My Name Is Jonas: Difference between revisions

→‎Overview: I guess that it makes sense that a car accident would not be the inspiration for lyrics that clearly reference some kind of union dispute.
(The Kitchen Tape version wasn't on Blue DX.)
(→‎Overview: I guess that it makes sense that a car accident would not be the inspiration for lyrics that clearly reference some kind of union dispute.)
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The music for "My Name Is Jonas" was initially composed by [[Patrick Wilson]] as part of the [[50 Song Project]] between Wilson and [[Rivers Cuomo]], and demoed to 4-track in late [[1991]] or early [[1992]]. This demo featured a different melody than the final song.<ref name="rechist2">[[Recording_History_-_Page_2#December_1991-January_1992:_.22The_50_Song_Project.22|Weezer Recording History - Page 2]]</ref> Founding [[Weezer]] guitarist [[Jason Cropper]] came up with what would become the song's fingerpicked intro. "My Name Is Jonas" is the only Weezer song to officially credit Cropper as a songwriter. "I got home from work [at the Italian restaurant]," Cropper recalled in a [[2019]] interview with ''Yahoo! Music'', "and I remember I was still wearing my cook's outfit. I picked up the guitar and played that first part of what became the intro to ‘My Name Is Jonas,’ and Pat [Wilson] said, ‘Stop. Just do that. Just don't keep going to different chords, just do those three notes, those three chords!’<ref name="Yahoo interview">Parker, Lyndsey "Only in dreams: Meet the founding member who became the 'Pete Best' of Weezer" ''Yahoo! Entertainment''. Mirror: [[Yahoo! Music interview with Jason Cropper - May 9, 2019]] https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/entertainment/only-in-dreams-meet-the-founding-member-who-became-the-pete-best-of-weezer-164724591.html</ref>
The music for "My Name Is Jonas" was initially composed by [[Patrick Wilson]] as part of the [[50 Song Project]] between Wilson and [[Rivers Cuomo]], and demoed to 4-track in late [[1991]] or early [[1992]]. This demo featured a different melody than the final song.<ref name="rechist2">[[Recording_History_-_Page_2#December_1991-January_1992:_.22The_50_Song_Project.22|Weezer Recording History - Page 2]]</ref> Founding [[Weezer]] guitarist [[Jason Cropper]] came up with what would become the song's fingerpicked intro. "My Name Is Jonas" is the only Weezer song to officially credit Cropper as a songwriter. "I got home from work [at the Italian restaurant]," Cropper recalled in a [[2019]] interview with ''Yahoo! Music'', "and I remember I was still wearing my cook's outfit. I picked up the guitar and played that first part of what became the intro to ‘My Name Is Jonas,’ and Pat [Wilson] said, ‘Stop. Just do that. Just don't keep going to different chords, just do those three notes, those three chords!’<ref name="Yahoo interview">Parker, Lyndsey "Only in dreams: Meet the founding member who became the 'Pete Best' of Weezer" ''Yahoo! Entertainment''. Mirror: [[Yahoo! Music interview with Jason Cropper - May 9, 2019]] https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/entertainment/only-in-dreams-meet-the-founding-member-who-became-the-pete-best-of-weezer-164724591.html</ref>


The lyrics to "My Name Is Jonas," penned by Cuomo, were likely partially inspired by Cuomo's brother, [[James Kitts]], who was injured while riding as the passenger in a friend's car in September of [[1992]] while attending Oberlin College in Ohio.<ref>KITTS, Appellant, v. UTICA NATIONAL INSURANCE GROUP, Appellee; Court of Appeals of Ohio, Ninth District, Lorain County; 4 October 1995. https://casetext.com/case/kitts-v-utica-natl-ins-group</ref> Kitts filed an insurance claim, but was ultimately denied, as his friend's car was not covered under the insurance policy. Said Cuomo in a press packet for ''[[Weezer (The Blue Album)|The Blue Album]]'', "'Jonas' explains how The Plan is reaming us all, especially my brother."<ref>[[Weezer (The Blue Album) press kit|''Weezer (The Blue Album)'' press kit]]</ref><ref name="Rolling Stone">Runtagh, Jordan. "Weezer’s Blue Album: 10 Things You Didn’t Know" ''Rolling Stone''. 10 May 2019. https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/weezer-blue-album-rivers-cuomo-things-you-didnt-know-822881/</ref> The song's lyrics are sometimes erroneously reported as having been inspired by the [[1993]] Lois Lowry novel [[Wikipedia:The Giver|''The Giver'']],<ref name="Rolling Stone" /> despite having been released a year after "My Name Is Jonas" was written.
The lyrics to "My Name Is Jonas," penned by Cuomo, were likely partially inspired by Cuomo's brother, [[James Kitts]]. Said Cuomo in a press packet for ''[[Weezer (The Blue Album)|The Blue Album]]'', "'Jonas' explains how The Plan is reaming us all, especially my brother."<ref>[[Weezer (The Blue Album) press kit|''Weezer (The Blue Album)'' press kit]]</ref> The song's lyrics are sometimes purported to reference an incident in which Kitts' insurance claim was denied following an injury sustained while riding as the passenger in a friend's car in September of [[1992]] while attending Oberlin College in Ohio,<ref name="Rolling Stone">Runtagh, Jordan. "Weezer’s Blue Album: 10 Things You Didn’t Know" ''Rolling Stone''. 10 May 2019. https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/weezer-blue-album-rivers-cuomo-things-you-didnt-know-822881/</ref><ref>Luerssen, John D. ''[[Rivers' Edge]]''. ECW Press, 2004.</ref> though the writing of "My Name Is Jonas" predates this incident.<ref>KITTS, Appellant, v. UTICA NATIONAL INSURANCE GROUP, Appellee; Court of Appeals of Ohio, Ninth District, Lorain County; 4 October 1995. https://casetext.com/case/kitts-v-utica-natl-ins-group</ref> The song's lyrics are also sometimes erroneously reported as having been inspired by the [[1993]] Lois Lowry novel [[Wikipedia:The Giver|''The Giver'']],<ref name="Rolling Stone" /> despite having been released a year after "My Name Is Jonas" was written.


The song was demoed by Weezer throughout 1992 and 1993. In 1992, the song was recorded as part of Weezer’s second demo tape (dubbed ''[[The Kitchen Tape]]''), ending with the line “My name is ''Weezer''”. A demo of the song's bridge, dubbed “Port O’ Jonas,” was demoed by Cuomo in July of 1993 and released in [[2020]] as part of the digital compilation ''[[Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years]]''.
The song was demoed by Weezer throughout 1992 and 1993. In 1992, the song was recorded as part of Weezer’s second demo tape (dubbed ''[[The Kitchen Tape]]''), ending with the line “My name is ''Weezer''”. A demo of the song's bridge, dubbed “Port O’ Jonas,” was demoed by Cuomo in July of 1993 and released in [[2020]] as part of the digital compilation ''[[Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years]]''.
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"My Name Is Jonas" was erroneously named by [[Geffen Records]] as the third single for ''The Blue Album'' before "[[Say It Ain't So]]" was officially chosen as a single. Geffen printed a limited run of a "My Name Is Jonas" one-track promotional CD, distributed primarily in Canada.<ref>"Weezer - My Name Is Jonas" ''Discogs'' https://www.discogs.com/release/8938958-Weezer-My-Name-Is-Jonas</ref> A live performance of "My Name Is Jonas," recorded at [[Weezer concert: 11/27/1994|a concert in Rochester]] on the band's ''Blue Album'' tour, was included on a UK retail CD single release of "[[Buddy Holly]]," as well as on the compilation ''[[Dusty Gems & Raw Nuggets]]'' (included with the Deluxe Edition of ''Blue'').
"My Name Is Jonas" was erroneously named by [[Geffen Records]] as the third single for ''The Blue Album'' before "[[Say It Ain't So]]" was officially chosen as a single. Geffen printed a limited run of a "My Name Is Jonas" one-track promotional CD, distributed primarily in Canada.<ref>"Weezer - My Name Is Jonas" ''Discogs'' https://www.discogs.com/release/8938958-Weezer-My-Name-Is-Jonas</ref> A live performance of "My Name Is Jonas," recorded at [[Weezer concert: 11/27/1994|a concert in Rochester]] on the band's ''Blue Album'' tour, was included on a UK retail CD single release of "[[Buddy Holly]]," as well as on the compilation ''[[Dusty Gems & Raw Nuggets]]'' (included with the Deluxe Edition of ''Blue'').


"My Name is Jonas" was featured as a playable track for [[List of Weezer song appearances in rhythm video games|the rhythm video games]] ''Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock'', ''Rock Band'', and ''Rocksmith 2014''.
"My Name Is Jonas" was featured as a playable track for [[List of Weezer song appearances in rhythm video games|the rhythm video games]] ''Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock'', ''Rock Band'', and ''Rocksmith 2014''.


==Known recordings==
==Known recordings==