The American alternative rock band was a success! Their first album, in 1994, self titled, later to be known as the ‘blue’ album blew up. With singles like: Buddy Holly, Say It Ain’t So, and Undone - The Sweater Song, their music was vastly popular for all types of listeners. The pop rock kind of feel was very enticing for many. With the help of director Spike Jonze, Weezer’s music videos also became a huge success. The album would later go on to appear on ‘top albums of the nineties list’ from companies like Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Blender; and would later go onto be a three3 platinum record.

With the busy life of a rock star and the culture surrounding tours, lead singer Rivers Cuomo needed a break. He enrolled at Harvard University, using his admissions essay to talk about the discontentment of the culture around being a rock star. He made it in, but it would take about ten years to graduate, because he was so on and off with his upcoming albums. Weezer would then go on to produce 12 studio albums, with another, The Black Album, coming out today, on March 1st.

Even though Weezer had its highs, it definitely has had lows… a lot of lows. Rivers said in an interview, “I was pretty isolated living on my own. And I couldn’t drive, because my leg was all jacked up. Socially, I was kind of retreating into a shell after the shock of being in the spotlight in ’94 when our film was released”.  After the success of the Blue album, Rivers started working on the new album he was gonna title, Songs From the Black Hole, which would later become Weezer’s most disputed album ever, Pinkerton. Rivers was going through a dark time in his life after getting surgery on his leg. Pinkerton (1996) is a collection of ten songs, with a run time of only 34 minutes and 36 seconds. It has themes of heartache, sorrow, pain, frustration, and deep wanting.

The album instantly got backlash from the lots of the fans. They were expecting another power pop record with cheerful lyrics and bright upbeat melodies they were a bit disappointed about what they actual got. Weezer went into a slump for a bit. People accredited the success of the blue album to producer, Ric Ocasek, lead singer of The Cars. But Pinkerton started gaining the respect of people, and about ten years later, went on to be Weezer’s most disputed album ever. Some people hate it, some think its creepy, but it has a place in many people's heart. After years, it would eventually make it onto the Rolling Stone's Top Albums of All Time as the 16th place in 2003. Weezer’s Pinkerton album went on to be one of the most influential albums of all time; based off of its themes/ lyrics, its catchy riffs/melodies, and its effect on the rock genre forever.  

Rivers Cuomo didn’t know what to do! His music had morphed into something he didn’t want. His audience now consisted of Alternative junkies, metal heads, pop fanatics, losers, jocks, those people who only download the singles and not the full album, classic rockers, disco dancers, ect…, instead of the real ones. ‘So what to do know he thought… ah haah! I’ll make an album so dark and raw that the fake listeners will be scared off’ (not a real quote, just what I think was going on in his head). And that’s just what he did. By making the lyrics so honest and talking about his darkest thoughts. Like the time he fell in love with a ‘18’ year old girl from Japan who had written him a fan letter, or how he is tired of the rock star life and the things that go along with it… I mean all the things. The way that Rivers uses the lyrics to communicate his feeling is something most people can never achieve. They words give you a sense of not being alone in this hard world and that we have the same problems as other people, even our heros.

Pinkerton was original in several ways, but a major component was the instrumentals. We all fell in love with guitar riffs from the Blue album; Say it Ain’t So and Surf Wax America were signature riffs that teenagers alike tried playing on their older brothers electric guitar, (including myself). When the dark, grungy guitar and the furious drums of  Pinkerton hit the charts, many fans from the Blue album were turned off. By making such original sounds, their music resonates in your head. Instrumentals like these inspired a whole genre of second wave emo. You can hear it when you listen to bands like My Chemical Romance and Panic! At the Disco.

How does an album change rock? How do we redefine different, or risky? Pinkerton archives this and more. When you are the first one to be honest doesn’t that encourage others to open up their mouth too? Yes. Yes it does. People are afraid to say what they want. So much music these days tends to be generic, and not very meaningful. Pinkerton does the exact opposite. It mixes harsh, hard beats and melodies with tears that could be straight from a diary. Specific songs from Pinkerton that come to mind are: El Scorcho, Across the Sea, Pink Triangle, and Why Bother?.         

When Pinkerton was first released in 1996, it was hated by many fans and critics and was a big let down to fans after the success of the ‘Blue’ album. But because it it’s themes/ lyrics, its catchy riffs/melodies, and its effect on the rock genre forever, it is one of the most influential albums of all time.  Pinkerton isn’t for everyone… But I’m sure it’s for you! Seriously please listen to it if you haven’t already.

Work cited page

Braun, Laura Marie. “How Weezer's 'Pinkerton' Went From Embarrassing to Essential.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 24 Sept. 2018, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/how-weezers-pinkerton-went-from-embarrassing-to-essential-105567/.

Greene, Andy. “Rivers Cuomo Looks Back at 'Pinkerton'.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rivers-cuomo-looks-back-at-pinkerton-107425/.

Vinylmeplease. “7 Things That Wouldn't Exist Without Pinkerton.” Vinyl Me Please, 5 May 2016, www.vinylmeplease.com/magazine/7-things-that-wouldnt-exist-without-pinkerton/.

Weezer. Pinkerton. Weezer, 1996