Poodle Hat
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Poodle Hat
- Artist: "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Rating:
- Release Date: May 20, 2003
- Type: Lyrics are included with the album, Enhanced CD-ROM
- Genre: Spoken Word
Review
It's been said that artists will truly know they've entered pop culture when Weird Al Yankovic records a parody of their hit. But what does it mean when pop culture is ahead of Weird Al? Take his parody of the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," which Yankovic turns into "Ebay," but his satire is not far removed from the auction website's own advertising campaign of 2003, where people rave about the junk they bought on eBay to the tune of "My Way" ("I did it eBay"). What does this mean? Well, that Weird Al Yankovic's sensibility has been so thoroughly assimilated by mass culture that it's tougher than ever for him to stay ahead of the game. For instance, there's his parody of Eminem's "Lose Yourself," for which Marshall Mathers refused to let Alfred Matthew Yankovic make a video -- an event that gave Poodle Hat a lot of press upon its spring 2003 release. The album ends with "Genius in France," a multi-part epic that's equal parts Utopia-era Todd Rundgren, Frank Zappa, and They Might Be Giants; it's the most ambitious and weirdest thing here, which counts for a lot, ending with a Grey Poupon joke. It works because, at his best, Weird Al is a very good musician with some clever ideas and a skilled band, so music that showcases that is best for him -- it helps put his jokes across. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi| Poodle (2001 Album by Dizzy) | |
| Poodle Rockin' (2000 Album by Gorky's Zygotic Mynci) |
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| Poodle Hat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic | ||||
| Released | May 20, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | March 2003 | |||
| Genre | Comedy, Parody, rap rock, pop rock, rock and roll, polka, funk, piano rock, folk rock, contemporary R&B, hard rock, funk rock | |||
| Length | 54:38 | |||
| Label | Volcano | |||
| Producer | "Weird Al" Yankovic | |||
| "Weird Al" Yankovic chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Poodle Hat | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Poodle Hat is the Grammy Award-winning 11th studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It was released on May 20, 2003 on Volcano Records. The album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200. The album was released on an Enhanced CD. The bonus content includes some of Al's real home videos and his commentary on them, as well as synchronized lyrics and instrumental or acoustic versions of some songs. An Easter egg depicts Al with his then-pregnant wife, Suzanne, who also appears on the CD cover wearing a hat and glasses. The album's only single, "eBay", would not be released until January 2007. The album's only song to have a music video is "Bob".
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Contents
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Track listing
| Track | Title | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Couch Potato" (Jeffrey Bass, Marshall Mathers, Luis Edgardo Resto) | 4:18 | Parody of "Lose Yourself" by Eminem. The singer describes the many channels available on his cable TV. |
| 2 | "Hardware Store" (Yankovic) | 3:45 | Original.[5] About a new neighborhood hardware store and the things that can be purchased there. |
| 3 | "Trash Day" (Chuck Brown, Cornell Haynes, Pharrell) | 3:12 | Parody of "Hot in Herre" by Nelly. The narrative focuses on the filthiness of the singer's house. |
| 4 | "Party at the Leper Colony" (Yankovic) | 3:38 | Style parody of Bo Diddley, most notably "Hey Bo Diddley" but with Springsteen-esque instrumentation and vocals plus a saxophone solo a la Clarence Clemons. The song describes a party at a leper colony which people's body parts keep falling off. |
| 5 | "Angry White Boy Polka" | 5:04 | Polka medley, containing:
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| 6 | "Wanna B Ur Lovr" (Yankovic) | 6:14 | Style parody of Prince, or Midnite Vultures-era Beck, specifically "Peaches & Cream".[6] The song consists of pick-up lines which become steadily more ridiculous and suggestive. |
| 7 | "A Complicated Song" (Yankovic, Avril Lavigne) | 3:39 | Parody of "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne. The singer laments some mishaps resulting from everyday circumstances. |
| 8 | "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?" (Yankovic) | 4:52 | Style parody of Ben Folds, who also plays the piano in the song. The protagonist describes some particularly horrific tragedies, then complains about the (minor) inconvenience that they have caused him. |
| 9 | "Ode to a Superhero" | 4:53 | Parody of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel. Tells a story of Peter Parker/Spider-Man and the basic plot of the first Spider-Man film. |
| 10 | "Bob" (Yankovic) | 2:29 | Style parody of Bob Dylan,[7] most notably "Tombstone Blues" and "Subterranean Homesick Blues". Lyrics and title consist entirely of palindromes. |
| 11 | "eBay" (Andreas Carlsson, Max Martin) | 3:36 | Parody of "I Want It That Way" by The Backstreet Boys. Describes every manner of obscure items that the singer has purchased on eBay. |
| 12 | "Genius in France" (Yankovic) | 8:58 | Style parody of Frank Zappa.[7] Frank's son Dweezil Zappa plays the intro guitar solo. The lyrics describe a person who, although rejected elsewhere, finds acceptance in France. |
Music videos
A music video for "Couch Potato" was to be shot shortly after the album's release, but Eminem denied Al permission to shoot it. Yankovic told the Chicago Sun-Times in 2003:
| “ | We were already in pre-production. We believed that it was just a formality, that Eminem just wanted to hear the final mix of the song... And then we got a phone call saying he was not going to give permission for a video. We were devastated...I certainly don't have any bad feelings toward Eminem. He was gracious enough to let us use the song on the album—and we use "The Real Slim Shady" in the "Angry White Boy Polka" medley, too. But this is the first album I've ever released without an accompanying video.[8] | ” |
A quick video for "Bob" was shot instead and used on the tour and the 2003 edition of Al TV. The video for "Bob" can now be found on the "Weird Al" Yankovic: The Ultimate Video Collection DVD. The video for "Bob" is an obvious take off of the promo video that was shot for D.A. Pennebaker's Dont Look Back, detailing Dylan's first tour of England, including Bob Dylan's song, "Subterranean Homesick Blues", which was included on Pennebaker's film. The song "Bob" also has very many similarities in rhythm and movement of Dylan's song, "Subterranean Homesick Blues".
As the original short film featured famous beat poet Allen Ginsberg, the video shows a rabbi in the background (played by Al's drummer Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz) speaking with a man in a black suit (played by Al's long-time manager and UHF director Jay Levey).
Personnel
- "Weird Al" Yankovic - accordion, keyboards, sound effects, vocals, background vocals, clapping, shouts
- Jim West - guitar, mandolin, sound effects, vocals, clapping, shouts
- Steve Jay - bass, banjo, sound effects, vocals, clapping, shouts
- Rubén Valtierra - piano, keyboards
- Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz - drums, percussion, sound effects, vocals, clapping, shouts, laughs
- William K. Anderson[9] - harmonica
- Kim Bullard - keyboards
- DJ Swamp - scratching
- Tom Evans - saxophone
- Tommy Johnson - tuba
- John "Juke" Logan - harmonica
- Warren Luening - trumpet
- Herb Pedersen - banjo on Bob and Genius in France
- Joel Peskin - clarinet
- Lisa Popeil - background vocals
- Lee R. Thomburg - trombone, trumpet
- Carmen Twilley - background vocals
- Julia Waters - vocals, background vocals
- Maxine Waters - background vocals
- Ben Folds - piano on "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?"
- Dweezil Zappa - opening guitar solo on "Genius in France"
Production
- Producer: Al Yankovic
- Engineers: Tony Papa, Rafael Serrano
- Assistant engineers: Aaron Kaplan, Doug Sanderson, Antony Zeller
- Mixing: Tony Papa
- Mastering: Bernie Grundman
- Arranger: "Weird Al" Yankovic
- Drum programming: Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz
- Design: Nick Gamma, Jackie Murphy
- Photography: Mark Seliger
Charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Billboard 200 | 17 |
| 2003 | Top Internet Albums | 17 |
Awards
| Year | Award | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Best Comedy Album | Poodle Hat |
References
- ^ Poodle Hat at Allmusic
- ^ Serpick, Evan (2003-07-07). "Poodle Hat Review". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,462862,00.html. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
- ^ Hoard, Christian (2003-05-20). ""Weird Al" Yankovic: Poodle Hat : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-12-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20081204082718/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/weirdalyankovic/albums/album/288212/review/5944488/poodle_hat. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
- ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York. p. 893. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=t9eocwUfoSoC&pg=PA893&lpg=PA893&dq=rolling+stone+weird+al+yankovic+alapalooza+review&source=bl&ots=BiKjoj_Q-4&sig=RJMw0SNqDBegd5zbGtfs91pICj8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Anx3T-O1K-P40gGEsIGwDQ&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ "Ask Al Archive for June 28, 2006". weirdal.com. http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#062806.
- ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (August 2003). ""Ask Al" Q&As for August 7, 2003". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. http://www.weirdal.com/aaarchive.htm#080703. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- ^ a b Moss, Corey (2003-05-07). "Weird Al Parodies 'Lose Yourself' But Won't Spoof Em's Video". VH1. http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1471733/20030506/yankovic_weird_al.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
- ^ Speaking With "Weird Al", Chicago Sun-Times, 25 July 2003.
- ^ http://www.andersonscores.com/ William Kevin Anderson
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