Holiday
| "Holiday" | |||||
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| Album track by Weezer | |||||
| Album | Weezer (The Blue Album) | ||||
| Released | May 10, 1994 | ||||
| Recorded | August 21–September 24(?), 1993 at Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY | ||||
| Length | 3:24 | ||||
| Label | DGC | ||||
| Writer(s) | Rivers Cuomo | ||||
| RC# | 163 | ||||
| COR# | N/A | ||||
| Producer(s) | Ric Ocasek | ||||
| Status | Officially released | ||||
| Weezer (The Blue Album) track listing | |||||
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| Rivers Cuomo song chronology | |||||
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"Holiday" is the ninth track on The Blue Album.
Appearances
- Weezer (The Blue Album)
- Undone - The Sweater Song (US Retail Cassette/US Promo 7" Jukebox Single (Black Vinyl))
- Undone - The Sweater Song (UK Retail CD/UK Retail Cassette/UK 7" Single (Blue Vinyl))
- The Lion and the Witch (Live)
- Weezer (The Blue Album) - Deluxe Edition
- Accepted: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- Weezer (The Blue Album) (30th Anniversary Deluxe) (2024)
Overview
"Holiday" belies strong influences from the things Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo was interested in at the time of 1993. Cuomo expressed in a fan interview in 2006 that the famed beat poet Jack Kerouac was one of his favorite philosophers at the time. In the notable breakdown of the song (the band often refers to these as "Beach Boys Breakdowns"), Cuomo sings the line, "On the road with Kerouac", a reference to Kerouac's seminal work On The Road. The opening line, "Let's go away for a while," is also likely inspired by the Beach Boys track "Let's Go Away For Awhile" from the Beach Boys album Pet Sounds, by which Cuomo was also influenced.
Cuomo commented on the lyrics in a letter addressed to Bryan Stephenson, dated March 5, 1997, that appeared in The Pinkerton Diaries in 2011:
- "The road" is any form of escapism, be it beautiful melodies, drinking, drugs, love, art, whatever. However, it is important to note that, even in the song "Holiday," escape is short-lived. Right after the line "on this road we'll never die" come the ominous crashing chords of fate.
The song also makes extensive use of doo-wop acapella, organs and complex harmonies - hallmarks of Blue Album era writing. In an early Weezine, it was revealed that Patrick Wilson has a vocal part during the bridge. Wilson is known to have one other very small vocal part on the Blue Album, but this is otherwise the only vocal part Wilson would have on a Weezer record before The Red Album in 2008.
A demo of "Holiday", ca. 1993, recorded solely by Cuomo exists in circulation. The demo is very similar to the album version, although one notable difference is that the breakdown features no lyrics or alternate vocal parts.
Lion & The Witch EP
Holiday is rarely played live since the band's 2000 relaunch, but a live recording can be found on the EP The Lion and the Witch. Because the song was played shortly after Scott Shriner joined the band (making him unfamiliar with several lyrics), and because set lists at the time were determined at random, Shriner flubbed the bridge lyrics. Most of the band cracked up in laughter. After the completion of the song, Cuomo jokingly remarked "Scott just won a Grammy!"
Steady Holiday cover
| "Holiday" | ||
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| Single by Steady Holiday | ||
| Released | April 5, 2019 | |
| Recorded | Barsuk Studios | |
| Length | 3:25 | |
| Label | Barsuk Records | |
| Writer(s) | Rivers Cuomo | |
| Status | Officially released | |
| Stream |  Spotify |
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Steady Holiday released a cover of the song on April 5, 2019 on Barsuk Records.[1]
Personnel
- Rivers Cuomo – lead guitar, lead vocals
- Patrick Wilson – percussion, backing vocals
- Brian Bell – backing vocals
- Matt Sharp – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Ric Ocasek – producer
Audio
Lyrics
Let's go away for a while
You and I
To a strange and distant land
Where they speak no word of truth
But we don't understand anyway
Holiday
Far away, to stay
On a holiday
Far away, let's go today
In a heartbeat!
Heartbeat, heartbeat
Don't bother to pack your bags
Or your map
We won't need them where we're goin'
We're goin' where the wind is blowin'
Not knowin' where we're gonna stay
Holiday
Far away, to stay
On a holiday
Far away, to stay
On a holiday
Far away, let's go today
In a heartbeat!
Heartbeat, heartbeat
Heartbeat, heartbeat
We will write a postcard to our friends
And family in free verse
We will write a postcard to our friends
And family in free verse (On the road with Kerouac)
We will write a postcard to our friends (Sheltered in his bivouac)
And family in free verse (On this road we'll never die)
Heartbeat, heartbeat
Let's go for away for a while
You and I
To a strange and distant land
Where they speak no word of truth
But we don't understand anyway
Holiday
Far away, to stay
On a holiday
Far away, to stay
On a holi-
Let's go away (-day, far away)
Let's go away (To stay, on a holi-)
Let's go away (-day, far away)
Let's go away (To stay, in a heartbeat!)
Known recordings
| Performer(s) | Title | Filename | Date of recording | Recording location | Length | Appeared on | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers Cuomo | Holiday | 04 Holiday.mp3 | June 1993[2] | 3:05 | Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years | ||
| Weezer | Holiday | August 6, 1993[2] | Cole Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA | Rehearsal session. Recorded on Rivers Cuomo's portable DAT. | |||
| Weezer | Holiday | August 11, 1993[2] | S.I.R., New York City, NY | Blue Album pre-production demo. Engineered by Chris Shaw. | |||
| Weezer | Holiday | August—September 1993 | Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY | 3:24 | Weezer (The Blue Album) | ||
| Weezer | Holiday | May 16, 2002 | Zepp Sendai, Sendai, Japan | 4:10 | The Lion and the Witch | Live performance | |
| Weezer | Holiday | May 16, 2002 | Zepp Sendai, Sendai, Japan | 4:49 | Released on weezer.com | Uncut mix of recording from The Lion and the Witch EP |