Weezer and the self-titled album ‘Weezer’

Ric Ocasek of The Cars produced the self-titled debut album for the Emo / Pop/Rock band Weezer. The album Weezer, commonly is called the Blue Album for the color of album cover, collected together ten songs for a release on Tuesday, May 10, 1994. Today we celebrate the music of this album as we review each of the Blue Album‘s ten songs.

(Often called the Blue Album owing to the background color of the album cover, Weezer, also considered and Alternative/Indie Rock band, released the self-titled album Weezer on May 10, 1994).

My Name is Jonas opens Weezer‘s debut album. With lyrics inspired, at least in part, by the relationship between lead vocalist Rivers Cuomo and his brother, the website Songfacts indicates for us that “This song tells the story of brothers named Jonas and Weepel reflecting on their childhood.”

(My Name is Jonas is the opening track for Weezer‘s self-titled, debut album).

No One Else follows with a sense of obsession for a girlfriend that the singer seems to wish will be obsessed and devoted strictly to him. As a youthful expression of something that couldn’t work long term, the next song seems inevitable.

The World Has Turned and Left Me Here continues with the same jealous young man of No One Else, with this song becoming one in which the singer “wonders why she left him.” The she in both songs was a girlfriend that he mocks in No One Else while aiming to control her.

Nostalgia is on tap with the song Buddy Holly, which Rivers Cuomo saying here that the “song is about defending a platonic female friend.” The song originally was thought of as a song about the dancing of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, yet over time moved into the song we have today with lyrics referring to musician Buddy Holly and actress Mary Tyler Moore. This song topped the charts in the United Kingdom at 12 while topping out at 18th in the United States.

(Released September 7, 1994, Buddy Holly was the second single from Weezer‘s debut album, Weezer (aka the Blue Album)).

Undone [The Sweater Song] looks into the notion of “going insane in public,” as made explicit here. That this song plays in metaphorical references was clear to me from first hearing the song. Using drums combined with an undulating musicality to open this song makes for a memorable start for the pop anthem sensibility that this song becomes. This song topped the charts in the UK at 35 while topping out at 57th in the US. Mykel Allan has a spoken intermission in this song, as Karl Koch adds dialogue and piano as the song ends.

(Undone [The Sweater Song] was released as the first single from Weezer‘s debut album on June 24, 1994).

Rivers Cuomo once called Surf Wax America “a total sarcastic call to hedonism, to sing along, drink and be merry.” In doing that here, Cuomo went on to add that he hates “drinking and only do so when I absolutely have to.”

Say It Ain’t So offers Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo the chance to cope with “his family frustrations.” As mentioned on the Songfacts post for the song, “Cuomo‘s family had been hurt by alcohol abuse in the past, as his father was an alcoholic and left the family when Rivers was four. When Cuomo saw the beer in the fridge, he thought his stepfather was also going to end up leaving.” The song achieved its highest success in the United Kingdom by charting 37th there.

(As the third and final single from Weezer‘s 1994 debut album, Say It Ain’t So was released as a single on July 13, 1995).

In the Garage seems to harken back to Rivers Cuomo’s teenage years, wherein he would play music in a somewhat private and safe space. The song itself includes a “fuzz bass effect…not typical of the album, but helped give the song a garage rock sound to keep with the theme.”

Holiday captures philosophical themes that “Rivers Cuomo was interested in at the time he wrote [the song] in 1993,” per Songfacts.

(From left, the musicians of Weezer initially included Patrick Wilson, Rivers Cuomo, Brian Bell and Matt Sharp).

Only in Dreams was mentioned by Rivers Cuomo in a 2006 interview as being one of the two solos for which he was “most proud of/likes the most,” as called out here. The song itself closes the album almost as an answer to the songs No One Else and The World Has Turned and Left Me Here, wherein the notion of aspiring to what comes next as a sign of uplift and healing.

Matt – Wednesday, May 4, 2022

The Year 2019 in Music

Matt Lynn Digital began reviewing music in 2019, in part motivated by the guest post offered by friend of the blog Cobra in June. Today’s post is a walk down memory lane for posts more musically inclined through the year, whether they be album reviews or book reviews.

The year in music officially began for us with the book review of Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s Unmasked: A Memoir on January 5th. Folks interested in a more classical music sound infused with rock and roll, the 1960s, or Phantom of the Opera will appreciate this autobiographical look into the early career of Lloyd Webber.

(Andrew Lloyd Webber and the autobiographical Unmasked: A Memoir was reviewed in January).

Fans of Bruce Springsteen will enjoy that we took three looks into the career of the boss this year, beginning with the autobiography of Born to Run on March 20th. We added the album review of arguably the best album of his career, with a look into the album Born to Run on July 27th. We then looked into his Springsteen‘s tribute to September 11th, 2001 with The Rising on September 11th.

(Bruce Springsteen and the autobiography Born to Run was a courageous and revealing look into the boss. We reviewed the book in March).

Cobra offered us an album review of Southeastern by Jason Isbell on June 17th. Many a country music fan will enjoy this selection.

(Jason Isbell and the album Southeastern was guest reviewed by Cobra in June).

Arguably the most popular musicians of the 20th century, if without a doubt the 1960s, was the band from Liverpool named The Beatles. Abbey Road was originally published 50-years ago this year, and still holds up as a playful mixture of the personality of songwriters John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

(Abbey Road by The Beatles was playful album showcasing the personalities of Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Our review was published in August).

Earning the moniker the King of Pop, the breakthrough album for many in Michael Jackson‘s solo career was the album Thriller. We looked into the album in October, as that album in many ways feels like autumn for us. That Paul McCartney of The Beatles was a contributor to a song on the album is gravy for us.

(Thriller by Michael Jackson included songs like Beat It, Billy Jean and Human Nature, in addition to the self-titled mega hit song named Thriller. Our review was published in October).

Our next musical look came with the self-titled album The Cars by The Cars in November. Perhaps the best single example of the album oriented radio model that was big in the 1970s, we were happy to see the band inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame before Ric Ocasek‘s death earlier this year.

(The Cars by The Cars launched a new wave of Rock & Roll when released in 1978. Our review was published in November).

Our final musical post touched on a more jazzy, crooner approach to Christmas music with Harry Connick Jr.‘s When My Heart Finds Christmas in December. Introducing new music and new interpretations of known classics, the album offered a much appreciated offering for the season.

(When My Heart Finds Christmas by Harry Connick Jr. offers an enjoyable jazz infusion into the holiday season. Our review was published in December).

This look into the musical blogs of Matt Lynn Digital has offered a smattering of the year 2019 from our corner. It has been my pleasure walking down this memory lane over time. Know that you are getting to know us through our tastes, and the joy we’ve taken in the music produced by those we’ve highlighted through this year.

Matt – Saturday, December 28, 2019