Maps of Music
Poodle Hat (2003)
Where the lyrics of Poodle Hat take you, and where it was really made.
The lead single of this album never got a music video, because Eminem refused permission to let his song be parodied on video.
View on the mapKey places
Recording site in Burbank (2003)
Recording site Mad Dog Studios — The album credits list Mad Dog Studios in Burbank as the recording location. The point uses building-level coordinates for the studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Polka horn recording in North Hollywood (2003)
Recording site Schnee Studio — The polka horns for the album were recorded at EMG Studio in North Hollywood. The point uses city-center coordinates, so it marks the area only. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Album story
Overview
- Poodle Hat: 11th studio album by 'Weird Al' Yankovic
- Released 20 May 2003
- Fifth studio album Yankovic produced himself
- Musical styles built around parodies and pastiches of early-2000s pop
- Five parodies, six original songs, and one polka medley
- Enhanced CD: bonus content can be viewed when the disc is played on a computer
Background
- Recording officially began on 25 March 2002
- By mid-2002, six original songs had been recorded
- Work on the parody songs and the polka medley began on 21 March 2003
- Lead single 'Couch Potato' parodies Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' and failed to chart
Recording
- Main album tracks recorded at Mad Dog Studios in Burbank
- Polka horns recorded at EMG Studio in North Hollywood
- Ben Folds plays piano on 'Why Does This Always Happen to Me?'
- Zappa's son Dweezil plays the intro guitar solo on 'Genius in France'
Cover
- Yankovic stands with a poodle on his head in a crowded subway car
- The poodle is his own dog, Bela
- The people behind him are mostly family, friends, and people who came to the shoot
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.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
- Critics gave the album mixed reviews
- Entertainment Weekly (Evan Serpick): gave the album a 'B'
- Serpick said the polka medley exposes the songs it parodies as pretentious rock babble
- Serpick found the Nelly and Avril Lavigne parodies full of noisome effects and clownish voices
- AllMusic (Stephen Thomas Erlewine): claimed the album was evidence that pop culture was ahead of Weird Al
- Erlewine said the album offered generalizations about a culture Yankovic does not understand
- Erlewine still enjoyed 'Hardware Store', 'Why Does This Always Happen to Me?', and 'Genius in France'
- The Rolling Stone Album Guide: gave the album two stars, meaning fair to poor
- Billboard: praised the album, saying it crackles with amusing parodies
Reappraisal
- Nathan Rabin, in Weird Al: The Book (2012), argues that 'Couch Potato' never had a music video, which made the album stumble commercially
Records
- Billboard 200: peaked at number 17
- Billboard Top Internet Albums: peaked at number 12
- Billboard Comedy Albums: peaked at number 12, the first Yankovic album to make that chart
- 'eBay' reached number 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, though no official single was released
- Won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, his first Grammy win since 1988
- Not certified by the RIAA
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- A video for 'Couch Potato' was planned, but it was cancelled after Eminem refused permission.
- So that the album would have a video, a quick one was shot for 'Bob'; it was used on tour and on Al TV.
- In late 2013, Yankovic sued Volcano and Sony Music over unpaid publishing royalties, including those from this album, and he won.
- 'eBay' is one of Yankovic's most popular songs and ranks among his most-downloaded tracks.
- The poodle on the cover is Yankovic's own dog, Bela.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com
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