Hash Pipe: Difference between revisions

'''"Hash Pipe"''' is the lead single and third track from [[Weezer]]'s eponymous [[2001]] album, ''[[The Green Album]]''. It was the first new Weezer song heard by the general public after a five year hiatus, and its warm commercial reception not only reinvigorated the band's career<ref name ="Billboard">[[Weezer_discography#Singles]] - no newly-released Weezer songs appeared on the US Billboard charts between the years of 1996 and 2001.</ref>, but influenced the direction of {{PN|Rivers Cuomo}} approach to songwriting moving forward in numerous ways<ref>[[Riverpedia archive - 02/15/2021#The Maladroit Years]]: Cuomo says "...the commercial success told me the method I took to write the songs for Green was the way to go, so I continued cataloguing as I composed.," despite also granting that the negative critical response to Green's "songwriting... stuck out to [him]."</ref><ref>[[Riverpedia_archive_-_09/02/2020#Harvard_Letters]]. Excerpt of a Riverpedia post that shows Cuomo rejecting the songwriting approach to Hash Pipe in favor of meditation: ''I realized that, in a sense, I had been wrong all these years in trying to connect to my creativity by violent means, for example, by mining my adolescent anger for “Say it Ain’t So”, crucifying my leg for Pinkerton, or consuming Tequila and Ritalin for “Hash Pipe”. Mcleod says: These devices [such as the ones above] do not work in the long run because they draw on our system’s energy to generate a peak experience. Peak experiences cannot be maintained, and when they pass, the habituated patterns and the underlying sense of separation remain intact. (xi) Mcleod, and other sources I began reading, showed me a new way to work. Instead of generating peak experiences for inspiration, I could strengthen my power of concentration through meditation so that I could get more and more inspiration from weaker and weaker experiences.''</ref>. Though "Hash Pipe" would ultimately be outpaced commercially and critically by the band's next single, "[[Island in the Sun]],"<ref name ="Billboard" /> it usually remains among Weezer's top ten most-streamed songs<ref>[https://kworb.net/youtube/artist/weezer.html Kworb.net] YouTube streaming statistics, showing Hash Pipe 9th in Sept 2022.</ref><ref>[https://www.last.fm/music/Weezer/+tracks?date_preset=LAST_7_DAYS Last.fm] chart shows Hash Pipe at 7th on sept 9 2022</ref> as well as its top ten most-performed live<ref>[https://www.setlist.fm/stats/weezer-33d6a4f9.html] I'm literally citing Setlist.fm is that okay to do? --[[User:MyNameIsJason]] </ref> more than 20 years after its initial release. Critical response to the song noted it as less vulnerable than ''[[Pinkerton]]''<ref>[[Weezer (The Green Album) Pitchfork Media record review]]</ref>, possessing a heavier rock sound than the band's previous output<ref name="Stereogum">[https://www.stereogum.com/2147488/weezer-the-green-album/reviews/the-anniversary/] Stereogum retrospective review of ''Green'', by Nate Rogers, published May 14, 2021.</ref>, and, ultimately, one of the best on ''Green''<ref>[[Weezer (The Green Album) Allmusic record review]]</ref><ref name="Stereogum" />. Cuomo has spoken about the songwriting process behind the song in many interviews, sometimes giving conflicting stories, but always associates the song with an experience drinking tequila and taking ritalin<ref>[[CDNOW.com interview with Rivers Cuomo - May 2002]]</ref>. The song was performed live for almost a year before being released<ref>[[Karl's Corner - 06/21/2001]] Karl's Corner entry identifying live debut of [[June 20]], [[2000]].</ref>, and it was the only song from the semi-official compilation record ''[[Summer Songs of 2000]]'' to appear on ''Green''.

 

{{Karl Koch quote|Impressed by how the bands looked in his other videos, [[Marcos Siega|Siega]] was sought out and asked to avoid referring to the lyrics in his treatment. Sumos were brought up, and immediately approved. Rock!|''[[Video Capture Device booklet#.22Hash_Pipe.22|Video Capture Device]]'' liner notes}}

The video for the song was directed by [[Marcos Siega]], the first of several Weezer videos that he would direct. The premise of the video shows Weezer playing while a group of sumo wrestlers engage in activity.  At one point in the video, the wrestlers appear as stand-ins for the band, complete with instruments, miming to the song.  In the video, guitarist [[Brian Bell]] employs a maneuver in which he bends backwards, taking the guitar with him, then thrusts his legs in the direction he's bending. This is affectionately known among Weezer fans as "[[The Impossible Bend]]". According to the mini book that accompanies ''[[Video Capture Device]]'', Siega was specifically asked to avoid referring to the lyrics of the song in the video.