List of "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medleys


-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 with the choruses or memorable lines of various songs juxtaposed for humorous effect and profane lyrics are covered with cartoon sound effects. 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.
Four of Yankovic's polka medleys"Hooked on Polkas", "Polka Power!", "The Hamilton Polka", and "Polkamania!" have been released as singles. "Polka Your Eyes Out" and "Polkas on 45" were also the only polkas to appear on a greatest hits album while "Polka Face" and "Polkamania!" are the only polkas to have official videos released for them that are not clips of the original songs' music videos.
In each medley, royalties are paid out to original songwriters according to the percentage of the medley directly attributable to them. What remains is then listed as "Ear Booker Polka" or various other titles so that it may be attributed to Yankovic himself.

"Polkas on 45"

"Polkas on 45" is Yankovic's first recorded polka medley. It appears on his second album, In 3-D. This and "The Hot Rocks Polka" are Yankovic's only polka medleys to focus on popular rock songs from the 1960s and 1970s rather than contemporary songs, though "Polkas on 45" includes some of the latter. The song title is a take on the medley-releasing novelty band Stars on 45 and their self-titled 1981 single.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
Notes:
  • When performing "Polkas On 45" live before the album version, "Der Kommissar" by After the Fire would be played between "Smoke on the Water" and "Sex," "1999" by Prince and "Bad Boys Get Spanked" by The Pretenders would be played instead of "Burning Down the House," and "She Blinded Me with Science" by Thomas Dolby and "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin played instead of "Should I Stay or Should I Go," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and "My Generation".

    Personnel

According to the liner notes of The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic:
"Hooked on Polkas" is the second polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appeared on his third album, Dare to Be Stupid. The song was released as a single in Japan.
Its title is a reference to the 1981 record Hooked on Classics, in which very recognizable extracts from classical music pieces were played over a continuous, more disco-style beat.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
  1. "Hooked on Polkas" – 3:51
  2. "I Want a New Duck" – 3:01

    "Polka Party!"

"Polka Party!" is the third polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his fourth album, Polka Party!.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
Notes:
  • When performing "Polka Party!" live during the opening for The Monkees tour, "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung would be included between "Shout" and "Papa Don't Preach.
  • During the MTV's New Years Eve 1987 Party, the "Papa Don't Preach" segment is replaced with "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung.

    "The Hot Rocks Polka"

"The Hot Rocks Polka" is the fourth polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his sixth studio album, UHF - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff. All of the songs in "The Hot Rocks Polka" medley are songs by The Rolling Stones, with the addition of Yankovic's "Ear Booker Polka" at the end. The title of the song refers to Hot Rocks 1964-1971, a greatest hits album of The Rolling Stones music.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
  • "It's Only Rock 'n Roll "
  • "Brown Sugar"
  • "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
  • "Honky Tonk Women"
  • "Under My Thumb"
  • "Ruby Tuesday"
  • "Miss You"
  • "Sympathy for the Devil"
  • "Get Off of My Cloud"
  • "Shattered"
  • "Let's Spend the Night Together"
  • " Satisfaction"
  • "Ear Booker Polka" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

    "Polka Your Eyes Out"

"Polka Your Eyes Out" is the fifth polka medley by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is included on his 1992 album, Off the Deep End, and also on his Greatest Hits Volume 2 compilation. It was first performed in 1991 at the Dr. Demento 20th Anniversary show.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
"Bohemian Polka" is a cover of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," done in Yankovic's traditional polka style. Though it primarily consists of a single song in its entirety, Yankovic's official website categorizes "Bohemian Polka" as a medley.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
  • "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
  • "Ear Booker Polka" by "Weird Al" Yankovic

    "The Alternative Polka"

"The Alternative Polka" is the seventh polka medley recorded by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It appears on his 1996 album, Bad Hair Day. The medley primarily consists of alternative rock songs, with the title being a reference to the genre.
The following songs are contained in the medley:
;Notes
  • "The Alternative Polka" was originally going to have an interpretation of the Weezer song "Buddy Holly" between "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" and "My Friends". However, Rivers Cuomo decided against the idea at the last minute, forcing Yankovic to edit the song out of the medley. Weezer, however, was thanked in the liner notes since the layout had been prepared beforehand. retrieved on February 14, 2016 Weezer later allowed Yankovic to include their hit "Beverly Hills" in the polka medley from Straight Outta Lynwood. On August 22, 2009, Yankovic released the "unmixed, physically-deleted-from-the-master-tape 'Buddy Holly' polka" on Twitter and later on YouTube.