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Dare to Be Stupid (1985)

Where the lyrics of Dare to Be Stupid take you, and where it was really made.

Dare to Be Stupid was the first album of musical comedy released on compact disc.

Key places

Recording site of Dare to Be Stupid (1985)

Recording site Santa Monica Sound Recorders — The album was recorded at Santa Monica Sound Recorders between August 1984 and March 1985. The studio is listed as the recording site of the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Dare to Be Stupid: third studio album by American comedy musician "Weird Al" Yankovic
• Released June 18, 1985
• Produced by Rick Derringer, former McCoys guitarist
• Built around parodies and pastiches of mid-1980s pop and rock
• Includes the parody "Like a Surgeon", the lead single

Background

• First studio album after In 3-D (1984), which had the Top 40 single "Eat It"
• Recording sessions began in January 1985 as the follow-up to In 3-D
• Backing band: Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, Jim West on guitar
• Original songs include the title track, "Cable TV", "Slime Creatures from Outer Space", and "One More Minute"
• Parodies include "Yoda", "Like a Surgeon", "I Want a New Duck", and "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch", plus the polka medley "Hooked on Polkas"
• Scotti Bros. insisted on a parody of a Cyndi Lauper song

Recording

• Recorded between August 1984 and March 1985
• Recording of the parodies began on February 21, 1985 with "Yoda"
• "Like a Surgeon" was recorded the day after "Yoda"
• Recording was completed on March 25, 1985 with the polka medley
• Recorded at Santa Monica Sound Recorders

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician known for comedy songs that often parody other musicians' songs.
• He also performs original songs in the style of other acts and polka medleys of popular songs, usually featuring his accordion.
• His first on-air exposure came in 1976, when a comedy song he made was played on The Dr. Demento Radio Show at age 16.
• He has sold more than 12 million albums (as of 2025), recorded more than 150 parodies and original songs, and performed more than 2,000 live shows.
• He has won five Grammy Awards and earned eleven further nominations.
• His first top ten Billboard album (Straight Outta Lynwood) and single ("White & Nerdy") were both released in 2006.
• His album Mandatory Fun (2014) became his first number-one album in its debut week.
• He wrote and starred in the film UHF (1989) and the television series The Weird Al Show (1997).
• He has produced two satirical films about his own life: The Compleat Al (1985) and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022).
• He has not released a full album since Mandatory Fun and mainly releases singles.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• AllMusic reviewer Eugene Chadbourne awarded the album three and a half stars
• Christopher Thelen from The Daily Vault wrote that the album is not Yankovic's finest but has enough to recommend it
• Rolling Stone writer David Hinkley wrote positively about the original song "One More Minute"
• Many critics praised "Like a Surgeon" and "Yoda" but criticized the other parodies
• Critics were split on how much emphasis the original songs received
• Chadbourne was disappointed with the original material

Reappraisal

• The song "Yoda" later became one of Yankovic's most famous songs and appeared on later compilations

Records

• Peaked at number 50 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of eight weeks on the chart
• RIAA Gold certification on January 27, 1986
• RIAA Platinum certification on February 24, 2003
• Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986, losing to Whoopi Goldberg's Whoopi: Original Broadway Recording

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The album was one of many Yankovic records produced by Rick Derringer.
• It was the first album of musical comedy released on compact disc.
• Yankovic tears up the picture of his ex-girlfriend in the video for "One More Minute".
• "Like a Surgeon" is the only known case where Yankovic got a parody idea directly from the original artist, Madonna's circle having suggested it.
• Prince refused a parody of "When Doves Cry" that Yankovic had approached him about around 1984, and never accepted any later parody ideas from Yankovic.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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