The Saga Begins (song)

Volcano Records taped "The Saga Begins" on April 20, 1999, and it was included on the album Running with Scissors which was launched on June 27, 1999. After securing Don McLean's consent to parody "American Pie" in 1998, Al started writing the song. The timelines involved in creating albums meant the song had to be finalized by March 1999—a couple of months prior to the premiere of The Phantom Menace. Due to the film's intense secrecy, Lucasfilm denied Yankovic access to the script. Consequently, the artist resorted to gathering "all the leaked info I could about the movie from all the various Star Wars websites (TheForce.net was particularly helpful), and was able to piece together the basic plot of the movie." The ultimate mix of the song was put on hold until Yankovic attended a preview screening of the film for charity.

Despite the song's release preceding the film, the lyrics exhibit remarkable accuracy. Yankovic attributed this to information obtained from Internet spoilers. After composing the song, Yankovic invested $500 to attend an advance screening. Finding that the majority of his lyrics were correct, he implemented only minor adjustments. The sole substantial alteration following the screening of The Phantom Menace was the removal of a line where Anakin informs Amidala of his intention to marry her, a detail Yankovic initially believed to be accurate.

The primary factual error lies in Obi-Wan's stay aboard the queen's royal starship following their arrival on Tatooine, rather than accompanying Qui-Gon and Padmé in their search for a replacement part for the vessel. As a result, he did not directly witness the podrace and only encountered Anakin upon his arrival at the starship with the others.

The video commences in a desert setting, ostensibly on the planet Tatooine. Yankovic, costumed as Ewan McGregor's Kenobi, proceeds on foot until he encounters Darth Sidious at a piano. Yankovic employs the Force to levitate a steel guitar. In the subsequent verse, he reappears performing within a recreation of Mos Eisley cantina, leading a band similarly clad as Jedi. The final verse sees him back in the desert, and during the concluding chorus, a large assembly of "Obi-Wans" is displayed singing, perhaps alluding to the ensuing Clone Wars. Various Star Wars characters, including Yoda, Amidala, and Mace Windu, are visible engaging in peculiar dances, though Yoda remains stationary. The upper portion of the pianist's face is consistently obscured by the hood of his robe, mirroring the Sith Lord Darth Sidious. When questioned about this, Al explained that "They didn't want to scare small children," which is a reference to the playful teasing of Al's pianist, Rubén Valtierra, a common element in his live performances.

• " Star Wars Rocks! " — Star Wars Insider 40
• Weird Al: The Saga Begins... on StarWars.com (original site is unavailable)
• Star Wars Insider 69
• "Weird Al" -- Nerdy Something on StarWars.com (original site is unavailable)
• 5 Great Star Wars Novelty Songs Plus a Q&A with the Master, "Weird Al" Yankovic on StarWars.com (backup link)
• The Star Wars Show: "Weird Al" Yankovic Interview, New Rogue One Vehicle Revealed, and More | The Star Wars Show on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
• How to Throw a Star Wars Birthday Party That Will Be Long-Remembered on StarWars.com (backup link)

• "The Saga Begins" official video on the alyankovic YouTube channel (backup link)
• The Saga Begins (song) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Saga Begins on Wikipedia
• The Weird Al Wiki
• Interview with 'Weird Al' Yankovic - Parody Artist and Star Wars Super-Fan on www.theforce.net ( 2000 ) (backup link archived on June 3, 2023)