Even Worse

Even Worse
Even Worse
Studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Released	April 12, 1988
Recorded	November 30, 1987 – February 19, 1988
Studio	Santa Monica Sound Recorders, Santa Monica
Genre	Comedy; comedy rock; comedy pop;
Length	37:32
Label	Rock 'n Roll; Scotti Brothers;
Producer	Rick Derringer
"Weird Al" Yankovic chronology
Singles from Even Worse
	"Fat"; Released: April 12, 1988; "Lasagna"; Released: May 27, 1988; "I Think I'm a Clone Now"; Released: June 14, 1988;

Even Worse is the fifth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on April 12, 1988. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between November 1987 and February 1988, this album helped to revitalize Yankovic's career after the critical and commercial failure of his previous album Polka Party! (1986).

The music on Even Worse is built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-1980s. Half of the album is made up of parodies, featuring jabs at Michael Jackson, George Harrison, Tiffany, Los Lobos, and Billy Idol. The other half is original material, featuring several "style parodies" or musical imitations that emulate existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists such as Oingo Boingo, Beastie Boys, and James Taylor. Even Worse has the distinction of being one of two albums by Yankovic lacking any polka renditions of pop songs or medleys, the other being his self-titled debut album from 1983. This album's title and cover art are spoofs of Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad.

Even Worse was met with mostly positive reviews and peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard 200, becoming Yankovic's best-selling album. The album also produced one of Yankovic's hit singles, "Fat", a parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad", which peaked at No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a staple on MTV. The album was certified as a gold record, and later as a platinum record with sales of over one million copies in the United States, becoming Yankovic's first platinum record. "Fat" won the Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video.