Weezer’s 1994 debut album is flawless. It’s one of the best albums of the ’90s and, positively, one of the best rock debuts in history. Frontman Rivers Cuomo cracked the code on writing a perfect pop song, and it’s a height he’s rarely touched since. One of the record’s highlights harkens back to a simple time. Let’s delve into the meaning behind “Buddy Holly” by Weezer.
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Cuomo—in a sweater vest and glasses—is the anti-frontman. He moved to Los Angeles in the late ’80s, obsessed with shredding guitar but equally preoccupied with pop songwriting. When Cuomo heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” he was “pissed he didn’t write it.” He was on his way, though, and his brand of anti-cool power pop would influence as many bands as Nirvana.
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Who Needs Friends Like That?
Cuomo’s friends made fun of his Asian girlfriend; he was upset and responded by writing “Buddy Holly.” It was a defining song of the ’90s, and MTV stitched the music video into American culture through endless rotation.
Weezer’s nostalgic hit name-drops rock ’n’ roll legend Buddy Holly and actor Mary Tyler Moore. Moore became a cultural icon starring in The Dick Van Dyke Show in the ’60s, then The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the ’70s.
What’s with these homies dissing my girl?
Why do they gotta front?
What did we ever do to these guys
That made them so violent?
Buddy Holly pioneered ’50s rock ’n’ roll, famous for hits like “Peggy Sue” and “Everyday.” He died tragically young, aged 22, in a plane crash on his way to a concert with Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper, and the pilot, Roger Peterson. Don McLean famously mourned The day the music died in his song “American Pie,” lamenting the tragedy and the end of early rock ’n’ roll.
Cuomo’s image at the time echoed Holly’s clean-cut hair and glasses. Weezer stood apart from popular bands of the time, most of whom grew long hair and wore grungy, thrift-store clothing. Cuomo and his band looked more like college students, trading rock cool for nerdy introspection and sarcasm. It was a band of inside jokes, but millions of fans got it.
Ooh-wee-hoo, I look just like Buddy Holly
Oh-oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore
I don’t care what they say about us anyway
I don’t care about that
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The original chorus referenced Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire instead of Holly and Moore. In 2007, Geffen Records released a compilation of Cuomo’s home recordings, featuring an early demo of “Buddy Holly.” By this time, the chorus lyrics had settled on Buddy Holly and Mary Tyler Moore, but the tempo was much slower than the version on Weezer’s debut album.
We Want Buddy Holly
The Cars legend Ric Ocasek produced Weezer’s debut. The self-titled album, known as the “Blue Album,” became a massive success following the singles “Undone – The Sweater Song,” “Buddy Holly,” and “Say It Ain’t So.” However, “Buddy Holly” almost didn’t make the album. Cuomo didn’t think it belonged, and Ocasek labored to change his mind. He’d leave little notes around the studio that read “We want Buddy Holly” and encouraged Cuomo to record the song, then decided whether to include it.
The Fonz
“Buddy Holly’s” music video earned the band four MTV Video Music Awards. Spike Jonze—known for his work with Beastie Boys and Fatboy Slim—directed the band, which was set in a makeshift Happy Days episode where Weezer performed on the original set of Arnold’s Drive-In. Al Molinaro, who played Al on Happy Days, makes a cameo, and Weezer’s performance is interspersed with footage from the TV show. A body double put Fonzie’s animated dance in front of the band.
Anson Williams, the actor who played Potsie, wasn’t happy to appear in the video, but according to Blender, calmed down after receiving a letter from David Geffen. Jonze made the video without computer graphics, limited to camerawork and clever editing.
Tangled up in Blue
Weezer lives under the heavy skies of the “Blue Album.” It’s not surprising that the joined forces of Rivers Cuomo and Ric Ocasek from The Cars—one of the most significant power pop groups of all time—made something so special.
The “Blue Album” is one for the nerds, with dry wit, ironic synths, and burning guitar solos offsetting the slacker-rock vibe of the whole thing. Cuomo’s influences—Kiss, The Cars, Cheap Trick, The Beach Boys, and Nirvana, were formed into something entirely Weezer. Guitarist Brian Bell called Weezer “Beach Boys with Marshall stacks.”
Using geek humor, nostalgia, and Kurt Cobain’s hooks, Weezer was as important as Nirvana in changing the sound of rock ’n’ roll in the 1990s.
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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