"Pinkerton" is the second album from Weezer. It was released in 1996. The background into how this album came about is quite interesting. Weezer had just finished touring around Christmas of 1994 after the success of their smash-hit self-titled album which many fans have dubbed "The Blue Album" because of it's blue cover. During the time off, Rivers Cuomo took it upon himself to write a rock-opera about outer space. It would have been a concept album much like what I discussed in last week's entry. The name of the opera was intended to be titled "Songs from the Black Hole" but the project was dropped despite recording demos of the songs. Two reasons why the project was dropped both involved Cuomo. He applied to study at Harvard after he wrote them a letter about how disillusioned he had become with the rock and roll lifestyle (I wonder if Harvard would accept and give me a free ride if I wrote and told them I was disillusioned with something). He also had surgery to stretch out one of his legs because he was born with one leg longer than the other.
While studying and recovering from surgery, Rivers revisited some of the songs he wrote for "Songs from the Black Hole" and revised them. He also took songs that he had written before they wrote "The Blue Album" and recorded them. Soon Weezer had demos for Pinkerton.
"Pinkerton" is much different from most of Weezer's other work. It is very dark, deep, and experimental. With all that, it is still the same Weezer that I grew to love from "The Blue Album". "Pinkerton" was produced by Weezer themselves because as Rivers Cuomo put it: "The best way for us to sound like ourselves is to record on our own." The sound of "Pinkerton" can be described as big and abrasive which was achieved through multiple distortion pedals. Also because while Rivers was recovering from surgery the songs he wrote were written in the first position on the guitar fretboard (Can Guitar Hero teach you that?). Rivers also said that "Pinkerton" was short by design. It only has 10 songs and is about 35 minutes in length. The short by design has been a trademark of Weezer over the years.
The album also has quite a live feel to it. This was achieved by the band members recording their vocals in tandem around multiple microphones. So many of the sound tricks were learned by Rivers while he studied music at Harvard. Finally the album was released in September of 1996. The album gets it's name from B.F. Pinkerton in the play Madame Butterfly and the album is loosely based upon the play.
To me the songs of "Pinkerton" are so easy to relate with. It was so personal and direct that I think anyone can relate. Most of the songs deal with identity. Others involve groupies, dysfunctional relationships, and girlfriends. Even though I am not a rock star I understand what Rivers was singing about when he talks about how bad meaningless sex can be. Another song deals with being isolated and becoming a hermit. I get that. It applies to me. Another song deals with a guy who falls in love with a lesbian. I have been there. There was a girl that worked two stores down from me one summer. She was awesome. I just loved being around her and when I finally told her how I felt she said she was a lesbian. I felt bad and yet I felt happy. I was sad and it made me feel so alive. There's another song about how Rivers was too shy to talk to a girl. How many guys have been there? I know I have and lately it seems like it always happens. Another song deals with falling in love with someone who is far away, a long distance relationship type deal. The same song also explores Rivers love for Asian women and well...
The album was not well received. Critics panned it because they were expecting another "Blue Album". Rolling Stone said "Pinkerton" was juvenile and aimless and the magazine voted it the second worst album of 1996. Rivers Cuomo would later say that he hated "Pinkerton" and when the band toured for the album after this one, "The Green Album", they would not play any songs from "Pinkerton". Basically the album was a commercial flop in that it only sold 820,000 copies in the U.S.
The artwork on the cover comes from a print called Kambara Yoru no Yuki ("Night Snow at Kambara") by a Japanese artist named Hiroshige. There is a map under the album tray. The map is entitled "Isola Della Farfalla e Penisola Di Cane" which is Italian and means "Island of the Butterfly and Peninsula of the Dog". It also contains a ship called the USS Pinkerton and an island called "Mykel and Carli Island". Mykel and Carli Allan were twin sisters who were friends with the band. They started the Weezer fan club. Mykel and Carli made it a point to go to as many Weezer shows as possible to get people to join the fan club. Tragically, coming home from a show in Colorado they died in a car accident while Weezer was touring "Pinkerton". Weezer was deeply hurt by the loss and did a tribute show where they unveiled a song in honor of the sisters. (I'll have to upload the song if anyone is interested) There are other names on the map and Rivers explained that the names are people who inspired him during the process of "Pinkerton". Names include: Howard Stern, Lou Barlow, Brian Wilson, Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Matt, and Ace Frehley.
"Pinkerton" much like wine and women has gotten better with age. The critics now are singing it's praises. Spin magazine ranked the album #61 of the top 100 albums from 1985 to 2005. The album has been very instrumental in the alternative rock scene. Bands such as Yellowcard, Saves the Day, and Dashboard Confessional say this album had major influence on their careers. I can honestly say this album greatly influenced me. I remember listening to "Pinkerton" at all times and in all moods. I constantly have it loaded into my CD player.
Track list:
1. Tired of Sex (This song is about what the title says. Rivers Cuomo became tired of the meaningless groupie encounters. Rivers lists the names of some of his partners and wonders why he can't find love. This might be the most abraisive and distorted song in the Weezer library)
2. Getchoo (This song delves with how love and like is often nonreciprocal. How true is that?)
3. No Other One (This deals with how sometimes the relationships we find ourselves involved in aren't the best yet we still stick with that person because we don't think we can find another person. I've been there myself. There was a girl who cheated on me and I thought I may as well stick with her because I doubt I could find someone else)
4. Why Bother? (This song once again deals with meaningless sex and how sexual attraction can hamper a relationship. I love the line "It's just sexual attraction/ not something real so I'd rather keep whackin'")
5. Across the Sea (This song is about how while he was at Harvard, Rivers received a letter from a fan in Japan. He found himself falling in love with this girl. It explores the topic of long distance relationships. I can relate. I seem to fall for women far away, mostly because I fall for their intelligence. This song is very complex to play.)
6. The Good Life (This was the second single off "Pinkerton". It was rushed by the record company to help improve sales but it didn't work. I get a kick out of this song. It's like a change of life from being considered a kid to having all the responsibilities of an adult heaped on you as you long to be young again. I went through that as I saw so many people I knew getting married and I just wanted to go out and party and find that special someone.)
7. El Scorcho (This is the song Rivers wrote about being too shy to talk to a girl. The first few lines explain some of my shyness. This was a favorite in college. It's a great drinking song plus there are some great pop culture references. Who can tell me what "Watching Grunge leg drop New Jack through a press table" means? This was the first single off the album and radio stations refused to play it because of lyrics and MTV didn't like the video. Both of those reasons are attributed to why "Pinkerton" didn't sell many copies.)
8. Pink Triangle (This is the song where the narrator falls in love with a lesbian. It's funny because from the lyrics you get the feeling that the girl thinks the guy may be gay. The rumor is that Rivers fell in love with a girl at Harvard and he saw her wearing a pink triangle thinking she was lesbian. Years later he found out that she wasn't lesbian but merely supporting the gay community. The term "pink triangle" comes from the Nazis who made gays wear a pink triangle to designate them in the concentration camps.)
9. Falling for You (This song deals with having fears in a relationship. I get that. I have these feelings of inadequacy and soon my fears of if I am good enough for someone leads me to see the imperfections in my partner.)
10. Butterfly (To me this is a song about that bullshit saying, "If you love something then you set it free" but it is probably more of how you can lose the magic of love at the drop of a dime. It's like how when you catch a butterfly and eventually it dies. This is the most beautiful song on the album.)
To sum it all up, Rivers Cuomo said after many years, "Pinkerton's great. It's super-deep, brave, and authentic. Listening to it, I can tell that I was really going for it when I wrote and recorded a lot of those songs."
Patrick Wilson (drummer), Rivers Cuomo (lead guitar), Matt Sharp(bass, he only appeared on the first two Weezer albums), Brian Bell (rhythm guitar)
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