Released February 28, 1984 Genre Comedy
polka Label Scotti Brothers | Recorded December 13, 1983 Length 4:23 | |
Format Cassette
CD
vinyl (12") | ||
Polka-style medleys of cover songs are a distinguishing part of American musician, satirist, parodist, and songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic's catalog. They have appeared on twelve of his fourteen albums; his self-titled debut album and Even Worse do not contain medleys.
Contents
- Polkas on 45
- Hooked on Polkas
- Single track listing
- Polka Party
- The Hot Rocks Polka
- Polka Your Eyes Out
- Bohemian Polka
- The Alternative Polka
- Polka Power
- Angry White Boy Polka
- Polkarama
- Polka Face
- NOW Thats What I Call Polka
- Other polka medleys
- References
The medleys are composed of various popular songs, each one reinterpreted as a polka (generally an instrumentation of accordion, banjo, tuba, clarinet, and muted brass interspersed with sound effects) with the choruses or memorable lines of various songs juxtaposed for humorous effect. Yankovic has been known to say that converting these songs to polka was "...the way God intended." Yankovic said that the medleys were something he did "even before I had a record deal" in live performances, and that many of the songs are included due to not receiving a full parody version - "if there’s a song that I think is really ripe for parody but I just can’t think of a clever enough idea, sometimes it’ll end up in the polka medley." Regarding their popularity, Yankovic has said, "At this point, it's sort of mandatory for me to do a polka medley. Fans would be rioting in the streets, I think, if I didn't do a polka medley." Yankovic has always asked permission from every artist whose songs compose a medley due to royalties issues. He acknowledged some influence of Spike Jones in the medleys, such as the sound effects.
Two of Yankovic's polka medleys, "Hooked on Polkas" and "Polka Power!" were released as singles in Japan and Germany, respectively. "Polka Your Eyes Out" and "Polkas on 45" were also the only polkas to appear on a greatest hits album and "Polka Face" is the only polka to have an official video released for it.
"Polkas on 45"
"Polkas on 45" is Yankovic's first polka medley. It appears on his second album, In 3-D. This and "The Hot Rocks Polka" are Yankovic's only polka medleys to focus on popular rock songs from the 1960s and 1970s rather than contemporary songs, though "Polkas on 45" includes some of the latter. The song title is a take on the medley-releasing novelty band Stars on 45 and their self-titled 1981 single.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
"Hooked on Polkas"
"Hooked on Polkas" is the second polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appeared on his third album, Dare to Be Stupid. The song was released as a single in Japan.
Its title is a reference to the 1981 record Hooked on Classics, in which very recognizable extracts from classical music pieces were played over a continuous, more disco-style beat. This is the first polka medley to use "Shave and a Haircut", which is heard at the end of "Ear Booker Polka". (Other Yankovic polka medleys that have used "Shave and a Haircut" include "The Alternative Polka", "Polka Power!", "Polkarama!", and "Polka Face".)
The following songs are contained in the medley:
Single track listing
- "Hooked on Polkas" - 3:51
- "I Want a New Duck" - 3:01
"Polka Party!"
"Polka Party!" is the third polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his fourth album, Polka Party!.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
"The Hot Rocks Polka"
"The Hot Rocks Polka" is the fourth polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his sixth studio album, UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff. All of the songs in "The Hot Rocks Polka" medley are songs by The Rolling Stones, with the addition of Yankovic's "Ear Booker Polka" at the end. The title of the song refers to Hot Rocks 1964-1971, a greatest hits album of The Rolling Stones music.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
"Polka Your Eyes Out"
"Polka Your Eyes Out" is the fifth polka medley by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is included on his 1992 album, Off the Deep End, and also on his "Greatest Hits Volume 2" compilation. It was originally performed in 1991 on the Dr. Demento show.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
"Bohemian Polka"
"Bohemian Polka" is a polka rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody". Yankovic's official website has categorized "Bohemian Polka" as a polka medley.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
"The Alternative Polka"
"The Alternative Polka" is the sixth polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his 1996 album, Bad Hair Day. The medley primarily consists of alternative rock songs, with the title being a reference to the genre.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
"Polka Power!"
"Polka Power!" is the seventh polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his 1999 album, Running with Scissors. The title of the song is a reference to "Girl Power," a phrase made popular by the Spice Girls, the first act to be featured in the polka. The song was released as a single in Germany.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
"Angry White Boy Polka"
The "Angry White Boy Polka" is the eighth polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his 2003 album Poodle Hat and consists of nu metal, rap metal, garage rock, and rap tracks performed primarily by white male vocalists; however, the frontmen from groups Rage Against the Machine and P.O.D. are multi-racial.
The following are contained in the medley:
Clips from the music videos of each song are compiled in the video for "Angry White Boy Polka".
"Polkarama!"
"Polkarama!" is the ninth polka medley by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was released on his 2006 album, Straight Outta Lynwood.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
"Polka Face"
"Polka Face" is the tenth Weird Al polka medley. It was performed in concert in 2010, and was released on the 2011 album Alpocalypse. The medley consists of recent dance-pop, hip hop, and R&B songs. The following songs are contained in the medley:
The title is a reference to Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face".
On September 25, 2011, Comedy Central's website Jokes.com premiered an animated music video for this polka medley.
The video features a distinctive animation style for each of the segments of the parody. Some of them are crude: Flash-animated, for example ("Right Round", "Baby", "Blame It", "Break Your Heart", and "I Kissed a Girl"); some others feature cut-out ("Fireflies"), hand-drawn ("Down") and experimental scribbling animation ("Replay"), while only one used stop-motion animation ("Womanizer"). See also: Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
"NOW That's What I Call Polka!"
"NOW That's What I Call Polka!" is the eleventh polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his 2014 album Mandatory Fun, and the title of the medley is the parody of compilation album series Now That's What I Call Music!. The following songs are included in the medley: