Dare to Be Stupid: Good Dumb Fun

With the album’s 40th anniversary approaching (and my blog deadline approaching much faster), I thought I’d take a crack at a review. Weird Al is, if I’m being honest, my third or second favorite artist, and as such it seems correct that when I review something other than Pink Floyd, it would be him.

I don’t have too grand a format for this review, so I’ll just run down the song list and give my takes on each of them.

Weird Al with his band in the Dare to Be Stupid music video

SIDE A

Like a Surgeon:

I’m a big fan of the bassline/synth beat, and I feel like bringing up the tempo and adding more instruments is a positive improvement over the original, “Like a Virgin” by Madonna. Funnily enough, the parody was suggested by Madonna herself, and Al says the parody had never even crossed his mind before she said something. Unfortunately, Al’s intonation is just on the side of too annoying, and so this song ends up being “just OK” in my book. 6/10

Dare to Be Stupid

A style pastiche of DEVO, this is one of the first songs I heard from him. If someone asked me to play them the Weird Al song that represented him best, I would play Dare to Be Stupid. The synth riffs are off the chain, as is the guitar. Honestly, it seems like this album is a showcase for Al’s band more than it is for him. The lyrics are very memorable, and Al’s voice is on point. 9/10

I Want a New Duck

A parody of “I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News. Fairly simple, both for lyrics and instrumentation. Really, the only thing of note is the added duck sounds as made by Al. Not one of his best works, but still pretty solid. 7/10

One More Minute

A wholly original song, written after breaking up with his girlfriend at the time, it is performed in the style of a doo-wop band – think early Elvis. As such, it is without much instrumentation, but Al’s got the vocal range to cover the gap. The song describes all the things Al would rather do than spend the titular “one more minute” with his ex. Some particularly juicy ones include: “I’d rather clean all the bathrooms in Grand Central Station with my tongue,” and “[I’d rather] stick an ice pick under a toenail or two.” Well done and consistently amusing. 8/10

Yoda

A parody of “Lola” by The Kinks, Al loosely recounts the story of The Empire Strikes Back from Luke’s perspective, focusing on his training with the eponymous master. It’s more or less another 1:1 parody, with the only thing of note being a particularly prescient line towards the end. “But I know that I’ll be coming back someday/I’ll be playing this part ‘till I’m old and gray/The long-term contract I had to sign/Says I’ll be making these movies ‘till the end of time/With my Yoda,” which is very funny, especially in light of Mark Hamill’s negative attitude on Episode’s VIII and IX. Again, nothing special, but still good. 7/10

Al, his singers behind him, after "burn[ing] down the malt shop where we used to go" in the One More Minute music video.

SIDE B

George of the Jungle

A very rare direct cover by Al, it’s just his take on the theme song for the cartoon of the same name from 1967. Having only listened to it for the first time for this review, I was really surprised at how much I liked it. It's a very silly and simple tune, but simple is good sometimes! What I’ve come to realize about myself is that I’m a total sucker for goofy or interesting drum beats/fills. 9/10

Slime Creatures From Outer Space

A very upbeat, up-tempo song about evil slime creatures destroying the earth. It’s almost ska-like, with its slap bass, horns, and theremin. It’s also got a very compelling hook leading into the chorus; “Runforyourlife!” I believe this song marks the start of an Al mini-genre: “Normal Guy Complaining About Supernatural Occurrence,” as seen in other songs of his like “Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters From a Planet Near Mars” and “Livin’ in the Fridge.” Very energetic and consistently funny. 8/10

Girls Just Want to Have Lunch

A parody of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cindy Lauper, this is easily the worst song on the album. Al is pushing his “annoying” voice to its limit, and it includes several groups of eating and burping sounds that actually kinda gross me out. In an interview, Al says he was forced to include a Cindy Lauper parody by his producer, and the song sounds like he wrote it with spite in mind. 2/10

This Is the Life

Another original, this is a ragtime song that sounds like it’s straight from the 30s, with a tinkling piano and background crooners. Originally commissioned for the gangster spoof Johnny Dangerously. About living as a millionaire and wasting money on frivolous things like “eating filet mignon seven times a day.” The style is on point, and is genuinely enjoyable, especially considering my appreciation for the music of the 30s and 40s. 9/10

Cable TV

A style parody of “Hercules” by Elton John, a song about the joys of all the wacky and random channels on Cable TV. As an Elton parody, it features piano heavily, as well as a brief saxophone solo as the bridge. Genuinely uplifting with its energy and Al’s voice, it almost could stand alone as a song without the label/crutch of it being a parody. “Swell” is an apt descriptor. 8/10

Hooked on Polkas

After the introduction of his “polkas” on his previous album, Hooked on Polkas is a marked improvement. (For reference, Weird Al does a “polka” on each album where he takes bits and pieces of 10 or so contemporary songs and redoes their instrumentals with Polka, trying to flow them into one another). The energy is more on point, and the song selection is better, including sections from “12th Street Rag,” “State of Shock,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “Method of Modern Love,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” “99 Luftballoons,” “The Reflex,” “Mental Health (Bang Your Head),” “Relax,” and ending with the 10-second phrase he ends every polka with, which according to Wikipedia is called the “Ear Booger Polka.” Fine enough, but not my favorite. 6/10.

Conclusion

Dare to Be Stupid is a good album overall, and surprisingly the B-side is better than the A-side. But, perhaps, that is because the A side has been “overplayed” on my music rotation and the freshness of the B side is increasing my enjoyment of it in an unfair relationship to side A. For non-Weird Al fans, it’s approachable with its parodies, and might serve as a good introduction, but it’s nothing incredible. Overall, 7.5/10.

Thanks for reading, and keep rocking, you crazy diamonds.