When Weezer burst onto the alternative scene in the early ’90s, their geeky brand of classic rock influenced power pop confounded audiences. Crowds they would play in front of gave them little to no reaction, and in fact only 90 copies of their debut were sold in the first week of release. The simple truth of the matter was that rock fans of the time wanted more cynical pessimistic grunge with dirty, noisy hooks. The kind of goofy introspection and melodic pop glossiness that Weezer was pushing was considered lame and embarrassing.
But something strange happened. Weezer managed to impress the major label suits at Geffen and their subsidiary, DGC, despite their chances of success being very slim. MTV turned them into overnight sensations with music videos for “Undone (The Sweater Song)”, “Say It Ain’t So”, and the creative Happy Days throwback, “Buddy Holly.” And perhaps most importantly, 1994 happened to be the year that more melodic bands like Green Day and the Offspring achieved huge mainstream success. All of a sudden, a polished pop act like Weezer was considered cool, they became big stars, and the Blue Album went multiplatinum and is now considered one of the most iconic debuts of all time.
Of course, to put all their success down to sheer dumb luck would be discrediting the band immensely. Make no mistake about it, this record is an immaculate collection of pop gems and devilishly catchy ear worm melodies. Getting Ric Ocasek of the Cars on board to produce the album was a smart move, as his pop sensibilities and ear for tasty hooks gave the Blue Album a polished sheen that made this group sound like seasoned vets in the studio despite it being their first studio album. This is that rare studio album that sounds like it could be a greatest hits compilation for those unfamiliar with the band.
The boys were seemingly on a mission to pay tribute to all their disparate influences, and roll them into a cohesive whole that would make the resulting sound completely theirs. They had a little bit of the laidback slacker style and sonic dynamics of indie heroes Pavement and the Pixies. They added a dash of grunge cynicism of bands like Nirvana. They clearly had a lot of love for the power pop antics of Cheap Trick and the Raspberries. There were plenty of vocal harmonies that would make even the Beach Boys blush. And while so called “dinosaur rock” influences were a big no no in the alternative ’90s, Weezer simply didn’t care and reveled in the monster riffs, guitar solo shenanigans, and showmanship and theatrics of yesteryear legends Kiss and Queen. Here we had a prime dad rock band for the Gen X audience of the time.
Every single song on here is a winner in my eyes. “No One Else” is the tale of a jealous, possessive asshole who wants to control his girlfriend to the sounds of ’50s/’60s drive-thru rock. “The World Has Turned And Left Me Here” immediately follows, detailing the girl dropping his sorry ass, and of course, he’s typically clueless even though everyone else could easily tell you why he’s alone. “Buddy Holly” is an atypical love song of two misfits who find happiness despite all the shit they deal with from judgemental people. The quasi-reggae ballad, “Say It Ain’t So” explores Rivers Cuomo’s strained relationships with his father and stepfather.
“Holiday” opens with one of the most sublime guitar riffs ever, and is just a straight up rockin’ good time. “In The Garage” is an ode to the lonely introverts who feel isolated from the world. “Only In Dreams” gives us an eight minute epic about loving a girl you have no chance of being with, and features one of the best basslines and instrumental breakdowns in the entire history of rock music. And if you get your hands on the deluxe edition, you get gems like “Mykel And Carli” and “Jaime.” I could go on all day about my love for these songs.
As you might have guessed by now, despite the sugary sweet nature of the album and the references to girls, surfing, and Dungeons & Dragons, there is a melancholic underpinning bubbling beneath the surface. While other bands of the era dealt in the cliche of “everything sucks,” Weezer was more sensitive and introspective. They’re basically a bunch of dorks singing dorky songs about being dorks and they clicked with dorks the world over. And thankfully, they had the decency to be self aware the entire time.
This is an album for all the losers out there. No, not the generic “I hate society” cool losers that were popular in the ’90s. I’m talking about the losers who have a hard time making friends. The losers who just can’t muster the courage to talk to girls. The awkward sad sacks living in their own little bubble, feeling completely lonely while feeling far more comfortable being alone. The nerds who would rather play video games than sports. You know, dorks like me.
While they arguably wouldn’t go emo until their sophomore effort, Pinkerton, the Blue Album was a touchstone for future bands like Jimmy Eat World, the Get Up Kids, and Saves The Day who proudly wore their hearts on their sleeves. It’s an album with the ability to connect with legions of disaffected youth with low self esteem and a heaping helping of insecurities. It’s a landmark for all the beta males, misfits, and kids who just don’t fit in no matter how hard they try. The fact that it can reach out to all of them and make them feel a little bit better about their situations speaks volumes to the power this album still holds, even today.
While many alternative and indie purists of the time mocked the band because they percieved them to be goofy sellouts cashing in on the bandwagon, the legacy of the Blue Album cannot be overstated. It influenced a seemingly endless array of future pop punk and power pop bands, and paved the way for emo to embrace its pop leanings. It made power pop cool to the indie hipsters. It almost singlehandedly created nerd rock overnight, and started the path to geeks becoming accepted by mainstream culture. Weezer wasn’t a bunch of cool, rock star hunks. They were just a bunch of lameass dweebs who wore normal clothes and sang about their emotional issues.
And ultimately, I love this album for all of those reasons. I have a tendency to fawn over the melodic side of rock, and this bad boy contains enough delicious pop hooks to satisfy my needs until the day I die. Power pop is among my favorite styles of music, and the Blue Album is nearly the pinnacle of the genre. And perhaps most importantly, it’s an album I can relate to immensely. I tend to be a very insecure person and my self worth is dangerously low. I don’t give myself nearly enough credit, and I am probably the biggest goober you’ll ever meet. But I can put this baby on and immediately feel comfortable. It reminds me that I need to accept myself for who I am and embrace my quirks and oddities. I’m awesome, damn it, and forget what people might think of me. I should feel proud of myself and how far I’ve come. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I might listen to this for, I don’t know, the 97th time?
Happy Katana 