OMMA Catalogue Number

OMMA-0003

Artist

“Weird Al” Yankovic

Title

“My Bologna / School Cafeteria”

Release Details

Issued in 1979 by Capitol Records as a 7-inch promotional single (catalogue number P-4816). Pressed in the United States and issued in mono for promotional/DJ use. The A-side contains “My Bologna,” Yankovic’s parody of the Knack’s “My Sharona”; the B-side contains “School Cafeteria,” a Yankovic original.

Edition & Variant Identification

Capitol Records promotional/DJ issue.

Matrix & Pressing Data

Side A:  S45-96404

Side B: S45-96405

Physical Description

A 7-inch white-label, promotional single issued by Capitol Records in a generic Capitol company sleeve.

Factory-Origin Characteristics

No factory-origin anomalies or distinguishing manufacturing characteristics noted.

Condition Report

NM record with clean, white labels and apparently unplayed vinyl, in generic Capitol sleeve.

Provenance

The OMMA copy was acquired through Discogs from GroovesVinyl on November 28, 2025.

Market Context & Historical Notes

“My Bologna / School Cafeteria” is the first nationally released “Weird Al” Yankovic single and the object that turned a college-radio novelty recording into a commercial record. Although Yankovic had already appeared on the local SLO Grown compilation, this Capitol single was the first release to present him to the national record market as “Weird Al” Yankovic.

The A-side originated in the San Luis Obispo college-radio world. Yankovic wrote “My Bologna” while attending Cal Poly and working around KCPR, the college radio station. He famously recorded the song in a campus bathroom because the room’s tile produced a usable echo. The recording reached Dr. Demento, whose national radio program gave the parody the kind of concentrated novelty-music exposure that could turn a student joke into a cult hit. The song became a Dr. Demento favorite before it was a Capitol single.

The Capitol release depended on one of the stranger origin-story hinge moments in pop: Doug Fieger of the Knack, whose “My Sharona” was the target of the parody, reportedly liked Yankovic’s version and urged Capitol’s Rupert Perry to release it. Capitol bought the master, paired it with “School Cafeteria,” and briefly placed Yankovic under contract. The record reportedly sold about 10,000 copies within its first month, a striking figure for a comedy single by an unknown architecture student, but Capitol did not meaningfully develop the relationship. Spurned by Capitol, Yankovic went back toward a self-directed path, set up his privately funded Placebo Records, and self-released his EP, Another One Rides the Bus, in 1981.

Canonical Status in OMMA

OMMA recognizes My Bologna / School Cafeteria as a canonical “Weird Al” Yankovic origin object and Yankovic’s commercial debut as a stand-alone artist.

Within OMMA, the single forms the central commercial bridge in the early Yankovic sequence: SLO Grown as local/student first appearance, My Bologna / School Cafeteria as first national single, and Another One Rides the Bus as the self-financed pre-major-label statement that carried him toward a sustainable recording career.

References and Source Documentation

45cat — “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic – My Bologna / School Cafeteria – Capitol.” https://www.45cat.com/record/4816us

Discogs — “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic – My Bologna / School Cafeteria” https://www.discogs.com/release/4056981-Weird-Al-Yankovic-My-Bologna-School-Cafeteria

Dohtem.com — “My Bologna.” https://www.dohtem.com/al/singles/bologna.htm

Rolling Stone — “Flashback: ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Unveils ‘My Bologna’ in 1979.” https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/flashback-weird-al-yankovic-unveils-my-bologna-in-1979-87078/