So what is “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer actually about?

Weezer were a revelation for 90s alternative rock. Heavy metal and comic books were how Rivers Cuomo was raised. Kiss and the X-Men were the Gods that he praised. And while Kurt Cobain also loved 70s Arena Rock and Marvel Comics, he never admitted to it in song. Devo and They Might Be Giants had set the groundwork, but Weezer proved definitively that nerds could indeed rock. As well as saving the hair metal guitar solo from obsolescence, on the band’s first album Cuomo wove tales of unravelling mental health, absent fathers and romances never attempted, told through the lens of personal minutiae and pop cultural obsession. Intimate and arena rock in equal measures, this is the story of how Weezer made The Blue Album.

#weezer #alternative #MusicDocumentary

Fact-checking by Chad Van Wagner.

00:00 Introduction
00:48 The Early Days of Rivers Cuomo in LA
07:24 The Creation of Say It Ain’t So
13:35 Recording The Blue Album
20:03 Releasing The Blue Album
27:26 After The Blue Album

Soundtrack
Luar – Citrine (https://soundcloud.com/luarbeats)
Jesse Gallagher – The Golden Present
Luar – Anchor (https://soundcloud.com/luarbeats)

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Rivers’ Edge by John D Luerssen, 2004, ECW Press
“Rivers Cuomo Interview” Lÿndsey Parker, Porkchops & Applesauce, 1994
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“Rock Candy” Jac Zinder, Spin Magazine, Jan 1995
“Weezer” Simon Witter, Sky, Feb 1995
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“Weezer: Nerds No More“ Paul Gobicheau, Boston Globe, Mar 1995
“Man of Steel” Tom Beaujour, Guitar World, Mar 1995
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“Weirder by the Day“ Al Muzer, Aquarian Weekly, Apr 1995
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“Tourbus Tales: Weezer” Vox, May 1995
“As Funny as They Wanna Be : Who’s laughing now?” Steve Appleford, LA Times, May 1995
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“Ol’ Nerdy Bastard” Mark Lewman, RIP Magazine, Jan 1997
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“Odd Man Out” Ian Winwood, Kerrang!, Jul 2001
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“Rivers Cuomo’s Encyclopedia of Pop” Jenny Eliscu, Rolling Stone, Jun 2002
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“Welcome to The Family” George Garner, Kerrang!, Sep 2013
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“How Weezer’s ‘Pinkerton’ Went From Embarrassing to Essential” Laura Marie Braun, Rolling Stone, Sep 2016
“Weezer’s Blue Album: 10 Things You Didn’t Know” Jordan Runtagh, Rolling Stone, May 2019
“Bitter Sweet: The Blue Album By Weezer Revisted” [sic] Michael Hann, The Quietus, May 2019
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“Weezer’s The Blue Album Turns 25: Track-by-Track Retrospective” Billboard Staff, Billboard, May 2019
“The Strange Birth and Near Death of Weezer” Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, Aug 2019
“The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s” Pitchfork Staff, Pitchfork, Sep 2022
“Weezer’s Blue Album at 30: The inside story of the debut that launched L.A.’s nerdiest band” Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, Mar 2024
“Weezer’s ‘Blue Album’ at 30, the scene reflects: “It’s timeless”” Ian Chaddock, Rocksound, May 2024
“Why the Big Dumb Feelings of Weezer’s ‘Blue Album’ Still Hit Hard” Eli Enis, Men’s Health, May 2024
“Why Weezer’s ‘The Blue Album’ Is One Of The Most Influential ’90s Indie Pop Debuts” David Silverberg, The Grammys, May 2024

Written by Trash Theory