Polka medleys are the trademark of American singer, musician, satirist, parodist, songwriter, and accordionist "Weird Al" Yankovic. They have appeared on eleven of his thirteen albums; "Weird Al" Yankovic & Even Worse do not contain medleys.
The medleys are composed of various popular songs, each one reinterpreted as a polka (generally an instrumentation of accordion, tuba, and muted brass interspersed with sound effects) with the choruses or memorable lines of various songs juxtaposed for humorous effect. Yankovic has been known to say that converting these songs to polka was "...the way God intended."[1] Yankovic said that the medleys were something he did "even before I had a record deal" in live performances, and that many of the songs are included due to not receiving a full parody version - "if there’s a song that I think is really ripe for parody but I just can’t think of a clever enough idea, sometimes it’ll end up in the polka medley. ".[2] Regarding their popularity, Yankovic has said, "At this point, it's sort of mandatory for me to do a polka medley. Fans would be rioting in the streets, I think, if I didn't do a polka medley."[1] Yankovic has always asked permission from every artist whose songs compose a medley due to royalties issues.[3] He acknowledged some influence of Spike Jones in the medleys, such as the sound effects.[4]
Two of Yankovic's polka medleys, "Hooked on Polkas" and "Polka Power!" were released as singles in Japan and Germany respectively. "Polka Your Eyes Out" was also the only one of his polkas to appear on a greatest hits album and "Polka Face" is the only polka to have an official video released for it.
Contents |
| "Polkas on 45" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D | |
| Released | February 28, 1984 |
| Format | Cassette, CD, Vinyl (12") |
| Recorded | December 13, 1983 |
| Genre | Comedy, Polka |
| Length | 4:23 |
| Label | Scotti Brothers |
"Polkas on 45" is Yankovic's first polka medley. It appears on his second album, In 3-D. This and "The Hot Rocks Polka" are Yankovic's only polka medleys to focus on popular rock songs from the 60s and 70s rather than contemporary songs. The song title is a take on the medley-releasing novelty band Stars on 45 and their self-titled 1981 single. The following songs are contained in the medley:
| "Hooked on Polkas" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
| from the album Dare to Be Stupid | ||||
| Released | June 18, 1985 (Japan only) | |||
| Format | Cassette, CD, Vinyl (12") | |||
| Recorded | March 25, 1985 | |||
| Genre | Comedy, Polka | |||
| Length | 3:51 | |||
| Label | Scotti Brothers | |||
| "Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology | ||||
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"Hooked on Polkas" is the second polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appeared on his third album, Dare to Be Stupid. The song was released as a single in Japan.
Its title is a reference to the 1981 record Hooked on Classics, in which very recognizable extracts from classical music pieces were played over a continuous, more disco-style beat. This is the first polka medley to use "Shave and a Haircut", which is heard at the end of "Ear Booker Polka". (Other Yankovic polka medleys that have used "Shave and a Haircut" include "The Alternative Polka", "Polka Power!", "Polkarama!", and "Polka Face".)
The following songs are contained in the medley:
The following songs are on the Japanese single:
| "Polka Party!" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album Polka Party! | |
| Released | October 21, 1986 |
| Format | Cassette, CD, Vinyl (12") |
| Recorded | August 28, 1986 |
| Genre | Comedy, Polka |
| Length | 3:15 |
| Label | Scotti Brothers |
"Polka Party!" is the third polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his fourth album, Polka Party!.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
| "The Hot Rocks Polka" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album UHF | |
| Released | July 18, 1989 |
| Format | Cassette, CD, Vinyl (12" & 7") |
| Recorded | May 25, 1989 |
| Genre | Comedy, Polka |
| Length | 4:50 |
| Label | Scotti Brothers |
"The Hot Rocks Polka" is the fourth polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his sixth studio album, UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff. All of the songs in "The Hot Rocks Polka" medley are songs by The Rolling Stones. The title of the song refers to Hot Rocks 1964-1971, a greatest hits album of The Rolling Stones music.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
| "Polka Your Eyes Out" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album Off the Deep End | |
| Released | April, 1992 |
| Format | Cassette, CD |
| Recorded | January 27, 1992 |
| Genre | Comedy, Polka |
| Length | 3:50 |
| Label | Scotti Brothers |
"Polka Your Eyes Out" is the fifth polka medley by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is included on his 1992 album, Off the Deep End, and also on his "Greatest Hits Volume 2" compilation. It was originally performed in 1991 on the Dr. Demento show.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
| "Bohemian Polka" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album Alapalooza | |
| Released | October 5, 1993 |
| Format | Cassette, CD |
| Recorded | July 17, 1993 |
| Genre | Comedy, Polka |
| Length | 3:39 |
| Label | Scotti Brothers |
"Bohemian Polka" is a polka rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". Yankovic's official website has categorized "Bohemian Polka" as a polka medley.[5]
The following songs are contained in the medley:
| "The Alternative Polka" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album Bad Hair Day | |
| Released | March 12, 1996 |
| Format | Cassette, CD |
| Recorded | January 3, 1996 |
| Genre | Comedy, Polka |
| Length | 4:50 |
| Label | Scotti Brothers |
"The Alternative Polka" is the sixth polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his 1996 album, Bad Hair Day. The medley primarily consists of alternative rock songs, with the title being a reference to the genre.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
| "Polka Power!" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
| from the album Running with Scissors | ||||
| Released | September 26, 1999 (Germany only) | |||
| Format | Cassette, CD | |||
| Recorded | April 20, 1999 | |||
| Genre | Comedy, Polka | |||
| Length | 4:21 | |||
| Label | Volcano/Zomba | |||
| "Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology | ||||
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"Polka Power!" is the seventh polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his 1999 album Running with Scissors. The song was a single in Germany.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
The following songs are on the German promo single:
| "Angry White Boy Polka" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album Poodle Hat | |
| Released | May 20, 2003 |
| Format | Cassette, CD |
| Recorded | March 21, 2003 |
| Genre | Comedy, Polka |
| Length | 5:04 |
| Label | Volcano |
The "Angry White Boy Polka" is the eighth polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his 2003 album Poodle Hat and consists mainly of nu metal and alternative rock songs; occasionally hip hop and rap rock.
The following are contained in the melody:
Clips from the music videos of each song are compiled in the video for "Angry White Boy Polka".
| "Polkarama!" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album Straight Outta Lynwood | |
| Released | September 24, 2006 |
| Format | Cassette, CD |
| Recorded | April 12, 2005 |
| Genre | Comedy, Polka |
| Length | 4:17 |
| Label | Volcano |
"Polkarama!" is the ninth polka medley by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was released on his 2006 album Straight Outta Lynwood.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
| "Polka Face" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic from the album Alpocalypse | |
| Released | June 21, 2011 |
| Format | CD, Digital download |
| Genre | Comedy, Polka |
| Label | Volcano |
Polka Face is the tenth Weird Al polka medley. It was performed in concert in 2010, and was released on the 2011 album Alpocalypse. The medley consists of recent dance pop, hip-hop, and R&B songs. The following songs are contained in the medley:[10]
On September 25, 2011, Comedy Central's website Jokes.com premiered an animated music video for this polka medley.[11]
The video features a distinctive animation style for each of the segments of the parody. Some of them are crude, Flash-animated for example ("Right Round" "Baby" "Blame It" and "I Kissed a Girl"), some others feature cut-out ("Fireflies") hand-drawn ("Down") and experimental scribbling animation ("Replay").