My Bologna

"My Bologna" is a parody of the Knack's hit song "My Sharona", recorded and performed by musical parody artist "Weird Al" Yankovic. Yankovic originally wrote the song while he attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California; the original version of the parody was recorded in a bathroom across the hall from the radio station at which Yankovic worked. The title refers to Bologna sausage, specifically the Oscar Mayer brand popular in the United States. Yankovic sent "My Bologna" to Dr. Demento, who aired the song on his nationwide radio program, The Dr. Demento Show. The song was a hit on the program, and eventually gained the number one spot on Dr. Demento's "Funny Five" countdown. After a fortuitous encounter with Doug Fieger (the lead singer of the Knack), and Rupert Perry (then-vice president of Capitol Records), Capitol Records decided to release it as a single. Yankovic was paid $500 for the master tape of the song, and its b-side, "School Cafeteria". A month after its commercial release, the single sold 10,000 copies. The song also received positive—albeit limited—reviews from media outlets. Although a music video was never produced for the song, an "unofficial" video was filmed, featuring a young Yankovic lip-syncing to this song at Cuesta College in December 1979. "My Bologna" was later re-recorded and released on Yankovic's debut album (1983), and the "bathroom version" was re-released on the box sets Permanent Record: Al in the Box (1994) and Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic (2017).