Dare to Be Stupid

For the song, see Dare to Be Stupid (song).

Dare to Be Stupid
The cover for Dare to Be Stupid features "Weird Al" Yankovic's face against a backdrop of space. Scattered around his head are various items, such as a fish, a toaster, a toothbrush, and a hammer.
Studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Released June 18, 1985
Recorded August 1984 – March 1985
Genre Comedy, parody
Length 37:04
Label Rock 'n Roll Records
Scotti Brothers
Producer Rick Derringer
"Weird Al" Yankovic chronology
"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D
(1984)		 Dare to Be Stupid
(1985)		 Polka Party!
(1986)
Singles from Dare to Be Stupid
  1. "This Is the Life"
    Released: November 1984
  2. "Like a Surgeon"
    Released: June 4, 1985
  3. "Hooked on Polkas"
    Released: June 18, 1985
  4. "I Want a New Duck"
    Released: July 1985
  5. "One More Minute"
    Released: August 1985
  6. "Dare to Be Stupid"
    Released: August 1986

Dare to Be Stupid is the third studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1985. The album was one of many produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between August 1984 and March 1985, the album was Yankovic's first studio album released following the success of 1984's In 3-D, which included the Top 40 single "Eat It".

The music on Dare to Be Stupid is built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-1980s, featuring jabs at Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis and the News, and The Kinks. The album also features many "style parodies", or musical imitations that come close to, but do not copy, existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists like Devo and Elvis, as well as imitations of various musical genres like doo-wop, sci-fi soundtracks, and music from the 1920s and 30s.

Despite the mixed reception, Dare to Be Stupid sold well and peaked at number fifty on the Billboard 200. The album also produced one of Yankovic's more famous singles, "Like a Surgeon", a parody of Madonna's "Like a Virgin", which peaked at number forty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was Yankovic's second Gold record, and went on to be certified Platinum for sales of over one million copies in the United States. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986.

Production

Recording

In January 1985 Yankovic entered the recording studio to begin the sessions to his In 3-D follow-up album.[1] To produce the album, Yankovic brought in former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer who also produced Yankovic's previous albums.[2] Backing Yankovic were Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, and Jim West on guitar.[2] The first session yielded four originals: "Dare to Be Stupid", "Cable TV", "Slime Creatures from Outer Space", and "One More Minute".[1] The band also recorded a cover tune of the theme from "George Of The Jungle".[1] The following month, Yankovic began recording the four parodies and polka medley that would appear on the album, "Yoda", "Like a Surgeon", "I Want a New Duck", "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch", and "Hooked on Polkas".[1]

Originals

"This Is The Life" had already been recorded and released as a single in November 1984.[1] The song describes the narrator's overly lavish lifestyle and had originally been commissioned for the gangster spoof movie Johnny Dangerously. The album's title track, "Dare to Be Stupid", is an ode to living life stupidly. According to the liner notes of The Ultimate Video Collection, the song represents "Al's motto in life".[3] The song is a style parody of the band Devo. Devo's reaction was very positive.[4][5] Yankovic said, "Right after I finished "Dare To Be Stupid", I went over to Mark Mothersbaugh's house and played it for him. He seemed to enjoy it a lot."[6] The song was later released on the soundtrack to the 1986 film The Transformers: The Movie.[5] Yankovic later mused that more people were introduced to "Dare to Be Stupid" the song through the Transformers movie than through the actual Dare to Be Stupid album itself.[5]

"One More Minute", about an ex-girlfriend, was written in the style of an Elvis Presley-like Doo-wop.[3] According to the liner notes of Permanent Record, Yankovic was preparing to write songs for Dare to Be Stupid when his then-girlfriend broke up with him.[4] In order to mentally deal with the heartbreak, Yankovic decided to write a humorous song to express his anger, eventually into "One More Minute".[4] Yankovic tears up her picture in the video.[3] "Slime Creatures from Outer Space" was Yankovic's attempt to emulate the sound of "cheesy 50s sci-fi soundtracks."[7] The track features prominent usage of a theremin, courtesy of Steve Jay.[7]

Parodies and polka
"Yoda" (sample)
"Yoda", from Yankovic's 1985 album Dare to Be Stupid. The sample illustrates the chorus of Yankovic's parody, including the musical re-creation of the original Kinks song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

On February 21, 1985, Yankovic began recording the parodies for Dare to Be Stupid.[1] The first parody recorded for the album was "Yoda". "Yoda" was originally written by Yankovic during the initial run of the 1980 American film The Empire Strikes Back.[4] After the success of the movie, Yankovic toyed with the idea of writing a song based on the break-out character, but was unable to find a suitable song to use as the base.[8] Yankovic remembers, "I was still in college at the time, and a friend of mine named Mike suggested that I do the song to the tune of 'Lola'—which I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of myself, since I was such a huge Kinks fan."[8] Yankovic wrote and recorded a version of the song, using only an accordion,[4] on a four-track cassette Portastudio.[8] This version of "Yoda" was a hit on the "Dr. Demento Show", and even managed to hit, and hold onto, number one on the Funny Five countdown for several weeks.[8] This early demo was later released on one of Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes.

After the large success of the demo version, Yankovic wanted to put the song on one of his albums.[4] However, the immensely complex process of getting permission from George Lucas and the publishers of the Kinks' "Lola" delayed the release of the song for about five years.[4] Eventually, after Lucas gave Yankovic permission, the song's publishers turned Al down.[4] Several versions of why the parody was turned down exist. In a 1985 interview with Spin, Yankovic explained that, "We approached Ray Davies [the song's composer], we've been approaching him every year and a half, two years before each album comes out and he's always been a little skeptical, a little afraid because 'Lola' was a very personal song for him. Then just out of the blue he decided this time to let us do it."[9] However, the liner notes to the Permanent Record present a different story. According to the album's notes, the song may have remained unreleased for some time had it not been for a chance encounter Yankovic had with the song's original songwriter, Ray Davies. When Yankovic asked why he hadn't given him permission, Davies remarked that he had never been asked.[4] Davies immediately gave Yankovic permission to record the song, and the song was later released on Dare to Be Stupid.[4]
"Like a Surgeon" (sample)
"Like a Surgeon", from Yankovic's 1985 album Dare to Be Stupid. The sample illustrates the chorus of Yankovic's parody, including the musical re-creation of the original Madonna song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The day after recording "Yoda", Yankovic started recording "Like a Surgeon", the lead single for the album.[1] Although Yankovic normally refuses to use parody ideas from other people, Madonna is partly responsible for "Like a Surgeon". Madonna asked one of her friends how long it would take until Yankovic satirized her song "Like a Virgin" into "Like a Surgeon". This friend was a mutual friend of Al's manager, Jay Levey. When word got back to Yankovic, he decided it was a good idea and wrote the song. This is the only known time that Yankovic has gotten a parody idea directly from the original artist.[4][10]

The third parody recorded for the album was a parody of "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News entitled "I Want a New Duck".[1] After the recording of "I Want a New Duck", Yankovic was comfortable with releasing the album as it was. However, Scotti Bros. insisted that Yankovic include a parody of a Cyndi Lauper song.[11] Yankovic begrudgingly complied, producing "Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch". Yankovic has cited it as one of his least favorite songs, and ultimately left it off his 1993 compilation album The Food Album.[11] Yankovic also approached Prince about a potential parody of "When Doves Cry", circa 1984.[12] Prince refused, and has not accepted any parody ideas Yankovic has presented to him.[12]

On March 25 Yankovic rounded out the recording of his new album with a polka medley of then-popular songs in music.[1] Dare to Be Stupid also includes "George of the Jungle", the only straight cover song released by Yankovic, not counting his polka medleys.[13] The song later ended up on the soundtrack to the 1997 film of the same name.[14]

Reception

Promotion

After the release of the album, Yankovic undertook the 70-city "Stupid Tour"; this was his biggest tour of the 1980s, and featured "costume changes, carefully designed lighting, and several of Al's videos cleverly integrated into the stage show".[4][15] Yankovic's on-stage wardrobe changed dramatically during the tour, and he specifically stipulated that every promoter "had to supply one garish Hawaiian shirt" for him to wear.[4] Yankovic eventually acquired "a couple closets full" of them.[4] Yankovic also started wearing exclusively Vans, and joked that "whenever I need some they let me go to their warehouse and take home an armload."[4]

The videos that were made to promote Dare to Be Stupid were later compiled, with additional material into a direct-to-video mockumentary called The Compleat Al. The video, directed by Yankovic's manager Jay Levey and Robert K. Weiss, was one of "the first programs of its kind to be made specifically for the home video market".[4] A 60-minute version was later aired on Showtime. To go along with the video, the tongue-in-cheek book The Authorized Al was also released. The book, co-written by Yankovic and Tino Insana, has since gone out of print.[4]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[16]
The Daily VaultB−[17]
Rolling Stone[18]

Dare to Be Stupid received moderately favorable reviews from critics. AllMusic reviewer Eugene Chadbourne awarded the album three and a half stars, and cited "Like a Surgeon" and "Dare to Be Stupid" as some of Yankovic's best songs.[16] Christopher Thelen from The Daily Vault wrote that "while Dare To Be Stupid is not Yankovic's finest album [...] there's enough on this one to recommend it".[19] The song "Yoda" has gone on to become one of Yankovic's most famous songs. Although it was left off his first greatest hits album,[20] the song was featured on the second volume,[21] the box set Permanent Record,[4] and the 2009 compilation The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic.[22] The song has appeared on the "Time Machine" episode of The Weird Al Show and on the compilation album Radio Disney: Kid Jams.[23]

Although the lead single "Like a Surgeon" and the parody "Yoda" were met with praise, many criticized the album's other parodies.[16][19] Many critics were split on the amount of emphasis the original songs were given. Rolling Stone writer David Hinkley positively wrote that "the pick of this album's original litter is 'One More Minute', which is a parody of a style (Fifties vocal group) rather than a specific song and is a superb tune besides – right down to the perfect little gasp right before the final chorus".[24] In contrast, Chadbourne was disappointed with the original material, stating that "only someone who is missing important brain cells would suggest this artist's original songs are any good".[16] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986,[25] though it lost to Whoopi Goldberg's Whoopi: Original Broadway Recording.[26]

Commercial performance

Dare to Be Stupid was released on June 18, 1985; it was the first album of musical comedy to be released on Compact Disc.[4] Dare to Be Stupid eventually peaked on the Billboard 200 at number 50.[25] The album spent a total of eight weeks on the chart. On January 27, 1986, a little less than a year after its release, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On February 24, 2003, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.[27]

Track listing

The following is adapted from the album liner notes.[2]

No. TitleWriter(s)Parody of Length
1. "Like a Surgeon"  Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly, "Weird Al" Yankovic"Like a Virgin" by Madonna 3:32
2. "Dare to Be Stupid"  YankovicStyle parody of Devo[28] 3:25
3. "I Want a New Duck"  Chris Hayes, Huey Lewis, Yankovic"I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News 3:04
4. "One More Minute"  YankovicStyle parody of Elvis Presley-like Doo-wop[3] 4:04
5. "Yoda"  Ray Davies, Yankovic"Lola" by The Kinks 3:58
6. "George of the Jungle"  Stan Worth, Sheldon AllmanCover of titular television theme 1:05
7. "Slime Creatures from Outer Space"  YankovicStyle parody of 1950s sci-fi soundtracks[7] 4:23
8. "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch"  Robert Hazard, Yankovic"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper 2:48
9. "This Is the Life"  YankovicStyle parody of 1920s and 1930s music[29] 3:06
10. "Cable TV"  YankovicOriginal 3:38
11. "Hooked on Polkas"    3:53

Credits and personnel

Band members and production[30][31]
Other personnel[30][31]

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart Peak
Position
US Billboard 200[25] 50

Certifications

Country Certification
(sales thresholds)
United States Platinum[27]

Singles

Year Song Peak positions
US
100
[25]		 AUS
100
[32]
1985 "Like a Surgeon" 47 19

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 2007). "Recording Dates". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 Dare to Be Stupid (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. Scotti Bros. Records. 1985.
  3. 1 2 3 4 'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection (Media notes). Jay Levey, "Weird Al" Yankovic. Volcano Entertainment. 2003. 82876-53727-9.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Hansen, Barret (1994). Permanent Record: Al in the Box (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. California, United States: Scotti Brothers Records.
  5. 1 2 3 Rabin, Nathan (June 29, 2011). "Set List 'Weird Al' Yankovic". The AV Club. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  6. ↑ Yankovic, Alfred M. (October 1998). "'Ask Al' Q&As for October 1998". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 1998). "'Ask Al' Q&As for July/August 1998". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Burton, Bonnie (October 27, 2006). "'Weird Al' – Nerdy Something". Starwars.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  9. ↑ Conrad, Harold (August 1985). "The Glamorous Life of Al Yankovic". Spin 1 (4). Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  10. ↑ "'Weird Al' Yankovic Frequently Asked Questions". Al-oholicsanonymous. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  11. 1 2 Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 1998). "'Ask Al' Q&As for September 1998". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  12. 1 2 Jennifer, Vineyard (June 9, 2003). "Weird Al Wisdom: Don't Rush Comedy, And Don't Trust eBay". VH1. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  13. ↑ Bonzai (1985). "Weird Al Yankovic Dares To Be Stupid – Lunching With Bonzai". We've Got It All on UHF. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Merchandise & Swag". Al-oholics Anonymous. Retrieved July 2, 2011.
  15. ↑ Yankovic, Alfred (2013), "Beacon Theatre Poster", 'Weird Al' Yankovic Official Limited Edition Trading Cards (Volcano Records) (26)
  16. 1 2 3 4 Chadbourne, Eugene. "Dare to be Stupid – Weird Al Yankovic". allmusic.com. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  17. ↑ http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=1657
  18. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 893. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  19. 1 2 Thelen, Christopher (September 2, 2001). "Dare to Be Stupid". Daily Vault. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  20. ↑ Greatest Hits (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. Scotti Bros. Records. 1988.
  21. ↑ Greatest Hits Volume II (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. Scotti Bros. Records. 1994.
  22. ↑ The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. Legacy Recordings. 2009.
  23. ↑ Radio Disney: Kid Jams (liner). Various. Walt Disney Records. 1999.
  24. ↑ Hinkley, David (October 10, 1985). "'Weird Al' Yankovic: Dare to be Stupid : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Yankovic, Alfred M. (2003). "Awards". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  26. ↑ "The View – Co-Hosts Whoopi Goldberg". The View. 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  27. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum – Search Results: 'Weird Al' Yankovic". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  28. ↑ Yankovic, Alfred M. (January 2000). "'Ask Al' Q&As for January 2000". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved June 30, 2010.
  29. ↑ Yankovic, Alfred M. (April 2000). "'Ask Al' Q&As for April 2000". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  30. 1 2 "The Players". Weirdal.com. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  31. 1 2 "Buy.com – Dare to Be Stupid – CD". Aliso Viejo, California: Buy.com. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  32. ↑ Kent, David (2009). Australian Chart Book 1993–2009. St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 978-0-646-52995-0.
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