The Ivory Telephone

"Ivory Telephone"
	Alone IV cover art
Demo by Weezer
Albums	Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years; Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Recorded	1998
Writer(s)	Rivers Cuomo
Status	Demos circulating
Rivers Cuomo song chronology

"The Ivory Telephone" (or simply "Ivory Telephone") is an unreleased song written by Rivers Cuomo.

Appearances

Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years (2020)
Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years (2020)

Overview

"Ivory Telephone" was recorded in March of 1998.^[1] The song was revisited years later, in late 2011, in early contention for Weezer's ninth album, Everything Will Be Alright in the End. The song appeared in drafts of Ecce Homo (an early draft of EWBAITE). Several demos of the song were made available for purchase in 2020 as part of the digital compilations Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years^[a] and Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years.

Lyrics

I call you up on the ivory telephone
You say you’re not, but I know that you’re at home
Don’t try to break me
Never try to shake me
I call you up on the ivory telephone
They say you’re not, but I know that you’re at home
Don’t try to break me
Never try to shake me

Can I ask a question? Can I pick your brain?
Why you tryin’ to flush me down the drain?

I call you up on the ivory telephone
They say you’re not, but I know that you’re at home
Don’t try to break me
Never try to shake me
I call you up on the ivory telephone
They say you’re not, but I know that you’re at home
Don’t try to break me
Never try to shake me

I build you up a temple
And put a knife in my son
I wanna be your only chosen one

I pour the holy water
And count the rosary
Now tie me down and never let me leave

I call you up on the ivory telephone
They say you’re not, but I know that you’re at home
Don’t try to break me
Never try to shake me
I call you up on the ivory telephone
They say you’re not, but I know that you’re at home
I call you up on the ivory telephone
They say you’re not, but I know that you’re at home

Try to shake me, try to break me

Known recordings

*about this table*
Performer(s)	Title	Filename	Date of recording	Recording location	Length	Appeared on
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`31 The Ivory Telephone.mp3`	March 1998	Unknown^[b]	1:02	Alone IV: The Blue-Pinkerton Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 1.mp3`	December 24, 2011^[2]		3:05	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 2.mp3`	December 30, 2011^[2]		3:03	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 3.mp3`	December 30, 2011^[2]		3:12	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 4.mp3`	January 1, 2012^[2]		3:22	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 5.mp3`	January 2, 2012^[2]		3:10	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 6.mp3`	January 6, 2012^[2]		3:27	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 7.mp3`	February 4, 2012^[2]		3:33	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 8.mp3`	February 9, 2012^[2]		3:31	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 9.mp3`	February 16, 2012^[2]		3:24	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years
Rivers Cuomo	The Ivory Telephone	`The Ivory Telephone 10.mp3`	2012—2014		3:23	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years

Footnotes

↑ Cuomo's inclusion of "Ivory Telephone" in the Blue-Pinkerton bundle was done in error; the song was recorded in 1998, during the Black Room period
↑ "Ivory Telephone" is listed with the prefix "C-8" in the Catalog O' Riffs. The meaning of the "C" demo prefix is unknown, but it may refer to Cole Rehearsal Studios, where Weezer rehearsed during the same year.

References

↑ The Catalog O' Riffs. 2002. http://weezerpedia.com/catalogofriffs.html
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 ^2.6 ^2.7 ^2.8 "The Ivory Telephone" Master Session file metadata

[2] Cuomo's inclusion of "Ivory Telephone" in the Blue-Pinkerton bundle was done in error; the song was recorded in 1998, during the Black Room period

[3] "Ivory Telephone" is listed with the prefix "C-8" in the Catalog O' Riffs. The meaning of the "C" demo prefix is unknown, but it may refer to Cole Rehearsal Studios, where Weezer rehearsed during the same year.

[1] The Catalog O' Riffs. 2002. http://weezerpedia.com/catalogofriffs.html

[master-4] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 ^2.6 ^2.7 ^2.8 "The Ivory Telephone" Master Session file metadata

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