B-side "Buckingham Blues" Format 7" Length 2:35 | Released May 3, 1983 Recorded February 11, 1983 Label Scotti Brothers | |
"Ricky" is a 1983 song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a parody of the 1982 song "Mickey" by Toni Basil. The song focuses on the show I Love Lucy, and ends with a segment of the theme from the show.
Contents
A music video was created for the song; it was Yankovic's first. According to the liner notes in the compilation DVD "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection, it "was arguably the first comedy video ever shown on MTV".
Track listing
- "Ricky" – 2:35
- "Buckingham Blues" – 3:11
Music video
The music video was directed by Janet Greek. It was filmed mostly in black and white and parodies the I Love Lucy television show. Yankovic plays the part of Ricky Ricardo, complete with affected Cuban accent. Yankovic appears minus his mustache and glasses, and with his hair slicked back, to more closely resemble Desi Arnaz. He is also seen briefly in several scenes as himself with his band, playing the accordion and sporting his normal mustache and curly hair. Tress MacNeille plays the part of Lucy, giving an impression of Lucille Ball's somewhat raspy voice and her usual shticks such as her unique way of crying.
Near the end of the video, a cheerleader can be seen dancing in the crowd. This is a direct reference to the music video for "Mickey".
The video (and song) ends with a segment of the I Love Lucy theme (played by guitarist Jim West) rounding out with Ricky on accordion, followed by Ricky doing his "Huah! Huah! Huah!" trademark laugh. Dr. Demento makes a cameo appearance at the very end.