Maps of Music

Straight Outta Lynwood (2006)

Where the lyrics of Straight Outta Lynwood take you, and where it was really made.

The album was first built around a James Blunt parody, but Blunt's label blocked that song, and a different parody took the lead single slot.

Key places

Where Yankovic added his vocals (2006)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Backing tracks for White & Nerdy were recorded at home studios, then taken to Westlake Studio in Los Angeles, where Yankovic added his vocals. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location in Burbank (2006)

Recording site Mad Dog Studios — Mad Dog Studios in Burbank is listed among the recording locations for this album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording location in Santa Monica (2006)

Recording site Ruby Red — 4th Street Recording is listed as a recording location in Santa Monica; the point marks the city centre rather than the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Straight Outta Lynwood: twelfth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic
• Released 26 September 2006
• Title takes inspiration from N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton
• Sixth studio album self-produced by Yankovic
• Musical styles built around parodies and pastiches of mid-2000s pop and rock
• The other half of the album is original material, many of them style parodies
• Released in 2006 as a digital download and as a DualDisc

Background

• Recording officially began on 5 July 2005
• By late 2005, six originals had been recorded
• Work on the album's parodies began on 19 February 2006
• The planned lead single was a parody of James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful', titled 'You're Pitiful'
• Atlantic blocked the commercial release of that parody
• 'White & Nerdy' was written and recorded on 22 July 2006 to take its place
• 'White & Nerdy' is a parody of Chamillionaire's 'Ridin''

Recording

• 'White & Nerdy' backing tracks were recorded at home studios by Jim West and Jon 'Bermuda' Schwartz
• The finished tracks were taken to Westlake Studio in Los Angeles, where Yankovic added vocals
• Yankovic went into the recording studio on 12 April 2006 to record 'You're Pitiful'

Cover

• Cover art shows Yankovic in a Lynwood letterman's jacket with a pit bull on a leash
• Photos were taken by Michael Blackwell on 22 April 2006
• The car in the photo is a 1967 Chevrolet Impala Convertible Lowrider

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

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

• IGN: Chris Carle gave the album 8 out of 10, a 'great' release
• AllMusic: David Jeffries gave the record three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it 'inspired'
• Rolling Stone: Gavin Edwards gave the album three out of five stars
• Rolling Stone: Gavin Edwards highlighted 'Trapped in the Drive-Thru' as the album's best song
• Stylus: Al Shipley gave the album a 'B-'
• Slant Magazine: Scott Shetler gave the album three stars out of five
• Overall, the album was met with mostly positive reviews

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone later named 'Trapped in the Drive Thru' one of the 100 Greatest Songs of 2006, ranking it at 77th
• Blender ranked 'White & Nerdy' at number 76 on its Top 100 Songs of 2006

Records

• Billboard 200: peaked at number 10
• 'White & Nerdy' debuted at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 9 the following week
• 'White & Nerdy' became Yankovic's highest-charting single and his first top ten entry on the Hot 100
• 'Canadian Idiot' peaked at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100
• Australian Albums Chart: number 27
• 'White & Nerdy' peaked at number 14 on the Swedish singles chart and number 80 on the UK Singles Chart
• 4 April 2007: album certified gold for shipments exceeding 500,000 copies
• 15 June 2007: 'White & Nerdy' certified gold
• 31 January 2008: 'White & Nerdy' certified platinum for sales over 1,000,000
• Nominated for two Grammy Awards: Best Comedy Album and Best Surround Sound Album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• James Blunt approved the 'You're Pitiful' parody, but Atlantic blocked its commercial release; Yankovic then offered it as a free download on his website.
• Daniel Powter initially refused a parody of 'Bad Day', and changed his mind only the day before Yankovic went into the studio to record 'White & Nerdy'.
• The pit bull on the cover, Dough Boy, belonged to a local couple who were walking past during the photo shoot.
• The license plate in the cover photo originally read '27 4LIFE' during the photo shoot.
• While Yankovic's previous albums usually produced one or two music videos, this album spawned nine.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact