Editing Polka Party!

{{Short description|1986 album by "Weird Al" Yankovic}}
{{for|the 1998 Grammy-nominated album by Brave Combo|Polka Party with Brave Combo: Live and Wild!}}
{{for|the song|List of "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medleys#"Polka Party!"}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Polka Party!
| type       = studio
| artist     = [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]
| cover      = Weird-Al-Yankovic-Polka-Party.jpg
| alt        =
| released   = October 21, 1986
| recorded   = April 22 – September 1, 1986
| venue      =
| studio     = Santa Monica Sound Recorders, Santa Monica
| genre      =
* [[Comedy music|Comedy]]
* [[parody music|parody]]
| length     = 34:07
| label      =
* [[Rock 'n Roll Records|Rock 'n Roll]]
* [[Scotti Brothers]]
| producer   = [[Rick Derringer]]
| prev_title = [[Dare to Be Stupid]]
| prev_year  = 1985
| next_title = [[Even Worse]]
| next_year  = 1988
| misc       = {{Extra album cover
 | header     = Alternate cover
 | type       = studio
 | cover      = Polka Party alternate cover.jpg
 | border     = <!-- optional parameter, type "yes" here to add a 1px border to the cover image -->
 | alt        = 
 | caption    = Cover in other countries
}}
{{Singles
 | name        = Polka Party!
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Living with a Hernia]]
 | single1date = October 21, 1986
 | single2     = [[Christmas at Ground Zero]]
 | single2date = November 1986
}}
}}
'''''Polka Party!''''' is the fourth [[studio album]] by the American parody musician [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], released on October 21, 1986. The album was produced by former [[The McCoys]] guitarist [[Rick Derringer]]. Recorded between April and September 1986,<ref name="recordingdates" /> the album was Yankovic's follow-up to his successful 1985 release, ''[[Dare to Be Stupid]]''. The album's lead single, "[[Living With a Hernia]]", failed to chart.

The music on ''Polka Party!'' is built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-1980s, featuring direct parodies of [[James Brown]], [[Mick Jagger]], [[El DeBarge]] and [[Robert Palmer]]. The album also features many "style parodies", or musical imitations that come close to, but do not copy, existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists like [[Talking Heads]], as well as imitations of various musical genres like country music.

Peaking at No. 177 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], ''Polka Party!'' was met with mixed-to-negative reviews and was considered a commercial and critical failure. Despite this, the album was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] for [[Best Comedy Recording]] in [[Grammy Awards of 1988|1988]]. ''Polka Party!'' is one of Yankovic's few studio albums not to be certified either [[Music recording sales certification|Gold]] or [[Platinum record|Platinum]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA).

==Production==
===Recording===
Yankovic entered the recording studio in April 1986 to begin the sessions to his follow-up to 1985's ''[[Dare to Be Stupid]]''.<ref name="recordingdates"/> To produce the album, Yankovic brought in former [[The McCoys|McCoys]] guitarist [[Rick Derringer]], who had also produced Yankovic's previous albums.<ref name="ppliner">{{cite AV media notes |title=Polka Party! |others="Weird Al" Yankovic |year=1986 |type=LP liner notes |publisher=[[Scotti Brothers Records]] |id=FZ 40520}}</ref> Backing Yankovic were [[Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz]] on drums, [[Steve Jay]] on bass, and [[Jim West (guitarist)|Jim West]] on guitar.<ref name="ppliner"/> The album was recorded in roughly three sessions. The first session took place between April 22 and 23, and yielded four originals: "Don't Wear Those Shoes", "One of Those Days", "Dog Eat Dog", and "[[Christmas at Ground Zero]]". The second session, which spanned August 4–5, produced three parodies: "[[Living with a Hernia]]", "Addicted to Spuds", and "Here's Johnny". The final session, which lasted from August 29 to September 1, produced the parody "Toothless People", an original song named "Good Enough for Now", and the album's titular polka medley.<ref name="recordingdates"/> Thematically, Yankovic described the record as "not a whole lot different than" the other albums he had recorded, calling the process "even a bit formulaic".<ref name=houstonchron/>

===Originals===
On April 22, 1986, Yankovic began recording three new original songs for his next album: "Don't Wear Those Shoes", "One of Those Days", and "Dog Eat Dog".<ref name="recordingdates">{{Cite web| url = http://weirdal.com/archives/miscellaneous/recording-dates/ | title = Recording Dates | access-date = 7 September 2015 | last = Yankovic | first = Alfred M. | author-link = "Weird Al" Yankovic |date=December 2007 | work = The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site}}</ref> Although "Don't Wear Those Shoes" is an original composition, Yankovic admitted that the intro was inspired by the style of [[The Kinks]].<ref name="kinks">{{cite web| url= http://weirdal.com/archives/miscellaneous/ask-al/#1299| title = 'Ask Al' Q&As for December, 1999| access-date = June 30, 2010| last= Yankovic| first = Alfred M.| author-link = "Weird Al" Yankovic|date=December 1999| work = The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site}}</ref> Lyrically, the song is a plea by the singer to his wife not to not wear certain shoes which he cannot stand.<ref name=ppliner/> "One of Those Days" is a song detailing horrible things as if they were everyday annoyances. Each horrible thing escalates up to global annihilation while more mundane annoyances pop up at different times.<ref name=ppliner/>
[[File:Talking Heads band1.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Yankovic's song "Dog Eat Dog" served as a style parody of [[Talking Heads]] (pictured).|250px]]

{{Listen|filename=Dog Eat Dog Weird Al.ogg|title="Dog Eat Dog" (sample)|description="Dog Eat Dog", from Yankovic's 1986 album ''Polka Party!''. The sample illustrates the stylistic similarities between the song and the music of [[Talking Heads]].|format=[[Ogg]]}}

"Dog Eat Dog" is a style parody of [[Talking Heads]]. Described as a "tongue-in-cheek look at office life", the song was inspired by Yankovic's past experience of working in the mailroom and traffic department at the [[Westwood One (1976–2011)|Westwood One]] radio station.<ref name="praitb"/> He noted, "At first I thought [the job] was kinda cool that I had a phone and a desk and a little cubicle to call my own, but after a while I felt like my soul had been sucked out of me."<ref name="praitb">{{cite AV media notes|title = Permanent Record: Al in the Box|others = [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]|year = 1994|url = http://dmdb.org/al/booklet.html|first = Barret|last = Hansen|author-link = Dr. Demento|type = liner|publisher = [[Scotti Brothers Records]]|location = [[California]], [[United States]]}}</ref> The song features a line directly parodying the Talking Heads song "[[Once in a Lifetime (Talking Heads song)|Once In a Lifetime]]": "Sometimes I tell myself, this is not my beautiful stapler/Sometimes I tell myself, this is not my beautiful chair!" This mirrors a similar line in the Talking Heads song: "You may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful house/You may tell yourself, this is not my beautiful wife".<ref>{{cite web|title='Weird Al' Yankovic's Dog Eat Dog Sample of Talking Head's Once in a Lifetime|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/12420/%22Weird%20Al%22%20Yankovic-Dog%20Eat%20Dog_Talking%20Heads-Once%20in%20a%20Lifetime/|publisher=[[WhoSampled]]|access-date=April 24, 2013}}</ref>

On April 23, Yankovic recorded "Christmas at Ground Zero".<ref name="recordingdates"/> The song, "a cheery little tune about death, destruction and the end of the world" was the result of [[Scotti Brothers Records]]' insistence that Yankovic release a Christmas record.<ref name="praitb"/> After Yankovic presented the song to his label, they relented, because it was "a little different from what they were expecting."<ref name="praitb"/> After the song's release, some radio stations banned the record, a move that Yankovic attributes to "most people [not wanting] to hear about nuclear annihilation during the holiday season."<ref name="praitb"/> Following the [[September 11 attacks]], when the general term "ground zero" was co-opted as a proper name for the [[World Trade Center site]] where two of those attacks took place, the disturbing lyrics caused this song to be banned largely from radio.<ref name="pizek">{{cite news|last=Pizke|first=Jeff|title=Season's Beatings |newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|Daily Herald]]|publisher=Paddock Publications|date=December 4, 2008}} Retrieved April 24, 2013.</ref><ref name="fisher">{{cite news|last=Fischer|first=Marc|title=On All-Christmas-Song Stations, Little is Sacred|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/23/AR2005122300303.html|access-date=April 24, 2013|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=December 25, 2005}}</ref> Yankovic wanted the song to receive a video, but due to budget reasons, his label did not agree. Yankovic, however, directed one himself which was mostly made up of stock footage, with a live action finale that was filmed in a run-down part of the [[Bronx, New York]] that "looked like a bomb had fallen on it."<ref name="pizek"/><ref name="DVD">{{cite AV media notes |title= "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection |orig-year= 2003 |others= Jay Levey, "Weird Al" Yankoviv |publisher= Volcano Entertainment |id= 82876-53727-9 |year= 2003}}</ref>

The final original that was recorded was "Good Enough for Now", a country music pastiche about how the singer's lover, while not the best, will do for now.<ref name="recordingdates"/><ref name=ppliner/><ref name ="daily"/>

===Parodies and polka===
{{Listen|filename=Living With a Hernia.ogg|title="Living with a Hernia" (sample)|description="Living with a Hernia", from Yankovic's 1986 album ''Polka Party!''. The sample illustrates Yankovic's parody, including the musical re-creation of the original song.|format=[[Ogg]]}}

[[File:James-Brown 1973.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The album's lead parody, "Living with a Hernia", is a parody of [[James Brown]]'s (''pictured'') single "[[Living in America (James Brown song)|Living in America]]".|250px]]
On August 4, Yankovic began recording parodies starting with "Living with a Hernia".<ref name="recordingdates"/> The song, a spoof of "[[Living in America (James Brown song)|Living in America]]" by [[James Brown]]—which was also the theme to the 1985 film ''[[Rocky IV]]''—is about [[hernia]]s.<ref name=ppliner/><ref name="praitb"/> When it came time to pick a song to parody as the lead single for ''Polka Party!'' Scotti Brothers Records "had some very strong ideas" and wished to have Yankovic parody a musician who was signed on the same label. After "Living in America" became a hit, the record label insisted that Yankovic parody the song, to which Yankovic obliged.<ref>Rabin and Yankovic, p. 77</ref> In order to accurately write the song, Yankovic researched the various types of hernias. Yankovic noted that "it was a real thrill to do James Brown. I'm a total non-dancer, never went to any dances in high school, but if I analytically dissect a dance routine I can figure it out."<ref name="praitb"/> A choreographer named Chester Whitmore was hired to accurately create the dance scenes featured in the video, which was shot on the concert set actually used in the movie ''Rocky IV''.<ref name="praitb"/> The second parody recorded was "Addicted to Spuds", a pastiche of "[[Addicted to Love (song)|Addicted to Love]]" by [[Robert Palmer]], about a man's [[Fixation (psychology)|obsession]] for [[potato]]es and potato-based dishes.<ref name="recordingdates"/><ref name=ppliner/> A music video for the song was never made because there was a strict budget for videos for the album, and Yankovic felt that the video would be "one joke" and not really worth its own video. A parody of Palmer's video, however, was later inserted into Al's "UHF" video.<ref>{{cite web|last=Yankovic|first=Alfred M.|title='Ask Al' Q&As for April, 1999|url=http://weirdal.com/archives/miscellaneous/ask-al/#0499|work=The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site|access-date=April 24, 2013|date=April 1999}}</ref>

On August 5, Yankovic recorded "Here's Johnny", a parody of "[[Who's Johnny]]" by [[El DeBarge]].<ref name="recordingdates"/> The song, a loving ode to ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' announcer [[Ed McMahon]], features John Roarke of the television series ''[[Fridays (TV series)|Fridays]]'' fame doing an impression of McMahon's voice.<ref name="praitb"/><ref name="Players">{{cite web |url=https://www.weirdal.com/archives/miscellaneous/players/ |title=Players |website=[["Weird Al" Yankovic]] |access-date=January 19, 2023}}</ref> According to Yankovic, [[Peter Wolf (producer)|Peter Wolf]], the man who wrote "Who's Johnny", enjoyed the parody idea so much that he personally brought into the studio the [[floppy disc]] that contained the song's programmed synthesizer parts.<ref name=houstonchron>{{cite news|last=Graff|first=Gary|title=A Few Words With... Weird Al Yankovic|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/s/InfoWeb/aggdocs/NewsBank/0ED7ACC1043C20E2/0F8479522BD09CA1?s_lang=en-US|access-date=April 24, 2013|newspaper=[[Houston Chronicle]]|publisher=[[Hearst Corporation]]|date=December 28, 1986}} {{subscription required}}</ref> The final parody recorded for the album was "Toothless People", a play on [[Mick Jagger]]'s "[[Ruthless People]]", which was recorded on August 29, 1986. The song, about elderly people who are missing their teeth, was written after Yankovic heard it would be the theme to the 1986 film ''[[Ruthless People]]''. Assuming the song would be a hit, Yankovic requested and received permission from Jagger to record a [[parody]] version. Jagger's song, however, was never a hit, but because Jagger had "approved" the parody, he decided that failing to produce it would be an "insult" to the artist.<ref>{{cite web|title=FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/faq/index.html#toothless|publisher=Al-oholics.com|access-date=April 24, 2013|year=1997}}</ref>

The album's polka medley, the titular "Polka Party!", was recorded on the same day as "Here's Johnny".<ref name="recordingdates"/> This was Yankovic's third polka medley, and his only medley to bear the same name as an album. Like his other medleys, the song is a conglomeration of then-popular songs in music.<ref name=parodies>{{cite web|last=Yankovic|first=Alfred M.|title=Parodies & Polkas|url=http://weirdal.com/archives/miscellaneous/parodies-polka/|work=The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site|access-date=April 24, 2013}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Promotion===
To promote the album's release, Scotti Brothers Records purchased full-page ads in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine that advertised the release as Yankovic's "biggest bash yet".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=October 18, 1986|volume=98|issue=42|page=5|title=A-Wonderful! A-Wonderful! A-'Weird Al' 'Polka Party!'|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sSQEAAAAMBAJ&q=polka+party+weird+al&pg=PA5|access-date=April 25, 2013}}</ref> Unlike previous albums, Yankovic did not undertake a tour to promote ''Polka Party!'' Instead, he opened for the American rock band [[the Monkees]]; Yankovic later joked that the Monkees merely "closed" for him.<ref name="praitb"/> Yankovic explained that while it "was a fun tour" and that the crowds were very enthusiastic, the tension between the Monkees was obvious; on his website, he wrote that while the band members "are all terrific people individually", they "didn't seem to get along all that great when they weren't on stage."<ref>{{cite web|last=Yankovic|first=Alfred, M.|title='Ask Al' Q&As for December, 1999|url=http://weirdal.com/archives/miscellaneous/ask-al/1299|work=The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site|access-date=April 25, 2013|date=December 1999}}</ref>

===Critical response===
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="allmusic">{{Cite web| last = Chadbourne | first = Eugene | title = Polka Party! – Weird Al Yankovic | publisher = [[AllMusic]] | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/polka-party%21-mw0000196425 | access-date = April 21, 2011}}</ref>
| rev2 = The Daily Vault 
| rev2score = F<ref name ="daily"/>
| rev3 = ''[[Pitchfork Media|Pitchfork]]''
| rev3score = 6.1/10<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/weird-al-yankovic-squeeze-box-the-complete-works-of-weird-al-yankovic/ |title="Weird Al" Yankovic – Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic |publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]] |access-date=December 7, 2017 |last=Thomas Erlewine |first=Stephen|date=7 December 2017 }}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev4score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name ="rolling stone book">{{cite book| last = Brackett | first = Nathan |author2=Christian Hoard | title = The Rolling Stone Album Guide | publisher = Simon and Schuster | year = 2004 | location = New York City, New York | pages = [https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/893 893] | isbn = 0-7432-0169-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac| url-access = registration | quote = rolling stone weird al yankovic alapalooza review. }}</ref>
}}

''Polka Party!'' received mixed to negative reviews from critics. [[AllMusic]] reviewer [[Eugene Chadbourne]] gave the album three stars and wrote that "just about anyone could feel let down by this album."<ref name="allmusic"/> Chadbourne was largely critical of the parody choices, noting that many of the original versions would be forgotten in "fifteen years".<ref name="allmusic"/> Christopher Thelen from The Daily Vault gave ''Polka Party!'' an F and described it as an album that "seemed like it could well have been the 'last call' for Yankovic."<ref name ="daily"/> Thelen heavily criticized the record, writing that both the parodies and originals were not good and that "Yankovic [was] going through the motions".<ref name ="daily"/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' awarded the album three-and-a-half stars, tying it with the 1992 album ''[[Off the Deep End]]'' and the 1999 release ''[[Running with Scissors ("Weird Al" Yankovic album)|Running with Scissors]]'' as Yankovic's best-rated album.<ref name ="rolling stone book"/> Although it was not a critical success, the album was nominated for a [[Grammy Award]] for [[Best Comedy Recording]] in [[Grammy Awards of 1987|1987]],<ref name="awards">{{cite web | url = http://weirdal.com/archives/awards/ | title = Awards | access-date = 17 April 2011 | last = Yankovic | first = Alfred M. | author-link = "Weird Al" Yankovic | year = 2003 | work = The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site}}</ref> but lost to [[Bill Cosby]]'s ''[[Those of You with or Without Children, You'll Understand]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Winners Search|url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=&field_nominee_work_value=&year=1986&genre=6|publisher=Grammy.com|access-date=April 24, 2013}}</ref>

Despite the album's lackluster reception, many of the songs on the album, such as "Dog Eat Dog", "Addicted to Spuds", and "Christmas at Ground Zero", went on to become fan favorites and live staples.<ref name="praitb"/><ref name="tdet">{{cite web | url = http://weirdal.com/archives/miscellaneous/set-lists/ | title = The Deep End Tour | access-date = April 23, 2011 | last = Yankovic | first = Alfred M. | author-link = "Weird Al" Yankovic | year = 2003 | work = The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site}}</ref><ref name="pht">{{cite web | url = http://weirdal.com/archives/miscellaneous/set-lists/ | title = Poodle Hat Tour 2003/2004 | access-date = April 23, 2011 | last = Yankovic | first = Alfred M. | author-link = "Weird Al" Yankovic | year = 2003 | work = The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site}}</ref><ref name="setlist4"/> Two of the album's tracks, "Living with a Hernia" and "Addicted to Spuds", appeared on Yankovic's [["Weird Al" Yankovic's Greatest Hits|first greatest hits album]] (1988),<ref name="great1liner">{{cite AV media notes|title=Greatest Hits|others="Weird Al" Yankovic|year=1988|type=liner|publisher=Scotti Bros. Records}}</ref> "Christmas at Ground Zero" appeared on the [[Greatest Hits Volume II ("Weird Al" Yankovic album)|second volume]] (1994).<ref name="great2liner">{{cite AV media notes|title=Greatest Hits Volume II|others="Weird Al" Yankovic|year=1994|type=liner|publisher=Scotti Bros. Records}}</ref> In addition, the 1994 box set ''[[Permanent Record: Al in the Box]]'' contained five of the album's songs: "Addicted to Spuds", "Dog Eat Dog", "Here's Johnny", "Living with a Hernia", and "Christmas at Ground Zero".<ref name="praitb"/> Only "Dog Eat Dog", however, appeared on Yankovic's 2009 ''[[The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic|Essential]]'' collection, although the 3.0 version contained "Living with a Hernia".<ref name="essentialliner">{{cite AV media notes|title=The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic|others="Weird Al" Yankovic|year=2009|type=liner|publisher=[[Legacy Recordings]]}}</ref><ref name="essentialliner2">{{cite AV media notes|title=The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic 3.0|others="Weird Al" Yankovic|year=2009|type=liner|publisher=[[Legacy Recordings]]}}</ref>

===Commercial performance===
''Polka Party!'' was released October 21, 1986.<ref name="awards"/> After it was released, the album peaked at No. 177 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name="awards"/> Compared to Yankovic's previous albums—''[[Dare to Be Stupid]]'' peaked at No. 50 and ''[[In 3-D]]'' peaked at No. 17<ref name="awards"/>—''Polka Party!'' was considered a commercial disappointment for the comedian. The album was the lowest-charting studio album released by Yankovic<ref name="awards"/> and is one of his few studio albums not to be certified either [[Music recording sales certification|Gold]] or [[Platinum record|Platinum]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA).<ref name="awards"/> The others include the [[UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff|soundtrack]] to his film ''[[UHF (film)|UHF]]'' (1989) and ''[[Poodle Hat]]'' (2003).<ref name="awards"/>

Yankovic was dismayed by the album's lackluster reception. He noted that he "thought it was the end of [his] career".<ref name="praitb"/> Yankovic explained that "I figured I'd peaked with '[[Eat It]]' and '[[Like a Surgeon]]' and now people were slowly forgetting about me and I was well on my way to obscurity."<ref name="praitb"/> However, Yankovic's next album, ''[[Even Worse]]'', would resurrect his career and become his best-selling album at the time; the experience led Yankovic to realize that "careers have peaks and valleys, and whenever I go through the rough times, another peak might be right around the corner."<ref name="praitb"/>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| collapsed       = 
| headline = Side one
| extra_column    = Parody of
| title_width   = 25%
| writing_width = 40%
| extra_width   = 35%
| title1          = [[Living with a Hernia]]
| writer1         = [[Dan Hartman|Daniel Hartman]], [[Charlie Midnight]], [[Alfred Yankovic]]
| extra1          = "[[Living in America (James Brown song)|Living in America]]" by [[James Brown]]
| length1         = 3:20

| title2          = Dog Eat Dog
| writer2         = Yankovic
| extra2          = Style parody of [[Talking Heads]]<ref name="praitb"/>
| length2         = 3:42

| title3          = Addicted to Spuds
| writer3         = [[Robert Palmer]], Yankovic
| extra3          = "[[Addicted to Love (song)|Addicted to Love]]" by [[Robert Palmer]]
| length3         = 3:50	

| title4          = One of Those Days
| writer4         = Yankovic
| extra4          = Original<!-- DON'T ADD A BAND/GENRE HERE UNLESS YOU HAVE A RELIABLE SOURCE TO BACK IT UP -->
| length4         = 3:18	

| title5          = [[List of "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medleys#"Polka Party!"|Polka Party!]]
| writer5         = Various 
| extra5          = {{Collapsible list|title=A polka medley including:|titlestyle=font-weight:normal;background:transparent;text-align:left|
*"[[Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel song)|Sledgehammer]]" by [[Peter Gabriel]]
*"[[Sussudio]]" by [[Phil Collins]]
*"[[Party All the Time]]" by [[Eddie Murphy]]
*"[[Say You, Say Me]]" by [[Lionel Richie]]
*"[[Freeway of Love]]" by [[Aretha Franklin]]
*"[[What You Need (INXS song)|What You Need]]" by [[INXS]]
*"[[Harlem Shuffle]]" (as "Harlem Polka") by [[The Rolling Stones]]
*"[[Venus (Shocking Blue song)|Venus]]" by [[Bananarama]]
*"[[Nasty (Janet Jackson song)|Nasty]]" by [[Janet Jackson]]
*"[[Rock Me Amadeus]]" by [[Falco (musician)|Falco]]
*"[[Shout (Tears for Fears song)|Shout]]" by [[Tears for Fears]]
*"[[Papa Don't Preach]]" by [[Madonna]]
*"Ear Booker Polka" by "Weird Al" Yankovic}}
| length5         = 3:15
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| extra_column = Parody of	
| title6          = Here's Johnny
| writer6         = [[Peter Wolf (producer)|Peter Wolf]], Ina Wolf, Yankovic
| extra6          = "[[Who's Johnny]]" by [[El DeBarge]]
| length6         = 3:24	

| title7          = Don't Wear Those Shoes
| writer7         = Yankovic
| extra7          = Original<!-- DON'T ADD A BAND/GENRE HERE UNLESS YOU HAVE A RELIABLE SOURCE TO BACK IT UP -->
| length7         = 3:36

| title8          = Toothless People
| writer8         = [[Daryl Hohl]], [[Mick Jagger|Michael Jagger]], David Stewart, Yankovic
| extra8          = "[[Ruthless People#Soundtrack|Ruthless People]]" by [[Mick Jagger]]
| length8         = 3:23	

| title9          = Good Enough for Now
| writer9         = Yankovic
| extra9          = Style parody of [[Country music|country]] [[love song]]s<ref name ="daily">{{cite web |last=Thelen |first=Christopher |title=Polka Party! |publisher=Daily Vault |date=September 2, 2001 |url=http://dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=1994 |access-date=April 21, 2011}}</ref>
| length9         = 3:03

| title10         = [[Christmas at Ground Zero]]
| writer10        = Yankovic
| extra10         = Style parody of [[Phil Spector]]-produced [[A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector|Christmas songs]]<ref name="setlist4">{{cite news |title=Set List: 'Weird Al' Yankovic |first=Nathan |last=Rabin |author-link=Nathan Rabin |url=https://www.avclub.com/weird-al-yankovic-1798226810 |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |publisher=[[The Onion|The Onion, Inc]] |location=[[Chicago]], [[Illinois]] |date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110701100237/http://www.avclub.com/articles/weird-al-yankovic,58244/ |archive-date=July 1, 2011 |url-status=live |df=mdy}}</ref>
| length10         = 3:09
| total_length    = 34:07
}}

==Personnel==
Credits adapted from LP liner notes.<ref name="ppliner"/>

{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
'''Band members'''
* [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] – lead and background vocals, accordion, keyboards, [[glockenspiel]]
* [[Jim West (guitarist)|Jim West]] – guitars, background vocals
* [[Steve Jay]] – bass guitar, banjo, background vocals
* [[Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz]] – drums, percussion

'''Additional musicians'''
* Pat Regan – synthesizers
* [[Rick Derringer]] – guitars
* [[Lisa Popeil]] – background vocals
* The Waters Sisters – background vocals
* Warren Luening – trumpet
* Bill Anderson – [[tenor saxophone]]
* Gary Herbig – [[baritone saxophone]]
* Joel Peskin – clarinet
* [[Tommy Johnson (session musician)|Tommy Johnson]] – tuba
* Jim Cox – [[pedal steel]] synth
* [[Dennis Fetchet]] – fiddle
* Sonny Burke – piano
* John Roarke – voice of [[Ed McMahon]]

'''Technical'''
* Rick Derringer – producer
* "Weird Al" Yankovic – arranger
* Tony Papa – engineer, mixing
* Jamey Dell – assistant engineer
* Lane/Donald – art direction
* Dennis Keeley – cover pictures
{{div col end}}

==Charts and certifications==
===Charts===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Chart
!Peak<br />position
|-
|[[Billboard 200|US ''Billboard'' 200]]<ref name="awards"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|177
|}

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
*{{cite book|last=Rabin|first=Nathan|title=Weird Al: The Book|publisher=Abrams Image|isbn=9781419704352|author2=Yankovic, Alfred M.|date=September 25, 2012}}

{{"Weird Al" Yankovic}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:"Weird Al" Yankovic albums]]
[[Category:1986 albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Rick Derringer]]
[[Category:Rock 'n Roll Records albums]]
[[Category:Scotti Brothers Records albums]]