Weird Al Yankovic might be best known as the all-time king of musical comedy, but the reason he is still going strong over three decades after his debut album is because in addition to being hysterical he’s a damn fine musician too. That’s why we’re not surprised his new cover of The Ramones‘ “Beat on the Brat” is a worthy punk tribute to the original. And that includes the accordion part.

This is a track from the upcoming album Dr. Demento Covered in Punk, a two-hour punk rock tribute to the legendary radio host designed to recreate the format of his show. It will include performances from Joan Jett, The Misfits, Fred Schneider of the B52s, William Shatner (it’s amazing) and the late Adam West. And today we got a sneak listen at what we can expect from it with this cover featuring Weird Al on vocals and accordion (who knew an accordion could be punk?), with backing from the band Osaka Popstar.

We hope there are some classic punk rock fans who will consider it an overdue honor to have Weird Al cover a song from The Ramones, especially one from their 1976 debut album. Al’s vocals also sound particularly wonderful in this rendition.

Dr. Demento Covered In Punk from Demento Records, which will include “over thirty different, never before released, all-new ‘punk’ cover versions of ‘mad music and crazy comedy’ songs famously heard on the airwaves of the legendary Dr. Demento Show,” hits stores on January 12, 2018. It also features original artwork by Neil Camera, the artist for Topps’ Garbage Pail Kids. You can pre-order it here or via iTunes, and if you do you’ll get Weird Al’s “Beat on the Brat” now.

While a straight, non-comedic cover of a Ramones song by Weird Al might sound demented to some, it’s exactly what we’d expect from a great musician.

What do you think of the song? What other punk songs could use an accordion? Tell us your best ideas in the comments below.

Featured Image: College Humor