Perfect Situation: Difference between revisions

Added recording history, added YouTube audio, consolidated some information into the Overview section
(added streaming links, removed LastFM links)
(Added recording history, added YouTube audio, consolidated some information into the Overview section)
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{{Infobox song
{{Infobox song
| Name    = Perfect Situation
| Name    = Perfect Situation
| Cover    = Weezer Make Believe.jpg
| Cover    = Perfect Situation promocd.jpg
| Type    = single
| Type    = single
| Artist  = Weezer
| Artist  = Weezer
| Album    = Make Believe
| Album    = Make Believe
| Released = [[May 10]], [[2005]]
| Released = [[May 10]], [[2005]] (CD)<br>[[October 11]], [[2005]]
| Format  = CD
| Format  = CD
| Recorded = Summer [[2004]] (album version)<br>September 7, 2005 (single version)
| Recorded = Summer [[2004]] (album version)<br>September 7, 2005 (single version)
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==Overview==
==Overview==
"Perfect Situation" has proven to be one of Weezer's biggest hits. However, a retail single was not released.
According to the [[Catalog O' Riffs]], "Perfect Situation" was initially written around July of [[2002]]. The song is first known to have been demoed as a band at S.I.R. Rehearsal Studios in Los Angeles on [[September 15]], [[2002]], with [[Josh Freese]] sitting in on drums. The song continued to be demoed at S.I.R. throughout the year, and was also demoed at Swing House Rehearsal & Recording in late [[2003]]. The song was included in [[Rivers Cuomo]]'s "B-List" during pre-production on ''Make Believe'', and did not appear on album's Amazon.com store page in the months prior to the album's release [https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/File:Amazon_screenshot_(1).jpg].
===Band Commentary===
<blockquote>'''Pat:''' It sounds like it could have been on the Green Album. I think of it as, like, classic Weezer.<br>
'''Scott:''' To me it’s just an epic drama, and I felt really strong about it being on the album. The lyrics of the first verse always just really killed me, so I really pushed hard for that song to make the record.<br>'''Brian:''' Yeah, I like it lyrically a lot: “Here’s the pitch, slow and straight”, bla bla bla bla bla bla bla, and yeah, like Pat said, it’s classic Weezer Green Album style, a lot of downstrokes, the big intro, it could have gone on that album. But I think it’s more than that now—it’s uh, you know, Green Plus!<br>'''Rivers:''' I sincerely hope that it’s the last song I write about being frustrated and angry with myself for being shy…because I’ve written way too many of those songs already.</blockquote>
Initial pressings of ''Make Believe'' featured a different chorus melody than later releases. In [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1_0Pby8jeI an interview with ''AOL Music''] in [[2005]], [[Rivers Cuomo]] explained why the band re-recorded a new version of the song:<blockquote>''When I was writing the song "Perfect Situation", I had two different versions of the chorus melody; one went down and one went up, and I didn't know which one was better. I ended up settling with my first instinct, which was the one that went down. We made the record and then we went out and started playing the song live. Before the audience was really familiar with the recording, they would just hear the song, and they'd be singing along, we'd ask them to sing along with that last chorus and they just started singing the other melody that we hadn't actually recorded! They started going up at the end of the chorus. I think it was at that point we realized, "Well, if these 10,000 people think it should go this way maybe we should go back and re-record it, and so that's what we did. We got right into the studio, we re-recorded the chorus, and put out a different version of the album.''</blockquote>
The second version of the song also included a synth track added to the first chorus, as well as backup vocals of the words "perfect situation" over the outro. The recording session was held on [[September 7]], [[2005]], in Atlanta, Georgia where the [[Foozer Tour]] kicked off one day later. The radio edit of the song, which also appeared in the music video, is eight seconds shorter than the album version, featuring a shortened intro guitar solo.  


In a 2005 BBC6 interview, Rivers claimed that he cried the first time he heard it being played back.
In a 2005 BBC6 interview, Rivers claimed that he cried the first time he heard it being played back.


===Band Commentary===
The song is also one of the band's most successful songs to date, topping the ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks for four weeks, outlasting the first single from ''Make Believe'', "[[Beverly Hills]]", although it didn't gain the massive pop success of "Beverly Hills", which hit #10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 while "Perfect Situation" hit #51. A promo-only CD was produced, featuring the radio mix of the song, but no retail single was released.
:'''Pat:''' It sounds like it could have been on the Green Album. I think of it as, like, classic Weezer.
:'''Scott:''' To me it’s just an epic drama, and I felt really strong about it being on the album. The lyrics of the first verse always just really killed me, so I really pushed hard for that song to make the record.
:'''Brian:''' Yeah, I like it lyrically a lot: “Here’s the pitch, slow and straight”, bla bla bla bla bla bla bla, and yeah, like Pat said, it’s classic Weezer Green Album style, a lot of downstrokes, the big intro, it could have gone on that album. But I think it’s more than that now—it’s uh, you know, Green Plus!
:'''Rivers:''' I sincerely hope that it’s the last song I write about being frustrated and angry with myself for being shy…because I’ve written way too many of those songs already.
 
==Remix==
When ''Make Believe'' was first released, the version of "Perfect Situation" on the album featured one of two different melodies Cuomo originally wrote for the chorus.  During the summer 2005 tour, when the band prompted the crowd to sing along, the fans, oddly enough, invariably sang the other original melody Cuomo had written.  Cuomo stated in an interview during the band's 2005 performance at the [[AOL Sessions (2005)|AOL Sessions]], "Well, if these ten thousand people think it should go this way, maybe we should go back and re-record it."
 
The remix includes re-recorded chorus vocals with the other melody, a synth track added to the first chorus (the original version only has it on the second chorus), and added backup vocals of "perfect situation" over the outro. The recording session was held on [[September 7]], 2005 in Atlanta, GA where the [[Foozer Tour]] kicked off a day later. The radio edit of this remix, served to radio and featured in the video, is eight seconds shorter than the album version, due to a shortening of the intro guitar solo.
 
The full-length (no edited guitar solo) remix summarily replaced the original version of the song on later pressings of ''Make Believe''.  This full-length remix is also available on the ''[[Six Hits]]'' EP.
 
==Music video==
==Music video==
The video, directed by Marc Webb, premiered on [[November 11]], [[2005]] and features actress [[Elisha Cuthbert]] as the lead singer of [[Weeze]], a fictional predecessor to Weezer, who is eventually replaced by actual frontman [[Rivers Cuomo]], who, throughout the video acts as a sort of servant to the demanding Cuthbert. The video also features a cameo by the band's webmaster/band photographer/archivist and close friend for many years, [[Karl Koch]], as the t-shirt seller and like the "[[Beverly Hills]]" video, the band asked actual Weezer fans to answer a casting call to be in the video's crowd scenes [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1511678/20051018/weezer.jhtml?headlines=true].  A new cover for ''Make Believe'' was created for the video of "Perfect Situation" showing the fictional name Weeze.
The video, directed by Marc Webb, premiered on [[November 11]], [[2005]] and features actress [[Elisha Cuthbert]] as the lead singer of [[Weeze]], a fictional predecessor to Weezer, who is eventually replaced by actual frontman [[Rivers Cuomo]] who, throughout the video, acts as a put-upon roadie serving the demanding Cuthbert. The video also features a cameo by [[Karl Koch]] as the t-shirt seller and, as in the "[[Beverly Hills]]" video, the band asked actual Weezer fans to answer a casting call to be in the video's crowd scenes [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1511678/20051018/weezer.jhtml?headlines=true].  A new cover for ''Make Believe'' was created for the video of "Perfect Situation" showing the fictional name Weeze.
<youtube>jwv-iRvyDZg</youtube>
<youtube>jwv-iRvyDZg</youtube>
 
==Audio==
<youtube>_n1Df6aq-xA</youtube> <youtube>Mpp3vUZKuzc</youtube>
<youtube>Uf6u-3URI3M</youtube>
==Personnel==
==Personnel==
*[[Rivers Cuomo]] – lead guitar, lead vocals
*[[Rivers Cuomo]] – lead guitar, lead vocals
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*[[Scott Shriner]] – bass guitar, backing vocals,
*[[Scott Shriner]] – bass guitar, backing vocals,
*[[Rick Rubin]] - producer
*[[Rick Rubin]] - producer
*[[Chad Bamford]] - additional production
*[[Rich Costey]] - mixing


==Lyrics==
==Lyrics==
<poem>What's the deal with my brain?
<poem>What's the deal with my brain?
Why am I so obviously insane?
Why am I so obviously insane?
In a perfect situation
In a perfect situation,
I let love down the drain.
I let love down the drain
There's the pitch, slow and straight.
There's the pitch, slow and straight
All I have to do is swing
All I have to do is swing
and I'm a hero, but I'm a zero.
And I'm a hero, but I'm a zero.


Hungry nights, once again
Hungry nights, once again
Now it's getting unbelievable.
Now it's getting unbelievable
'Cause I could not have it better,
'Cause I could not have it better,
But I just can't get no play
But I just can't get no play
From the girls, all around
From the girls, all around
As they search the night for someone to hold onto.
As they search the night for someone to hold onto
And I just pass through...
I just pass through


Singing oh-whoa
Singing oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
Singing oh oh, oh oh, oh oh


Get your hands off the girl,
Get your hands off the girl
Can't you see that she belongs to me?
Can't you see that she belongs to me?
And I don't appreciate this excess company.
And I don't appreciate this excess company
Though I can't satisfy all the needs she has
Though I can't satisfy all the needs she has
And so she starts to wonder...
And so she starts to wonder
Can you blame her?
Can you blame her?
Singing oh-whoa


Tell me there's a logic out there.
Singing oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
Singing oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
 
Tell me there's a logic out there
Leading me to better prepare
Leading me to better prepare
For the day that something really special might come.
For the day that something really special might come
Tell me there's some hope for me.
Tell me there's some hope for me
I don't wanna be lonely
I don't wanna be lonely
For the rest of my days on the earth.
For the rest of my days on the earth


Singing oh-whoa
Singing oh oh, oh oh, oh oh
Singing oh oh, oh oh, oh oh


(perfect situation)
(Perfect situation)
</poem>
</poem>