Can't Knock the Hustle (Weezer song)

Last updated
"Can't Knock the Hustle"
Weezer - Cant Knock the Hustle cover.png
Single by Weezer
from the album Weezer (The Black Album)
ReleasedOctober 11, 2018
Recorded2018
Genre
Length3:42
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s) Rivers Cuomo
Producer(s) Dave Sitek
Weezer singles chronology
"California Snow"
(2018)
"Can't Knock the Hustle"
(2018)
"Zombie Bastards"
(2018)

"Can't Knock the Hustle" is a song by the American rock band Weezer, released on October 11, 2018 as the lead single for their 2019 self titled album, also called the Black Album. A music video was released on the same day.

Contents

Composition

"Can't Knock the Hustle" was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio fame. [1] The song contains influences from funk music and Latin music. [2] It is described as a funk rock song by Stereogum [3] and disco by Paste , [4] while Beyond the Stage Magazine categorizes it as pop rock [5] and Rolling Stone as rap rock. [6] It is also one of the only Weezer songs to use strong profanity.

Music video

A music video was released for the song on October 11, 2018, and was produced by Jerry Media and directed by Guy Blelloch. [7]

None of the band's members appear in the video, but Rivers Cuomo's glasses are worn by Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz (known as Rivers Wentz in the video), [3] who is driving the car. Wentz's character is repeatedly disrupted by two passengers in the back of the vehicle, played by James Ohliger and Romane Recalde, [7] who are shown to be making out, and later, arguing and stabbing each other, ending with them being driven to the emergency room.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2018)Peak
position
Czech Republic Modern Rock (IFPI) [8] 19
Iceland (RÚV) [9] 16
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [10] 23

Year-end charts

Chart (2019)Position
US Alternative Songs (Billboard) [11] 36

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weezer</span> American rock band

Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell, and Scott Shriner. They have sold 10 million albums in the US and more than 35 million worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rivers Cuomo</span> American rock musician (born 1970)

Rivers Cuomo is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter of the rock band Weezer. Cuomo was born in New York City and raised in several Buddhist communities in the northeastern U.S. until the age of 10, when his family settled in Connecticut. He played in several bands in Connecticut and California before forming Weezer in 1992.

<i>Weezer</i> (Blue Album) 1994 studio album by Weezer

Weezer is the debut studio album by the American rock band Weezer, released on May 10, 1994, by DGC Records. It was produced by Ric Ocasek of the Cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say It Ain't So</span> 1995 single by Weezer

"Say It Ain't So" is a song by American rock band Weezer. It was released as the third and final single from the band's self-titled 1994 debut album on May 15, 1995. Written by frontman Rivers Cuomo, the song came to be after he had all the music finished and one line, "Say it ain't so". Cuomo made a connection to an incident in high school where he came home and saw a bottle of beer in the fridge. He believed his mother and father's marriage ended because his father was an alcoholic, and this made him fear the marriage between his mother and step-father would end this way as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hash Pipe</span> 2001 single by Weezer

"Hash Pipe" is a song by American rock band Weezer. Released in 2001, it was the first single off the band's third album Weezer, and the only one of the Summer Songs of 2000 songs to make it onto the album, although "Dope Nose" and "Slob" were released on Maladroit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Hills (Weezer song)</span> 2005 single by Weezer

"Beverly Hills" is a song by American rock band Weezer. It is the first single from the band's fifth album, Make Believe. "Beverly Hills" was released to US radio on March 28, 2005. The song features Stephanie Eitel of Agent Sparks on the chorus on backup vocals, performing the "gimme, gimme" hook.

<i>Songs from the Black Hole</i> Unfinished album by Weezer

Songs from the Black Hole is an unfinished album by the American rock band Weezer, recorded between 1994 and 1996. The songwriter, Rivers Cuomo, conceived it as a rock opera that would express his mixed feelings about the success of Weezer's 1994 self-titled debut album. Its characters were to be voiced by members of Weezer, plus the guest vocalists Rachel Haden and Joan Wasser.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weezer discography</span> Band discography

The discography of Weezer, an American rock band, consists of 15 studio albums, two compilation albums, one video album, nine extended plays, 37 singles and 40 music videos. Weezer's self-titled debut studio album, often referred to as The Blue Album, was released in May 1994 through DGC Records. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number 16 on the US Billboard 200 and spawning the singles "Undone – The Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly", both of which were responsible for launching Weezer into mainstream success with the aid of music videos directed by Spike Jonze. It has sold 3.3 million copies in the United States and has been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming the band's best selling album to date. Following the success of their debut album, Weezer took a break from touring for the Christmas holidays. Lead singer Rivers Cuomo began piecing together demo material for Weezer's second studio album. Cuomo's original concept for the album was a space-themed rock opera, Songs from the Black Hole. Ultimately, the Songs from the Black Hole album concept was dropped; the band, however, continued to utilize songs from these sessions into work for their second studio album. Pinkerton was released as the band's second studio album in September 1996. Peaking at number 19 on the Billboard 200, it was considered a critical and commercial failure at the time of its release, selling far less than its triple platinum predecessor. However, in the years following its release, it has seen much critical and commercial championing.

<i>Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo</i> 2007 compilation album by Rivers Cuomo

Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo is a compilation album by American musician and Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. It was released on December 18, 2007 by Geffen Records. It is available as a digital release, CD release and 12" vinyl. The album features home demos that Cuomo has recorded from 1992–2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fall Out Boy</span> American rock band

Fall Out Boy is an American rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band originated from Chicago's hardcore punk scene and was formed by Wentz and Trohman as a pop-punk side project; Stump joined shortly thereafter. The group went through a succession of drummers before Hurley joined. Their debut album, Take This to Your Grave (2003), became an underground success and helped the band gain a dedicated fan base through heavy touring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pork and Beans (song)</span> 2008 single by Weezer

"Pork and Beans" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on the group's 2008 self-titled album Weezer, also known as the Red Album. It was released to radio on April 22, 2008 and released in digital form on April 24. The track debuted at number 19 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart, and spent eleven weeks at number one. The song charted in many countries such as Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Don't Care (Fall Out Boy song)</span> 2008 single by Fall Out Boy

"I Don't Care" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy and the lead single from the group's fourth studio album Folie à Deux in 2008. It was first available for listening on the band's website on September 3, 2008. The song impacted radio on September 16. It is its album's best known song, being certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of two million units, with over 500,000 sales in its first four months alone. In the United States, the song reached No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100, placing lower than the No. 2 lead single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race", of the band's previous 2007 album Infinity on High. It received radio play at Modern Rock and Pop stations, charting at No. 21 on Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks and No. 22 on Pop Songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)</span> 2008 single by Weezer

"The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" is a song released as an iTunes single from American alternative rock band Weezer's sixth album, Weezer (2008). "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" was released to radio on December 9, 2008. The song bears a resemblance to the Shaker song "Simple Gifts" hence the "(Variations on a Shaker Hymn)" in the title. According to lead vocalist and writer Rivers Cuomo, "The Greatest Man" has 11 different themes, including rapping and imitations of other bands such as Nirvana and Aerosmith (both of whom also recorded for Weezer's then-label Geffen Records at one point).

<i>Raditude</i> 2009 studio album by Weezer

Raditude is the seventh studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on October 30, 2009 and is their final album on DGC Records, Geffen Records and Interscope Records. The title of the album was suggested to Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo by actor Rainn Wilson. The album's first single, "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To", was released in August 2009. The album debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200. The album's cover artwork is a photo of a dog named Sidney, originally published in the August 2009 issue of National Geographic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To</span> 2009 single by Weezer

"(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is a song by American alternative rock/power pop band Weezer. It was released as the first single from the band's seventh studio album Raditude. Initially scheduled to be released to American rock radio on August 25, 2009, the official release of the single to radio was moved up to August 18. The single debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Rock Songs Chart, and in the same position on the Alternative Songs chart. The music video features Odette Yustman. The song was first played live on August 23, 2009 in Toronto, Ontario at the Molson Amphitheatre. The main riff of this song bears a similarity to the main riff of The Jam song "Town Called Malice".

<i>Hurley</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Weezer

Hurley is the eighth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on September 10, 2010. It is Weezer's only album released by Epitaph Records. The album was produced by Rivers Cuomo and Shawn Everett, and, similar to their previous album Raditude, features songs co-written with songwriters outside of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King of the World (Weezer song)</span> 2016 single by Weezer

"King of the World" is a song by the American rock band Weezer, released as a single on January 14, 2016 for the band's self-titled 2016 album, along with a music video.

<i>Pacific Daydream</i> 2017 studio album by Weezer

Pacific Daydream is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on October 27, 2017. The album is their second release by Crush Management, is distributed by Atlantic Records, and is trademarked by a modern pop sound, differing from their previous work. The lead single, "Feels Like Summer", was released on March 16, 2017. The second single, "Happy Hour", was released on October 31.

<i>Weezer</i> (Black Album) 2019 album by Weezer

Weezer is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band Weezer. Produced by Dave Sitek, it was released on March 1, 2019, through Crush Music and Atlantic Records, nearly two months after The Teal Album. It received mixed reviews.

<i>Van Weezer</i> 2021 studio album by Weezer

Van Weezer is the fifteenth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on May 7, 2021, by Crush Music and Atlantic Records. Featuring a classic rock and hard rock inspired sound, the album was announced in September 2019 with an original release date of May 2020, coinciding with announcement of the band's participation in the Hella Mega Tour alongside Green Day and Fall Out Boy. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was delayed indefinitely and Van Weezer's release was delayed until May 2021, almost four months after the release of the band's previous album OK Human.

References

  1. Sam Moore Oct 11, 2018 4:01 pm (11 October 2018). "Weezer announce 'The Black Album' with single 'Can't Knock the Hustle'". Nme.com. Retrieved 2018-10-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. Billboard. "Weezer Announces 'The Black Album' & Drops 'Can't Knock The Hustle' Video". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  3. 1 2 "Weezer Announce 'The Black Album' & Tour With Pixies, Share "Can't Knock The Hustle" Video Starring Pete Wentz". Stereogum. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  4. Zimmerman, Lee. "Weezer Share Video for "Can't Knock the Hustle," off Forthcoming The Black Album :: Music :: News :: Weezer :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  5. "New Music Friday: October 12, 2018". Beyond The Stage Magazine. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  6. Dolan, Jon (March 4, 2019). "Review: Weezer's Latest Hunk of Cali-Rock Malaise, 'The Black Album'". Rolling Stone. "Can't Knock the Hustle" taps the same winking rap-rock Cuomo kicked back on the 2005 hit "Beverly Hills," though this time out the sense of irony is somewhat less blanched and the music a great deal more fun.
  7. 1 2 "Weezer - Can't Knock The Hustle (starring Rivers Wentz)". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-10-13.
  8. "CZ - Radio - Top 20 Modern Rock - Can't Knock the Hustle - Weezer" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic . Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  9. "Topplistinn 17. November 2018". RÚV. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  10. "Weezer Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  11. "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2019.