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Hooked on Polkas

"Polkas on 45"
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D
Released February 28, 1984
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
  • vinyl (12")
Recorded December 13, 1983
Genre
Length 4:23
Label Scotti Brothers
"Hooked on Polkas"
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Dare to Be Stupid
Released June 18, 1985 (Japan only)
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
  • vinyl (12")
Recorded March 25, 1985
Genre
Length 3:51
Label Scotti Brothers
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
"One More Minute"
(1985)
"Hooked on Polkas"
(1985)
"Dare to Be Stupid"
(1986)
"One More Minute"
(1985)
"Hooked on Polkas"
(1985)
"Dare to Be Stupid"
(1986)
"Polka Party!"
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Polka Party!
Released October 21, 1986
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
  • vinyl (12")
Recorded August 29, 1986
Genre
Length 3:15
Label Scotti Brothers
Songwriter(s) "Weird Al" Yankovic
"The Hot Rocks Polka"
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album UHF
Released July 18, 1989
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
  • vinyl (12" and 7")
Recorded May 24, 1989
Genre
Length 4:50
Label Scotti Brothers
Songwriter(s)
"Polka Your Eyes Out"
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Off the Deep End
Released April 1992
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
Recorded January 27, 1992
Genre
Length 3:50
Label Scotti Brothers
"Bohemian Polka"
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Alapalooza
Released October 5, 1993
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
Recorded July 17, 1993
Genre
Length 3:39
Label Scotti Brothers
Songwriter(s)
"The Alternative Polka"
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Bad Hair Day
Released March 12, 1996
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
Recorded January 3, 1996
Genre
Length 4:50
Label Scotti Brothers
"Polka Power!"
Single by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Running with Scissors
Released September 26, 1999 (Germany only)
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
Recorded April 20, 1999
Genre
Length 4:21
Label
"Weird Al" Yankovic singles chronology
"It's All About the Pentiums"
(1999)
"Polka Power!"
(1999)
"Pretty Fly for a Rabbi"
(1999)
"It's All About the Pentiums"
(1999)
"Polka Power!"
(1999)
"Pretty Fly for a Rabbi"
(1999)
"Angry White Boy Polka"
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Poodle Hat
Released May 20, 2003
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
Recorded March 23, 2003
Genre
Length 5:04
Label Volcano
"Polkarama!"
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
from the album Straight Outta Lynwood
Released September 24, 2006
Format
  • Cassette
  • CD
Recorded April 12, 2006
Genre
Length 4:17
Label Volcano

Polka-style medleys of cover songs are a distinguishing part of American musician, satirist, parodist, and songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic's catalog. Twelve of his fourteen albums contain them; his self-titled debut and Even Worse omit them.

The medleys are composed of various popular songs, each one reinterpreted as a polka (generally an instrumentation of accordion, banjo, tuba, clarinet, and muted brass interspersed with sound effects) with the choruses or memorable lines of various songs juxtaposed for humorous effect. Yankovic has been known to say that converting these songs to polka was "...the way God intended." Yankovic said that the medleys were something he did "even before I had a record deal" in live performances, and that many of the songs are included due to not receiving a full parody version - "if there’s a song that I think is really ripe for parody but I just can’t think of a clever enough idea, sometimes it’ll end up in the polka medley." Regarding their popularity, Yankovic has said, "At this point, it's sort of mandatory for me to do a polka medley. Fans would be rioting in the streets, I think, if I didn't do a polka medley." Yankovic has always asked permission from every artist whose songs compose a medley due to royalties issues. He acknowledged some influence of Spike Jones in the medleys, such as the sound effects.


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