Bad Hair Day | ||||
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Studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
Released | March 12, 1996 | |||
Recorded | November 1994-January 1996 | |||
Genre | Comedy, Parody, Gangsta rap, Alternative rock, Grunge, Polka, Doo-wop, Post-grunge, R&B, Christmas rock | |||
Length | 38:14 | |||
Label | Scotti Bros. Volcano |
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Producer | "Weird Al" Yankovic | |||
"Weird Al" Yankovic chronology | ||||
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Singles from Bad Hair Day | ||||
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Bad Hair Day is the 9th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1996. This album was the third studio album self-produced by Yankovic. The musical styles on Bad Hair Day are built around parodies and pastiches pop and rock music of the mid 1990s, targeting alternative rock and hip-hop alike. Bad Hair Day sold 1,317,000 copies in the U.S. in 1996 alone. It is the highest sales tally for any comedy album in a single calendar year since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991.
Peaking at number fourteen on the Billboard 200, the album has sold over one million copies in the US and helped to cement Yankovic's career in the 90s. The album produced an array of hit comedy singles, including "Amish Paradise", a parody of Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Gump", a parody of The Presidents of the United States of America's "Lump."
Contents |
After a lull in the late-80s, "Weird Al" Yankovic released the successful album Off the Deep End in 1992. The album was certified platinum.[3] and produced the hit single, "Smells Like Nirvana", which peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]
In 1993, Yankovic released his eighth album, titled Alapalooza. Although the record reached gold status[3] and had its lead single nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form in 1994,[4] the album was panned by critics. After a 1994 box set and greatest hits album, Yankovic returned to the studio to record his follow-up album.
In November 1994 Yankovic entered the recording studio to begin the first leg of the Bad Hair Day sessions.[5] Four original songs were recorded—"Callin' In Sick," "Everything You Know Is Wrong," "I Remember Larry," and "The Night Santa Went Crazy."[5]
"I Remember Larry" tells the tale of a neighborhood bully who, after a myriad of pranks, is brutally murdered by the narrator. At the 3:10, the song contains a backmasked message, which, when reversed, reads “Wow, you must have an awful lot of free time on your hands.”[6]
The album's final track, "The Night Santa Went Crazy" tells the story of Santa snapping and embarking on a killing spree. Originally, the song had a different third verse, differing in the fact that, at the end of the song, Santa is killed by the SWAT team. While Yankovic's record label made him re-record the song for the album, the "Extra Gory" version was released on the single for "Amish Paradise."[7] Another version was written for the Touring with Scissors tour in 1999.[8] It combines elements of the album version and the "Extra Gory" version.[8] On October 27, 2009, The "Extra Gory" version of was finally released on the The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic.[9]
On February 21, 1995, Yankovic began recording the parodies and polka medley for Bad Hair day.[5] The first song recorded during this second leg was the pop polka medley "The Alternative Polka". "The Alternative Polka" originally contained the chorus of Weezer's song "Buddy Holly" performed by Yankovic, but Weezer's front man Rivers Cuomo requested its removal just before release.[6] Yankovic was forced to physically cut the bit out of the medley, but Weezer was still thanked in the liner notes because the notes were already printed.[10] On June 25, 2010, over fourteen years after the album's release, Yankovic released the "Buddy Holly" clip on his official YouTube channel.[11]
In addition to the five parodies on the album, "Weird Al" Yankovic had several parody ideas that were turned down. Originally, Yankovic wanted to turn The Offspring's hit "Come Out and Play" into a ode to clothing entitled "Laundry Day."[12] Yankovic never approached The Offspring about releasing the parody,[12] but Yankovic performed the song in concert from 1996 through 2000.[13][14] Yankovic later approached, and received permission from, The Offspring to record a parody of their 1998 hit "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" entitled "Pretty Fly for a Rabbi." The parody would later appear on Yankovic's 1999 album Running with Scissors.
Yankovic also wanted to record a parody of The Beatles's hit "Free as a Bird" entitled "Gee, I'm a Nerd." Yankovic asked Paul McCartney, a supporter of Yankovic's work,[13][15] if he could have permission to write and record a parody of "Free as a Bird."[16] McCartney had no problem with the parody, but because "Free as a Bird" was written by John Lennon, McCartney turned the decision over to Yoko Ono, who denied permission, because she was uncomfortable with the parody idea.[13][16]
Originally, "Cavity Search" and "Syndicated Inc." weren't supposed to appear on the album. Yankovic had intended to record a parody of the U2 song "Numb" and a parody of The Rembrandts's hit song "I'll Be There for You".[6][17] Yankovic originally wanted to parody "Numb" into "Green Eggs and Ham"; A song in which Yankovic recited various lines from the book of the same name. U2 approved the parody,[13] but Yankovic was unable to get permission from the estate of Dr. Seuss.[6] Likewise, Yankovic had wanted to turn "I'll Be There for You" into "I'll Repair For You (Theme from Home Improvement)".[17] The Rembrandts, much like U2, had okayed the parody. The problem, however, lay with the producers of "Friends," who didn't want the theme song to get overexposed.[17] All of the rejected parodies were later performed in concerts, including the Alapalooza tour as well as the Bad Hair Tour.[14]
Yankovic and the parody "Amish Paradise" caused a minor controversy after rapper Coolio said that Al had never asked for permission to record the parody.[6] Although Yankovic traditionally secures permission from the artists he parodies, even though this is not legally required, as parodies are covered under fair use guidelines, and was told by his record label that Coolio had given permission, Coolio later claimed that he had not given such permission, making a statement at the Grammys saying that he didn't appreciate Yankovic "desecrating" his song.[6]
Speculation surfaced that Coolio had actually given permission but later claimed he had not in the fear that allowing the parody would not be seen as "cool", or that Yankovic's record label had lied to Yankovic in the hopes that the song would become popular.[6] Yankovic later stated on VH1's Behind the Music that he had written a sincere letter of apology to Coolio which was never returned, and that Coolio never complained when he received his royalty check from proceeds of the song.[18] A series of photos taken at the XM Satellite Radio booth at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show,[19] and a post on the "Ask Al" feature on Yankovic's website[20] suggested that Yankovic and Coolio made amends. According to Al, he was as surprised as anyone when Coolio came over to chat.[20]
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [21] |
Rolling Stone | [22] |
Sputnikmusic | [23] |
The Daily Vault | (A-)[24] |
Critical response to Bad Hair Day was mixed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, of Allmusic criticized the lack of humor on the album saying "the music on Bad Hair Day not only lacks the humor, it lacks the impish energy that made Weird Al's first albums such fun."[21] Conversely, Daily Vault reviewer Christopher Thelen praised the album, saying, "What [Bad Hair Day] did was remind us all not only that Yankovic was still slugging it out, but that he was more talented than ever, and deserved our attention."[24]
Despite the album's mixed reception, the album's lead single, "Amish Paradise" was met with positive critical reception. The Rolling Stone Record Guide referred to the song as "gut-busting."[22]
Bad Hair Day was released March 12, 1996, and eventually became Yankovic's best selling album. The album debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200 on March 30, 1996.[25] Four weeks later, on April 27, 1996, it peaked at number 14.[25] The album's last reported sales position was at number 182 on April 19, 1997. The album remained on the chart for a total of 56 weeks, making it Yankovics longest-charting album.[25]
In 1996 alone, the album sold 1,317,000 copies, setting a record for the most copies a comedy album sold in a year during the Nielsen SoundScan era.[26] On May 15, 1996 - two months after its initial release - the album was certified Platinum.[3] As of July 1997, the album has sold 1.7 million copies.[27] On May 15, 1996, Bad Hair Day was certified gold.[3] On June 11, 1996, the album was certified platinum.[3]
The track listing, parodies, and polka song[28] are as follows:
Track | Title | Length | (Style) Parody of | Description |
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1 | "Amish Paradise" | 3:20 | "Gangsta's Paradise'" by Coolio | About an Amish man who raps about his lifestyle. |
2 | "Everything You Know Is Wrong" | 3:48 | Style parody of They Might Be Giants | About an unusual sequence of events. |
3 | "Cavity Search" | 4:19 | "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 | About a man’s painful visit to the dentist. |
4 | "Callin' in Sick" | 3:40 | Style parody of Nirvana, specifically "Come as You Are" and "Lithium" | About a lazy man faking illness to skip work. |
5 | "The Alternative Polka" (Polka medley, arr. Yankovic)[10] | 4:50 | Polka Medley | A polka medley including the following songs in order:
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6 | "Since You've Been Gone" | 1:22 | Original | A cappella song discussing a man’s feelings after a break-up, at the end, ironically saying, “I feel almost as bad as I did, when you were still here. |
7 | "Gump" | 2:10 | "Lump" by The Presidents of the United States of America | About the story of Forrest Gump. |
8 | "I’m So Sick of You" | 3:26 | Style parody of Elvis Costello | About the singer’s girlfriend and her odious personal habits. |
9 | "Syndicated Inc." | 3:54 | "Misery" by Soul Asylum | About a family’s devotion to syndicated television. |
10 | "I Remember Larry" | 3:56 | Style Parody of Hilly Michaels | About a cruel neighborhood prankster named Larry and how much the singer misses him until it is revealed that the singer was the one who murdered him. Contains a backmasked message at 3:10, “Wow, you must have an awful lot of free time on your hands”. |
11 | "Phony Calls" | 3:22 | "Waterfalls" by TLC | About the dangers of prank calling. Contains an audio clip from The Simpsons featuring one of Bart Simpson’s many prank calls to Moe’s Tavern from the episode "Blood Feud". |
12 | "The Night Santa Went Crazy" | 4:03 | Style Parody of ”Black Gold” by Soul Asylum | A Christmas-themed song about Santa Claus finally snapping and embarking on a killing spree. |
Song | Length | Release(s) |
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"Spy Hard" | 2:48 | B-side of "Gump"[29]
Later released as its own single[30] |
"The Night Santa Went Crazy (Extra Gory Version)" | 4:02 | B-side of "Amish Paradise"[31]
Later released on The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic[32] |
Charts
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Certifications
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Year | Song | Peak positions |
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US 100 [4] |
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1996 | "Amish Paradise" | 53 |
1996 | "Gump" | 102 |
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