Weezer’s Blue album is a lighthearted, fun guitar record with cheesy and strange lyrics, written by a bunch of social outcasts who love metal guitar solos. This makes it a great foil to the grunge rock that was popular at the time of its release.
It is an album for the nerds who were in the high school band or the eggheads in the back of the classroom who got straight A’s but not the girls.
While the dark sounds of grunge were extremely popular in the early to mid-’90s, Weezer had a novel, offbeat approach to songwriting. Rivers Cuomo leaned into his quirkiness during the writing process, resulting in a masterpiece that MTV deemed buzzworthy. The Blue Album is an effortlessly energetic album.
“My Name is Jonas” is the perfect opener for the album. The song features a tangled web of finger-picked acoustic guitars and explosive power chords. It is a well-written song about helplessness and being lost, with lyrics such as “The workers are going home” and “The dozer not clear a path.”
Rivers explores his nerdy self with the first song he ever wrote, “Undone – The Sweater Song.” He tells the story of being at a party where he realizes he will never be the cool guy. Rivers expresses his anger about this fact and reflects that he cannot change it, which almost drives him mad.
The unraveling of the sweater is a perfect metaphor for his lack of game when it comes to dating, how there is always a cool guy who will get the girl, and how he will be completely non-confrontational. The lyrics where Rivers sings, “he can sing, hear me now,” is his expression of projecting that he can be cool in his own nerdy way.
The Blue Album also features the fan favorite, “Say it Ain’t So.” The song reflects on family issues, with an alcoholic father who left their family when Rivers was four. It touches on how his father cleaned up, found Jesus, and how Rivers sees his father in himself.
“Buddy Holly,” a song made famous for the video, is a wonderful expression of anxiety and self-depreciation. A couple is getting bullied about their relationship, but they still have each other to keep themselves together. Rivers looks “Just like Buddy Holly,” who, while popular, was definitely nerdy, and his girlfriend is Mary Tyler Moore, who is a complete hottie.
Weezer’s Blue album is one of the most complete and consistent albums in Weezer’s discography. It is a perfect representation of how great the band was in the early to mid-’90s. Its honest music about depressing subjects is extremely relatable.
The album is laced with tongue-in-cheek humor and at times injects a lame persona with lyrics such as “Why are these homies dissin’ my girl?” while at the same time having one of the best opening lines to a song ever.
The Blue Album ensures it never strays from the melodrama.
Must Listen To Tracks: My Name Is Jones, Buddy Holly, Undone (The Sweater Song), Say It Ain’t So, In The Garage, Only in Dreams
Buy Weezer’s Blue Album on Amazon.
