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The Other Way
| "The Other Way" | |||||
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| Album track by Weezer | |||||
| Album | Make Believe | ||||
| Released | May 10, 2005 | ||||
| Format | CD, vinyl, digital | ||||
| Recorded | December 2003 at Cello Studios | ||||
| Length | 3:17 | ||||
| Label | Geffen | ||||
| Writer(s) | Rivers Cuomo | ||||
| COR# | 574 | ||||
| Producer(s) | Weezer, Rick Rubin, Chad Bamford | ||||
| Status | Officially released | ||||
| Live debut | October 3, 2005 in Rosemont, IL | ||||
| Last played | November 7, 2014 in Los Angeles, CA | ||||
| Stream |  Spotify |
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 Apple Music |
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| Make Believe track listing | |||||
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"The Other Way" is the tenth track from Make Believe.
Contents
Appearances
- Make Believe (2005)
Overview
Pat: That song sounds like every note is placed exactly where it’s supposed to go, like…it’s one of those songs where nothing sounds out of place, it just sounds great to me.
Rivers: I wrote that song for Jennifer Chiba after Elliott died, and I wanted to console her, but I was confused and skeptical about my own motives for wanting to do so, so I wrote that song about that.
- —Band commentary[1]
"The Other Way" was written by Rivers Cuomo and inspired by conflicting feelings about consoling his former girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, following the apparent suicide of Chiba's then-boyfriend, singer-songwriter Elliott Smith on October 21, 2003. "She left me a distraught voice message," said Cuomo, "but I was in one of my first meditation courses."[2]
"The Other Way" is first documented as having been demoed, acoustically, with Todd Sullivan (the band's A&R representative) in November of 2003 at Weezer's rented office space,[3] in early contention for what would become the band's planned fifth album. Weezer would also rehearse the song a few weeks later at Swing House Studios in West Hollywood with producer Rick Rubin. As of December 2003, the song was worked up to a semi-finished state at Cello Studios.[1] By February of 2004, the song was part of Cuomo's "B-list" of songs in contention for album. "The Other Way" was added to the track list for Make Believe very late in production, with the version recorded in December 2003 being added to the album and receiving last-minute touches around February of 2005, less than a month before the final masters needed to be submitted in time for a spring release.[1] The song features saxophone playing by Jason Freese, the brother of musician Josh Freese, with whom Weezer has collaborated on a number of occasions.
"The Other Way" is only known to have been performed once during the tours in support of Make Believe, at a concert in Illinois on October 3, 2005. The song is not known to have been played again until 2014, when it was performed acoustically during the Everything Will Be Alright in the End Tour.
Known recordings
| Performer(s) | Title | Filename | Date of recording | Recording location | Length | Appeared on | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weezer | The Other Way | November 8, 2003[3] | 8295 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA | Acoustic demo, "way 1" | |||
| Weezer | The Other Way | November 8, 2003[3] | 8295 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA | Acoustic demo, "way 1" | |||
| Weezer | The Other Way | November 8, 2003[3] | 8295 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA | Acoustic demo, "way 1" | |||
| Weezer | The Other Way | November 8, 2003[3] | 8295 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA | Acoustic demo, "way 1," selected as best take | |||
| Weezer | The Other Way | November 8, 2003[3] | 8295 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA | Acoustic demo, "way 2" | |||
| Weezer | The Other Way | November 8, 2003[3] | 8295 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA | Acoustic demo, "way 2," selected as best take | |||
| Weezer | The Other Way | November 28, 2003[3] | Swing House Studios, Los Angeles, CA | Rehearsal | |||
| Weezer | The Other Way | December 1—December 19, 2003[1] | Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA | Rough mix made on January 30, 2004 | |||
| Rivers Cuomo | The Other Way | February 27, 2004[1] | S.I.R. Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA | ||||
| Weezer | The Other Way | December 1, 2003—Spring 2005 | Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA | 3:17 | Leaked online | Unmastered | |
| Weezer | The Other Way | December 1, 2003—Spring 2005 | Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA | 3:17 | Make Believe |
Known performances
- Weezer concert: 10/03/2005
- Weezer concert: 10/25/2014
- Weezer concert: 10/26/2014
- Weezer concert: 10/27/2014
- Weezer concert: 11/02/2014
- Weezer concert: 11/06/2014
- Weezer concert: 11/07/2014 (b)
Personnel
- Rivers Cuomo – lead guitar, lead vocals
- Patrick Wilson – percussion
- Brian Bell – rhythm guitar, piano, backing vocals
- Scott Shriner – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Jason Freese - saxophone
- Rick Rubin - producer
- Alan Moulder - mixing
Audio
Lyrics
I want to help you
But I don't know how
I want to soothe you
But I can't speak out
I have many fears about rejection
I have many memories of pain
I have always been a little shy
So I'll turn and look the other way
Other way, other way
I will turn and look the other way
I want to hold you
But I am afraid
I want to touch you
But I'm not that way
I have many doubts about my motives
I have many fears about my greed
I have always hurt the one that I love
So I'll turn and look the other way
Other way, other way
I will turn and look the other way
I have many doubts about my motives
I have many fears about my greed
I have always hurt the one that I love
So I'll turn and look the other way
Other way, other way
I will turn and look the other way
(Other way, other way)
