"Weird Al" Yankovic (album)

This article is about the self-titled debut album by "Weird Al" Yankovic. For other albums by Yankovic, see "Weird Al" Yankovic discography.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Studio album by
"Weird Al" Yankovic
ReleasedMay 3, 1983[1]
RecordedSeptember 14, 1980 – February 11, 1983[2]
Studio
GenreComedy[3]
Length32:59[4]
Label
ProducerRick Derringer
"Weird Al" Yankovic chronology
Another One Rides the Bus
(1981) 		"Weird Al" Yankovic
(1983) 		"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D
(1984)
Singles from "Weird Al" Yankovic
  1. "Another One Rides the Bus"
    Released: February 1981[5]
  2. "Ricky"
    Released: May 3, 1983[6]
  3. "I Love Rocky Road"
    Released: July 5, 1983[5]

"Weird Al" Yankovic is the debut studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. The album was the first of many produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Mostly recorded in March 1982, the album was released by Rock 'n Roll Records as an LP and on Compact Cassette in 1983.

Consisting of five direct parodies and seven original songs, "Weird Al" Yankovic parodies pop and rock music of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and satirizes American culture and experiences of the same time period. Nearly half of the album is made up of parodies based on the works of Toni Basil, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, the Knack and Queen. Yankovic's trademark instrument—the accordion—is used on all songs featured on the album.

Fueled by the underground success of the singles "My Bologna" and "Another One Rides the Bus", the album charted at No. 139 on the Billboard 200. Critically, the album received a lukewarm reception, with many reviewers feeling that Yankovic was a throw-away act who would not be able to overcome the stigma of a novelty record. Retrospective assessments have been slightly more favorable, though have still unfavorably compared it to Yankovic's subsequent work.

  1. ^ "Studio Albums". "Weird Al" Yankovic. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference recordingdates was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Weird Al Yankovic by Weird Al Yankovic on Yahoo! Music". Yahoo! Music. Sunnyvale, California, USA: Yahoo!, Inc. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  4. ^ Chadbourne, Eugene. "Weird Al Yankovic - "Weird Al" Yankovic Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Schwartz, Jon. "'Weird Al' Disc/Video/Bibliography (U.S. Only)" (text file). The Demented Music Database. Jeff Morris. Archived from the original on October 18, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2008.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference praitb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).