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Trivia / Dare to Be Stupid

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  • Accidentally-Correct Writing: "Yoda," originally written in 1980, correctly predicted that Mark Hamill would play the role of Luke Skywalker until he's "old and gray." Al also wasn't too far off when claiming "they'll be making [Star Wars] movies 'til the end of time."
  • Approval of God: Mark Mothersbaugh famously said that he was jealous of Al for writing "Dare To Be Stupid," claiming that it was a better Devo song than anything the actual band could have hoped to write.
  • Contractual Obligation Project: The label forced Al to include two specific songs on this record: a cover and a Cyndi Lauper parody. He recorded "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch" in response to the latter, but met them halfway by covering the theme song to George of the Jungle, which was likely not the kind of cover they were expecting.
  • Executive Meddling: "Yoda" was originally supposed to be released on his first album, but copyright issues with Lucasfilm led to it being delayed until the Dare To Be Stupid album — five years after the movie it was spoofing had been released.
  • Reality Subtext: Al wrote "One More Minute" to get over an ex who dumped him. He rips up her picture in the music video.
  • Writer Revolt: "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch", widely considered his worst song by a wide margin, and deliberately so. The execs in charge of his third album Dare to Be Stupid literally forced him to include a parody of a Cyndi Lauper song and one straight cover version or they wouldn't release it. So Al just shoddily composed, recorded and released a parody of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" that — judging from the lyrics and even Al's piercing, nasal singing — clearly sounds like no effort went into making it good.note  He met them half way with the cover by doing the George of the Jungle theme song, which is impossible not to have fun singing.

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