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My Name Is Jonas: Difference between revisions
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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]]. 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 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 the book 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]]''. | ||