Dare to Be Stupid is the third studio album by the American parody musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 18, 1985.

The album also features many "style parodies", or musical imitations that come close to, but do not copy, existing artists.

The album was Yankovic's second Gold record and became certified Platinum for sales of over one million copies in the United States.

[2] Backing Yankovic were Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, and Jim West on guitar.

[2] The first session yielded four originals: "Dare to Be Stupid", "Cable TV", "Slime Creatures from Outer Space", and "One More Minute".

[3] According to the liner notes of Permanent Record, Yankovic was preparing to write songs for Dare to Be Stupid when his then-girlfriend broke up with him.

[3] "Slime Creatures from Outer Space" features prominent usage of a theremin, courtesy of Steve Jay, in order to emulate the sound of "cheesy 50s sci-fi soundtracks.

"Yoda" was originally written by Yankovic during the initial run of the 1980 American film The Empire Strikes Back.

[13] On March 25, 1985, Yankovic rounded out the recording of his new album with a polka medley of then-popular songs in music.

[4][16] Yankovic's on-stage wardrobe changed dramatically during the tour, and he specifically stipulated that every promoter "had to supply one garish Hawaiian shirt" for him to wear.

"[4] The videos that were made to promote Dare to Be Stupid were later compiled, with additional material, into a direct-to-video mockumentary called The Compleat Al.

This production, directed by Yankovic's manager Jay Levey and Robert K. Weiss, was one of "the first programs of its kind to be made specifically for the home video market".

AllMusic reviewer Eugene Chadbourne awarded the album three and a half stars, and cited "Like a Surgeon" and "Dare to Be Stupid" as some of Yankovic's best songs.

[17] Christopher Thelen from The Daily Vault wrote that "while Dare To Be Stupid is not Yankovic's finest album [...] there's enough on this one to recommend it".

Although it was left off his first greatest hits album,[22] the song was featured on the second volume,[23] the box set Permanent Record,[4] and the 2009 compilation The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic.

[24] The song appeared on "The Time Machine" episode of The Weird Al Show, and on the compilation album Radio Disney: Kid Jams.

Rolling Stone writer David Hinkley wrote positively that "the pick of this album's original litter is 'One More Minute', which is a parody of a style (Fifties vocal group) rather than a specific song and is a superb tune besides – right down to the perfect little gasp right before the final chorus".

On January 27, 1986, a little less than a year after its release, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).