Draft:Mr. Popeil
 | Draft article not currently submitted for review.
This is a draft Articles for creation (AfC) submission. It is not currently pending review. While there are no deadlines, abandoned drafts may be deleted after six months. To edit the draft click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window. To be accepted, a draft should:
It is strongly discouraged to write about yourself, your business or employer. If you do so, you must declare it. Where to get help
How to improve a draft
You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article. Improving your odds of a speedy review To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags. Editor resources
Last edited by Newtatoryd222 (talk | contribs) 4 days ago. (Update) |
"Mr. Popeil" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic that first appears on his album "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D.
| "Mr. Popeil" | |
|---|---|
| Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic | |
| from the album "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D | |
| Released | February 28, 1984 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 4:42 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | "Weird Al" Yankovic |
| Producer(s) | Rick Derringer |
Background
[edit]"Mr. Popeil" is a song that talks about the father of Ron Popeil in the style of the American band The B-52s.[1] although The New York Times misatributed the song's meaning to Ron Popeil.[2] As Yankovic confirmed in the liner notes for the 1994 box set Permanent Record: Al in the Box:
It's not about Ron Popeil, the founder of Ronco, but about his dad, the guy who invented the Vegematic and the Pocket Fisherman. He did pitches for them on TV before Ronco was started. Mr. Popeil was a big facet of American pop culture; he started the whole genre of marketing these gimmicky gadgets on TV. Around the time I was writing the song, I came across a magazine article about me, and right next to it I saw a story about Mr. Popeil's daughter, Lisa Popeil, who was a classically trained singer who had worked with Frank Zappa. I thought it would be great if we could get her to sing on the track, and she agreed to do it. It was very odd, though, to be in the studio directing Lisa how to sing her own name!
Recording
[edit]"Weird Al" Yankovic had gotten Lisa Popeil, an American singer and daughter of Mr. Popeil to sing backing vocals on the recording.[4]
Reception
[edit]"Mr. Popeil" has recieved mostly positive reviews. When writing for The Village Voice on 24 April 1984, critic Robert Christgau stated that it "exploits Yankovic's otherwise fatal resemblance to Fred Schneider."[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Yankovic, Alfred M. (January 2000). "'Ask Al' Q&As for July 1999". The Official "Weird Al" Yankovic Web Site. Archived from the original on June 24, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
- ^ Victor, Daniel (2021-07-29). "Ron Popeil, Inventor and Ubiquitous Infomercial Pitchman, Dies at 86". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-23.
- ^ Hansen, Barret (1994). Permanent Record: Al in the Box (liner). "Weird Al" Yankovic. California, USA: Scotti Brothers Records.
- ^ "Players". "Weird Al" Yankovic. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (April 24, 1984). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2025.