Say It Ain't So: Difference between revisions
separated lyrics / music in overview, wrote music section, added date for Cat's Paw
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==Overview== | ==Overview== | ||
===lyrics=== | |||
"Say It Ain't So" was one of the earliest [[Weezer]] songs to be written. Originally, Rivers had written all of the music and had only the line "Say it ain't so". Rivers made the connection between the line and an experience he had in high school where he came home to find a bottle of alcohol (belonging to his [[Stephen Kitts|stepfather]]) in the refrigerator. Rivers recalled that around the time his biological father left, he started drinking. He began to fear that Stephen, his step father, would soon leave his mother much the way his father did. | "Say It Ain't So" was one of the earliest [[Weezer]] songs to be written. Originally, Rivers had written all of the music and had only the line "Say it ain't so". Rivers made the connection between the line and an experience he had in high school where he came home to find a bottle of alcohol (belonging to his [[Stephen Kitts|stepfather]]) in the refrigerator. Rivers recalled that around the time his biological father left, he started drinking. He began to fear that Stephen, his step father, would soon leave his mother much the way his father did. | ||
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The song climaxes in the bridge where Rivers sings a letter to his biological father. In the letter, Rivers begins by explaining that he is writing despite, "Years of silence." Rivers knew very little about what his father was doing, but he did mention some of what he was aware of in lines like, "You've cleaned up, found Jesus, things are good (or so I hear)." Then, Rivers explains why he is writing; "This bottle of Stephen's awakens ancient feelings." Finally, Rivers expresses his pain; Just like his real father drinking and leaving, he is beginning to realize that his step-father is no different and soon too will leave. Before entering the guitar solo, Rivers yells out that he is "drowning in the flood," which is symbolic of the exploding alcohol bottle/Kitts' family structure. | The song climaxes in the bridge where Rivers sings a letter to his biological father. In the letter, Rivers begins by explaining that he is writing despite, "Years of silence." Rivers knew very little about what his father was doing, but he did mention some of what he was aware of in lines like, "You've cleaned up, found Jesus, things are good (or so I hear)." Then, Rivers explains why he is writing; "This bottle of Stephen's awakens ancient feelings." Finally, Rivers expresses his pain; Just like his real father drinking and leaving, he is beginning to realize that his step-father is no different and soon too will leave. Before entering the guitar solo, Rivers yells out that he is "drowning in the flood," which is symbolic of the exploding alcohol bottle/Kitts' family structure. | ||
===music=== | |||
Musically, "Say It Ain't So" features a reggae-ish beat under the verse vocals, which are doubled by bassist [[Matt Sharp]] in falsetto. When the chorus kicks in, a big, start-stop guitar riff mimicks the beat, and for the second and third choruses, a brief harmony guitar part fills the spaces between the main riff. The guitar solo features a layered sound, much in the style of Queen guitarist Brian May, whom Rivers had expressed an affinity for. | |||
==Single== | ==Single== | ||
The artwork for the "Say It Ain't So" single comes from a childhood drawing Rivers made of him and his father playing s occer--something they mutually loved. Prominently featured in the artwork is the image of Rivers scoring a goal (spelled "goll"), and his father encouraging him on with lines like, "Yay, my son." This information about the cover was not known until 2007, when Rivers revealed these facts in the beginning of the video for the ''Alone'' track "[[Lover in the Snow]]". | The artwork for the "Say It Ain't So" single comes from a childhood drawing Rivers made of him and his father playing s occer--something they mutually loved. Prominently featured in the artwork is the image of Rivers scoring a goal (spelled "goll"), and his father encouraging him on with lines like, "Yay, my son." This information about the cover was not known until 2007, when Rivers revealed these facts in the beginning of the video for the ''Alone'' track "[[Lover in the Snow]]". | ||
All versions of the "Say It Ain't So" single feature the remixed version of the song (see below), and various editions contain one or both songs "[[No One Else]]" and "[[Jamie]]", recorded acoustically | All versions of the "Say It Ain't So" single feature the remixed version of the song (see below), and various editions contain one or both songs "[[No One Else]]" and "[[Jamie]]", recorded acoustically on April 1, 1995 at at Cat's Paw studios for Atlanta radio station WNNX, aka 99X. Bootlegs of all five songs recorded that day (including "[[Buddy Holly]]", "[[In the Garage]]", and "[[Undone]]") can be found online. | ||
==Song mixes== | ==Song mixes== | ||