Poodle Hat

Poodle Hat
Studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Released May 20, 2003
Recorded March 2002 - March 2003
Genre Comedy, parody
Length 54:38
Label Volcano
Producer "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic chronology
The Saga Begins
(2000)
Poodle Hat
(2003)
Straight Outta Lynwood
(2006)
Singles from Poodle Hat
  1. "eBay"
    Released: January 2003 (Downloadable single)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]
The Daily VaultB+[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

Poodle Hat is the eleventh studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on May 20, 2003 on Volcano Records. It debuted at #17 on the Billboard 200. The album was released on an Enhanced CD. The bonus content includes some of Yankovic'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 him 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".

Track listing

The following is adapted from the album liner notes.[5]

No. TitleWriter(s)Parody of Length
1. "Couch Potato"  Jeffrey Bass, Marshall Mathers, Luis Edgardo Resto, "Weird Al" Yankovic"Lose Yourself" by Eminem 4:18
2. "Hardware Store"  YankovicOriginal[6] 3:45
3. "Trash Day"  Chuck Brown, Cornell Haynes, Pharrell, Yankovic"Hot in Herre" by Nelly 3:12
4. "Party at the Leper Colony"  YankovicStyle parody of Bo Diddley 3:38
5. "Angry White Boy Polka"    5:04
6. "Wanna B Ur Lovr"  YankovicStyle parody of Beck[7] 6:14
7. "A Complicated Song"  Avril Lavigne, YankovicParody of "Complicated" by Avril Lavigne 3:39
8. "Why Does This Always Happen to Me?"  YankovicStyle parody of Ben Folds 4:52
9. "Ode to a Superhero"  Billy Joel, YankovicParody of "Piano Man" by Billy Joel 4:53
10. "Bob"  YankovicStyle parody of Bob Dylan[8] 2:29
11. "eBay"  Andreas Carlsson, Max Martin, YankovicParody of "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys 3:36
12. "Genius in France"  YankovicStyle parody of Frank Zappa[8][9] 8:58

Music videos

A music video for "Couch Potato" was to be shot shortly after the album's release, but Eminem denied Yankovic 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.[10]

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 based on the promo video that was shot for D.A. Pennebaker's Dont Look Back, detailing Dylan's second 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 in the Allen Ginsberg role) speaking with a man in a black suit (played by Yankovic's long-time manager and UHF director Jay Levey filling in for Bob Neuwirth).

Personnel

Production

Charts

Album
Year Chart Position
2003 The Billboard 200 17
2003 Top Internet Albums 17

Awards

Grammy Awards
Year Award Winner
2003 Best Comedy Album Poodle Hat

References

  1. Stephen Thomas Erlewine (2003-05-20). "Poodle Hat - Weird Al Yankovic | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  2. Serpick, Evan (2003-07-07). "Poodle Hat Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2012-04-01.
  3. "The Daily Vault Music Reviews :". Dailyvault.com. 2003-06-30. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
  4. Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York. p. 893. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  5. Poodle Hat (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. Volcano Records. 2003.
  6. Yankovic, Alfred (July 15, 2014). "['Weird Al' Yankovic confirms that 'Hardware Store' is an original]". Reddit. IAmA. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  7. Yankovic, Alfred M. (August 2003). ""Ask Al" Q&As for August 7, 2003". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  8. 1 2 Moss, Corey (2003-05-07). "Weird Al Parodies 'Lose Yourself' But Won't Spoof Em's Video". VH1. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  9. Anderson, Kyle (2014-07-03). "'Weird Al' Yankovic: The Stories Behind The Songs". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  10. Speaking With "Weird Al", Chicago Sun-Times, 25 July 2003.
  11. "Anderson Scores Inc. - William Kevin Anderson, Composer/Producer". Andersonscores.com. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
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