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"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (1984)

Where the lyrics of "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D take you, and where it was really made.

The album's biggest hit, "Eat It", is a parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It", and it became Yankovic's only number one single in any country.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1983)

Recording site Ruby Red — Yankovic began recording the album here in October 1983. The point is placed at the city centre of Santa Monica, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Second studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released 28 February 1984 by Rock 'n Roll Records
• Built around parodies and pastiches of mid-1980s pop and rock
• Half of the album parodies Michael Jackson, Men Without Hats, the Greg Kihn Band, the Police and Survivor
• The other half contains style parodies that imitate Bob Marley and the B-52s without copying a specific song
• Musical departure from the self-titled debut: parody arrangements sound closer to the originals
• The accordion is no longer used in every song, only where deemed appropriate or comically inappropriate
• First Yankovic album to include a polka medley of hit songs

Background

• Follow-up to the modestly successful debut LP, "Weird Al" Yankovic
• Produced by former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer, who also produced the debut
• Recorded between October and December 1983
• Yankovic's debut had used accordion on every song, so this album marked a clear change in sound

Recording

• Recording began in October 1983 at Santa Monica Sound Recorders in Santa Monica, California
• Backing musicians: Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, Jim West on guitar
• The first session produced five original songs
• Two months later, the five parodies and the polka medley were recorded
• The accordion was restricted to certain sections, most notably the polka medley "Polkas on 45"

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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 gave the album four and a half stars
• Eugene Chadbourne of AllMusic wrote that the album shows the improvements expected of new artists on a second release
• Christopher Thelen of The Daily Vault wrote that the disc held out the promise that Yankovic was destined for greatness
• People magazine named the album one of the Year's Top 10 Albums in 1984
• Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave it a C+ and called it "Mad for the ears."
• Some critics were split on how the parodies were composed, performed and recorded compared with the debut

Reappraisal

• Spin magazine named the album the seventeenth greatest comedy album of all time on 1 November 2011
• Many of its songs later appeared on greatest hits albums
• Seven of its songs were included in the box set Permanent Record: Al in the Box

Records

• Peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200, where it stayed for three consecutive weeks
• Spent a total of twenty-three weeks on the Billboard 200
• Peaked at number 61 on the Australian album chart
• Certified Gold by the RIAA on 30 April 1984, Yankovic's first Gold record
• Certified Platinum by the RIAA on 18 August 1995
• "Eat It" peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, was certified Gold and sold over half a million copies
• "Eat It" peaked at number 1 in Australia and at number 36 in the United Kingdom
• "Eat It" won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance Single or Album at the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The backing vocalist Lisa Popeil, sister of Ron Popeil, sings on "Mr. Popeil" after Yankovic read an article about her singing career and asked her to take part
• "Nature Trail to Hell", a parody of early-1980s slasher films in 3-D, has a backward message near the 3:40 mark that parodies the Satanic backmasking scare of the period
• Yankovic walked around fabric stores taking notes for "King of Suede" and later said he got many nasty stares from store managers
• Michael Jackson allegedly thought the "Eat It" parody was a funny idea and allowed it
• Some covers of the album were gold stamped as promotional copies

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

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