"Weird Al" Yankovic: In 3-D

While his debut album got him in the public eye, "Weird Al" Yankovic's 'In 3-D' (1984) was the album that made him a household name, especially on the strength of 'Eat It.'  From the first moments, it's obvious that Yankovic has matured in his musical stylings, while still keeping his trademark humor intact.  The relative success of his first album allowed for a greater budget, and Al dropped the idea of having the accordion in every song, using it only when appropriate for the musical style at hands or comedic value.

'Eat It' leads things off.  In an era where the King of Pop could do no wrong, "Eat It" managed to both mock and respect Michael Jackson's ultra-popular track.  Al's video for the song is one of his best.  Gang members fighting over a rubber chicken?  A guitarist playing so fast he explodes?  Fantastic.  Al won the first of his 3 Grammy awards for this song (Best Comedic Recording), and for many years afterwards, some people would refer to him as "The Eat It Guy."

'Midnight Star' is Al's strongest original song on this collection.  In the early 90s, a "Weird Al" fan newsletter appropriately took this song for it's title.  A collection of tabloid stories and headlines set to an upbeat tempo, featuring ideas like the incredible frog boy, and telephone operators soon employing a service to let you talk to the dead.  And, as everyone knows, 'you can use your ESP to learn to play guitar.'

'The Brady Bunch' continues Al's obsession with TV, to the tune of 'The Safety Dance' by Men Without Hats.  The first verse describes the idea that the singer would rather watch a whole host of other shows instead of the eponymous show; the second squeezes most fo the Brady Bunch theme song into the Hats' tune.  Al would later employ this technique with 'Money For Nothing/ Beverly Hillbilies*'

'Gonna Buy Me a Condo,' while not a direct parody of any artist, certainly shows its Bob Marley roots.  The reggae groove contrasting with the singer's desire to assimilate to upper-class white American culture provides most of the humor here.

'I Lost on Jeopardy' is a parody of The Greg Kihn Band's 'Jeopardy,' and takes the lyrics to the expected place of a contestant on Jeopardy.  The last televised iteration of Jeopardy hadn't been aired since 1979.  5 years later, after Al released this song and video, the show came back to television, as has been on ever since.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Also, original Jeopardy announcer Don Pardo lends his voice to tell Al about all the things he didn't win.

'Polkas on 45' is the first of Al's legendary polka medleys.  The idea was so popular that, among Al's other pop recordings, only one subsequent recording does not feature a polka of some sort (Even Worse).  Featured here are...

• "Jocko Homo" by Devo
• "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple
• "Sex (I'm A...)" by Berlin
• "Hey Jude" by The Beatles
• "L.A. Woman" by The Doors
• "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly
• "Hey Joe" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• "Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads
• "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner
• "Bubbles in the Wine" by Lawrence Welk
• "Every Breath You Take" by The Police
• "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash
• "Jumpin' Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones
• "My Generation" by The Who

 (Props to Wikipedia for supplying that list).  To explain to the uninitiated, Al takes the choruses of a bunch of songs, sets them to a polka beat, and often adds in a few extra sound effects, highlighting how ridiculous certain songs can sound when taken out of context.

'Mr. Popeil' is a B-52s style tribute to Samuel Popiel, the original king of the infomercial. His daughter, Lisa Popeil, is one of the background singers on the song.

'King of Suede,' a parody of the Police's 'King of Pain,' describes the day-to-day doings of a top clothing retailer.  "There's a 2-4-1 sale on our 3 piece suits" is one of my favorite lines.

If I had to pick a least favorite track on 'In 3-D,' it would be 'That Boy Could Dance.'  The rather ordinary rock track backed with a tale of a boy who, otherwise unlikable, can dance really well, just seems like a filler track.

'Theme From Rocky XIII,' a parody of 'Eye of the Tiger' by Survivor, is one of my top 5 Al parodies.  Telling the tale of a washed-up boxer who now runs a deli, Al paints a wonderful character sketch of a man who, though not in his prime, still takes pride in what he does.

The album concludes with an altogether different take on the movies, 'Nature Trail to Hell.'  Al's musical trailer for an upcoming horror film (In 3-D!) come to my mind pretty much every time I see a trailer for some upcoming slasher flick.  Like any good cheesy horror movie, once you think the song's over, it comes back for another surprise, then another.  At 5 minutes 51 seconds, this would remain Al's longest song until 'The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota,' and continues an Al tradition of ending his albums in epic fashion.  Al's use of backmasking here is particularly  brilliant- during the instrumental break, Al mocks those who claimed there were Satanic messages hidden on rock records by recording 'Satan Eats Cheese Whiz.'  This YouTuber has done us all a favor by having it available.

Next up: 'Weird Al' Yankovic dares...to be stupid.