Do I LOVE Weird Al Yet?: "Off the Deep End" (1992)

It's that time of our lives again. The parody composer Weird Al Yankovic has released his latest album "Mandatory Fun." Upon listening to it, I was left with one feeling: Why are people obsessed with this guy? He did a lot of good songs, but there's a lot of untapped material that I am unaware of. For the next two weeks, I will be listening and reviewing each day Weird Al's discography from "'Weird Al' Yankovic" to "Mandatory Fun" with thoughts on the highs and lows and answer the eternal question: Do I LOVE Weird Al Yet?

Album: "Off the Deep End"

Release Date: April 14, 1992

Record Label: Rock 'n Roll Records, Scotti Brothers

Preconceived Notions: We are FINALLY out of the 80's era of Weird Al. While it helped to establish his style, the excess does make some of his otherwise more creative takes wear a little thin. Even "UHF," which was an outstanding movie, had a mediocre soundtrack and nothing even came close to "Dare to Be Stupid" for the rest of the decade (maybe "Even Worse," though that was a mixed bag). I also realize that when given some time to work on an album, he is more likely to produce great results. It has been three years since "UHF," so let's see if the absence helps.

Track Listing:

1. Smells Like Nirvana
2. Trigger Happy
3. I Can't Watch This
4. Polka Your Eyes Out
5. I Was Only Kidding
6. The White Stuff
7. When I Was Your Age
8. Taco Grande
9. Airline Amy
10. The Plumbing Song
11. You Don't Love Me Anymore
12. Bite Me

Best Song: "Trigger Happy"

It didn't take long for me to fully enjoy this album. The second song, which is baffling by today's standards, is a lunacy mixture of gun control satire side-by-side with the G-rated thrills of surf rock like Jan and Dean or The Beach Boys. Beyond its hilarious take, it is a poignant song with catchy lyrics and strange, dark subversion that appropriately feels uncomfortable alongside the music. I really enjoyed the song and want to listen to it again to catch the entire narrative because I was laughing too much.

Worst Song: "The White Stuff"

Despite being one of the more flawless records in Weird Al's catalog, this particular song baffles me entirely. Yes, I am aware of New Kids on the Block, but I think that not knowing their material does a disservice to this song. Along with being yet another song about food indulgence, it just doesn't have a lot of catchy appeal. It chugs along and is doesn't do much that has aged rather well. Maybe the production is spot on? I don't know. I really don't like this song.

Was That a Parody?: "The Plumbing Song"

A highly enjoyable riff on keeping toilets maintained that features a lot of hilarious lyrics. However, the Wikipedia page claims that this is a parody of TWO Milli Vanilli songs. The only issue is that nowadays the lip syncing reputation outweighs any of their musical output. Unlike "The White Stuff," it doesn't distract from the satire, yet you'll be baffled to think that this was based off of any preexisting songs considering that there are original songs that sound more like parodies than this.

Most Dated Song: "I Can't Watch This"

Another song about the lunacy of TV that is only dated by its references. Unlike "The Brady Bunch" or "The Isle Thing," it actually does something of value with the subject matter. It is someone who is offended by the lowbrow TV of shows like America's Funniest Home Videos. It is a wonderful satire whose references aren't distracting, but are nonetheless one of the few songs on this album that feel distinctly like a 90's version of Weird Al. That isn't a bad thing, as this album is rather great, but it does date it for those who don't have an affinity for the early days of cable TV and infomercials that make up the brilliant breakdown in the song.

Strangest Song: "You Don't Love Me Anymore"

Almost serving as a compendium partner to "Trigger Happy," this song is set against the backdrop of soft rock as it explores a failing relationship in a very surreal fashion. Somebody clearly hates Weird Al to the point of calling him the Antichrist and sticking snakes in his drawer. Somehow, it effectively works to juxtapose hostility over humble rhythms. It only highlights the absurdity of these love songs in brilliant details that may be as rambling as his other bad relationship songs, but this feels more confident than those.

Great Notes: Cheech Marin does a breakdown of Spanglish dialogue on "Taco Suave."

Final Thoughts: Maybe it comes from being worn out by the past few albums, but this felt like a surprisingly powerful album. He is in top shape and feels energized with the new decade of material. Most of all, he is better than ever at the juxtaposition lyrics and is sounding less and less dated in the process. Yes, I feel like the polkas are strangely diverting from my desired interpretation of them, but I cannot deny how amazing "Polka Your Eyes Out" is (It's my favorite so far) with the bass breakdown. His production remains a high point and while there are some undoubted moments of dated song parodies, they are less grating. This may be the transition into the modern Weird Al, which helps me to understand his placement as a pop culture icon. He has withstood nine years of novelty culture at this point. No novelty artist does that.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Do I LOVE Weird Al Yet: I am very close. While this isn't quite as flawless as "Dare to Be Stupid," I am proud to call this masterpiece #2 and has gotten me very excited to see what's next.

Polka Ranking (All Albums)

1. "Polka Your Eyes Out" (from "Off the Deep End" - 1992)
2. "Polkas on 45" (from "'Weird Al' Yankovic in 3-D" - 1984)
3. "The Hot Rocks Polka" (from "UHF" - 1989)
4. "Polka Party!" (from "Polka Party! - 1986)

5. "Hooked on Polkas" (from "Dare to Be Stupid" - 1985)

Ranking (All Albums)

1. Dare to Be Stupid (1985)
2. Off the Deep End (1992)
3. "Weird Al" Yankovic (1983)
4. Even Worse (1988)

5. UHF (1989)
6. "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (1984)
7. Polka Party! (1986)
8. Peter and the Wolf (1988)


UP NEXT: "Alpalooza" (1993)