Dare to Be Stupid

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

Dare to Be Stupid
Studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Released	June 18, 1985
Recorded	August 1984 – March 1985
Genre	Comedy, Parody, Rock, Pop, new wave, blues rock, doo-wop, hard rock, soundtrack, synthpop, dance-pop, vaudeville, free jazz, polka
Length	37:04
Label	Rock 'n Roll Records, Scotti Brothers
Producer	Rick Derringer
"Weird Al" Yankovic chronology
The Official Music of "Weird Al" Yankovic (1984) Dare to Be Stupid (1985) Polka Party! (1986)
Singles from Dare to Be Stupid
"Like a Surgeon" Released: June 4, 1985 "I Want a New Duck" Released: July 1985 "One More Minute" Released: August 1985 "Dare to Be Stupid" Released: August 1984

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 Forty 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 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 titular 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

Yankovic continues to perform "Yoda" in concert, utilizing his trademark accordion (2010, Peter Taylor).

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]

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

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[15]
Rolling Stone	(Not rated)[16]
Rolling Stone Record Guide	[17]
The Daily Vault	(B-)[18]
Sputnikmusic	[19]

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.^[15] 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".^[18] 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.^[15][18] 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".^[16] In contrast, Chadbourne was disappointed with the original material, stating that "the notion that [Yankovic's original songs] were given free reign [sic] over the course of this album [...] is pure poppycock [but] someone who is missing important brain cells would suggest this artist's original songs are any good".^[15] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986,^[24] though it lost to Whoopi Goldberg's Whoopi: Original Broadway Recording.^[25]

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] One month after its release, Dare to Be Stupid debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 92.^[26] The album spent a total of eight weeks on the chart.^[26] 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

Side 1

1. "Like a Surgeon" (orig. Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly, arr. "Weird Al" Yankovic)^[2] – 3:32
   • Parody of "Like a Virgin" by Madonna^[28]
2. "Dare to Be Stupid" (Yankovic) – 3:25
   • Style parody of Devo^[29]
3. "I Want a New Duck" (orig. Chris Hayes, Huey Lewis, arr. Yankovic)^[2] – 3:04
   • Parody of "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News^[28]
4. "One More Minute" (Yankovic) – 4:04
   • Style parody of Elvis Presley-like Doo-wop^[3]
5. "Yoda" (orig. Ray Davies, arr. Yankovic)^[2] – 3:58
   • Parody of "Lola" by The Kinks^[28]

Side 2

1. "George of the Jungle" (orig. Stan Worth, Sheldon Allman, arr. Yankovic)^[2] – 1:05
   • Cover of titular television theme^[2]
2. "Slime Creatures from Outer Space" (Yankovic) – 4:23
   • Style parody of 50s sci-fi soundtracks^[7]
3. "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch" (orig. Robert Hazard, arr. Yankovic)^[2] – 2:48
   • Parody of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper^[28]
4. "This Is the Life" (Yankovic) – 3:06
   • Style parody of 1920s and 1930s music^[30]
5. "Cable TV" (Yankovic) – 3:38
   • Original
6. "Hooked on Polkas" (Polka medley, arr. Yankovic) – 4:23
   • A polka medley including the following songs:^[2]
     • "12th Street Rag" by Euday L. Bowman
     • "State of Shock" by Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson (originally by The Jacksons)
     • "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top
     • "What's Love Got to Do with It" by Tina Turner
     • "Method of Modern Love" by Hall & Oates
     • "Owner of a Lonely Heart" by Yes
     • "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister
     • "99 Luftballons" by Nena
     • "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins
     • "The Reflex" by Duran Duran
     • "Metal Health (Bang Your Head)" by Quiet Riot
     • "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
     • "Ear Booker Polka" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

Credits and personnel

Band members and production[31][32] "Weird Al" Yankovic – accordion, keyboards, theremin, vocals, background vocals Rick Derringer – guitar, producer Steve Jay – banjo, bass, background vocals Jim West – guitar, background vocals Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – percussion, drums Tony Papa – engineer Donald Lane – art direction Lou Beach – illustrations Dennis Keeley – photography

Other personnel[31][32] Warren Luening – trumpet Joel Peskin – clarinet Gary Herbig – clarinet, saxophone Pat Regan – synthesizer Bill Scott – yodeling Al Viola – banjo The Glove - scratching The Waters Sisters – background vocals Belen Alvarez – The Queen

Charts and certifications

Charts Chart Peak Position US Billboard 200[24] 50

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

Singles

Year	Song	Peak positions
		US 100 [24]	AUS 100 [33]
1985	"Like a Surgeon"	47	19

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 2007). "Recording Dates". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. http://www.weirdal.com/rcdgdate.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-26. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i} (1985) Album notes for Dare to Be Stupid by "Weird Al" Yankovic [liner]. Scotti Bros. Records.
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Jay Levey, "Weird Al" Yankoviv (2003) [DVD 2003]. "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection (Liner notes). Volcano Entertainment. 82876-53727-9. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m} Hansen, Barret (1994). Album notes for Permanent Record: Al in the Box by "Weird Al" Yankovic [liner]. California, USA: Scotti Brothers Records.
5. ^ ^{a b c} Rabin, Nathan. "Set List "Weird Al" Yankovic". The AV Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/weird-al-yankovic,58244/. Retrieved 2 July 2011. 
6. ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (October 1998). ""Ask Al" Q&As for October 1998". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#1098. Retrieved 19 April 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 1998). ""Ask Al" Q&As for July/August 1998". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0798. Retrieved 19 April 2011. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d} Burton, Bonnie (October 27, 2006). ""Weird Al" – Nerdy Something". Starwars.com. http://www.starwars.com/community/news/rocks/news20061027.html. Retrieved 2011-01-16. 
9. ^ Conrad, Harold (August 1985). "The Glamorous Life of Al Yankovic". Spin 1 (4). http://books.google.com/books?id=TZaFMCee5HQC&pg=PA48&dq=Weird+Al+Yankovic+in+3-D+Billboard#v=onepage&q=Weird%20Al%20Yankovic%20in%203-D%20Billboard&f=false. Retrieved 27 August 2011. 
10. ^ ""Weird Al" Yankovic Frequently Asked Questions". Al-oholicsanonymous. http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/faq/#madonna. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Yankovic, Alfred M. (December 1998). ""Ask Al" Q&As for September 1998". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#1298. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
12. ^ ^{a b} Jennifer, Vineyard (2003-06-09). "Weird Al Wisdom: Don't Rush Comedy, And Don't Trust eBay". VH1. http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1472404/20030606/yankovic_weird_al.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-06-29. 
13. ^ Bonzai (1985). "Weird Al Yankovic Dares To Be Stupid – Lunching With Bonzai". We've Got It All on UHF. http://weirdal.0catch.com/txt/mix.html. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
14. ^ "Merchandise & Swag". Al-oholics Anonymous. http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/almerch.html?alcat=othercomps. Retrieved 2 July 2011. 
15. ^ ^{a b c d} Chadbourne, Eugene. "Dare to be Stupid – Weird Al Yankovic". allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r82657/review. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
16. ^ ^{a b} Hinkley, David. ""Weird Al" Yankovic: Dare to be Stupid : Music Reviews". Rolling Stones. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080220072749/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/weirdalyankovic/albums/album/115699/review/5946819/dare_to_be_stupid. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
17. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. pp. 893. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. 
18. ^ ^{a b c} Thelen, Christopher (2 Sept. 2001). "Dare to Be Stupid". Daily Vault. http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=1657. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
19. ^ "Weird Al Yankovic – Dare to Be Stupid". Sputnikmusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/soundoff.php?albumid=1746. Retrieved 23 April 2011. 
20. ^ (1988) Album notes for Greatest Hits by "Weird Al" Yankovic [liner]. Scotti Bros. Records.
21. ^ (1994) Album notes for Greatest Hits Volume II by "Weird Al" Yankovic [liner]. Scotti Bros. Records.
22. ^ (2009) Album notes for The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic by "Weird Al" Yankovic [liner]. Legacy Recordings.
23. ^ (1999) Album notes for Radio Disney: Kid Jams by Various [liner]. Walt Disney Records.
24. ^ ^{a b c} Yankovic, Alfred M. (2003). "Awards". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. http://www.weirdal.com/awards.htm. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
25. ^ "The View - Co-Hosts Whoopi Goldberg". The View. 2011. http://theview.abc.go.com/staff/Whoopi-Goldberg/bio. Retrieved 7 July. 
26. ^ ^{a b} "Dare to Be Stupid – "Weird Al" Yankovic". Billboard. 
27. ^ ^{a b} "Gold & Platinum – Search Results: "Weird Al" Yankovic". Recording Industry Association of America. http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Dare%20to%20be%20Stupid&artist=%22Weird%20Al%22%20Yankovic&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 17 April 2011. 
28. ^ ^{a b c d} Yankovic, Alfred M. (January 2011). ""Weird Al" Yankovic: Parodies & Polkas". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. http://www.weirdal.com/parodypolkas.htm. Retrieved 27 April 2011. 
29. ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (January 2000). ""Ask Al" Q&As for January 2000". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0100. Retrieved 30 June 2010. 
30. ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (April 2000). ""Ask Al" Q&As for April 2000". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#0400. Retrieved 2010-06-30. 
31. ^ ^{a b} "The Players". Weirdal.com. http://www.weirdal.com/players.htm. Retrieved 2010-06-26. 
32. ^ ^{a b} "Buy.com – Dare to Be Stupid – CD". Aliso Viejo, California: Buy.com. http://www.buy.com/prod/dare-to-be-stupid/q/loc/109/60344039.html. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 
33. ^ Kent, David (2009). Australian Chart Book 1993–2009. St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 978-0-646-52995-0.