Foil (song) based on Royals
"Foil" is a song by American satirical singer "Weird Al" Yankovic from his fourteenth studio album, Mandatory Fun (2014). The song is a parody of the 2013 single "Royals" by Lorde. It begins as an ode to the uses of aluminum foil for food storage, but becomes a parody of conspiracy theories, the New World Order, and the Illuminati in its second verse. "Foil" received positive reviews from music critics, and peaked at number three on the Billboard Comedy Digital Tracks. The song's music video stars Yankovic as the host of a cooking show, and features cameo appearances from Patton Oswalt, Tom Lennon, and Robert Benjamin Garant.Background and composition
"Foil" is a parody of Lorde's 2013 single "Royals". It retains the original song's instrumentation, but is slowed down to match Yankovic's singing voice. He mimics Lorde's "sultry croon". At two minutes and 23 seconds, it is the shortest parody on Mandatory Fun due to its omission of the bridge and final chorus from the original track. In an interview with Billboard, Lorde said Yankovic "asked ages ago if he could do it” and she agreed to his offer. Lorde enjoyed Yankovic's music, specifically his parody of "Confessions" (2004) by Usher.The song opens with Yankovic lamenting that he cannot finish food at restaurants, opting for a doggy bag. The first verse and chorus expand upon the usage of aluminum foil for food storage and preventing food spoilage, which Yankovic deems better than other food storage options such as "Tupperware containers." In a twist, the second verse discusses conspiracy theories; in particular, he mentions the Illuminati, shadow organizations, "black helicopters comin' cross the border," the New World Order and reinforces the belief that the Moon landings were staged. Yankovic planned to incorporate a twist in the song while outlining ideas. To conclude the song, Yankovic supports the benefits of aluminum foil by placing a tin foil hat atop his head to shield himself from "thought control rays" and "psychotronic scanning."