Say It Ain't So: Difference between revisions

Say It Ain't So (view source)

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False interpretation.

Runnersdialzero

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 Originally, Cuomo had written all of the music and had only the line "Say it ain't so".  He 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 stepfather, [[Stephen Kitts]]) 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.
-In the song, Rivers draws parallels between his family and a bottle of alcohol.  Setting up the metaphor, Rivers begins to drop hints that something is wrong with words like, "Somebody's cold one is giving me chills."  Nervous lyrics, sung over relaxed and calm-seeming verses set the tone that something is wrong, but that Rivers is trying to cover it up.  Furthermore, the falsetto of [[Matt Sharp]] over every line puts an almost goofy or lighthearted feel on the lyrics, adding to the feeling of denial on lines like, "I guess I'll just close my eyes".  During the second verse, Rivers mentions watching television and wrestling with his younger brother, [[Leaves Cuomo|Jimmy]] (Leaves Cuomo) to try and take his mind off of the bottle of alcohol.  Still, Rivers cannot help but feel that, "Something is bubblin' behind [his] back."  Leading into the chorus, Rivers gently sings, "The bottle is ready to blow," as feedback bursts into the relaxed verses like a breaking dam.
+In the song, Rivers draws parallels between his own drinking and his family falling apart.
-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.
 As noted in the Weezer DVD collection ''[[Video Capture Device]]'' and the slip cover of the re-released special edition of their debut album, the video was filmed at the old "[[Amherst House]]" where the band used to rehearse and record. The video also features a cameo by the band's webmaster/band photographer/archivist and close friend for many years, [[Karl Koch]]. It reached #23 on The New Zealand show ''U Choose 40 Sing-A-Long Classics''.