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Thursday, June 5, 2008

Rivers Cuomo Name-Checks 15 Years Of Pop Songs On New Weezer Album Track

This is just the type of shit I live for! I went to grab Weezer's new self-titled album (unofficially dubbed The Red Album) at Amoeba Records last night, since I still have a gift certificate from my b-day. I'm a big Weezer fan since their first one, The Blue Album, which is one of the seminal albums of my D'luvvly first year away at college.

Anyway, the standout track from the new one for these ears is "Heart Songs," a wrenching, nostalgic pop trip through lead singer Rivers Cuomo's personal catalog of guilty FM radio pleasures.

Bonus points to Rivers for calling out ABBA, Debbie Gibson (though is he mistakenly attributing "I Think We're Alone Now" to her instead of Tiffany?), Rick Astley and Terence Trent D'Arby.

Here are the "Heart Songs" lyrics -- now go download:

Gordon Lightfoot sang a song
About a boat that sank in the lake at the break of the morn
And a Cat named Stevens found a faith he could believe in
And Joan Baez
Never listened to too much jazz
But hippie songs could be heard in our pad

Eddie Rabbit sang about how much he loved a rainy night
ABBA, Devo, Benatar
Were there the day John Lennon died
Mr. Springsteen said he had a hungry heart
Grover Washington was happy on the day he topped the chart

These are the songs...
These are my heart songs
They never feel wrong
And when I wake for goodness sake...
These are the songs I keep singing

Quiet Riot got me started
With the banging of my head
Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Slayer taught me how to shred
I gotta admit, though
Sometimes I would listen to the radio

Debbie Gibson, tell me that you think we're all alone
Michael Jackson's in the mirror
Gotta have faith if I wanna see clear
Never gonna give you up
Wish me love, a wishing well
It takes two to make a thing go right
If the Fresh Prince starts a fight
Don't you worry for too long 'cause you know...

These are the songs...
these are my heart songs
they never feel wrong
And when I wake for goodness sake...
These are the songs I keep singing

Back in 1991 I wasn't having any fun
'til my roommate said, "Come on,
And put a brand new record on."
Had a baby on it, he was naked on it
Then I heard the chords that broke the chains I had upon me

Got together with my bro's
At some rehearsal studios
Then we played our first rock show
And watched the fan base start to grow
Signed a deal that gave the dough
To make a record of our own
Our song come on the radio
Now people go, "This is the song..."

These are my heart songs (these are my songs)
they never feel wrong (never feel wrong)
and when I wake for goodness sake
these are the songs I keep singing
(these are my heart songs)
these are the songs I keep singing
(they never feel wrong)
these are the songs I keep singing
(these are my heart songs)
these are the songs I keep singing
These are the songs I keep singing