"Weird Al" Yankovic facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
"Weird Al" Yankovic
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Yankovic at GalaxyCon Richmond 2025
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| Birth name | Alfred Matthew Yankovic |
| Born | October 23, 1959 Downey, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Lynwood, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1976–present |
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Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician, singer, and actor famous for his funny songs. He is best known for making parodies, which are humorous versions of popular songs by other artists. He rewrites the lyrics to make them funny, but keeps the music the same.
Yankovic also writes original comedy songs and creates polka medleys, where he mixes several hit songs into one fast-paced polka song. He is famous for playing the accordion.
His career started in 1976 when he was 16 years old. He sent a song to the The Dr. Demento Radio Show, and it was played on the air. Since then, Yankovic has sold over 12 million albums. He has recorded more than 150 songs and performed over 1,000 live shows. He has won five Grammy Awards.
In 2014, his album Mandatory Fun became his first album to reach number one on the Billboard charts. This showed how popular he still was, even after many years in the music business.
Yankovic is also known for his creative music videos. These videos often make fun of the original song's video or pop culture in general. He has also written and starred in movies and TV shows, including UHF (1989) and The Weird Al Show (1997).
Contents
Early Life and First Songs
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Alfred Matthew Yankovic was born in Downey, California. He was the only child of Mary and Nick Yankovic. His father believed that the key to success was to do what makes you happy for a living.
Yankovic started playing the accordion just before his seventh birthday. A salesman offered his parents a choice between accordion and guitar lessons. They chose the accordion, partly as a joke, thinking there should be another accordion-playing Yankovic in the world (referring to the famous polka player Frankie Yankovic, who is not related to him).
He was a fan of artists like Elton John and comedy musicians like Tom Lehrer and Spike Jones. He was also inspired by Mad magazine and the comedy group Monty Python.
Yankovic was a very smart student. He started kindergarten a year early and skipped second grade. Because he was younger than his classmates, he was often called a "nerd." He graduated from high school as the valedictorian (the student with the highest grades). He then went to college and earned a degree in architecture.
Career Beginnings
Getting Started with Dr. Demento
Yankovic's career began thanks to a radio host named Dr. Demento, who played funny and strange songs on his show. When he was 16, Yankovic gave Dr. Demento a tape of his songs. One of them, "Belvedere Cruisin'," was played on the radio.
While in college, Yankovic was a DJ for his university's radio station, KCPR. It was here that he started using the nickname "Weird Al." In 1979, he recorded a parody of the hit song "My Sharona" by The Knack. He called his version "My Bologna." He recorded it in a bathroom to get a good echo sound. Dr. Demento played it, and it became a big hit on the show. The Knack's lead singer, Doug Fieger, liked the parody so much that he helped Yankovic get a record deal.
In 1980, Yankovic performed another parody live on the Dr. Demento Show. It was called "Another One Rides the Bus," a parody of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust." During the performance, a young drummer named Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz banged on Yankovic's accordion case to keep the beat. This song became very popular, and Schwartz has been Yankovic's drummer ever since.
Forming a Band and Finding Fame
In 1981, Yankovic went on tour with Dr. Demento. A manager named Jay Levey saw his show and was very impressed. Levey helped Yankovic form a full band. Steve Jay joined on bass, and Jim West joined on guitar. With Schwartz on drums, the band was complete.
In 1983, Yankovic released his first album, "Weird Al" Yankovic. It included the song "Ricky," a parody of "Mickey" by Toni Basil. The music video for "Ricky" was played on MTV, which helped him become famous.
His second album, "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (1984), was a huge success. It featured "Eat It," a parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It." The music video for "Eat It" was a shot-for-shot copy of Jackson's video, which people found hilarious. The song became a top 20 hit, and Yankovic became a star.
After the failure of his 1989 movie UHF, Yankovic's career slowed down. However, he made a big comeback in 1992. The band Nirvana was very popular, and Yankovic wrote a parody of their song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" called "Smells Like Nirvana." The band loved the idea. The song and its video were huge hits and introduced Yankovic to a new generation of fans.
A New Look and Continued Success
In 1998, Yankovic changed his look. He had eye surgery so he no longer needed his thick glasses. He also shaved off his mustache and grew his hair long. He joked, "If Madonna's allowed to reinvent herself every 15 minutes, I figure I should be good for a change at least once every 20 years."
Throughout the 2000s, he continued to release popular albums. His 2006 album, Straight Outta Lynwood, featured the song "White & Nerdy," a parody of "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire. It became his first top 10 single.
For his 2014 album, Mandatory Fun, Yankovic tried a new strategy. He released eight music videos in eight days on the internet. This created a lot of excitement, and the album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. It was the first number-one album of his career. One of its songs, "Word Crimes" (a parody of "Blurred Lines"), also became a hit.
Since Mandatory Fun, Yankovic has focused on releasing singles instead of full albums. This allows him to release his parodies more quickly while the original songs are still popular.
Musical Style
How He Creates Parodies
Yankovic is famous for his song parodies. He and his band work hard to make the music sound exactly like the original song. He then writes completely new, funny lyrics. His humor often comes from the strange contrast between the serious style of the original song and his silly topic. For example, he turned the serious rap song "Gangsta's Paradise" into "Amish Paradise," about life in an Amish community.
Before he releases a parody, Yankovic always asks for permission from the original artist. He says he does this out of respect. Most artists are happy to let him parody their songs. Many even see it as a sign that they have "made it" in the music industry.
Polka Medleys and Original Songs
Most of Yankovic's albums include a polka medley. In these songs, he takes parts of about a dozen popular songs and plays them as one continuous polka. This creates a funny and high-energy mix of music.
He also writes many original songs. These are not parodies of specific songs, but are often written in the style of a famous band or a whole genre of music. For example, his song "Dare to Be Stupid" sounds like a song by the band Devo.
Personal Life
Yankovic became a vegetarian in 1992. He is married to Suzanne Krajewski, and they have a daughter named Nina. Friends say that even though he is "weird" on stage, in private he is a polite, shy, and quiet person.
In 2004, his parents died in a tragic accident at their home. He was on tour at the time and decided to continue with his shows. He said that performing helped him get through that difficult time, just as his music has helped many of his fans through their own tough times.
Other Projects
Besides music, Yankovic has worked on many other projects.
- Movies: He co-wrote and starred in the 1989 comedy film UHF. In 2022, a funny biographical movie about his life called Weird: The Al Yankovic Story was released, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Yankovic.
- Television: He had his own TV show in 1997 called The Weird Al Show. He has also appeared as a guest on many shows, including The Simpsons, 30 Rock, and How I Met Your Mother.
- Voice Acting: He has been a voice actor for many cartoons, such as Milo Murphy's Law, where he voiced the main character, and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic.
- Books: He has written two children's books, When I Grow Up and My New Teacher and Me!.
Images for kids
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Yankovic, photographed by Kyle Cassidy
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Coolio initially reacted negatively to "Amish Paradise" but later said he enjoyed the parody.
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Yankovic performing "The Saga Begins" in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2007. Both Don McLean and George Lucas reportedly liked the parody.
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Weird Al wearing a shirt during a performance of "You're Pitiful" in 2007.
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A screenshot of a file-sharing program showing many songs incorrectly credited to Yankovic.
See also
In Spanish: «Weird Al» Yankovic para niños
