Song: Dare To Be Stupid
Running Time: 3:26
Year: 1985
Album: Dare To Be Stupid, Greatest Hits 1, Al-In-The-Box, Dare To Be Stupid "The Transformers" Soundtrack
Style Parody: Devo especially the “Oh, No! It’s DEVO” album (Big Mess) (Deep Sleep) (Time Out For Fun) (Whip lt) (Jocko Homo) (That's Good)
Genre: New wave, synth-pop
Guitar tuning: E standard
Lyrics: Lyrics
Video: Yes
Download/Listen: Mp3
Forum: Forum Discussion Page
Alternate Versions: Dare To Be Stupid (Instrumental), Dare To Be Stupid (Unplugged), Dare To Be Stupid (Lounge Version)
Trivia[]
- This song was featured on the 1986 Animated film, The Transformers: The Movie.
- 'Dare to be Stupid' is also Weird Al's motto in life.
- It has been reported that, soon after this song's release, Devo's lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh wrote a letter to Al, congratulating him on writing and performing "the perfect Devo song."
- Transformers Animated's Wreck Gar (played by "Weird Al" Yankovic himself) said a reference to the song when he said "I am Wreck Gar, I dare to be stupid!"
- The descending synth line heard during the lines "Dare to be stupid!" is similar to the one Bob2 is shown playing during the verse in the video for "Whip It."
- Al's line "Yes!" in a slightly altered voice is reminiscent of the "Yes!" from "Explosions" on the album Oh No! It's Devo!.
- Performed an acoustic version with a string quartet on "The Meltdown" with Jonah and Kumail, August 2014.
- The Devo song references lyrically also include less obvious references to the last Devo Warner Brothers album in 1984, titled "Shout" as well as a mention of "look out for Mr. Goodbar!" from the hardcore devo, pre-record deal era from a song they did live called "Nutty Buddy."
- References to potatoes are in this track, a popular Devo theme used in their music.
Music video[]
The music video was directed by Jay Levey, and produced by Robert K. Weiss.
- “Weird Al” and his band dress up as the band Devo in the music video and in concerts, imitating the yellow "Hazmat" jumpsuits Devo wore in their video for "Satisfaction".
- The guitarist is shown alone in several scenes, wearing a cowboy outfit. This was based on the "Whip It" video to some degree from their more mainstream success-oriented album "Freedom of Choice", but also is reminiscent of the scene showing the Devo guitarist Bob 1, playing a guitar on a porch during the "Beautiful World" video, from their album New Traditionalists, and from the video they did as part of the soundtrack for Dr. Detroit, an 80's comedy with Dan Aykroyd, that also showed Bob 1 in a cowboy outfit.
- Several of the black and white bits of old stock footage used in "Dare to Be Stupid" are intended as a homage to the Devo video "Beautiful World". (New Traditionalists)
- The shot of the band singing in line while saluting with ice cream cones slammed against their foreheads, is a direct reference to the video short clip that Devo would often play during their "Duty Now for the Future" concert tour (and some other live shows sporadically in later years.), called "Devo Corporate Anthem".
- The very random footage including a green mummy slicing kiwi fruits is a reference to the footage often used during live concerts also in Devo's earlier tours, (So you want to see a Devo concert? A very wise decision, narrated by General Boy) This footage is included on the Devo home video release, "were all devo".
- The part featuring a crowd of Mr. Potato head figures is a reference to Smart Patrol.