Iambic Pentameter
| "Iambic Pentameter" | |||||
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| Album track by Weezer | |||||
| Album | SZNZ: Winter | ||||
| Released | December 21, 2022 | ||||
| Label | Crush Music/Atlantic Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Rivers Cuomo | ||||
| Status | Officially released | ||||
| Live debut | September 19, 2022 in West Hollywood, CA | ||||
| SZNZ: Winter track listing | |||||
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This song is part of the "Iambic Pentameter" lineage of songs
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"Iambic Pentameter" is the second track on SZNZ: Winter.
Appearances
- SZNZ: Winter (2022)
Overview
The bridge from "Iambic Pentameter" re-appropriates the chorus melody and lyric from "You and Me Together," a demo originally recorded by Rivers Cuomo in 2004 (and again, sporadically, in the years since). The melody was previously used as the verse melody for the Weezer B-side/bonus track "Prom Night," released in 2016. Cuomo told Uproxx in a 2023 interview, "I have this folder of ideas, and it has 1500 MP3s in there. And usually once I use an idea, I take the idea out of the folder so I won’t reuse it. Now, in this case, years ago I used it in a song called “Prom Night,” and then I forgot to take the idea out."[1] The title "Iambic Pentameter" was discovered by fans in the database for a Weezer set list survey hosted on Cuomo's website in June of 2022.
Weezer (under the Goat Punishment moniker) performed SZNZ: Winter in its entirety (including "Iambic Pentameter") at a secret show in West Hollywood on September 19, 2022, months ahead of the EP's release.
A demo of "Iambic Pentameter" was leaked online in December of 2022.
Personnel
- Rivers Cuomo — lead vocals, guitar
- Brian Bell — rhythm guitar
- Scott Shriner — bass
- Patrick Wilson — drums
Audio
Lyrics
Don't give up
Darling, don't give up on me
Even if I kick and scream
I'm saying all that I can
I need someone to understand
I can't explain
I can't express these sentiments
I try, but I implode instead
It hurts my heart, it hurts my head
Don't even know where to begin
I wish I could say it all to you in iambic pentameter
I'd improvise high notes like Thelonious when he's jammin’ it
I'd let it all out, and there's no doubt
You would help me understand
What the hell is inside this messed-up head
And you'd always be here for me
But that's not it
That's not what I meant at all
No, you're not getting it at all
You gotta try, keep coming back
'Cause I'm a hard nut to crack
A jumbled mess tangled up in a Gordian Knot
All my mom could do was talk
And wonder why she couldn't reach
Her silent child, try as she might
I wish I could say it all to you in iambic pentameter
I'd improvise high notes like Thelonious when he's jammin’ it
I'd let it all out, and there's no doubt
You would help me understand
What the hell is inside this messed up head
And you'd always be here for me
You and me together
Holding on for life
You and me together
Trapped under the ice
You and me together
You and me forever
You and me together
Seasons come and seasons go
Where they stop no one knows
'Round and 'round and 'round we go
Back to a place we've never been before
I wish I could say it all to you in iambic pentameter
I'd improvise high notes like Thelonious when he's jammin’ it
I'd let it all out, and there's no doubt
You would help me understand
What the hell is inside this messed up head
And you'd always be here for me
Known recordings
| Performer(s) | Title | Filename | Date of recording | Recording location | Length | Appeared on | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers Cuomo | Iambic Pentameter | Iambic Pentameter 2021-02-12 16.00.mp3 | February 12, 2021 | 3:34 | Leaked online | ||
| Weezer | Iambic Pentameter | 2022 |
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3:51 | SZNZ: Winter |
See also
References
- ↑ Droke, Carolyn. "On ‘SZNZ,’ Weezer Thrives By Looking Ahead" Uproxx. 7 February 2023 https://uproxx.com/indie/weezer-interview-rivers-cuomo-sznz-winter/