I'm telling you the man was insane He could rip out your beating heart And show it to you before you died Everyday he' make the host of Match Game Give him a piggyback ride Yeah, two hour piggyback ride, giddy up Gene Ninja warrior, master of disguise He could melt your brain with his laser-beam eyes, Oh yeah Oh yeah He had his own line at the DMV He made sweet, sweet love to a manatee Oh yeah Oh yeah, that was something to see, I tell ya Charles Nelson Reilly sold his toenail clippings As a potent aphrodisiac He ran a four minute mile blindfolded With an engine block strapped to his back He could eat more frozen waffles Then any other man I know Once he fell off the Chrysler building And he barely even stubbed his toe Had a tiny little scratch on his toe Didn't even hurt Charles Nelson Reilly figured out cold fusion But he never ever told a soul I've seen the man unhinge his jaw And swallow a Volkswagen whole He'd bash your face in with a shovel If you didn't treat him like a star You could spit at the wind, or tug at Superman's cape But Lord knows you don't mess around with CNR No, no, no Talkin' about CNR

I love the subtle reference to the Jim Croce classic "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" - *you can spit in the wind or tug on Superman's cape*

Giddy up Gene!

I love the word CONFOZZLED. Awesome.

Why can't I like this more than once?!

There was a whole load of youtuber cameos, and I love it

I can't help but say "giddyup, Gene" every time I see a Match Game ad on Buzzr.

00:51 CNR canonically defeated Chuck Norris. I love this music video.

A great tribute to CNR Al. Charles was a natural. He was so genuinely funny, adorable and camp and totally himself. A star. He was a beautiful singer too. That Baldwin skit pissed me off.

Seriously one of the best lead singers in rock history. If he wasn't always being funny, metalheads would be worshipping at his feet today.

"Giddyup Gene!" Kills me every time!

Nice tribute to one of my fav. comedians and actors. Loved this dude he was so dang funny and a wonderful actor. Thank you Weird Al for remembering him.

How have I never seen this video until now?

That follow through with the shovel...

Gotta say, the footage of him performing this live, on youtube , really lets you in on the talent that is Al and his incredible band!

He has his own line at the DMV.. Now that's impressive!!

Charles Neil O'Reilly doesn't wear glasses to see, it's so the world can see him.

Best that, Chuck Norris.

Hearing this song live was one of the best experiencences of my life

One of my favorites. CNR was such a wonderful actor especially on Match Game. The banter between him and Brett was too much fun.🤠

giddy up gene makes me laugh every single time

Not only is the song hilarious but the animation is just brilliant!! Wouldn't be the same without

every line in this song can be followed by "as one does"

I just love how happy CNR looks at 2:04. It makes me laugh every time! XD

"had his very own line at the DMV" is such a great line

I love how the animation/live action mix style is like a modern Terry Gilliam style. And quite hilarious!

Needed CNR's nyuk nyuk nyuk @ the end to be perfect -

Just found this and watched it 3 times. Once on another channel to get the lyrics. Laughed my ass off!

How could I possibly have missed this until now? It’s great! Thank you for uploading it.

Loved the Jim croce reference at the end.

Richard Edson - the character actor's been in EVERYTHING. :) And also, I'm impressed that the video makers were able to find enough stills of Mr. Reilly with all these apt expressions. ^_^

Al's expression on "giddy up, Gene."

Thumbs up if you think CNR was one of the true badasses of comedy

I may get grief for this but, for me, the only reason The White Stripes exist was to allow this amazing song to come into existence.

My last new favorite thing was seven years ago. I'm not easily impressed. But this RULES.

Again, one of my favorite videos and songs. Very upbeat, funny, and enjoyable to listen to it again.

I never knew Al could rock so hard.

Sid and Marty Krofft were the only persons in all of recorded time who could harness the pure awesomeness of Charles Nelson Reilly. The Match Game and Hollywood Squares were mere containment fields that worked for only a brief time. Chuck Norris and Clint Eastwood learned at his feet. Charles Bronson was named after him.

Absolute gold from start to finish!

as far as songs dedicated to deceased 70s game show icons, this is my favorite Didn't know Al was such a big fan

Seeing CNR swim upstream with salmon is still one of my favorite things of all time.

The best Weird Al song ever!

Greatest musical talent to ever walk the earth, period.

By far one of the best of Al's songs yet.

As an older person, I remember him well from my childhood and as a young adult. I think he would have LOVED this.

This, Virus Alert, and Skipper Dan are all GENIUS. And weirdly I think are all on the same album.

"Giddyup Gene!" might be entering my regular phrase usage. On par with "Trust the Awesomeness"

I would LOVE to see The White Stripes cover this when they start touring again. Weird Al's got Meg's drumming down perfectly...not that it's difficult at all.

did anyone else noticed Chuck norris's head hanging on the wall with the animal heads?

This is the greatest music video I've ever seen.

Another masterpiece , White Stripes pastiche while remembering flamboyance pioneer CNR.

No matter how many times I watch this video, I never get tired of it.

Every once in a while this riff will pop into my head and I'll drive myself crazy trying to remember which White Stripes song its from.

Live in Arizona. The core sound of this song starts playing every time I see a car license plate that begins with CNRxxxx

My all time favorite Weird Al tune. This song needs more recognition, it is one of the greats in his catalog.

Easily one of the best things on Match Game. Him and Brett make that show so funny.

Back when JibJab was actually good and did original videos outside the greeting cards.

The moose kill had me spitting out my drink when I first saw this video.

"I can't come out of the closet, I was never in it!" CNR

I think my favourite image, in this video, is of CNR swimming upstream with the salmon. That's some funny shit, right there, that is!

Never knew this was a White Stripes style parody! I love Weird Al and The White Stripes,and this is pretty good😂

I first saw this video at a Weird Al concert this past Sunday. I haven't laughed so hard in years.

Weird Al has hit another one out of the park with this song!