Off the Deep End

Off the Deep End
Studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Released	April 14, 1992
Recorded	June 6, 1990–January 27, 1992
Studio	Santa Monica Sound Recorders, Santa Monica
Genre	Comedy, comedy rock
Length	41:18
Label	Rock 'n Roll Records Scotti Brothers
Producer	"Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic chronology
UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff (1989) Off the Deep End (1992) The Food Album (1993)
Singles from Off the Deep End
"Smells Like Nirvana" Released: April 3, 1992[1] "You Don't Love Me Anymore" Released: June 19, 1992[2]

Off the Deep End is the seventh studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released in 1992. This album was the first album self-produced by Yankovic, after six albums with Rick Derringer. Recorded between June 1990 and January 1992, the album was a follow-up to the unsuccessful soundtrack to Yankovic's 1989 film UHF. Off the Deep End and its lead single "Smells Like Nirvana" helped to revitalize Yankovic's career after a lull following his last hit single, "Fat", in 1988.

The musical styles on Off the Deep End are built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the late 1980s and early 1990s, including the newly arisen grunge movement. Half of the album is made up of parodies of Nirvana, MC Hammer, New Kids on the Block, Gerardo, and Milli Vanilli. The other half of the album is original material, featuring many "style parodies", or musical imitations of existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists like the Beach Boys, James Taylor and Jan and Dean.

Off the Deep End was met with mostly positive reviews and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard 200. The album also produced one of Yankovic's most famous singles, "Smells Like Nirvana", a parody of Nirvana's major rock hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which peaked at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was Yankovic's second-highest charting single, after "Eat It", which was released in 1984. The cover also parodies the cover of Nirvana's album, Nevermind. The original had a naked baby in the water with a dollar bill cast by a fishing rod; Yankovic's replaced the baby with himself, and the dollar bill with a donut. Off the Deep End was Yankovic's fourth Gold record, and went on to be certified Platinum for sales of over one million copies in the United States. In addition, the album was later nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1993.