@@johnpaulcross424 so true, and there's zero rhythm or rhyme to when a good album will come along. you'll think they're done making good music and then they drop EWBAITE or the white album and blow you away before dropping albums you can't stand again.
8:40 The “goddamn you half Japanese girls…” line on El Scorcho, and most of the rest of the song (and much of the rest of the album) is a direct reference to Madame Butterfly. Basically, a play about a Japanese woman who falls in love with, and is eventually driven to suicide by, a heartless American man. The woman protagonist is named “Cho Cho San”, and the American man is named “Pinkerton”.
@@ninja_tony It's not. It's part of the truth but the version of the song that ended up getting released is pretty blatantly not about that. Was the character in Madame Butterfly even half-Japanese? I don't think so. Pretty sure she was Japanese. Is the rest of the song a reference to Madame Butterfly? Well there is a reference to the main character. A reference to the girl listening to the opera. Not at all the same. Does Rivers have a bit of a weird relationship with Japanese women? Lets ask the man himself "Well, I suppose that halfway through writing the album, I started to realize or become aware of a pattern in my life that I seem to be having a lot of disastrous encounters with half Japanese girls. And then it developed into disastrous encounters with Asian girls of all sorts. Yeah, I suppose it’s fair to say that I’m fascinated by Asian girls [grimaces]. For some reason, they’re particularly beautiful to me. I don’t know why." Yeah. He does.
Pinkerton’s lyrics are extremely disturbing to me. But in a way... that’s exactly why I love them. It’s emotionally open to the point of extreme discomfort, making it a real and accurate depiction of a human with all its flaws and insecurities. It’s not trying to look good, it’s just real and I find it fascinating
yeah thats eactly what makes it a great album.... its basically spilling out all those uncomfortable feelings you had when you were like 14, it had all the bad thoughts a lot of people kept inside for years and had a way to vent them without becoming... well brock turner hell one of the last lyrics on the album is "I'm sorry for what i did", basically an apology for the perverted nature he had
I really don’t think Pinkerton’s lyrics are that disturbing (except for a few lines in Across the Sea). They just seem very personal and real to me. They sound like things that lots of people think about but Weezer actually had the guts to release them on an album.
Yeah, like Rivers himself said with that album that he wanted to project all of the ugliest and worst parts of his personality at the time into music, and that’s what really makes the album work for me. It’s just an insanely honest and open album in a lot of ways, and even if a lot of the lyrics have aged poorly and Rivers comes across as a bit of an incel on that album now, I still really commend that a major label band released an album this out there and ballsy.
Yeah I would call them uncomfortably honest rather than severely disturbing myself (for the most part, I agree there are definitely a few parts that veer into a little suspect lol) but as mentioned, that's the point. His physical pain and emotional discomfort was the crux of the album and it's not made for people who aren't willing to look at that kind of honesty. That's why a lot of people react to it with jokes and scorn and such, basically as a defense mechanism. I agree with Philly, I think if someone's out here saying they've never shared a single thread of thought with anything on Pinkerton, they're lying to themselves. It's really quite human to be awkward and weird and frankly a little gross. We just hide it.
Weezer is like the Sonic of rock bands. Peaked in the 90s, passionate fans argue about what releases afterward are good/bad, a couple returns-to-form in the 2010s that people really like, and outsiders just think it all sucks no matter what and was possibly never good to begin with (wrong).
You claim there is no depth to Raditude, yet this is entirely false. You have to have a very high IQ to understand songs like Can’t Stop Partying and Love Is The Answer. There are so many interesting layers that Raditude fans are still dissecting and analyzing to this very day. Lil’ Wayne’s verse on Can’t Stop Partying contains many fascinating statements about human existence and the meaning of life as a whole. This album is pure genius, and clearly the band’s magnum opus. It reaches new heights that Blue and Pinkerton never could, just like how I reached new heights with my epic jump that I never could before. Some people just don’t understand art. P.S. I am most definitely a funny doggo.
I am so glad that one of the most popular RUclips commenters right now is promoting the best Weezer album. I am still disappointed they didn’t include the Lil Wayne feature on OK Human
Can't Stop Partying actually feels a lot more meaningful now that I've listened to the solo acoustic version. Feels like a desperate plea to stop the constant "drugs sex money" expectation of fame
Weezer's Raditude had the best album cover of all time, and it's not even close. That jump took years for that dog to master, and it had finally paid off he's not only a National Geographic spotlight, but also an iconic role on the front cover of Weezer's masterpiece. i guess you could say it put the dogs confidence back together, and he got hot and started tripping down the freeway. And to this day he's still jumping and still partying!!!
The Cure has an insanely prolific, diverse and incredible discography that not many people on this website really talk about, so I would love a DDD on them.
Honestly, the lyrics on Pinkerton are my favorite part of the album. They're dark, gross, creepy, and unflattering, and I think that kind of blunt honesty is what I like the most in Weezer. Pinkerton shows you every part of Rivers, especially the dark corners of his mind. Everyone has darkness in them that we try to ignore, so it's interesting to see it almost embraced in this strange, nervous way. That's why my least favorite Weezer albums are the ones that feel less authentic, like Green and Raditude. Even though the other material is a mixed bag, I like that Rivers can unapologetically be himself and write what he wants to write. That all being said, White is their best album
As someone who had my own deep dive into Weezer in January of this year after OK Human, I guess I can comment on the Pinkerton thing. I had listened to Blue and Pinkerton during the last of my high school years, and I really treasured the songs off of Blue on my drive to and from high school. Pinkerton was never that sort of thing that I really grasped onto in the same way, it felt so foreign that I didn't really know what to make of it, but I would still say I liked it enough. Fast-forward to OK Human's release, and I started going through Weezer's back-catalogue and found upon revisiting as a college student that Pinkerton is one of my favorite albums of all time, and possibly my favorite of the 90s. I love how relistenable it is, how progressive and complex it is, and how embarrassing and heartfelt it is. That fact that an album can have such good hooks, such delectable noise, and such cutting lyrics, to me, shows tremendous artistry. So yes, I would start a cult over this album, but the cult already exists, and I'm a member of it.
Just my 2 cents as a guy who first listened to Pinkerton two years ago in college: I love this album precisely because it's so willing to make Rivers look so pathetic and resentful. It's not a pleasant listen, and it's embarrassing, but it knows that and leans into it. There's no ego here, no desire to present a positive image to the listener. It's callous and bitter in a way that feels very lucid and insightful to me, even though I don't "relate" to it in the way that word is usually used. I find it cathartic because it's such a great portrait of pure, isolated id.
White Album was a sleeper hit for me. First I was like "This is pretty good!" and now it's my second favorite Weezer album. Nothing in my life will ever be as thematically linked to music ever again as when I spent 6 months living by the beach in San Francisco during the pandemic and moved right after the summer ended; that album legit felt like the soundtrack to my life, closer "Endless Bummer" in particular.
As you said, there is a certain abrasiveness to Pinkerton. Raw energy mixed with raw emotion, unfiltered through the mixing really stuck to me. The desperation of some tracks resonates the feeling of being an emotionally depraved teenager, some great examples of this is No Other One or Butterfly. Pinkerton can also be fun and light hearted sometimes. I feel like El Scorcho and The Good Life is a fun song to play and sing along to. In a sense, Pinkerton defined my teenage years: confused, deprived, tired and just want to find happiness. I know there are other ways to cope with the previous mentioned, but the roughness of Pinkerton just WORKED for me.
I'm 29 yo. Listened to Pinkerton for the first time february this year and I would start a cult over this album. Pinkerton is so disgusting, raw and weird that makes It a unique experience. Rivers was really brave to put himself in such a bad light, because the content of those lyrics are embarassing to say the least (and he knew that). It isn't an easy listening, but there aren't many album like Pinkerton out there. I think Its a special work
I can't hate Beverly Hills, it was the first music video I ever bought for my ipod video and I watched it over and over. I also related to the lyrics. I grew up very religious in a dull town, and romanticized California and teenage party culture bc I had none of that. And it was around when I started playing guitar and it introduced me to what a voice box was. Though as an adult I find the image of Californian culture to be shallow and off-putting and realizing this is a very simple song, I still have a soft spot for it.
Adult who got into Pinkerton fairly recently here: I've been into Weezer, particularly the blue album, since I was a teen, but Pinkerton was always one with a few songs I enjoyed, but overall didn't get into, until the pandemic hit. I was a regularly touring musician, and just like that, the industry I had spent my life working in was essentially gone, and instead of doing what I loved, I spent a year stuck at home without a single other person. All the loneliness and insanity of the record spoke to me more and more with every listen. I can relate to the apathy of Tired Of Sex and Why Bother, the longing for human connection of Across The Sea and Pink Triangle (without the creepy aspects), and most of all the desire of to be able to go back to the good life of... El Scorcho.
I didn't think it was my personal situation that made me fall in love with Pinkerton, but then I realised I was in a situation with unrequited love, frustration, feeling aimless... so yeah. I was 21. I still love the album but it's definitely not personally relatable to me anymore. What I respect the most is Rivers just putting himself unabashedly out there with no pretense.
I didn’t hear Pinkerton back when it came out. I was way too young. However, I discovered it in like 2005 or so when I was an awkward, nerdy teen, insecure with mental illness. It hit me incredibly hard in a way that none of their other albums ever did. I also played Blue to death. I remember feeling so let down by the Beverly Hill single and super angsty about it getting popular. Haha, god I was cringe. It’s still a bad album though.
I listened to Weezer’s new stuff first, starting with none other than Pacific Daydream. Knowing nothing about them, I thought the music was cool and that was it. With the release of the Black Album, I thought I’d give them a try and ended up falling in love with Rivers and the crew. I dig deeper, and though my tastes wouldn’t initially allow me to listen to their older stuff, I appreciated the band enough that I started listening to it. Honestly the more I learn about this band the more I love it. They are relatable to me in some sense, and I got every reference on their latest album Van Weezer. I think that I come from a different “backwards” perspective if you will on Weezer. As a result, I am one of the few fans that truly loves ALL their music (if not every song, at least every album). I love the phases Rivers has gone through and I have lots of love for everything about this band. I will also note that, unsurprisingly, more than the Blue Album, Pacific Daydream, Everything Will be Alright, and the Black Album, are the most nostalgic to me.
I got into Weezer and fell in love with Pinkerton in Uni, so I fell in love with it without that nostalgic perspective. The music itself is amazing of course, with Falling for you as a highlight. And this might also be the most important song for explaining my love for the album at a later age. It is the realisation that you still haven't overcome the demons of a previous you. You are still afraid of being vulnerable again after thinking you've left that behind in the past (The Good Life, Pink Triangle and to an extent El Scorcho), but instead you feel like you are hitting that wall again. But before returning to that old place and thinking you are just a simple 3-chord loser, you think to yourself, fuck it, "I'm ready lets do it". With this, you can appreciate the journey before Falling for you, with Across the Sea as a clear low point: "So you send me your love from all around the world As if I could live on Words and dreams and a million screams Oh, how I need a hand in mine to feel" It inspires to have an honest look back at your lows in order to explain the insecurities you are still having, of which you used to think that you would grow out of them somehow. I would still rank Blue over Pinkerton, but it is a clear #2 for me. Oh btw, Everybody get Dangerous is an amazing song and your trash opinion about it deserves to be burned as well.
I'm slightly devastated you passed over 'All My Friends Are Insects' that they recorded for Yo Gabba Gabba. It is genuinely my favourite weezer track from post 2010
Would love to see Cocteau Twins and Pinback added to the poll. Iconic and deeply influential groups that often aren’t given the proper recognition IMO. Fantastic, hilarious, brilliantly written and edited as always. Thank you for being the only god-tier music RUclipsr with a consistent upload schedule (RIP rickthelai)
I left the radio playing on accident while I went to sleep once. During this epic, cinematic dream, "Hero" was playing the whole time. I developed a new found appreciation for Weezer after that.
I became a huge fan of Pinkerton after I turned 26 and got my first apartment all alone. I had just faced painful rejection from someone I really cared about and slept around with a lot of people and hung got into some drugs I’m glad I don’t do anymore. That album was a way for me to wallow in self pity but also sort of remind me that I wasn’t living the life I was meant to live. I remember starting the album right after sex in a car with someone I was getting sick of, and it was like a movie moment. TMI, but that’s my story. It will always be nostalgic to me for these reasons.
I'd love to see blink-182 covered on here. For the face of goofy pop punk in the early 2000's, their discography is incredibly varied, from mid-90's skate punk, to classic 2000's pop punk, and even some pretty experimental albums. Their untitled record from 2003 is my favorite album of all time, and I'd love to hear your opinion on the band.
I won't accept that "Trippin' Down the Freeway" diss. Song is insanely catchy, as is "Let It All Hang Out". I was 14 when the album came out and thought "Can't Stop Partying" was dark and bleak at the time, so take this with a grain of salt. (I really hate "Love is the Answer" and "In The Mall" though, the former might just be their worst ever). Really great video, you nailed nearly everything and your humor is sharp as always. Only missed the b-sides and deluxe songs, I mean, Red Album's bonus tracks are top-tier.
I think Raditude is one of Weezer's best albums, despite all direction of good taste saying otherwise. Fun, goofy, cringy, its everything i need from Weezer, its a huge guilty pleasure i guess but i think its real underrated.
I marathoned the entire discography of this band, amde a tierlist and wrote pocket size reviews for my friends in 12 hours befroe watching this video. I MADE MY HOMEWORK, MIC.
Somehow matched in most of the opinions, except i thought greater of hurley due to the course correction attempt, finding white a bit too pop to rate higher over others albums like green i.e., hating black more than your meh rating, liking ok human a lot more and somehow gettigna complete lyrical meaning from you? (i need to get my ears checked) and not enjoying van wezzer due to it' cut n paste approach to homage. It's been a year has an of this changed with time?
Raditude is a fantastic record. It's super original, fun to listen to, and asks some deep questions we have to ponder for ourselves. I didn't understand its beauty until years after discovering it, but now it's all clear and I've become enlightened
It interesting how they started as a post-punk band, transitioned into being an earnest and heartfelt rock band, transformed into a ironic flashy alternative band in the 90s, and now they're back to their earnest rock and roll roots. They’re a great band with many great eras.
perfect situation will forever hold a special place in my heart because that was the first song I listened to after my first breakup... lots of bitter-sweet memories lie in that opening guitar solo...
Didn’t get into Pinkerton until I was an adult, and it’s slowly become my favorite album in general. I appreciate the production, composition, and honesty the most. None of the criticisms of the lyrics ever made sense to me as they are clearly self aware and never attempt to glorify Rivers’ thoughts. It just seems like low having fruit to criticize something like across the sea for instance, as if you’re intentionally missing the point.
Pinkerton(and blue album) changed my life, I got into it after my first breakup, my ex cheated on me after 5 years,which caused me to drop out of college and move back into my parents house. I had never had experienced this much failure and sorrow at once in my life at this point. I listened to Pinkerton in the shower in the morning before I went to work, sobbing and singing along from the pain I felt. All I had known had gone to nothing, my potential dream career gone, my supposed best friends all gone and my ex who was my first kiss, first time and first girlfriend. A real turning point in my life and I felt the deep parts of Pinkerton because of this. Blue Album also contributed to this but Pinkerton really brought out the pain in my heart at the time and helped me cope with it.
I found OK Human to be Rivers’ most personal album next to Pinkerton. Listening to it made me feel that he really poured his heart and soul into this as well as what he learned from his depression era in the mid to late nineties.
There’s nothing more satisfying than finishing an artist’s entire discography and watching these videos when your finished. I did it with AJR, Green Day and now Weezer.
This series is really enjoyable especially the more “out there” artists. I think a deep dive on the Smashing Pumpkins or the Flaming Lips would be great!
I commemorate Rivers for writing those lyrics for Pinkerton especially for “Across The Sea”. 90% or more of people experience intrusive thoughts and when you’re in such a state as rivers was, you can go multiple ways but the ways that I think about it is. I think he might’ve consciously or unconsciously made the decision of not being a cynical asshole across Pinkerton. It can be real easy to be cynical when you’re in a state that he was in. I’d say it’s Alice In Chains type of honesty
That disgusting shit shouldn’t be celebrated man. And no, it’s nothing like Alice in Chains. Alice in Chain aren’t confessing about being sexually attracted to teenagers.
I think I saw a post on the Weezer subreddit that confirmed that Sidney the dog passed away in November 2019, but he was indeed a very good boy. Sidney actually “interviewed” Rivers as part of the album’s rollout.
I love Weezer. Thank you for doing this one!! It would be cool if you did a Fall Out Boy one since they just did a tour with Green Day and Weezer recently
Found this years later as an adult. I loved it and STILL love it. One of my all time favorite albums. Great songs, and the recording is great. Granted, I'm not much of a person for paying attention to lyrics so maybe that's it.
OK Human is probably one of my favorite Weezer albums since I guess The Blue Album and Pinkerton. Just a total change of pace, from out of nowhere. Rivers is really at his songwriting best in my opinion.
I never really listened to Weezer. Sure, I was familiar with like Buddy Holly and My Name is Jonas, but that was really about it. When I heard OK Human for the first time last year, I instantly fell in love with it and then decided to start further looking into the band. I first heard "Pinkerton" when I was 28 years old. It's my second favorite weezer album right behind OK Human now.
I didn't hear Pinkerton in it's entirety until last year (I'm 22). I actually prefer it to Blue because of it's abrasive nature. It's honest, nasty, weird and even creepy in some places. But that's how human emotion is, isn't it?
I personally think that both California Kids and Wind in our Sails is my personal favorite weezer songs of all the albums. For me, I really was trying to get though highschool at the time and I found this album. I was driving home in the winter and it made me feel important. While I think that all the other songs can be better, I really think this is a really good opener for a weezer album and I always come back to this song during those cold winter nights. I know its a little dramatic, but that's I feel.
So Pinkerton entered my life when I was around 18? I was into Weezer beforehand but the Pinkerton aspect didn't really fully sink in until I feel like towards the end of High School and the start of college. However I'm 28 now so the timeline might be blurring a little bit. This was during the same point where I was really digesting the catalogs of Nirvana, Alice In Chains, and other 90's adjacent acts. It struck a pretty decent cord back then. However as I get older that cords gets hit a little less but I still appreciate it. Just instead of it feeling it in a more direct fashion I feel like an observer reminiscing on my old angst, alongside Rivers. Which if my teenage angst flares up it'll Pinkerton will probably do the job again but I'm a lot happier these days! I find that as I've gotten more comfortable with myself the Blue Album is a bit more relatable. The bridge in Across The Sea has my favorite Weezer lyrics ever though with “As if I could live on / Words and dreams and a million screams / Oh, how I need a hand in mine to feel.” Also Crab is a bop.
my favorite weezer song has always been susanne off the mallrats soundtrack. contains just about everything i enjoy in a weezer song condensed into a somewhat short runtime, feels like a shot of serotonin to my cranium
I was a pretty big Weezer fan growing up, but I didn’t discover Pinkerton until I was a freshman in college for whatever reason. As a nerdy, awkward kid who would fall in love with basically any girl who would talk to him, the lyrics of unrequited love and the frustrations that come from that really hit home with me. I still love the album and play it every now and then. Although I definitely agree with you that a few lyrics can be a bit problematic.
Man I haven't listened to Weezer since High School, but I do have fond memories of their first 2 albums plus plenty of nostalgia. So it's nice to think about. Personally I'd recommend you check out the deluxe version of Pinkerton, there's a lot of excellent stuff on there.
I went to one of the 2000 shows and it was absolutely incredible. There were 4 unknown songs (none of them were on the green album), but the rest was from the Blue album or Pinkerton. The energy in the crowd was incredible. Seemed that almost all of us were huge fans and were so incredibly excited the band hadn't broken up.
As someone who kinda grew out of their Weezer phase, I still have mad respect for the die-hard fans who still stick with them, even if they are fully aware of how many disappointments their discography has. edit: I am going to blame this video for me getting into another Weezer phase. After listening to their newer stuff in full, I made a playlist of their best late-period songs, and they've been in rotation for two weeks now.
Apologies for the long incoming probably TMI comment on Pinkerton, but since I was asked, I will bite. (Feel free to ignore this lol) I'll preface by saying I actually got into really 'listening to music' this year as a way of improving my mental health and happiness after a year of quarantine. I've suffered from really bad depression of the 'I don't want to get out of bed or even lift my head off the pillow' variety for pretty much half my life at this point since I was 15. It severely impacted my desire and ability to do anything I enjoyed, exercise, enjoying food, and enjoying media. I barely watched any movies or TV, I barely socialized with people, and I didn't listen to any music. I mean like. No music. I had maybe 200 songs on my old iPod for 15 years, and I listened to the radio in the car with my mom when we drove now and then. This year I made a conscious effort to start getting into music because I wanted a hobby, something to enjoy and grow with, and music was something I had access to, with Spotify and review sites and RUclips channels, ect. So I started getting into discographies, listening to albums, I'm keeping a list and still going at it and increasing my range. Anyways, long story short, I started with some Weezer this year. I haven't listened to all their stuff but I've currently heard Blue, Green, White, and Pinkerton. I heard Pinkerton for the first time this March when I was 29. Decidedly 'not young'. I do have to make one more contextual comment before getting to Pinkerton proper, in that when I listen to a new album that I know is 'famous' and I've missed out on, or a famous band or just want to learn more, I do research. I google it, look up articles, learn how it was taken in, ect. Because to me, the music is obviously the most important part, but I've always seen music as a human experience. I like learning about bands and the history behind albums and songs and lyrics and what the writer was thinking, and what fans think. I approach music as a very human experience. It's just what I do. Maybe due to why I'm listening to music this year, as a way of combatting my depression and malaise. I really want to connect to people through it, not just sit in my room alone and listen to an album. So anyway, as you can imagine, there was a lot to learn about Pinkerton. The story about Rivers' leg, the story about its initial failure and his shame about it, then it's becoming an indie darling, ect. When I paired all this highly charged emotional backstory with the blisteringly honest lyrics, that yes at times are hard to look directly at given said honesty, it became a really interesting piece. I'm really excited to hear about the concept of mass exodus albums because I think that's something I'm naturally drawn to given how I connect to music as a human experience and why I'm personally getting more and more into music. Funnily enough, 808s is probably a top 2 Kanye album for me and AoA is my favorite of Sufjan's so, I really think there's something to that. Even at 29, despite being a queer trans person with not a lot in common with the straight cis experience, I think what draws me to Pinkerton is the empathy I have for it. Knowing where it came from and why (again, now that I know it's a thing, likely tied to the concept of a mass exodus album). I definitely have my own experiences with the album. Pink Triangle will never be my favorite on the album for personal reasons, despite many others calling it their fave and a classic. I personally just don't want to hear straight people crying about unobtainable gay people. I also definitely think it's very ok to pause and look at older white guys pining for young Japanese girls. But at the end of the day, I know I'm a flawed person who has thought some weird and stupid and awkward shit over the other years, about other people, about myself. I don't really believe anyone who says they haven't. I think most people can find themselves somewhere in Pinkerton, even if its only a line. It's very easy to make fun of and dismiss. Just like weird and emotionally open people are. And I both empathize with and respect the hell out of people who are able to be honest, probably more now in my 30s than when I was younger. ... sorry for all that rambling! But that's my take on my first time listening to Pinkerton and where I am on it now.
as I get older I actually grow to enjoy Pinkerton more, no clue why I always thoughts I just grew to like the compositions more and more but I think as I get older I grow more and more desperate feeling or at lest being able to understand and relate to those types of emotions more
an essential element of being a Weezer fan is regularly hating half of their stuff
Half? More like 85%
@@Georgeirfx nah more like 60, the other 40 ranges from passable to top albums OAT
@@johnpaulcross424 so true, and there's zero rhythm or rhyme to when a good album will come along. you'll think they're done making good music and then they drop EWBAITE or the white album and blow you away before dropping albums you can't stand again.
@@Georgeirfx you aren’t a fan
@@Georgeirfx it’s really more like 60%. No one who has heard their stuff actually thinks they only have 2 good albums.
Your videos are good enough to watch while eating. You don’t just throw something on willy nilly & waste the food on it
OMG THIS EXACTLY
Dude I’m literally watching this while eating are you a mastermind
r/mealtimevideos?
the highest compliment
Yeah wtf same
Blue is a High School album, Pinkerton is a college album, and the rest are what happens when you believe you peaked in high school
Perfection
nah white album and ok human are what happens when you believe you peaked in college
us weezer fans never peaked wdym
Goddamn
Ok. You need to be a music critic.
you're not even gonna mention their 2018 masterpiece "twin fantasy?" damn.
i am gonna be so happy when he finally does car seat headrest and calls all the albums up to Teens of Denial shit cuz of the lo-fi production :(
@@msicouldntthinkofafunnynam4770 i am gonna be so happy when he does car seat headrest and calls all the albums shit :)
2011 has way more charm tbh
@@themandownstairs4765 perhaps, i like both equally - like 2 halves of a whole project (though i slightly prefer 2011)
You mean 2017?
8:40 The “goddamn you half Japanese girls…” line on El Scorcho, and most of the rest of the song (and much of the rest of the album) is a direct reference to Madame Butterfly. Basically, a play about a Japanese woman who falls in love with, and is eventually driven to suicide by, a heartless American man. The woman protagonist is named “Cho Cho San”, and the American man is named “Pinkerton”.
Oh shit
@@Robyn_iz_Here shut the duck up anime pfp
That's all completely true, but unfortunately, if people accept the actual truth about the song they can't pretend to be offended by it anymore.
@@ninja_tony It's not. It's part of the truth but the version of the song that ended up getting released is pretty blatantly not about that. Was the character in Madame Butterfly even half-Japanese? I don't think so. Pretty sure she was Japanese. Is the rest of the song a reference to Madame Butterfly? Well there is a reference to the main character. A reference to the girl listening to the opera. Not at all the same. Does Rivers have a bit of a weird relationship with Japanese women? Lets ask the man himself
"Well, I suppose that halfway through writing the album, I started to realize or become aware of a pattern in my life that I seem to be having a lot of disastrous encounters with half Japanese girls. And then it developed into disastrous encounters with Asian girls of all sorts. Yeah, I suppose it’s fair to say that I’m fascinated by Asian girls [grimaces]. For some reason, they’re particularly beautiful to me. I don’t know why."
Yeah. He does.
Not only that but he later learned that particular woman was actually Korean. (Based on a quote used in the Genius annotation)
Pinkerton’s lyrics are extremely disturbing to me.
But in a way... that’s exactly why I love them. It’s emotionally open to the point of extreme discomfort, making it a real and accurate depiction of a human with all its flaws and insecurities. It’s not trying to look good, it’s just real and I find it fascinating
yeah thats eactly what makes it a great album.... its basically spilling out all those uncomfortable feelings you had when you were like 14, it had all the bad thoughts a lot of people kept inside for years and had a way to vent them without becoming... well brock turner
hell one of the last lyrics on the album is "I'm sorry for what i did", basically an apology for the perverted nature he had
I really don’t think Pinkerton’s lyrics are that disturbing (except for a few lines in Across the Sea). They just seem very personal and real to me. They sound like things that lots of people think about but Weezer actually had the guts to release them on an album.
Extremely disturbing is a bit of a stretch. Most rap songs have way more disturbing lyrics.
Yeah, like Rivers himself said with that album that he wanted to project all of the ugliest and worst parts of his personality at the time into music, and that’s what really makes the album work for me. It’s just an insanely honest and open album in a lot of ways, and even if a lot of the lyrics have aged poorly and Rivers comes across as a bit of an incel on that album now, I still really commend that a major label band released an album this out there and ballsy.
Yeah I would call them uncomfortably honest rather than severely disturbing myself (for the most part, I agree there are definitely a few parts that veer into a little suspect lol) but as mentioned, that's the point. His physical pain and emotional discomfort was the crux of the album and it's not made for people who aren't willing to look at that kind of honesty. That's why a lot of people react to it with jokes and scorn and such, basically as a defense mechanism. I agree with Philly, I think if someone's out here saying they've never shared a single thread of thought with anything on Pinkerton, they're lying to themselves. It's really quite human to be awkward and weird and frankly a little gross. We just hide it.
Let's start a petition to call the next album Weezens.
Also, way to sneak in the Billy Cobb Carl Weezer Say It Ain't So Cover there.
Weasons
Weazons
well it’s called SZNS (Seasons) so pretty close ☠️
CZsWorld is a Weezer fan???!?!
Well hello professor
Fancy seeing you here
Weezer is like the Sonic of rock bands. Peaked in the 90s, passionate fans argue about what releases afterward are good/bad, a couple returns-to-form in the 2010s that people really like, and outsiders just think it all sucks no matter what and was possibly never good to begin with (wrong).
if weezer is sonic, who's mario
@@jackieburkhart3268…Foo Fighters?
@@jackieburkhart3268 Radiohead
@@ahoksure Or Green Day.
@@jackieburkhart3268Nirvana
"Pump it up into me" is the most catchy part of Van Weezer, actually
Please daddy please daddy
You claim there is no depth to Raditude, yet this is entirely false. You have to have a very high IQ to understand songs like Can’t Stop Partying and Love Is The Answer. There are so many interesting layers that Raditude fans are still dissecting and analyzing to this very day. Lil’ Wayne’s verse on Can’t Stop Partying contains many fascinating statements about human existence and the meaning of life as a whole. This album is pure genius, and clearly the band’s magnum opus. It reaches new heights that Blue and Pinkerton never could, just like how I reached new heights with my epic jump that I never could before. Some people just don’t understand art.
P.S. I am most definitely a funny doggo.
thank you dog from raditude, i'm a huge fan of your work
I am so glad that one of the most popular RUclips commenters right now is promoting the best Weezer album. I am still disappointed they didn’t include the Lil Wayne feature on OK Human
Love is the Answer is worse than Can’t Stop Partying. I stand by that.
Can't Stop Partying actually feels a lot more meaningful now that I've listened to the solo acoustic version. Feels like a desperate plea to stop the constant "drugs sex money" expectation of fame
Fax
Weezer's Raditude had the best album cover of all time, and it's not even close. That jump took years for that dog to master, and it had finally paid off he's not only a National Geographic spotlight, but also an iconic role on the front cover of Weezer's masterpiece. i guess you could say it put the dogs confidence back together, and he got hot and started tripping down the freeway. And to this day he's still jumping and still partying!!!
"raditude is one of the Weezer albums of all time" lol
i'll never forget a classmate who found out the historical significance of the pink triangle because of that one weezer song…
well, the more you know 👍
It me
@@quackerbarrel3709 me too
Degenerate symbols
I learned that from Weezer too lol
Wow, I can’t believe you suggested that Weezer is the best band of all time. You’re 100% correct btw.
Aye love your work dude!
Nosiree bob
truest comment ever i love weezer
Mic, I think a 'The Cure' DDD would be amazing for you and your viewers. Thank you for this one in the meanwhile!
The Cure has an insanely prolific, diverse and incredible discography that not many people on this website really talk about, so I would love a DDD on them.
I agree. The Cure DDD would be great.
i was surprised he didn't mention Pornography on the list of mass exodus albums, since that's one of the most notable ones
hell yes my most wanted one for sure
I second this
Honestly, the lyrics on Pinkerton are my favorite part of the album. They're dark, gross, creepy, and unflattering, and I think that kind of blunt honesty is what I like the most in Weezer. Pinkerton shows you every part of Rivers, especially the dark corners of his mind. Everyone has darkness in them that we try to ignore, so it's interesting to see it almost embraced in this strange, nervous way. That's why my least favorite Weezer albums are the ones that feel less authentic, like Green and Raditude. Even though the other material is a mixed bag, I like that Rivers can unapologetically be himself and write what he wants to write. That all being said, White is their best album
@ghost mall cope
Pinkerton is misogynistic, predatory, and awful.
@@bitterman7258 grow up.
@@ninja_tony im sorry ninja tony, i will indeed grow up in the future, ninja tony
Maladroit man, don't forget Maladroit
Are you planning to do one of these for, like, ABBA or something and call it "Deep Disco Dive"? Or have you already used that joke?
@Reinald object shows are bad
This joke is way too good
He really should cover abba
Rivers yelling KEVIN GREENE is one of the most entertaining things I’ve seen in a while
As someone who had my own deep dive into Weezer in January of this year after OK Human, I guess I can comment on the Pinkerton thing. I had listened to Blue and Pinkerton during the last of my high school years, and I really treasured the songs off of Blue on my drive to and from high school. Pinkerton was never that sort of thing that I really grasped onto in the same way, it felt so foreign that I didn't really know what to make of it, but I would still say I liked it enough. Fast-forward to OK Human's release, and I started going through Weezer's back-catalogue and found upon revisiting as a college student that Pinkerton is one of my favorite albums of all time, and possibly my favorite of the 90s. I love how relistenable it is, how progressive and complex it is, and how embarrassing and heartfelt it is. That fact that an album can have such good hooks, such delectable noise, and such cutting lyrics, to me, shows tremendous artistry. So yes, I would start a cult over this album, but the cult already exists, and I'm a member of it.
This guy gets it. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Tbh, I really think you need to have a certain age to start appreciating pinkerton. Sounds dumb as fuck but it's true
Pinkerton is not only my favorite Weezer album, it’s one of my favorite albums of all time
correct!
Just my 2 cents as a guy who first listened to Pinkerton two years ago in college: I love this album precisely because it's so willing to make Rivers look so pathetic and resentful. It's not a pleasant listen, and it's embarrassing, but it knows that and leans into it. There's no ego here, no desire to present a positive image to the listener. It's callous and bitter in a way that feels very lucid and insightful to me, even though I don't "relate" to it in the way that word is usually used. I find it cathartic because it's such a great portrait of pure, isolated id.
I’m so glad you mentioned the opening line of “El Scorcho” because I and every other half-Japanese person I know hates it
White Album was a sleeper hit for me. First I was like "This is pretty good!" and now it's my second favorite Weezer album. Nothing in my life will ever be as thematically linked to music ever again as when I spent 6 months living by the beach in San Francisco during the pandemic and moved right after the summer ended; that album legit felt like the soundtrack to my life, closer "Endless Bummer" in particular.
White album I feel is on par with Blue and Pinkerton.
Which is first? I have it as second as well, just below Pinkerton
@@al3ph35 I have it behind Blue Album, personally
For me it Goes Blue Album Pinkerton and White Album.
Where did you move to after?
This was maybe the best Weezer take I've seen in a long, long time.
As you said, there is a certain abrasiveness to Pinkerton. Raw energy mixed with raw emotion, unfiltered through the mixing really stuck to me. The desperation of some tracks resonates the feeling of being an emotionally depraved teenager, some great examples of this is No Other One or Butterfly. Pinkerton can also be fun and light hearted sometimes. I feel like El Scorcho and The Good Life is a fun song to play and sing along to. In a sense, Pinkerton defined my teenage years: confused, deprived, tired and just want to find happiness. I know there are other ways to cope with the previous mentioned, but the roughness of Pinkerton just WORKED for me.
this guy is the Scott the Woz of music
I'm 29 yo. Listened to Pinkerton for the first time february this year and I would start a cult over this album. Pinkerton is so disgusting, raw and weird that makes It a unique experience. Rivers was really brave to put himself in such a bad light, because the content of those lyrics are embarassing to say the least (and he knew that). It isn't an easy listening, but there aren't many album like Pinkerton out there. I think Its a special work
Bold of you to tackle Weezer after Pat Finnerty’s legendary video
One of the best RUclips videos I’ve ever seen!!
It's incredible
Beato.
I didn't like it.
i don't know about that guy
I can't hate Beverly Hills, it was the first music video I ever bought for my ipod video and I watched it over and over. I also related to the lyrics.
I grew up very religious in a dull town, and romanticized California and teenage party culture bc I had none of that. And it was around when I started playing guitar and it introduced me to what a voice box was.
Though as an adult I find the image of Californian culture to be shallow and off-putting and realizing this is a very simple song, I still have a soft spot for it.
I think you should do a DDD on Kid Cudi. He's such an influential figure in modern rap and I would love to see your take on speedin bullet 2 heaven.
i still think its ome of the best cudi albums
Blows my mind how much the quality of these videos has improved over the last 2 years. Need a deep discog dive on deep discog dive
Adult who got into Pinkerton fairly recently here: I've been into Weezer, particularly the blue album, since I was a teen, but Pinkerton was always one with a few songs I enjoyed, but overall didn't get into, until the pandemic hit. I was a regularly touring musician, and just like that, the industry I had spent my life working in was essentially gone, and instead of doing what I loved, I spent a year stuck at home without a single other person. All the loneliness and insanity of the record spoke to me more and more with every listen. I can relate to the apathy of Tired Of Sex and Why Bother, the longing for human connection of Across The Sea and Pink Triangle (without the creepy aspects), and most of all the desire of to be able to go back to the good life of... El Scorcho.
the next weezer album will be called "warm soda can" and the opener will be about gangrene
I didn't think it was my personal situation that made me fall in love with Pinkerton, but then I realised I was in a situation with unrequited love, frustration, feeling aimless... so yeah. I was 21. I still love the album but it's definitely not personally relatable to me anymore. What I respect the most is Rivers just putting himself unabashedly out there with no pretense.
"I'mma do the things that I wanna do. I ain't got a thing to prove to you." ❤❤❤
I can't believe Mic skipped over the Statefarm jingle cover, it's unironically one of the best things Weezer has ever done
"In conclusion, Raditude is one of the Weezer albums of all time." -Mic the Snare
I didn’t hear Pinkerton back when it came out. I was way too young. However, I discovered it in like 2005 or so when I was an awkward, nerdy teen, insecure with mental illness. It hit me incredibly hard in a way that none of their other albums ever did. I also played Blue to death. I remember feeling so let down by the Beverly Hill single and super angsty about it getting popular. Haha, god I was cringe. It’s still a bad album though.
Still bad lmao 💀💀
I 💯 agree. Pinkerton is garbage.
Being a Weezer fan is a constant cycle of fleeting optimism and crushing disappointment.
Just like his idol, Scott the Woz, Mic commits Arson when he moves house
you know what I'm gonna play at my wedding? 'Crab'!"
I listened to Weezer’s new stuff first, starting with none other than Pacific Daydream. Knowing nothing about them, I thought the music was cool and that was it. With the release of the Black Album, I thought I’d give them a try and ended up falling in love with Rivers and the crew. I dig deeper, and though my tastes wouldn’t initially allow me to listen to their older stuff, I appreciated the band enough that I started listening to it. Honestly the more I learn about this band the more I love it. They are relatable to me in some sense, and I got every reference on their latest album Van Weezer. I think that I come from a different “backwards” perspective if you will on Weezer. As a result, I am one of the few fans that truly loves ALL their music (if not every song, at least every album). I love the phases Rivers has gone through and I have lots of love for everything about this band. I will also note that, unsurprisingly, more than the Blue Album, Pacific Daydream, Everything Will be Alright, and the Black Album, are the most nostalgic to me.
I got into Weezer and fell in love with Pinkerton in Uni, so I fell in love with it without that nostalgic perspective. The music itself is amazing of course, with Falling for you as a highlight. And this might also be the most important song for explaining my love for the album at a later age. It is the realisation that you still haven't overcome the demons of a previous you. You are still afraid of being vulnerable again after thinking you've left that behind in the past (The Good Life, Pink Triangle and to an extent El Scorcho), but instead you feel like you are hitting that wall again. But before returning to that old place and thinking you are just a simple 3-chord loser, you think to yourself, fuck it, "I'm ready lets do it".
With this, you can appreciate the journey before Falling for you, with Across the Sea as a clear low point:
"So you send me your love from all around the world
As if I could live on
Words and dreams and a million screams
Oh, how I need a hand in mine to feel"
It inspires to have an honest look back at your lows in order to explain the insecurities you are still having, of which you used to think that you would grow out of them somehow.
I would still rank Blue over Pinkerton, but it is a clear #2 for me.
Oh btw, Everybody get Dangerous is an amazing song and your trash opinion about it deserves to be burned as well.
Pinkerton is a disgusting predatory album that deserves to burn.
I'm slightly devastated you passed over 'All My Friends Are Insects' that they recorded for Yo Gabba Gabba. It is genuinely my favourite weezer track from post 2010
Would love to see Cocteau Twins and Pinback added to the poll. Iconic and deeply influential groups that often aren’t given the proper recognition IMO. Fantastic, hilarious, brilliantly written and edited as always. Thank you for being the only god-tier music RUclipsr with a consistent upload schedule (RIP rickthelai)
Yes please. I love the cocteau twins. Exceptional band
I left the radio playing on accident while I went to sleep once. During this epic, cinematic dream, "Hero" was playing the whole time.
I developed a new found appreciation for Weezer after that.
Not a big Weezer fan but I love their hits. There is something very charming about their music
I became a huge fan of Pinkerton after I turned 26 and got my first apartment all alone. I had just faced painful rejection from someone I really cared about and slept around with a lot of people and hung got into some drugs I’m glad I don’t do anymore. That album was a way for me to wallow in self pity but also sort of remind me that I wasn’t living the life I was meant to live. I remember starting the album right after sex in a car with someone I was getting sick of, and it was like a movie moment. TMI, but that’s my story. It will always be nostalgic to me for these reasons.
I'd love to see blink-182 covered on here. For the face of goofy pop punk in the early 2000's, their discography is incredibly varied, from mid-90's skate punk, to classic 2000's pop punk, and even some pretty experimental albums. Their untitled record from 2003 is my favorite album of all time, and I'd love to hear your opinion on the band.
I won't accept that "Trippin' Down the Freeway" diss. Song is insanely catchy, as is "Let It All Hang Out". I was 14 when the album came out and thought "Can't Stop Partying" was dark and bleak at the time, so take this with a grain of salt. (I really hate "Love is the Answer" and "In The Mall" though, the former might just be their worst ever).
Really great video, you nailed nearly everything and your humor is sharp as always. Only missed the b-sides and deluxe songs, I mean, Red Album's bonus tracks are top-tier.
I think Raditude is one of Weezer's best albums, despite all direction of good taste saying otherwise. Fun, goofy, cringy, its everything i need from Weezer, its a huge guilty pleasure i guess but i think its real underrated.
See, the key is to have gotten really into Raditude and Hurley when you’re young so then everything else sounds GREAT after
what is a weezer
idk, ask weezer
I marathoned the entire discography of this band, amde a tierlist and wrote pocket size reviews for my friends in 12 hours befroe watching this video. I MADE MY HOMEWORK, MIC.
Somehow matched in most of the opinions, except i thought greater of hurley due to the course correction attempt, finding white a bit too pop to rate higher over others albums like green i.e., hating black more than your meh rating, liking ok human a lot more and somehow gettigna complete lyrical meaning from you? (i need to get my ears checked) and not enjoying van wezzer due to it' cut n paste approach to homage.
It's been a year has an of this changed with time?
Raditude is a fantastic record. It's super original, fun to listen to, and asks some deep questions we have to ponder for ourselves. I didn't understand its beauty until years after discovering it, but now it's all clear and I've become enlightened
Parting partying
Partying partying
Now that you’ve covered Weezer, I can finally start voting for King Gizzard in every single DDDD. Hooray.
man of culture
I believe an interesting band to do a DDD on would be U2. They have a lot of material to cover, especially from Unforgettable Fire to Pop
I also find it interesting to see when people think they fall off, as well as how good they thought the band was during their peak
It interesting how they started as a post-punk band, transitioned into being an earnest and heartfelt rock band, transformed into a ironic flashy alternative band in the 90s, and now they're back to their earnest rock and roll roots. They’re a great band with many great eras.
@anyway96 I agree although I think it’s a noticeable step down from their best work. Unfortunately a lot of people don’t seem to agree
perfect situation will forever hold a special place in my heart because that was the first song I listened to after my first breakup... lots of bitter-sweet memories lie in that opening guitar solo...
Didn’t get into Pinkerton until I was an adult, and it’s slowly become my favorite album in general. I appreciate the production, composition, and honesty the most. None of the criticisms of the lyrics ever made sense to me as they are clearly self aware and never attempt to glorify Rivers’ thoughts. It just seems like low having fruit to criticize something like across the sea for instance, as if you’re intentionally missing the point.
Rivers Cuomo confessing to having a thing for teenage Japanese girls is not something that should be commended or celebrated. He should be in jail.
It's cuz he's a white man who doesn't suck the peepee, the criticism of his lyrics
I'm slowly diving into Weezer thanks to this video. Atm I really love Foolish Father
The year is 3021 and the spoon ddd still hasn’t dropped
Pinkerton(and blue album) changed my life, I got into it after my first breakup, my ex cheated on me after 5 years,which caused me to drop out of college and move back into my parents house. I had never had experienced this much failure and sorrow at once in my life at this point. I listened to Pinkerton in the shower in the morning before I went to work, sobbing and singing along from the pain I felt. All I had known had gone to nothing, my potential dream career gone, my supposed best friends all gone and my ex who was my first kiss, first time and first girlfriend. A real turning point in my life and I felt the deep parts of Pinkerton because of this. Blue Album also contributed to this but Pinkerton really brought out the pain in my heart at the time and helped me cope with it.
I found OK Human to be Rivers’ most personal album next to Pinkerton. Listening to it made me feel that he really poured his heart and soul into this as well as what he learned from his depression era in the mid to late nineties.
I thought I knew a lot about Weezer. Nope. Loved the video, thanks for all the work putting it together!
I don't know why but I love their take of Lost In The Woods from the Frozen 2 soundtrack. It's just a fantastic song
"I hope the dog is getting lots of pets"
Who's gonna tell him...
Cant wait for your speech on Raditude, the greatest work of art in musical history.
Finally a Weezer take that isn't just the "Blue good, Pinkerton bad, oh and the rest of the albums don't exist" kind. Great video man!
The only centrist Weezer review
There’s nothing more satisfying than finishing an artist’s entire discography and watching these videos when your finished.
I did it with AJR, Green Day and now Weezer.
This series is really enjoyable especially the more “out there” artists. I think a deep dive on the Smashing Pumpkins or the Flaming Lips would be great!
I commemorate Rivers for writing those lyrics for Pinkerton especially for “Across The Sea”. 90% or more of people experience intrusive thoughts and when you’re in such a state as rivers was, you can go multiple ways but the ways that I think about it is. I think he might’ve consciously or unconsciously made the decision of not being a cynical asshole across Pinkerton. It can be real easy to be cynical when you’re in a state that he was in. I’d say it’s Alice In Chains type of honesty
That disgusting shit shouldn’t be celebrated man. And no, it’s nothing like Alice in Chains. Alice in Chain aren’t confessing about being sexually attracted to teenagers.
I think I saw a post on the Weezer subreddit that confirmed that Sidney the dog passed away in November 2019, but he was indeed a very good boy.
Sidney actually “interviewed” Rivers as part of the album’s rollout.
I love Weezer. Thank you for doing this one!! It would be cool if you did a Fall Out Boy one since they just did a tour with Green Day and Weezer recently
Found this years later as an adult. I loved it and STILL love it. One of my all time favorite albums. Great songs, and the recording is great. Granted, I'm not much of a person for paying attention to lyrics so maybe that's it.
24:00 I'm glad you agree
17:00 I dont know but riff is pretty damn crunchy
34:25 I was disappointed Rivers didn't do that rap verse
OK Human is probably one of my favorite Weezer albums since I guess The Blue Album and Pinkerton. Just a total change of pace, from out of nowhere. Rivers is really at his songwriting best in my opinion.
as a massive fan of weezer, this was a great in depth video to watch. fantastic job
I’VE BEEN VOTING FOR WEEZER FOR SO LONG
I never really listened to Weezer. Sure, I was familiar with like Buddy Holly and My Name is Jonas, but that was really about it. When I heard OK Human for the first time last year, I instantly fell in love with it and then decided to start further looking into the band. I first heard "Pinkerton" when I was 28 years old. It's my second favorite weezer album right behind OK Human now.
I didn't hear Pinkerton in it's entirety until last year (I'm 22). I actually prefer it to Blue because of it's abrasive nature. It's honest, nasty, weird and even creepy in some places. But that's how human emotion is, isn't it?
When I caught Weezer in concert a handful of years ago, they changed the lyrics to El Scorcho to reference The Pixies instead of Green Day.
Probably just recency bias, but OK Human is my currently favorite Weezer record. I’m glad out turned around on it!
I personally think that both California Kids and Wind in our Sails is my personal favorite weezer songs of all the albums. For me, I really was trying to get though highschool at the time and I found this album. I was driving home in the winter and it made me feel important. While I think that all the other songs can be better, I really think this is a really good opener for a weezer album and I always come back to this song during those cold winter nights.
I know its a little dramatic, but that's I feel.
So Pinkerton entered my life when I was around 18? I was into Weezer beforehand but the Pinkerton aspect didn't really fully sink in until I feel like towards the end of High School and the start of college. However I'm 28 now so the timeline might be blurring a little bit. This was during the same point where I was really digesting the catalogs of Nirvana, Alice In Chains, and other 90's adjacent acts.
It struck a pretty decent cord back then. However as I get older that cords gets hit a little less but I still appreciate it. Just instead of it feeling it in a more direct fashion I feel like an observer reminiscing on my old angst, alongside Rivers. Which if my teenage angst flares up it'll Pinkerton will probably do the job again but I'm a lot happier these days! I find that as I've gotten more comfortable with myself the Blue Album is a bit more relatable. The bridge in Across The Sea has my favorite Weezer lyrics ever though with “As if I could live on / Words and dreams and a million screams / Oh, how I need a hand in mine to feel.”
Also Crab is a bop.
my favorite weezer song has always been susanne off the mallrats soundtrack. contains just about everything i enjoy in a weezer song condensed into a somewhat short runtime, feels like a shot of serotonin to my cranium
Undone the sweater song is my favorite
I was a pretty big Weezer fan growing up, but I didn’t discover Pinkerton until I was a freshman in college for whatever reason. As a nerdy, awkward kid who would fall in love with basically any girl who would talk to him, the lyrics of unrequited love and the frustrations that come from that really hit home with me. I still love the album and play it every now and then. Although I definitely agree with you that a few lyrics can be a bit problematic.
I'm one of those people who actually really enjoys Make Believe
I'm pretty sure the "you wanted arts and crafts" line is about fans hoping that they were gonna sign to that more indie and experimental label
Man I haven't listened to Weezer since High School, but I do have fond memories of their first 2 albums plus plenty of nostalgia. So it's nice to think about. Personally I'd recommend you check out the deluxe version of Pinkerton, there's a lot of excellent stuff on there.
I'm so glad you referenced the greatest cover of all time, Billy Cob's cover of Wrestle With Jimmy.
This is Scott the woz but for music
I went to one of the 2000 shows and it was absolutely incredible. There were 4 unknown songs (none of them were on the green album), but the rest was from the Blue album or Pinkerton. The energy in the crowd was incredible. Seemed that almost all of us were huge fans and were so incredibly excited the band hadn't broken up.
Scott the woz but music
This feels like a music reviewing Scott the Woz.
I love it.
Can we get a coheed and Cambria episode
I’d love to see him try to dissect the plot.
not even mentioning Neil Cicierega's mashup of "Say It Ain't So" with "In the Hall of the Mountain King"? smh my head
As someone who kinda grew out of their Weezer phase, I still have mad respect for the die-hard fans who still stick with them, even if they are fully aware of how many disappointments their discography has.
edit: I am going to blame this video for me getting into another Weezer phase. After listening to their newer stuff in full, I made a playlist of their best late-period songs, and they've been in rotation for two weeks now.
Apologies for the long incoming probably TMI comment on Pinkerton, but since I was asked, I will bite. (Feel free to ignore this lol)
I'll preface by saying I actually got into really 'listening to music' this year as a way of improving my mental health and happiness after a year of quarantine. I've suffered from really bad depression of the 'I don't want to get out of bed or even lift my head off the pillow' variety for pretty much half my life at this point since I was 15. It severely impacted my desire and ability to do anything I enjoyed, exercise, enjoying food, and enjoying media. I barely watched any movies or TV, I barely socialized with people, and I didn't listen to any music. I mean like. No music. I had maybe 200 songs on my old iPod for 15 years, and I listened to the radio in the car with my mom when we drove now and then. This year I made a conscious effort to start getting into music because I wanted a hobby, something to enjoy and grow with, and music was something I had access to, with Spotify and review sites and RUclips channels, ect. So I started getting into discographies, listening to albums, I'm keeping a list and still going at it and increasing my range.
Anyways, long story short, I started with some Weezer this year. I haven't listened to all their stuff but I've currently heard Blue, Green, White, and Pinkerton. I heard Pinkerton for the first time this March when I was 29. Decidedly 'not young'. I do have to make one more contextual comment before getting to Pinkerton proper, in that when I listen to a new album that I know is 'famous' and I've missed out on, or a famous band or just want to learn more, I do research. I google it, look up articles, learn how it was taken in, ect. Because to me, the music is obviously the most important part, but I've always seen music as a human experience. I like learning about bands and the history behind albums and songs and lyrics and what the writer was thinking, and what fans think. I approach music as a very human experience. It's just what I do. Maybe due to why I'm listening to music this year, as a way of combatting my depression and malaise. I really want to connect to people through it, not just sit in my room alone and listen to an album.
So anyway, as you can imagine, there was a lot to learn about Pinkerton. The story about Rivers' leg, the story about its initial failure and his shame about it, then it's becoming an indie darling, ect. When I paired all this highly charged emotional backstory with the blisteringly honest lyrics, that yes at times are hard to look directly at given said honesty, it became a really interesting piece. I'm really excited to hear about the concept of mass exodus albums because I think that's something I'm naturally drawn to given how I connect to music as a human experience and why I'm personally getting more and more into music.
Funnily enough, 808s is probably a top 2 Kanye album for me and AoA is my favorite of Sufjan's so, I really think there's something to that. Even at 29, despite being a queer trans person with not a lot in common with the straight cis experience, I think what draws me to Pinkerton is the empathy I have for it. Knowing where it came from and why (again, now that I know it's a thing, likely tied to the concept of a mass exodus album). I definitely have my own experiences with the album. Pink Triangle will never be my favorite on the album for personal reasons, despite many others calling it their fave and a classic. I personally just don't want to hear straight people crying about unobtainable gay people. I also definitely think it's very ok to pause and look at older white guys pining for young Japanese girls. But at the end of the day, I know I'm a flawed person who has thought some weird and stupid and awkward shit over the other years, about other people, about myself. I don't really believe anyone who says they haven't. I think most people can find themselves somewhere in Pinkerton, even if its only a line. It's very easy to make fun of and dismiss. Just like weird and emotionally open people are. And I both empathize with and respect the hell out of people who are able to be honest, probably more now in my 30s than when I was younger. ... sorry for all that rambling! But that's my take on my first time listening to Pinkerton and where I am on it now.
as I get older I actually grow to enjoy Pinkerton more, no clue why I always thoughts I just grew to like the compositions more and more but I think as I get older I grow more and more desperate feeling or at lest being able to understand and relate to those types of emotions more
Saw them in London 2022 they put on an awesome show, way better than I dared hope for 👏 👏 👏