Get out your accordion, crank up the weirdness, and get ready to laugh because today is "Weird Al" Yankovic's birthday!
Our beloved prince of parody turns 55 today, so we thought we'd share 11 tidbits about Weird Al that you might not know. Check them out below!
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1
Yankovic has been playing the accordion since age 7.
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2
He was the valedictorian of his high school class.
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3
The "Weird Al" nickname started while he was studying architecture at Cal Poly.
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4
His first single, "My Bologna," was also born during his college days.
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5
"Ricky," an "I Love Lucy" themed parody of Toni Basil's hit "Mickey," was his first song to crack the Top 100.
AP
6
Coolio is the only artist who did not give Yankovic permission to parody his song.
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7
He was rejected from working at McDonald's.
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8
"Like a Surgeon" is the only parody idea that Yankovic did not come up with himself.
9
He has won four Grammy Awards.
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10
The number 27 creeps up in many of Yankovic's songs.
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11
His most recent album, "Mandatory Fun," is the first comedy album to debut at number 1 in over 50 years.
AP