Dare to Be Stupid by “Weird Al” Yankovic

Dare to Be Stupid is the third studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 18, 1985. The album was one of many Yankovic records produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between August 1984 and March 1985, the album was Yankovic's first studio album released following the success of 1984's In 3-D, which included the Top 40 single "Eat It". The music on Dare to Be Stupid is built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-1980s, featuring reimaginings of Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis and the News, and the Kinks. The album also features many "style parodies", or musical imitations that come close to, but do not copy, existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of Devo and Elvis Presley, as well as imitations of various musical genres such as doo-wop, sci-fi soundtracks, and music from the 1920s and 1930s. Despite the mixed reception, Dare to Be Stupid sold well and peaked at number fifty on the Billboard 200. The album also produced one of Yankovic's more famous singles, "Like a Surgeon", a parody of Madonna's "Like a Virgin", which peaked at number forty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was Yankovic's second Gold record, and went on to be certified Platinum for sales of over one million copies in the United States. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986.