Music / Polka Party!

No Polka Party like a Weird Al Polka Party.

Polka Party! is the fourth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, which was released in 1986 through Rock 'n' Roll Records in the US and Scotti Bros. Records in Europe.

The album was considered a commercial and critical failure, only peaking at number 177 on the Billboard 200, receiving mixed-to-negative reviews, and being one of few albums from Al to not at least be certified Gold. However, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1988, and several of its songs (such as "Dog Eat Dog", "Addicted to Spuds", and "Christmas at Ground Zero") went on to become fan favorites and staples of Al's live shows.

Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Living With A Hernia"^note Parody of James Brown's "Living In America" from Rocky IV
2. "Dog Eat Dog"
3. "Addicted To Spuds"^note Parody of Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love"
4. "One Of Those Days"
5. "Polka Party!"

Side Two

6. "Here's Johnny"^note Parody of El DeBarge's "Who's Johnny" from Short Circuit
7. "Don't Wear Those Shoes"
8. "Toothless People"^note Parody of Mick Jagger's "Ruthless People" from Ruthless People
9. "Good Enough For Now"
10. "Christmas At Ground Zero"

---

Might as well face it, you're addicted to tropes.

• Addiction Song: "Addicted To Spuds", which is about being addicted to potato-based products.
• Anti-Christmas Song: "Christmas At Ground Zero". Done as Writer Revolt to his then-record label.
• Anti-Love Song: "Good Enough For Now" is a mild affection song.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: "One of Those Days" is about this. A good illustration:
  The bank called me up and told me I'm overdrawn, Some freaks are burning crosses out on my front lawn, And I can't believe it! All the Cheetos are gone!
  • I just wrapped my Cadillac around a tree, A big swarm of locusts is following me, There's not even anything good on TV!
• Black Comedy: "Christmas at Ground Zero" is about nuclear war.
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: "One Of Those Days" features this as well as Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking mentioned above:
  I lost one of my socks in the drier
  I can't find my wallet and my hair is on fire
• Damned by Faint Praise: "Good Enough For Now" is all about this; his momentary lover is described as "pretty good", "above average", "the woman that he's (not really) always dreamed of", and he doesn't plan to leave her... until "something better comes along".
• Earth-Shattering Kaboom: Concluding "One of Those Days".
  Then late at night just before I go to bed
  The world blows up and now everybody's dead
  You can't deny it, it's just like I said
• End of the World as We Know It: A nuclear war that happens during the Christmas season.
• Face on the Cover: "Weird Al" in polka clothes with his accordion.
• Finagle's Law: "One of Those Days".
• Food Songs Are Funny: "Addicted To Spuds".
• Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday: "Christmas at Ground Zero".
  "What a crazy fluke/we're gonna get nuked/on this jolly holiday!"
• I Do Not Like Green Eggs and Ham: "Addicted to Spuds" is about mocking a person who's addicted to potatoes and potato-based foods. However, in the third verse, Al admits that now he's addicted to potatoes too, even though he used to hate them.
• In the Style of:
  • "Dog Eat Dog" - Talking Heads, specifically "And She Was" and "Once In A Lifetime."
  • "Don't Wear Those Shoes" - The Kinks, specifically the intro to "Father Christmas."
  • "Good Enough For Now" - Country love songs
  • "Christmas At Ground Zero" - Phil Spector-produced Christmas songs
• Lyrical Dissonance: "Christmas At Ground Zero". Although maybe subverted during the bridge and end, as air raid sirens are mixed in with the festive music.
• Medley: "Polka Party!" Songs featured in it are:
  • "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" by INXS
  • "Harlem Shuffle" (as "Harlem Polka") by The Rolling Stones
  • "Venus" by Bananarama
  • "Nasty" by Janet Jackson
  • "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco
  • "Shout" by Tears for Fears
  • "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna^note A slightly altered version, performed for an MTV New Years Eve special, switched this out for Wang Chung's "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"
  • "Ear Booker Polka" by "Weird Al" Yankovic
• Off with His Head!: One of the patients in the video for "Living with a Hernia" is a construction worker who's been decapitated on the job. It's done for humorous effect, however; he's holding his disembodied head in his left arm.
• Parody Assistance: James Brown arranged for Al to record the music video for "Living With a Hernia" using the backdrop where he performed the original "Living in America" song in Rocky IV.
• Record Producer: Rick Derringer.
• Scary Teeth: The subject of "Toothless People".
• Those Wacky Nazis: Al gets tied up by some of them and covered with ants in "One of Those Days".
  • A group of freaks are burning crosses on his front lawn.
• Title Track: One of only three albums of his to include one, the others being Dare to Be Stupid and UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff.
• Turn Your Head and Cough: In the song "Living With A Hernia," the narrator goes to see his physician, Dr. Jones, who we are told takes off the narrator's pants and tells him to cough. While a Stock Joke, it is actually part of the procedure of checking for a Hernia as mentioned on the Trope page.

---