“Undone — The Sweater Song” was the first Weezer song to capture the imagination of the alt-rock nation (and in 1994, it really did have enough of a set perimeter and population to be called a “nation”), but “Buddy Holly” was the first to make the band pop superstars. And though the infallible melody and charming pop cultural lyrics played their part, it’d be hard to contest the fact that it was the Happy Days-themed music video — one of the greatest of all time — that put the song over the top. Likewise, it also happened to boost Jonze’s career into the stratosphere, and like Weezer, he’s entered a new league of mainstream popularity that at the time would’ve seemed impossible: as Weezer gets ready to release its own attempt at a hypercommercial blockbuster, Raditude, Mr. Jonze is tearing up the box office with his feature-length motion picture Where The Wild Things Are.
But that’s all in the distant future. For now, in 1994, there is The Blue Album, and there is its crown jewel single “Buddy Holly,” and boy is it ever something. In the first 8 seconds alone, a series of remarkable trademarks are established: first, there are those chugging, heavily down-stroked rhythm guitars; Rivers Cuomo’s geeky faux-rap parody that comes with a smile in the brilliant form of the opening couplet, “What’s with these homies dissin’ my girl? / Why do they gotta front?” — sung in a melody so damn good that it transcends the kitsch entirely; and that striking little synth lick that had folks asking Weezer “where’d the keyboards go?” as late as seven years later.
Four quick lines — all in just under fifteen seconds — and with a warm little swell of feedback, we’re into the pre-chorus, a heavenly sweet swirl of “woo-hoos,” more winning melodies, a bright and tasteful little guitar lead, and a rising falsetto line — “and that’s for ahh-all time!” — so perfect that the band could never quite recreate it live. And in just another 15 seconds, we find ourselves propelled into that immortal chorus: “Oo-wee-oo, I look just like Buddy Holly! / Oh-oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore / I don’t care what they say about us anyway / I don’t care about that!” You can *hear* the grin spread ear-to-ear on Cuomo’s face, and the vocal melody is so special, has such a goshdarn sway to it, that it makes the moment immensely danceable all by itself.
And then a little thing happens between a harmony of the synthesizer and the lead guitar that in 2001 we’d call a “melody solo” (ex. The Green Album), but here it’s not a solo at all, just another little piece of ear candy to carry us happily into the second verse. Things continue as so wonderfully expected (albeit with the notes of the little synth interjection switched up), but in extending the chorus by two bars Cuomo leads us into the thrillingly onomatopoetic bridge — “Bang! Bang! / Knock on the door! / Another bang bang, you’re down on the floor!” — amidst a sugar rush of falsetto backups and hip-shaking stabs of distorted harmonics (just controlled and sugarcoated enough so that even your mom could rock out to them). Cuomo concludes with a great big melodic shout — a reflection of the giddy joy he felt in realizing how damn good of a song he had written here, no doubt — which is lovingly doubled by an electric lead that segues seamlessly into one of the most astutely melodic and economical solos in the entire Weezer discography, capped by a squealing arc that reaches towards the heavens before landing back into Pat Wilson’s crash cymbal, Cuomo walking into the final chorus as if he came in on a cloud. The song concludes with a liberating repetition from the opinions, judgments and ‘disses’ of others — “I don’t care about that!” — with the icing-on-the-cake handclaps layering in, and that’s a fucking wrap. Who needs the the 3-and-a-half minute single? This is pop perfection in 2:40.
It’s also worth noting that while the power of this song is universal, Cuomo did not sacrifice personal detail, intelligence or musical quality in its crafting. On the personal tip, the little line “your tongue is twisted, your eyes are slit” could mean any number of things (most obviously, “you’re a mess, girl”), but is also a sly reference to what will become an increasingly obvious motif in Cuomo’s love songs — his Mary Tyler Moore is, against all odds, an Asian chick.
It makes Cuomo’s recent comments about sacrificing personal detail — turning a song kernel about how he loves his daughter into a song about bagging a girl who may or may not be legal (“I’m Your Daddy”) — seem a bit odd. The Cuomo of ’94 had no problem marrying the personal and the popular into one, so why, fifteen years later, is he convinced it has to be one or the other? Food for thought, at the least.
As this song has been played ad infinitum ever since (and even before) it became one of the band’s all-time most recognizable hits, there are almost too many performances and versions to note. But here are a few that come to mind:
On 2007′s Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo, fans got a chance to examine this song in an embyronic, solo Cuomo demo state. The rhythm of the song is slowed down to an almost mentally damaged pace, Cuomo’s young voice straining to fit the tempo and sounding rather disabled in this process. It’s interesting to hear, though, how early he had all the pieces in place — albeit at the wrong speed, and with a slightly extended solo plus a fun little bit of tambourine on the chorus. I remember that Karl notes in the Recording History that there were other early versions of “Buddy Holly” that were even more painfully slow, but I find it hard to fathom. It would be interesting to hear from a historical standpoint though, much like this rough and early take.
The song became so emblematic of the Weezer sound and image that it has enjoyed performances at many tapings and special sessions long past the Blue era. There’s a 1995 Paris Black session version that is pretty fantastic; a 1997 Y100 Acoustic Sonic Session take that is certainly worth a hear, although the band cheats and sneaks in that famous synthesizer; a 2005 AOL Sessions version that commemorates the horribly melodramatic, faux-metal intro that they regrettably starting using to introduce the song as early as 2000 and took until 2008 to die — which adds a worthless and cheesy thirty seconds to the beginning of the song, and ruins the first fifteen seconds of the song proper; etcetera, etcetera.
Two other noteworthy instances of the “Holly:” the 2008 semi-release (really, who could find a copy of this thing?) Not Alone, which documented Cuomo’s pre-2000 and rarities-focused live hootenanny collaboration with about 200 fans in a California record store, featured the song in both of release formats (DVD and CD EP), though the performance is predictably sloppy and not worth more than one curious inquiry. And although it’s not officially Weezer/Cuomo-related at all, the UC Berkeley Marching Band did a show in September of 2001 that included miniature covers of a small handful of Weezer tunes that are worth being remembered simply because of how fantastic they are — and the take of “Buddy Holly” is pure big band bombast, really showing just how classic and durable that melody is. I wonder if Cuomo’s heard it.
115 Comments
I find it interesting that the “homies” he is referring to are his band members. I had no idea until reading the liner notes in Alone I.
This song is so catchy and singalong-able. My girlfriend doesn’t have much exposure to this band other than their singles for the most part, and she absolutely adores this song.
“Buddy Holly” was my first exposure to Weezer, although I had no idea at the time. This music video was a demo video in Windows 95, and I remember watching it thinking this band actually performed on Happy Days (hey, I was in 3rd grade at the time). Little did I know that 4 or 5 years from that moment I would become obsessed with this band when a friend let me borrow Blue.
Also, wasn’t Spike Jonze penned to direct a Greatest Man That Ever Lived video? What ever happened to that?
When I was a wee little runners of only ten years of age, I loved this song. I always thought it was an absolutely flawless, brilliant pop song (although that description came a bit later, obviously). Why, after thinking that and liking their other singles on Blue and Pinkerton (and “Jamie” from the DGC comp), it took until 2004 for me to really, really get more into them still baffles me.
This is one of the few songs I’ve heard a thousand times that never gets old, always sounds fresh. Timeless, really, as is the rest of the album.
I loved the description of, “You can *hear* the grin spread ear-to-ear on Cuomo’s face, and the vocal melody is so special,” because it couldn’t be more true – something I’ve always heard in the song, as well.
You mentioned the demo – the one thing the final version really misses from this version, I feel, is that huge blast of keyboards during the very last chorus. I love it.
A comment from runners?! YES! This is the song (along with “Say It Ain’t So”) that was responsible for what would eventually become my sickening obsession. There is no denying the brilliance of it. If you like good music, you like “Buddy Holly.” It might also be the catchiest song I’ve ever heard. Rivers Cuomo…thank you.
Excellent post, need I say more.
Great post! Completely agreed on all accounts; it’s an amazing song. It actually took me a while to hear it for the first time, which thinking about it now, is pretty funny. I first heard of Weezer in 2001 and for some reason or another, listened to Pinkerton first instead of Green or Blue. Soon after that, I discovered Blue, and Buddy Holly, and I’ll probably never, ever forget the melody and words to this amazing song.
Brilliantly written!
Bleed: Thank you for humoring me. : )
Clore: I think after the failures of PnB and “Troublemaker,” Geffen heard that Weezer were asking for a video with a high-pricetag director like Jonze for a song that’s almost impossibly noncommercial and just laughed.
Runners: I’m not a huge fan of that keyboard finale on the demo version, but I think if done right on the studio it couldn’t been cool. Not that I have a single qualm with it as it exists.
This is not only my favorite Weezer song but, without a doubt, my favorite song of all time. I also heard this one first as a kid on the Windows 95 disc. I didn’t really bother getting into the band for about twelve more years, but I’ve always adored this song. So good in every way.
Good post. Nerdy quibble (as usual): in the bridge, I think the word you’re looking for is “harmonics,” not “feedback.” But whatever.
My biggest problem with the demo isn’t the tempo, it’s the sludginess of the guitar. It’s an interesting sound and all, but not really appropriate to the song. It’s a weird contrast between that guitar sound and the poppy flourishes.
That said, the finished version is a pop song that’s as perfect as anything not written by a Beatle or Brian Wilson. It’s impossible to hear it and not want to sing along.
No no, you’re right, thank you — post has been updated and corrected accordingly.
Re-living Buddy Holly only makes the bile that is most of Raditude that much more painful.
I’ve seen it all before. New album comes out. Everyone loves it. 6 months later, it’s the worst ever. See Make Believe.
I don’t think I’ll have to wait six months to realize how bad this album is gonna be.
I actually sort of like Raditude, in the same way that I sort of like bands like OK Go. Weezer is no longer consistently brilliant, but at least it’s a fun record, if a bit ridiculous.
Raditude > much better than any OK Go album, but there’s no pop rock gem as good as “Get Over It” or “Invincible” on there.
Or “Oh Lately It’s So Quiet.” That song’s probably more touching than “I Don’t Want To Let You Go,” actually.
For those more musically-educated than myself, it would be nice to learn just why that chord progression in the chorus works so magically.
Matt Sharps hip-shaking and Rivers’ pirouette may just be the best moments in a Weezer music video.
On a side note, I love how in the Perfect Situation video, Brian mouths the infamous “I love you” just like in the Buddy Holly video.
Brian’s always the funniest/most fun to watch live or in their music videos in my opinion.
Never knew that, Clore. I found that PS video so insufferable I don’t think I ever got through it even once.
When Brian gets into it live, he’s definitely the coolest to watch. And — bless his soul — he only ever seems to really give a damn when it’s something pre-2000 (or, in a post-2000 case, something really really good!).
I don’t think I’ve ever heard a song that is so instantly catchy as Buddy Holly.
it’s 12:21 at night and i’m still awake for no reason, but Buddy Holly deserves some lovin.
I haven’t read the entry yet, but I just need to express how much i fucking love this song.
Jesus christ. Every single goddamn thing about this song is PERFECT. TEN OUT OF FUCKING TEN PERFECT. Far and away the best Weezer song. One of the best pop songs of all time. This song crowns Rivers as the king of pop rock for the 90′s. And just when you’re so crazily overwhelmed with how amazingly perfect this song is, you watch the music video, and you simply explode from happiness. Holy shit. This song is seriously an accomplishment for all of mankind. We became a more accomplished race when this song and its video were released.
I use this song to define weezer, no matter how much they change. Never gets old in my mind :]
“it’s 12:21 at night and i’m still awake for no reason”…for no reason? is that late for you? it’s freakin’ 3.30am over here!
Great entry, really enjoyed your musically descriptive language from the song’s intro to solo and chorus.
Probably one of the first Weezer songs I ever heard, and certainly one of the finest, Buddy Holly reminds me of having fun with my girlfriend and not giving a good goddamn what anyone else thought. I absolutely agree with Voroo, that this song “[defines] weezer, no matter how much they change”.
it’s the perfect pop song, both commercial and good enough for repeated listens, Rivers wasted his time trying to find that formula – he already mastered it with this.
By the way, soy, are you still loving Raditude? And what’s your view on love is the answer, i don’t think people are being open to the some and therefore not realising how great it is.
I can’t seriously be the only one here that hates 80-90% of Raditude.
I can guarantee you are not the only one.
You got another one right here.
Buddy Holly is a great song, but I think I personally like almost everything on Pinkerton better, if not everything on Pinkerton. I’m that guy!
I’m happy to see Crippy & Burgess share my hatred, but I’m shocked to see that the A6 crowd seems overwhelmingly supportive of the album.
I mean, there are a couple of good tracks for sure, but the vast majority of it is just god awful. I fully expect to see half of these people change their mind by the end of 2010. Otherwise, what is this fan base coming to!
I’m not some jaded fan than only likes Blue & Pink, but most of Raditude is an insult to pop and rock. Granted, that’s what they were shooting for, but I don’t have to fucking like it.
I like “Prettiest Girl In the Whole Wide World.” I guess that’s something.
The strike against “Buddy Holly” is, in my opinion, that it doesn’t really connect emotionally the way the best Weezer songs do. It is a great pop rock song, for sure, but I don’t find myself drawn into it like I do many of their songs.
Burgess: Gotta say I agree…I love “Buddy Holly” and all of Blue, but for the most part I’ve gotta place Pinkerton above it.
W&W: I’m still enjoying it, yes, but I’m going to give it some time before I write about any of the tracks for the songblog…Just to make sure the whole “NEW WEEZER” thing isn’t obscuring my judgment. Last year, when I first heard it, I totally loved “Troublemaker”…
As for “Love Is The Answer,” definitely not my least favorite track on the disc. I take no issue with the Hindi, except the stupid biatch makes it a little too wordy sometimes, especially going into the Rivers choruses. I also think that the solo should have gone straight back to the chorus, not another Hindi breakdown. Those are my only qualms at time of press, though.
Thom: I have to say, at this point I think it is the best-executed Weezer disc since at least Green. The things the band was going for with Maladroit, Make Believe and Red were much more enticing than what Raditude is going for, but I think you’d be hard pressed to say that any of them achieves their goals like Raditude does. (I can dig those goals, but I find it totally understandable that a lot of people won’t.)
Oh, and Burgess: “Buddy Holly” isn’t as moving as many of Weezer’s best songs because most of Weezer’s best songs are very sad, which is perhaps the most obviously (and artistically) profound emotion of them all. But “Buddy Holly” conveys happiness just as convincingly, purely, and complex-ly as “Across The Sea” or “Butterfly” conveys sadness.
If Raditude was made by any other band, we’d all see it as an interesting, well-crafted album. Because Weezer has made two of the greatest albums of the last 20 years, we have higher expectations of them than that, and rightfully so. Personally, I accept that Weezer will never again make an album like Pinkerton, so I would rather enjoy the new stuff on its own merits, rather than disparage it in comparison to prior albums. Compared to Blue and Pink, I guess Raditude is shit. Compared to most releases in 2009, it’s pretty good.
Sadness is more artistic than happiness, Soy. Most art is about death. Being happy is totally ’80s.
“If Raditude was made by any other band, we’d all see it as an interesting, well-crafted album.”
This is what I disagree with. I think if Raditude was by any other band, the second I heard “The Girl Got Hot” I would dismiss them entirely. I give the songs a chance because it’s Weezer.
Is it executed well? Think about that a little harder. I’d contend that they didn’t even achieve their goal of a truly great pop/rock album.
Ben Kweller’s 3rd self titled disc, Fountains of Wayne’s Welcome Interstate Managers, and Ben Folds Rockin’ the Suburbs, are all examples of pop/rock records that set a higher bar and still reached their goal of an album just about anyone can casually listen to and enjoy on their first listen.
Each of these records are immediately likable, include thoughtful lyrics that are unique to the writer’s perspective, and are musically interesting and age well even after dozens of listens. They’re all just as much a pop/rock record as Raditude. The major difference is, they’re done with some kind of artistic integrity. The artists sound like individuals with something to say. Rather than pander to the lowest common denominator, their lyrics and point of view tell a more compelling story. Still pop? YES! There’s nothing but major chords and typical time signatures found throughout all of them, but they don’t come off so generic and uninspired.
Raditude achieved only a part of the goal. It’s instantly catchy, radio friendly, and memorable like good pop/rock should be. What it isn’t, is timeless. It’s not going to age well and you know it. After 50 listens, what’s left to hear? There are no interesting stories being told. Many of Fountains of Wayne’s most inane songs on W.I.M. still have more to say than “I’m Your Daddy.” It’s going to go in one ear and out the other. It will be forgotten even more than Maladoit has been. At least it had the solos and the history of how it was made with fans.
This is the first time I’ve ever heard a Weezer album that barely spoke to me at all. Radidtude is contrived. Not all pop is, or has to be. Doesn’t that bother you? Even Green seems more authentic to me. Green is still Weezer, as a unit, making their version of pop. Raditude is Rivers regurgitating what he (and his many co-writers) think the people want. They listened to other pop music, and spit back out their best rendition of what they thought people wanted to hear.
The moments I do like on Raditude come when the band sounds less like they’re pandering. I Want You To is one of the better tracks, and it’s in part because Rivers voice isn’t so auto-tuned and the chorus isn’t embarrassing (like IYD). Put Me Back Together is interesting because it has (gasp!) dynamics! But as a whole, this album simply doesn’t achieve with any kind of consistency an interesting message or unique pop musicality.
To say they’ve created a great pop album is an insult to the albums I’ve listed above, and any other artist (like the Beach Boys) who knew how to do it with genuine creativity. I may even post this on A6. I’m just sick of the free pass =w= is getting on this right now.
I feel bad for “Buddy Holly” that it has to have all this Raditude in its comments.
Man, “Buddy Holly” is a good example of how great Rivers used to be at getting into, through, and out of solos perfectly.
“But “Buddy Holly” conveys happiness just as convincingly, purely, and complex-ly as “Across The Sea” or “Butterfly” conveys sadness.”
I completely agree with this. Not every Weezer song has to be angry or sad to be a great song. I think because Pinkerton is mostly angsty, most people think Rivers isn’t writing good songs because he’s not depressed like he was. But we shouldn’t forget that there’s a whole spectrum of emotions that Rivers has to choose from when writing a song, and happiness is one he has done well in the past.
So basically, to all the “Rivers is happy and having fun with music! You don’t wan’t him to be sad again!” people: Rivers should be able to write great songs no matter what mood he’s in.
Also: Wasn’t this one of the songs Rivers penned when he was ecstatic about landing the new record deal or something? What were the other ones?
Oh yeah! You’re right, I remember hearing that as well. It really comes out in the music.
Was “No One Else” one of them? Perhaps not — I really don’t remember. Although I do recall Karl saying that “No One Else” was a turning point for the band, signaling Cuomo’s shift from darker influences (metal, Pixies) to a more Beach Boys/Beatles pop frame of mind. Not entirely relevant, but very interesting nevertheless.
Well — the COR reveals that “Souvenirs, Novelties, Party Tricks,” “Hot Tub” and “Holiday” were all written around the same time as “Buddy Holly.” That joy definitely comes through in “Holiday,” too — like you said Noob, Cuomo needn’t be down in the dumps or struggling to make great music.
Also, between “Hot Tub” and “In The Garage” Cuomo evidently wrote a song called “Port O’ Jonas.” Wonder what that’s about!
Thom: Great comment, will get back to you later today, just basking in the glow of the great Blue era for the moment.
Man, Hot Tub is great to the max.
If I remember correctly, it was “Holiday” and I think “In the Garage” that he wrote after being signed to Geffen. Also “Souvenirs, Novelties, Party tricks” haha.
Great point noob! Fun and happy songs can be just as great and emotional as sad or angry songs.
Sometimes I think people underrate the power of a joyful song. And I love that also a “happy” song can have depth and meaning.
That’s why I love Homie so much. Happy songs, but still genuine, emotional and great!
P.S. Buddy Holly is indeed incredible. After what surly must be well over a 1,000 spins in my life, it still sounds as fun an refreshing as the first time I heard it.
Yeah that’s one thing so impressing with this song. It’s so instantly catchy, yet it is almost impossible to get tired of.
I guess it’s that kind of timeless and unique melody that holds up so well with time.
What do people think about Ocasek’s production? I wonder what it would have sounded like if Weezer had self-produced.
I think Ocasek’s production on Blue is fantastic. I find it funny how the band went back to Ocasek in 2001 because they “knew what they were getting” with him, but Green sounds so completely different. Though maybe the unmixed version sounded more Blue in terms of production, Karl did say that record got hurt a lot during the mixing process…
Be it a Blue sound or a Green sound, though, I’d happily support the band working with Ocasek once again.
It was always my understanding that Rivers made a lot of demands to Ocasek during the recording of Green. Perhaps he stuck his nose in too far.
The guitars on this song sound great for what they are. They are really clear, but big and fat, but not muddy and don’t sound super stacked. They also don’t overpower the pop aspects of the song. I think this is what Ocasek’s big strength was on this album. He really managed to make things sound huge and clean at the same time. I prefer the messier production of Pinkerton, but I don’t know how that would have sounded on this one.
So true! Somehow Ocasek managed to get a guitar tone that the kids could rock out to but even mom could appreciate (to rehash a comparison I made in my post). HUGE accomplishment, seriously.
I can actually hardly think of any other acts in the history of rock that have done that, even just for one album (or a few songs on an album).
Maybe some other stuff produced by Ocasek? Who engineered the blue album?
Ocasek hasn’t produced a whole in his time. I’ve only heard two of his other productions — Guided By Voices’ Do The Collapse and the Pink Spiders’ Teenage Graffiti — but neither has any songs w/ that demographic balance present. (Although many of the songs on both are good…)
so many memories with this song…i was a senior in high school and this song (and video) made me mention weezer to just about anyone i met. i was converting people left and right.
i remember running downstairs to actually tell my parent to turn on mtv and watch this video. kinda weird to think this won’t ever really happen anymore with the advent of dvr and the internet….
i remember cruising around town with my friends honking our horn every time the “whoo whoo” part came on. the blue album is (as well known here i am sure) a great “cruising around town” type of cd.
i remember new year’s eve (96)? Jamming out and dancing to the blue album at a party and just about everyone knew the album – not just the singles… a few girls and i were belting out “in the garage” it was amazing. Sorry that one wasn’t about BH – but just thinking of this time period made me nostalgic.
this song defines the blue album and weezer in the 90′s and helped define a personal era in my life. it’s pure, unadulterated joy.
Well, the Pink Spiders have “Little Razorblade,” I think that track comes pretty close. It sounds much lighter than Buddy Holly, but still seems to have that vibe.
When my band was working on our first album, I remember listening to this song while waiting for a subway, and being reeeeally envious of the production. Back then we were definitely going for a somewhat Weezery sound, and the blue album’s pristine sound doesn’t come cheap or easy.
I think you can do a little basic music math on it, though. Imagine Pinkerton came first, and then you found out Ocasek was producing the next album, and you had to guess what it would sound like. Pinkerton sound + The Cars sound / 2 = the blue album sound, roughly. I think. Maybe.
Ocasek also produced Nada Surf’s first album High/Low, which featured the anthemic song “Popular”. It employs much of the same aural qualities of The Blue Album: dry drums, thick garage band guitars, and smooth vocals high in the mix. If you go on youtube, look up the tracks “Zen Brain”, “Treehouse”, or “Stalemate”. Not only are these some gems from the record, but they also have that signature Ocasek 90′s rock sound.
I don’t really like the sound of the one Bad Religion album he produced, but that may be because Brett Gurewitz was missing.
I actually like the Ocasek-produced Bad Religion album okay, and I had no idea he produced it!
On an unrelated note, Weezer just finished their first Letterman night. Really good performance of “I Want You To,” the brass section really worked. Worth checking out, definitely! (I hope they don’t play “I’m Your Daddy” tomorrow)
Note: This should be filed under “A-sides”
Ah! Lovely, thank you.
Thom, I haven’t forgotten about your awesome, mega-long Raditude comment. I’m going to try to get some other writing done tonight, but I’ll give your thoughts the proper time of day tomorrow. Just an update.
‘Ocasek also produced Nada Surf’s first album High/Low, which featured the anthemic song “Popular”.’
Funny! I always thought that song was just a poor man’s ‘Undone’…
I can see the comparison, but “Popular” is a much darker song, and unlike “Undone” (and most Weezer songs), actually ironic and sarcastic. My brakes also gave out while I was listening to it once, so it always reminds me of almost crashing my car.
“Undone” is a much better song, but I’m glad they coexist. It’s a fun song, even if it’s ACTUALLY the “mainstream Pavement” sound for which people always accuse Weezer. “Wash your hair at least once every two weeks, once every two weeks!”
http://music-mix.ew.com/2009/10/29/weezer-yo-gabba-gabba/
I tried to write a comment to go with this link, but I think a video of Weezer dressed up as giant insects for a kids show is indescribable..
Brian is awesome in that video, pattycake.
It’s incredible; I love it! I can’t wait till this premieres “next year.”
I have the feeling the song itself will be officially released somehow too, maybe as an iTunes single at the least.
I’m loving Pat’s costume, at around 4 minutes he’s hitting cymbals with the extra arms. Incredible, indeed!
Yeah watching that video made me remember why I fell in love with this band in the first place. That performance and goofy fun song sounded more genuine than most of the material they’ve put out lately.
This video made my day. The song sounds really good too!
I just posted a fuller explanation of why Raditude fails as a truly great pop/rock album on A6. If anyone would like to join the conversation there regardless of your opinion, I’d appreciate the participation. I always like the perspective of the folks who post here.
Anybody heard “The Moog Cook Book” version of this?
Pretty funky.
I remember reading somewhere (it may have been in a book about some other band) about how most “happy” songs fail miserably, because they try to shove the happy down your throat-”Walking on Sunshine” was brought out as a specific example of this.
“Buddy Holly” is the exact opposite-a happy song that actually is uplifting, to the extent that I can listen to it when I’m in a bad mood and it will make me feel better. Rivers has written several of these, Holiday and Island in the Sun to name a couple. I’m no musician, but it’s probably harder to do that (and do it well) than to write something depressing.
“I’m no musician, but it’s probably harder to do that (and do it well) than to write something depressing.”
This actually reads like a paraphrase of something Pat said about Make Believe upon its release. I don’t think there’s anything actually uplifting or genuinely happy about that record, really (maybe it was moreso at the time — the quote was from when Make Believe had its original tracklisting).
I actually get a very uplifting vibe from a lot of Raditude. It’s a genuinely celebratory record, at least far moreso than any other Weezer album. Though none of it comes close to “Buddy Holly” or “Holiday” in the ‘art’ or ‘uplifting’ departments, of course.
As for “Island In The Sun,” someone was touching on this in the comments on that post’s thread, but I think that’s a very genuinely sad song. He may be singing of an imagined paradise, but even as the imaginary (and perhaps unattainable), there’s something a bit off with this supposed island. I think that undercurrent of sadness is what makes the song transcendent, actually.
Happy was a lot easier to do before irony took over. In the ’60s there was a lot of great happy music, from the Beatles to Motown. Even in the ’80s, a lot of new wave and arena rock stuff was all about having fun. Once those guys became a joke instead of serious musicians, it made it hard to be happy because being happy wasn’t cool anymore.
I don’t think it’s inherently more difficult to write happy songs, but it’s hard to do so when happy music is derided as bubblegum or twee or whatever the term of the moment is. It has nothing to do with the ease or difficulty of expressing the emotion. Listen to “It Won’t Be Long” if you want to see how simple it can be to express pure joy if you’re not self-conscious about it.
Brownerton is so spot on. And it makes me sad.
Most people love Motown and early Beatles. Put if someone put out a simple happy love song with classic simple pop lyrics today people bash it for being cheesy and gay.
“Most people love Motown and early Beatles. Put if someone put out a simple happy love song with classic simple pop lyrics today people bash it for being cheesy and gay.”
They do? Who does this? I think happy songs continue to be pretty huge, commercially. It’s not like mope rock is generally on top of the charts.
Read this review of Raditude. Ice Cold. I enjoyed it.
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/115390-weezer-raditude/
It’s a very well-written and -reasoned article. I dig it.
While we’re posting links, here’s a little something I wrote for a dating site recently:
http://entertainment.nerve.com/2009/11/02/everything-i-know-about-love-i-learned-from-weezer/
‘…tracks like sublimely power poppy “I’m Your Daddy,” and the cheeky glitter rock-inspired anthem “The Girl Got Hot” are as sparkling with creative enthusiasm as anything the band has done since “Buddy Holly.”‘
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:avfwxzwaldde
Okay, I sort of like the album, but WTF?
Yeah, that’s just retarded. (And serendipitously on-topic!)
Great piece on the dating site (and congrats for being published), Soy! It’s awesome that you quietly gave Photograph some love in there too.
I thought the guy’s reasoning in that Raditude article was put together pretty damn well too. He really gives great context why he’s so disappointed by it, and I agreed with him on almost all fronts (though I think MB has some genuine great moments he’s not giving enough credit to).
And yeah, the “sparkling enthusiasm” bit above is a big “WTF Face-Palm” inducing comment.
“I’m no musician, but it’s probably harder to do that (and do it well) than to write something depressing.”
To be fair, he is a fine drummer, but an terrible songwriter. So it’s probably tough for his small brain to notice small differences like a song being (generally) happy or sad.
Burgees: I’m not talking about the general public, but more the likes of A6 boardies for example. I hear the words cheesy and silly and (disney)gay way too often over there!
I think you know what I mean.
Melack: I see! Sorry, I thought you meant the world at large.
On the subject of happy music, if we are still talking about it, I’d just like to bring up the work of Andrew W.K., whose entire career is based on his mantra of “pure fun and total love.”
I did an interview with him this past spring and he explained it more clearly:
“Andrew W.K. isn’t music, it’s a feeling. It’s about making people feel as good as possible and making them feel like they can do anything in the world they want to do and that they have the freedom, the power, and the potential to live their dreams.”
That’s pretty much it. That is what he means when he says “Party Hard.” Live life as much as you can. Make every moment a party. I especially think it’s interesting because it kind of goes back to what some people were saying before, how the songs that were in-your-face happy sort of failed. AWK’s songs are very much in-your-face, but from a completely different approach. On the surface, they’re practically metal songs. His full band shows are just as physical as any hardcore show, but instead of violence and negativity, there’s only 100% positive energy in the room.
Sorry if that’s way too off topic!
That’s not off-topic. I just went as AWK for Halloween!
I’ve never listened to his music, but Andrew W.K. came to give a speech at my college about a year and a half ago, and it was definitely one of the most brilliant and inspiring things I’ve seen here. The videos of him playing the Insane Clown Posse’s weird cult festival on YouTube are really surreal and hilarious, too.
Andrew WK was a big obsession on the RCB back in old days. For at least a moment the whole board was AWK-themed.
I almost forgot about that Burgess!
I’d say that Photograph is the Buddy Holly of TGA, in terms of cheery, uplifting music (maybe Simple Pages a little, too).
Mmmm, “Photograph.” And “Simple Pages!” I really love that one more than most do.
Oh yes I love “Photograph”!
I love how you mentioned it in that “love” article you wrote Soy.
“Photograph” is the “Buddy Holly” of the Green Album in the same way that Jar Jar is the Chewbacca of The Phantom Menace.
Oh, it’s a harmless comparison, Burgess — no one’s saying Green is as good as Blue. So, relatively speaking, “Photograph” is like a lesser “Buddy Holly” for a lesser album.
Maybe that’s what you’re getting at with your Star Wars comparison, but let’s be real here: “Photograph” is a great song, and Jar Jar just blows.
I don’t think “Photograph” is a great song, but I’m just poking fun. No harm implied!
Look, I think we can all agree that Jar Jar sucks in ways that we cannot even comprehend.
“Possibilities” is to Weezer as the farting alien horse from Phantom Menace is to Star Wars.
‘“Photograph” is the “Buddy Holly” of the Green Album in the same way that Jar Jar is the Chewbacca of The Phantom Menace.’
That may be the nerdiest thing I’ve ever seen written on this blog. Well done!
hahahaha
When the Green Album came out, I would listen to ‘Simple Pages’ on repeat, dozens of times in a row. To this day, I still don’t know why. I was 14. That was my “favorite song” for months.
this song is what it’s all about. This is why people are Weezer fans.
Truth. To be honest I don’t reach for it very often of my own volition, but whenever I hear “Buddy Holly,” it never fails to blow me away.
I’m more of a Say It Ain’t So person myself. I came from a more alt-rock background than pop, so Buddy Holly’s a bit on the cheesy side for my tastes.
I agree with you, soyrev…it’s one of those songs that you don’t really listen to unless you’re listening to the entire album or it comes on the radio…but when it does its amazing, even if you’ve heard it a million times. If Weezer is going to be remembered by the world as a whole with only one song, it is probably going to be this song.
I must agree, Blue will be remembered as the quintessential Weezer sound, and this is the quintessential Blue song.
Cuomo concludes with a great big melodic shout — a reflection of the giddy joy he felt in realizing how damn good of a song he had written here, no doubt —
–I lol’d.
It makes Cuomo’s recent comments about sacrificing personal detail — turning a song kernel about how he loves his daughter into a song about bagging a girl who may or may not be legal (“I’m Your Daddy”) — seem a bit odd. The Cuomo of ‘94 had no problem marrying the personal and the popular into one, so why, fifteen years later, is he convinced it has to be one or the other? Food for thought, at the least.
– In this case, I feel like this song was already made. The Angel and the One is an amazing display of his emotions regarding his wife (and I like to think it’s also about his baby). It’s not a commercial hit, but why should he keep making “my baby” songs when songs about getting the girl sell so much better? The man’s gotta make a living, you know.
Obviously I know why he should keep making “my baby” songs. They’re amazing. But I’m not exactly condemning him for “I’m Your Daddy”.
I think the point is that he used to be able to make meaningful songs that were also catchy in a pop sense. To me something like I’m Your Daddy comes off as trying a bit too hard: Especially when you consider the fact the man is almost 40-years-old I believe? Late 30′s anyway. The idea that non-personal and catchy pop have to be separate things is the issue here because that’s obviously not true — Buddy Holly, Say It Ain’t So and Undone (The Sweater Song) and pretty much all of Blue prove that.
Pinkerton ruined Rivers as a songwriter imho. Instead of evaluating the experience in a constructive way he simplified it and came away thinking “personal and developped is bad — short, structured and non-personal is the way to go” because of the failure. He completely missed why it didn’t do well commercially (it was a drastic and dark change from Blue for one) and came to an illogical conclusion that over-exaggerated the need for mainstream acceptance.
I understand Rivers needs to earn a living but you can’t tell me that comparing the sales of Blue to the recent tripe the band has been putting out doesn’t prove that this mindset hasn’t worked. There’s piracy and that’s changed things but none of these songs are as iconic as their old stuff and I think that also speaks volumes as well.
I’m not saying Rivers should do Blue or Pinkerton part deux: His insistance that impersonal lyrics and cliches are better than things that resonate personally is bullshit.
Truth all around, but I think “The Angel and the One” is primarily about meditation.
It saddens me how much sense you make, Ludic. Besides Blue & Pink, there is but a glimmer of his personal feeling on Make Believe: Pardon Me. The Red Album got me excited when it released. The 2nd half of Heart Songs in particular made me think he was getting back to his roots. In a way, I can see him trying… his recent efforts on the Alone songs (I Was Scared Stereogum Session, Paperface acoustic) keep me from expecting the worst. Just as an example, I sense he’s on the verge of tears when he sings I Was Scared. However, the pink elephant in the room for me is Raditude. I never really addressed it, but now that I’m thinking about it, Rivers went through a total relapse making this one and there really is nothing personal on the record.
Soy, I’m really interested for your future post on The Angel and the One. I know nothing about it besides that I love it. It’s all part of the appealing mystery aspect of this band. At this point, a lot is unexplainable. I’m on the edge of my seat for any insight you may have or find.
The Angel And The One is actually one of my favorite weezer songs. And i know i’m going to be horribly beat for this one but i think it is the best weezer album closer
. Just that last couplet, the peace, shaloam part always gets me
I must say that The Angel And The One has grown on me a lot as of late… I was listening to Red a few times last week and was surprised by how much I enjoyed TAATO. I think that the expected build at the end that winds up not happening takes some getting used to. Once you’re used to it though, it becomes more powerful than a cliched rock out would’ve been. The part where they sing “peace shaloam” and the full power of the band kicking-in really sends it home.
BTW I agree that Red did show some promise: Pork & Beans was catchy and obviously personal; to me it’s one of the most fleshed-out and well-written songs on the album. Also, Heart Songs, Everybody Get Dangerous and Troublemaker are mostly crap musically but they at least have some depth lyrically (aside from a few bad lines here and there of course.) They aren’t anything groundbreaking but they do fit the pop format Rivers wants but still did so while containing some meaning.
On the flip-side though, some of the best songs from Red were not based on personal things: Ms. Sweeney, The Spider and Pig so who the hell knows? I think the main point is that present day Rivers is trying very hard to be something he’s not, instead of letting his experimentation, curiousity and personal situations into his lyrics. It impedes his true ability and he needs to just make songs for the sake of making songs! His arguement that separating personal emotion from song to create hits is still ridiculously flawed.
i’ll defend with my life that TRA is great, maybe even better than TGA (and definitely better than anything between). But is he still using that argument, about good songs having nothing to do with personal experience or something? when was the last time he talked about that? It’s just a shame that only one year after TRA, they had to make Raditude…
I dunno if I’d say that TRA is better than Green but it’s definitely more interesting. It’s leagues better than anything since TGA, that’s for sure. Even if I think TGA is the better album (which I am not entirely convinced I am to be honest) I sometimes think that TRA gets more shit than it actually deserves. Maybe that’s because it’s between the turd sandwhich of Make Believe and Raditude, I don’t know… I just can’t say that TRA is any worse than anything post-2001.
It’s more like KFC’s Double Down if you’re talking about two turds with delicious bacon in between them.
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