Dare To Be Stupid (song)
Encyclopedia
"Dare to Be Stupid" is an original song by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It is a musical pastiche
(or "style parody") of the band Devo
.
Shortly after the song was released, Yankovic received a letter from Mark Mothersbaugh
congratulating him on writing "the perfect Devo song". In an interview on VH1's Behind The Music
, Mothersbaugh stated in reaction to the song that: "I was in shock. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. He sort of re-sculpted that song into something else and, umm ... I hate him for it, basically."
The song was featured in The Transformers: The Movie
. It was later released as a double a-side along with "The Touch
" by Stan Bush
.
and song are, as Yankovic himself said, a "style parody" of Devo's works:
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
(or "style parody") of the band Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
.
Shortly after the song was released, Yankovic received a letter from Mark Mothersbaugh
Mark Mothersbaugh
Mark Allen Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer, singer and painter. He is the co-founder of the new wave band Devo and has been its lead singer since 1972. His other musical projects include work for television series, films, and video games....
congratulating him on writing "the perfect Devo song". In an interview on VH1's Behind The Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
, Mothersbaugh stated in reaction to the song that: "I was in shock. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard. He sort of re-sculpted that song into something else and, umm ... I hate him for it, basically."
The song was featured in The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie
The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film based on the animated series of the same name. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986 and in the UK on December 5, 1986....
. It was later released as a double a-side along with "The Touch
The Touch (Stan Bush song)
"The Touch" is a rock song by American singer and guitarist Stan Bush. The song prominently features in the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie, and appears on the soundtrack album released the following year. It was also released as a double A-side with "Weird Al" Yankovic's "Dare to Be...
" by Stan Bush
Stan Bush
Stan Bush is an American singer-songwriter and musician whose most notable work includes the songs "Dare" and "The Touch" from the soundtrack to the 1986 animated film The Transformers: The Movie, and "She's Got the Power", featured in the American voice dub of the animated series Sailor Moon...
.
Track listing
The following tracks appear on "The Touch/Dare to Be Stupid" single:- "The Touch" by Stan Bush – 3:54
- "Dare to Be Stupid" – 3:23
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
and song are, as Yankovic himself said, a "style parody" of Devo's works:
- Yankovic and his band wear the yellow radiation suits from Devo's cover of The Rolling StonesThe Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song...
" video throughout. Much of the performance segments of the video are modeled on the "Satisfaction" music video, including the man having a fitFitFit or FIT may refer to:Fitness* Physical fitness, how well a person is suited for physical tasks* FitTV, cable television network about physical fitness* Wii Fit, Nintendo Wii video game about physical fitness...
on a wallpapered wall and floor. - Segments of the video are reminiscent of several of Devo's other videos:
- "Devo Corporate Anthem" – In one scene, the band is standing in the same pose as Devo.
- "Jocko HomoJocko Homo"Jocko Homo" is the B-side to Devo's first single, "Mongoloid," released as a single in 1977 on Devo's own label, Booji Boy Records and later released in the UK on Stiff Records. The song was re-recorded as the feature song for Devo's first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! on Warner Bros....
" – In another segment, the band wears nylon stockings over their heads. - "Beautiful World" – There are also several scenes of black-and-white stock footage, directed by Al (wearing a different costume than in the rest of the video) in front of an InterocitorInterocitorThe interocitor, also spelled interositor is a fictitious multi-functional device featured in the 1955 science fiction film This Island Earth. The device arrives in kit form as an intelligence test for scientists who might prove helpful to an alien race.- This Island Earth :The Interocitor is an...
. In addition, "tell me, what did I say?" also resembles the line from this song. - "Time Out for Fun" – The scenes where they come together and sing the main chorus is similar to where Devo comes together in the music video for this song and sings their main chorus.
- "Come Back Jonee" – In one scene, the elderly men dressed up in cowboy suits are reminiscent of the elderly men bowling in the "Come Back Jonee" video.
- "The Day My Baby Gave Me a Surprize" – In this part the group is in front of very simple computer graphics.
- "Freedom of Choice" – The use of stop-motion animation and computer graphics is also reminiscent of this Devo video. The use of Roman togaTogaThe toga, a distinctive garment of Ancient Rome, was a cloth of perhaps 20 ft in length which was wrapped around the body and was generally worn over a tunic. The toga was made of wool, and the tunic under it often was made of linen. After the 2nd century BC, the toga was a garment worn...
s also comes from "Freedom of Choice," and at one point, a man must choose between a banana and an accordion - in Devo's original, it's a gun or a grenade. - "Whip ItWhip It"Whip It" is the title of a 1980 single by the American New Wave band Devo. It appears on the album Freedom of Choice. There were two 7" single releases of "Whip It", one backed with a remix of the track "Snowball" and one backed with "Turn Around"...
" – The guitarist is alone, wearing a cowboy outfit (although the guitarist wearing a cowboy outfit was from the music video to the theme from the movie Doctor DetroitDoctor DetroitDoctor Detroit is a 1983 comedy film, written by Bruce Jay Friedman, Robert Boris and Carl Gottlieb. The film stars Dan Aykroyd, Howard Hesseman, Lynn Whitfield, Fran Drescher, and Donna Dixon, with a special appearance by James Brown. The film was directed by Michael Pressman.James Brown performed...
, which Devo performed, it is likely a coincidence, as the set was based on the "Whip It" video). There are cowboys in the "Whip it" video as well. - "Love Without Anger" – The scene in which the lyrics "you can just give up the ship" is displayed in a screen, mimics the display of the lyrics "love without anger isn't love at all" in the Devo video.
- In addition, the scene of moving Mr. Potato Heads is reminiscent of a sequence in a Devo video shown at the start of live performances in which Mr. Potato Head-like figures emulate a concert crowd. Likewise, the woman signingSign languageA sign language is a language which, instead of acoustically conveyed sound patterns, uses visually transmitted sign patterns to convey meaning—simultaneously combining hand shapes, orientation and movement of the hands, arms or body, and facial expressions to fluidly express a speaker's...
lyrics mirrors a portion of the same video.
- The man with a pipe, smiling and watching television with a chainsaw near the beginning of the video is a very typical Devo-like image as well, juxtaposing violent, out of context or unexplained occurrences and objects with a 1950s-like "wholesome American" feel. This man is meant to be J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, Head of the Church of the SubGeniusChurch of the SubGeniusThe Church of the SubGenius is a "parody religion" organization that satirizes religion, conspiracy theories, unidentified flying objects, and popular culture. Originally based in Dallas, Texas, the Church of the SubGenius gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and maintains an active presence on...
. Some say it may also be a take off of "General Boy" from the "We're all Devo" Video. - The video also includes a lot of bizarre imagery which, for the most part, is irrelevant to the lyrics, such as Yankovic's face emerging from a screen filled with tiny baby figurines (a nod to the similarly Devo-esque scene in the video of "Mexican Radio" from early 80's band - and friend of Devo's - Wall of VoodooWall of VoodooWall of Voodoo was an American New Wave group from Los Angeles best known for the 1983 hit "Mexican Radio". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based New Wave music with the spaghetti western soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone.-Formation:...
, when lead singer Stan RidgwayStan RidgwayStanard 'Stan' Ridgway is an American multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums and was the original lead singer of the band Wall of Voodoo...
's face emerges from a bowl of cooked pinto beans). - The machine Yankovic controls during parts of the video is an interocitor from the film This Island Earth.
- The video also references the Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
's Ice Cream Kid, their logo from the Europe '72 tour. - The tune somewhat resembles that of "Deep Sleep" and "Big Mess" from Devo's "Oh, No! It's DevoOh, No! It's DevoOh, No! It's Devo is the fifth studio album by Devo. By the time of its 1982 release, Devo were a full-fledged synth-pop act, with New Wave pushed more towards the background...
" album. - The swim goggles Yankovic wears over his eyes resembles those of Devo vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh's in the "Satisfaction(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band The Rolling Stones, released in 1965. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and produced by Andrew Loog Oldham. Richards's throwaway three-note guitar riff — intended to be replaced by horns — opens and drives the song...
" and "Come Back Jonee" videos.
Relation with Transformers
- The song is played in The Transformers: The Movie as the theme of the Junkions, a group of robots living on the planet of Junk. Like the song, Junkion speech was littered with cultural and television references.
- In celebration of the release of the 2007 Transformers movie, rapper mc chrisMc chrismc chris is an American rapper, voice actor, writer and improvisational comedian....
did a cover of Dare to Be Stupid and released it on his MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
for download. - In the TV series Transformers: AnimatedTransformers: AnimatedTransformers Animated is an American animated television series based on the Transformers toy line. The series debuted on Cartoon Network on December 26, 2007 and has been shown on NickToons in the UK since February 2008. It is produced by Cartoon Network Studios and animated by Japanese animation...
, Weird Al makes a guest appearance as a Transformer named Wreck-GarWreck-GarWreck-Gar is the name of two characters from the Transformers universes. Both are unpredictable good-aligned characters who provide comic relief in their series.-Transformers: Generation 1:Wreck-gar is the idiosyncratic leader of the Junkions....
(who was the leader of the Junkions in the original movie). Near the end of the episode, he exclaims "I am Wreck-Gar! I dare to be stupid!"