Eric Appel’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story has drawn mixed reviews ahead of its Roku Channel premiere this weekend: Critics have issued their appreciation for Daniel Radcliffe’s committed performance as a bizarro version of musical comedy master Yankovic, but dinged the film for not doing more with its “biopic that’s a parody of biopics” conceit.
Less mixed: Our feelings about the fact that the film’s release has generated new music from Yankovic himself, including a new single he released today, “Now You Know,” which serves as the end-credits track for the film. In addition to floating around online, “Now You Know”—which includes jokes about the fact that the song itself is now technically eligible for Oscars consideration, and general riffing about how damn long a credits song has got to be these days—has also been released alongside the album’s soundtrack, out today on Sony Music.
About half of the soundtrack album is, unsurprisingly, taken up by the movie’s score. (Track titles include “The Accordion,” “Al And Madonna,” and, of course, “The Heart Of The Jungle.”) But the album also includes new versions of many of Yankovic’s most beloved parodies, including “My Bologna,” “I Love Rocky Road,” “Another One Rides The Bus,” “Amish Paradise,” and “Eat It,” all recorded fresh for the film by Yankovic. (And, yes, the (“Al’s Version”) jokes about Yankovic revisiting his early material like this have already begun to flow.) It is also, as far as we know, one of the only soundtrack albums this year to feature multiple polka compositions and a version of “The Chicken Dance,” ensuring it’s a key weapon in any amateur DJ’s arsenal.
The Weird soundtrack is, in Yankovic’s own words, currently available “everywhere music is sold, streamed, or stolen.”