On Friday (July 19), the music world obtained one thing it hasn’t gotten usually over the past 10 years: a brand new “Bizarre Al” Yankovic music.
“Polkamania!” shouldn’t be a brand new parody, however a polka medley, the kind of which he would usually embrace on his full-lengths — a mash-up of pop smashes carried out by Yankovic, along with his accordion coursing by the completely different melody snippets. Since he hasn’t launched an album since 2014’s Necessary Enjoyable, which made historical past as the primary comedy album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, Yankovic had a decade’s value of pop hits to pick from, and created a pastiche of Scorching 100 chart-toppers from throughout the previous 10 years.
That record ranges from Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” to Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” to the Encanto smash “We Don’t Discuss About Bruno” — to, moderately improbably, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP.” And the brand new music was additionally given an eye-popping music video, which sews collectively completely different types of animation from a few of Yankovic’s favourite filmmakers and collaborators.
Yankovic — who has stored busy over the previous decade by touring, releasing a handful of remixes and scattered tracks, and dealing on the 2022 fictionalized biopic Bizarre: The Al Yankovic Story, which he co-wrote and co-produced — hopes that “Polkamania!” scratches an itch for longtime listeners, who’ve been ready years for his new takes on in style music. “For some, I suppose it will likely be nostalgic,” the 64-year-old tells Billboard, “as a result of it sounds very very similar to each different polka medley I’ve performed, and so they haven’t heard that shortly. And for some individuals, this can be a time capsule — in case you’ve been out of contact and never listened to pop radio within the final 10 years, it is a good four-minute refresher course!”
Under, Yankovic discusses his new music, his choice to maneuver away from the album format, and the artist who instantly OK’ed his newest parody. (Observe: this interview has been edited for readability.)
When did the thought for “Polkamania!” begin coming collectively?
Some time in the past, perhaps even a 12 months in the past. It’s been at the back of my thoughts for some time — I figured that I wished to do one thing to have a good time the 10-year anniversary of Necessary Enjoyable. I wished to provide you with one thing new, so I’d have some new materials to play subsequent time I went out on the highway. And a variety of years glided by the place I hadn’t performed any parodies or polka medleys, and I simply figured I needed to form of catch up — I needed to do not less than some commentary on the final decade in music. So that is my model of that.
Why was the tenth anniversary of Necessary Enjoyable necessary so that you can commemorate?
Necessary Enjoyable might be my final conventional “Bizarre Al” album. We launched a double LP, the soundtrack to Bizarre, final 12 months, and I’m certain there can be different initiatives like that. However by way of precise “Bizarre Al” albums, I feel that’s the final one, for a lot of causes.
However clearly I’m nonetheless attempting to place out new materials — it’s simply that the album format for me has all the time felt just a little restrictive, and never the easiest way for me to get my music out into the world. And I do know that sounds just a little ironic, as a result of it’s not like I’ve precisely been prolific by way of my recorded output within the final 10 years! However I nonetheless simply really feel like, I like the liberty of not having to launch 12 songs abruptly.
You spoke about shifting away from the album mannequin 10 years in the past, when Necessary Enjoyable was launched. Trying again on the previous decade, do you are feeling such as you made the appropriate name?
Yeah, I feel so. I don’t know if it is smart by way of a profession or staying related, however these aren’t driving forces on my life — at this level in my life and profession, I mainly simply wish to do what feels proper for me, what I get pleasure from doing. And I’ve taken just a little little bit of a break from recording, and have been centered on TV and movie initiatives, and clearly a variety of touring as effectively. Recording is one thing that I wish to suppose will all the time be part of my life and my profession — it’s simply that, now, I’m not beholden to a report label, I don’t owe anyone something, and I simply form of work at my very own tempo.
Did “Polkamania!” come collectively like your earlier polka medleys, by way of the composition and squeezing the completely different melodies collectively?
Very a lot. I hadn’t performed it in a number of years, however it was form of like driving a motorcycle. I feel that is my thirteenth or 14th polka medley, so it’s second nature to me. So the association got here collectively fairly rapidly, as soon as I had an permitted record of songs that I might use.
Was it all the time going to be a smattering of various hits launched over the previous decade?
Yeah, that was all the time the thought. I feel I truly even restricted it to songs that had hit No. 1 on [the Billboard Hot 100], to have it narrowed down just a little bit whereas taking a look at a decade’s value of music. Then I made just a little chart — like, what number of weeks was this No. 1? Based mostly on that, and primarily based on my normal feeling about how necessary every music was within the zeitgeist, I submitted my record to my supervisor, who then had the job of going out to all of the artists and brokers and managers and publishers and reps to see if we might truly get them cleared.
Did it take some time to get all of the songs cleared, in comparison with earlier songs or medleys?
It’s all the time about the identical. Some individuals get again to your immediately — I feel [“Bruno” songwriter] Lin-Manuel Miranda took about 30 seconds. And a few took some time, and I needed to be extra aggressive and monitor individuals down, see if I had any associates of associates that knew the artists, that form of factor.
Listening to the medley for the primary time and never realizing which songs are going to seem, I instantly acknowledged once you launched into “Shake It Off” or “Previous City Highway,” however it took me a number of seconds for “WAP,” after which I went, “Wait… is that this…”
I’ve to say, that’s my favourite! As soon as we acquired the Taylor Swift music, I believed, “Okay, we’ve acquired a medley now” — however “WAP” was the one I used to be actually, actually hoping we’d get, simply because I believed that may be my private favourite.
Who was behind the idea of the animated video?
Lots of people that I’ve labored with earlier than, like Invoice Plympton and Augenblick Studios and Ghostbot, and a few folks that I’ve been followers of for a very long time – li-ke Cyriak, who’s a British animator who does these superb surrealistic items, and Vivienne Medrano, who does Hazbin Resort. It’s actually a tremendous record of gifted animators, and I’m simply thrilled with what they’ve provide you with.
What’s it been prefer to prep a conventional music and video launch like this once more?
It’s enjoyable! I imply, I haven’t had this sort of deadline and nervousness, every thing that comes with a brand new launch — the suspense of “How’s it going to do?,” and this sort of media blitz. We did a little bit of that with the film, however it feels a bit extra private when it’s your recorded work. So I’m very excited to be doing this venture, and hopefully it’ll result in extra.
So what’s subsequent? You’re all the time engaged on completely different initiatives…
I’ve 5 – 6 issues which might be in present levels of improvement, and I can’t converse of them, as a result of a few of them will most likely occur and a few of them most likely received’t. So I’ve discovered my lesson to not discuss an excessive amount of about issues which may occur as a result of, this city being what it’s, oftentimes, issues by no means work out. However hopefully a number of issues effectively! That’s what I’m relying on.
