There was nothing weird about the success enjoyed by Weird Al Yankovic when he released his new album, “Mandatory Fun.”  Deft use of social media drove sales and helped the alum debut at number one.  Not bad for the aging parody pop icon.  But it’s even better for those keen to understand how the nature of effective communication has changed over the last 40 years.  Not in the channels (though I bow before the power of the social media) but in the tone and approach of making a point.

In 1974, irony was an emerging mass media concept; we thought there was stuff we didn’t know and we opened ourselves up to serendipity every time we bought a newspaper or turned on the radio.  In 2014, irony is in the rear view mirror, replaced by skepticism (a notch shy of cynicism) and there is little we think we don’t already know.  That’s why, in a sea of information sources, we are more likely to sail only to those that reinforce what we already know.

So what does Weird Al tell us?  Making a new point or getting people to see a different angle requires subterfuge.  In our post-ironic media environment, it may be the only way to make a point.  Jon Stewart recently used one word, “Israel,” to make that point.

The lesson to take from the success of “Mandatory Fun” is that misdirection can be the best way to offer guidance.  Not just to promote an album, but to make a case for any product, candidate or idea.  One only needs to listen to (or view, as Weird Al’s music is as much if not mostly about the video) “Word Crimes,” pegged to the catchy hook and controversial nature of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” to see the genius of fancy in support of fact.

Compare this approach to that of a classic Schoolhouse Rock animation where the subject matter is quite the same.  It is a microcosm of changes in the 40 years.  Schoolhouse Rock made the assumption that there was an interest in learning something new and that the mission was broadly supported. There were only three networks and one of them, ABC, was setting classwork to music on a Saturday morning generally the domain of Rocky, Bullwinkle and Underdog.

“Word Crimes” necessarily trades a straight-forward approach with a side long look, using a catchy hook and controversial pedigree to create a snappy and informative parody.

Sure, Tom Lehrer is older than Schoolhouse Rock.  So are the Smothers Brothers.  But give them a listen and you will hear straight up intent leading to the possibility of insight.  Listen to Weird Al and it happens without you knowing it.