This Is Such a Pity

Last updated
"This Is Such a Pity"
Weezer-This-Is-Such-A-Pity.jpg
Promotional single by Weezer
from the album Make Believe
ReleasedMarch 6, 2006
Recorded2004
Genre
Length3:27
Label Geffen
Songwriter(s) Rivers Cuomo
Producer(s) Rick Rubin
Weezer singles chronology
"Perfect Situation"
(2005)
"This Is Such a Pity"
(2006)
"Pork and Beans"
(2008)

"This Is Such a Pity" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer. It is the first and only promotional single from the band's fifth album, Make Believe . It was released to the radio on March 6, 2006. [1]

Contents

The liner notes of Make Believe credit Rivers Cuomo as the sole writer of the song, yet Brian Bell came up with the dueling guitar solo. All the keyboards on the song were done using a $75 Casio keyboard. The band tried demoing the song with more expensive Moog keyboards, but ended up being most satisfied with the Casio sound. [2]

Cuomo claims "This is Such a Pity" to be his favorite song from Make Believe . [3] Julian Casablancas of The Strokes has also said it is his favorite Weezer song. [4]

Track listing

Radio Only Promo Single

  1. "This is Such a Pity" (Radio Version) - 3:27

Mash-up video and controversy

The song only enjoyed modest success on modern rock radio, partly because the song doesn't have an official accompanying music video.

However, a mash up music video featuring footage from the 1984 breakdancing-themed movie Breakin' was uploaded to YouTube shortly after the song was announced as the fourth single off Make Believe . The clip was created by Rafael Sans, a theology student at Oral Roberts University and become an Internet phenomenon both among the band's hardcore fan base and throughout the online blogging community. The clip was even featured on the weezer.com homepage.

Yet, soon after its success, the video was banned from YouTube because, as Julie Supan, the site's senior director of marketing explained, "it was likely that the user did not have the proper authorization to upload the video, and the rights-holder contacted YouTube." [5] Despite this, Sans later uploaded the video on Vimeo in 2009. [6]

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.

<i>Maladroit</i> 2002 studio album by Weezer

Maladroit is the fourth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on May 14, 2002, by Geffen Records. It was self-produced by the band, and was their first album to feature bassist Scott Shriner, following the departure of former bassist Mikey Welsh in 2001, although Shriner was featured in the music video for "Photograph" from the band's previous album Weezer. Musically, the album features a hard-rock sound and heavy metal riffs uncommon to Weezer's previous releases.

<i>Pinkerton</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Weezer

Pinkerton is the second studio album by the American rock band Weezer, released on September 24, 1996, by DGC Records. The guitarist and vocalist Rivers Cuomo wrote most of Pinkerton while studying at Harvard University, after abandoning plans for a rock opera, Songs from the Black Hole. It was the last Weezer album to feature bassist Matt Sharp, who left the group in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Bell</span> American musician

Brian Lane Bell is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Weezer, with whom he has recorded fifteen studio albums. Bell also fronted the rock band The Relationship and was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band Space Twins.

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Sharp</span> American musician (born 1969)

Matthew Kelly Sharp is an American songwriter and musician. Until 1998, he was the bassist for the rock band Weezer, which he co-founded in 1992. He appears on their first two albums, the Blue Album (1994) and Pinkerton (1996). In 1994, Sharp founded Rentals, who have released five albums. Sharp has also released an EP and an album as a solo artist.

<i>Make Believe</i> (Weezer album) 2005 studio album by Weezer

Make Believe is the fifth studio album by American rock band Weezer. It was released on May 10, 2005, by Geffen Records. The album was considered to be a return to some of the emotionally vulnerable lyrics of Weezer's previous releases, and due to the strength of the hit single "Beverly Hills", the album was a commercial success, peaking at number two on the US Billboard 200 and number eleven on the UK Albums Chart. In addition, "Beverly Hills" also earned Weezer their first Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song. Despite this, Make Believe received mixed reviews from critics and fans, although it has remained a consistent seller. The recording process of Make Believe began prior to the release of their previous album, Maladroit; however, it was prolonged compared to the recording of most of Weezer's previous albums, and lasted for almost three years. Rivers Cuomo's songwriting on Make Believe was described as "[a] return to musical, emotional bloodletting", although the lyrics were noticeably simpler than before.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Holly (song)</span> 1994 single by Weezer

"Buddy Holly" is a song by the American rock band Weezer. The song was written by Rivers Cuomo and released by DGC as the second single from the band's debut album, Weezer (1994). The lyrics reference the song's namesake, 1950s rock-and-roll singer Buddy Holly, and actress Mary Tyler Moore. Released on September 7, 1994—which would have been Holly's 58th birthday—the song reached number two on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. Outside the US, the song peaked at number six in Canada, number 12 in the United Kingdom, number 13 in Iceland, and number 14 in Sweden. The song's music video, directed by Spike Jonze, earned considerable exposure when it was included as a bonus media file in Microsoft's initial successful release of the operating system Windows 95.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Scorcho</span> 1996 single by Weezer

"El Scorcho" is a song by the American rock band Weezer. It is the first single from the band's second album, Pinkerton, released in 1996. The music video features the band playing in an old ballroom in Los Angeles, surrounded by light fixtures of diverse origin, flashing in time to the music. The name of the song supposedly came from a packet of hot sauce from Del Taco, labeled "Del Scorcho".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Hills (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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">We Are All on Drugs</span> 2005 single by Weezer

"We Are All on Drugs" is a song by American alternative rock band Weezer. It was released as the second single from the band's 2005 album, Make Believe. "We Are All on Drugs" was released to radio on July 12, 2005. The song is not specifically about drugs. Rather, Rivers Cuomo has said that it is more generally about the over-stimulated society addicted to the internet, gambling, drugs and relationships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfect Situation</span> 2005 single by Weezer

"Perfect Situation" is a song by American alternative rock band Weezer. It was released to radio on October 11, 2005 as the third single from the band's fifth album Make Believe, following "Beverly Hills" and "We Are All on Drugs".

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Undone – The Sweater Song</span> 1994 single by Weezer

"Undone – The Sweater Song" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on the band's self-titled 1994 debut album. It was released as their debut single in 1994.

<i>Weezer</i> (Red Album) 2008 album by Weezer

Weezer is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Weezer, released on June 3, 2008, by DGC and Interscope Records. Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee both produced parts of the album, with the band producing a handful of tracks themselves. Like in the band's 1994 debut, all band members contributed to songwriting. It is the only Weezer album to feature lead vocals from all four band members. The album also features more musical experimentation in comparison to their previous efforts, especially shown in such songs as "Dreamin'", "The Angel and The One", and "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived".

<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">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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back to the Shack</span> 2014 single by Weezer

"Back to the Shack" is a song by the American rock band Weezer. It was released as the first single from their ninth studio album Everything Will Be Alright in the End on July 22, 2014. The song was sent to radio stations and uploaded to Weezer's YouTube channel a day before the single's official release. It was written in response to the band's past several albums, with lead vocalist Rivers Cuomo wanting to return to their roots. The song received generally favorable reviews.

References

  1. "FMQB". Archived from the original on 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2006-02-25.
  2. Weezer.com Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Weezer Info - Weezer". Recording History. Weezer. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  4. WFNX (2010-01-11), Julian Casablancas Stops by 101.7 WFNX to chat with Adam 12, archived from the original on 2021-12-19, retrieved 2016-06-14
  5. Montgomery, James (12 April 2006). "'SUCH A PITY': YOUTUBE PULLS HOMEMADE WEEZER VIDEO". MTV . Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  6. Sans, Rafael. "Weezer - This Is Such a Pity". Vimeo . Retrieved 10 November 2016.