Undone - The Sweater Song

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"Undone - The Sweater Song"
Single by Weezer
from the album Weezer (The Blue Album)
ReleasedJune 28, 1994[1]
RecordedAugust 16–September 24(?) at Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY
November 1, 1993 at 2226 Amherst Ave. in Los Angeles, CA (spoken word segments)
Length5:05
LabelDGC
Songwriter(s)Rivers Cuomo
RC#114
Producer(s)Ric Ocasek
StatusOfficially released
Live debutMarch 19, 1992 in Los Angeles, CA
Professional reviews
Weezer singles chronology
"Undone - The Sweater Song"
(1994) 		"Buddy Holly"
(1994)
Rivers Cuomo song chronology
"Make Me a Pallet"
(RC# 113) 		"Undone - The Sweater Song"
(RC# 114) 		"Why Do We Hurt Each Other?"
(RC# 115)
Weezer (The Blue Album) track listing
10 tracks
  1. "My Name Is Jonas"
  2. "No One Else"
  3. "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here"
  4. "Buddy Holly"
  5. "Undone - The Sweater Song"
  6. "Surf Wax America"
  7. "Say It Ain't So"
  8. "In the Garage"
  9. "Holiday"
  10. "Only in Dreams"
The Kitchen Tape track listing
8 tracks
  1. "Thief, You've Taken All That Was Me"
  2. "My Name Is Jonas"
  3. "Let's Sew Our Pants Together"
  4. "Undone - The Sweater Song"
  5. "Paperface"
  6. "Say It Ain't So"
  7. "Only in Dreams"
  8. "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here"
Weezer's third demo track listing
5 tracks
  1. "No One Else"
  2. "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here"
  3. "Say It Ain't So"
  4. "Undone - The Sweater Song"
  5. "Surf Wax America"
Alternate cover
Cover of the European Retail CD
Cover of the European Retail CD

"Undone - The Sweater Song" is the fifth track and lead single from Weezer's eponymous debut record (The Blue Album).

Appearances

Overview

"Undone" is the feeling you get when the train stops and the little guy comes knockin' on your door. It was supposed to be a sad song, but everyone thinks it's hilarious.

—Rivers Cuomo, press kit for Weezer (The Blue Album)


Lead singer Rivers Cuomo has commented many times on the song's inception. Said Cuomo, "I took typing, Psych 101, and English 101 that semester. It was in my English class that I heard the analogy of the unraveling sweater. Dr. Eisenstein used the image to demonstrate the effectiveness of focused thesis statement in an essay. 'All I have to do is hold a single thread in your sweater and it will unravel as you walk away.' [2]

In 2009, Cuomo admitted to Rolling Stone that "Undone (The Sweater Song)" was an "almost complete rip-off" of "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" by the band Metallica. Said Cuomo, "I was trying to write a Velvet Underground-type song because I was super into them, and I came up with that guitar riff. I just picked up that acoustic guitar and the first thing I played was that riff. And it just feels so classic to me, even now when the band starts to play it, it just takes over the energy in the room and you’re just transported into the world of Weezer. It wasn’t until years after I wrote it that I realized it’s almost a complete rip-off of ‘Sanitarium’ by Metallica. It just perfectly encapsulates Weezer to me – you’re trying to be cool like Velvet Underground but your metal roots just pump through unconsciously."[3]

Early concepts for the dialogue sections in the song was to utilize a sound collage assembled by longtime friend of the band, Karl Koch. This concept was carried through the recording of The Blue Album, but Geffen Records were wary of the cost of licensing the samples, and put a halt to that version. Late in the album's production, a spoken version of dialogue was recorded at the Amherst house, by bassist Matt Sharp and Koch, as well as a dialogue between Koch and Mykel Allan. The tapes were then sent overnight to New York to be 'flown in' to the final mix. When performed live, these sections typically featured improvised banter by the band. In the 2010s, however, the band began simply playing a recording of the dialogue heard on the album version.[4]

When the song was chosen as the lead single for The Blue Album, the band's record label requested a shortened version of the song to be played on the radio. While Weezer had agreed to a shortening of both the song's opening and closing sections, there was an additional adjustment made which shortened the song's final guitar solo by several seconds. Weezer had approved of this version of the song without hearing the edits made to the solo, and upon hearing this version of the song, they requested the solo edit be removed. The original radio edit had a run-time of 3:58, which was extended to 4:10 in the 'corrected' full guitar solo edit.[4]

The distinct guitar tone for the "Undone" intro came out of a specific section of The Blue Album recording process, during which Cuomo and original guitarist Jason Cropper spent a few days in the attic of Electric Lady Studios focusing only on the record's guitar parts[5].

Music video

Karlifyhead.png
How most of the world has introduced to the band. The reign of Spike Jonze begins here! This was roughly take 15 or 20 out of about 25. By this point the band had abandoned hope of doing a serious take, and thank goodness!


- Karl Koch, Video Capture Device booklet, 2004


The music video for "Undone" was Weezer's first music video, shot on June 28, 1994.[6] It features Weezer performing against a blue background, as a camera circles around them and dogs run across the set. The band originally didn't want to shoot a video, but relented on the condition that the video not have anything to do with a sweater. Twenty-five directors sent video treatments to the band, all of which involved sweaters. After a call from up and coming director Spike Jonze, the band agreed on his treatment involving "a blue room, a pack of dogs, and a couple of guys hanging upside down from the ceiling."[7] The video was shot at a warehouse in Los Angeles, using a Arri IIIC camera with a 16mm Zeiss lens mounted on a steadicam.[8] The song was played back at two times speed to produce a slow motion effect when slowed down, which required the band to mime at that speed, along with the cameraman and dogs. After a dog defecated on Patrick Wilson's bass drum pedal, the band began taking filming less seriously, miming less accurately and, in Matt Sharp's case, taking time to sit down and snap their fingers to the song. About twenty-five continuous takes were filmed,[7] of which take fifteen or twenty was used.[9] Ultimately, the video costed $60,000, in spite of the video's relatively simple concept.[7] The video soon rose in popularity on MTV, entering heavy rotation in their Buzz Bin for up and coming artists.[10][11]

Alternate take

Karlifyhead.png
Of the unused takes, there are several pretty good 'funny' ones, but none as good as this one. This is one of the earlier 'serious' takes, which also was before the cameraman had sorted out his 'moves.' Pat shows good form in the dog bonding at the end. The clip starts with the end of the previous take, 'cuz it looks cool.


- Karl Koch, Video Capture Device booklet, 2004


Musical composition

The song is notable for its seemingly basic chord progression which repeats through the verse and chorus of I, IV, V, IV. However, the song does experience a key change modulation for the guitar solo after the second chorus, modulating from the key of F# Major to A Major, and thus following the same I, IV, V, IV progression. Also, the main guitar lead played over the chords of the intro and the outro contains a raised second pitch which resolves to the third.

Reception

"Undone" is one of Weezer's most popular songs. The track reached 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 List of 1994. Allmusic.com gave "Undone" a 5 star rating and also named it an "AMG Track Pick."

Personnel

Lyrics

Lyric sheet for "Undone - The Sweater Song"
Early lyrics for "Undone" from 1991

Matt: Oh hey brah! How we doin', man?
Karl: Alright
Matt: It's been a while, man. Life's so rad! This band's my favorite, man. Don'tcha love 'em?
Karl: Yeah
Matt: Aw, man, you want a beer?
Karl: Alright
Matt: Aw, man. Hell, brah, this is the best, man. I'm so glad we're all back together and stuff. This is great, man
Karl: Yeah
Matt: Hey, do you know about the party after the show?
Karl: Yeah
Matt: Aw, man, it's gonna be the best. I'm so stoked! Take it easy, brah!

I'm me, me be
Goddamn, I am
I can, sing and
Hear me, know me

If you want to destroy my sweater
Hold this thread as I walk away

Mykel: Hey, what's up?
Karl: Not much
Mykel: Um... did you hear about the party?
Karl: Yeah
Mykel: I think I'm gonna go, but, um... my friends don't really wanna go. Could I get a ride?

Oh no
It go
It gone
Bye-bye (bye)
Who I
I think
I sink
And I die

If you want to destroy my sweater (Whoa-oh-oh)
Hold this thread as I walk away (As I walk away)
Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked
Lying on the floor, lying on the floor
I've come undone

If you want to destroy my sweater (Whoa-oh-oh)
Hold this thread as I walk away (As I walk away)
Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked
Lying on the floor, lying on the floor
I've come undone

I don't want to destroy your tank-top (If you want to destroy my sweater)
Let's be friends and just walk away (Hold this thread as I walk away)
Hate to see you lyin' there in your Superman skivvies (Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked)
Lying on the floor, lying on the floor
I've come undone

Woo-ooo-woo (repeat x24)

Known recordings

Performer(s) Title Filename Date of recording Recording location Length Appeared on Notes
Rivers Cuomo Undone - The Sweater Song 06 Undone.mp3 December 1991[12] 2:30 Alone V: Before Weezer
Weezer Undone - The Sweater Song February 16, 1992[13] T.K. Productions & Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA 4:08 Weezer (The Blue Album) (30th Anniversary Deluxe) Rehearsal
Weezer Undone - The Sweater Song June 10, 1992 English Acid West Hollywood, CA 4:53 Weezer (The Blue Album) (30th Anniversary Deluxe) Live Performance
Weezer Undone - The Sweater Song August 1992[13] 5:38
Weezer Undone - The Sweater Song November 14–November 15(?), 1992[14] 5:34 Weezer's third demo Features an interpolation of "Ode to Joy"
Weezer Undone - The Sweater Song August 11, 1993[15] S.I.R., New York City, NY Blue Album pre-production demo. Engineered by Chris Shaw.
Weezer Undone - The Sweater Song August—September 1993 Electric Lady Studios, New York, NY 5:05 Weezer (The Blue Album)
Weezer Undone - The Sweater Song May 13, 2024 Spotify Studios, Los Angeles, CA 3:27 The 30th Anniversary of Weezer Live performance at Spotify Studios for the 30th Anniversary of the Blue Album
about this table

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ Cuomo, Rivers. The Pinkerton Diaries. Self-published, 2011
  2. ↑ "Readers’ Poll: The 10 Best Weezer Songs." Rolling Stone. 18 June 2014. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/readers-poll-the-10-best-weezer-songs-23051/4-undone-the-sweater-song-253809/
  3. ↑ Greene, Andy. "Rivers Cuomo: We Ripped Off “The Sweater Song” From Metallica," Rolling Stone. 27 August 2009. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rivers-cuomo-we-ripped-off-the-sweater-song-from-metallica-248837/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Koch, Karl. "Karl Answers More Than You Even Thought to Ask", Weezine Issue 3 - Summer 1995.
  5. ↑ We'z Talkin' Weez' 2 Thee. "Conversation with Jason Cropper (founding member of Weezer) on Instagram Live," March 29, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM3oFKEcOkw
  6. ↑ Weezer - Video Capture Device: Treasures from the Vault 1991-2002
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Details article - January 1995
  8. ↑ https://nicolapecorini.com/music-videos/weezer.html
  9. ↑ Video Capture Device booklet
  10. ↑ Billboard article - October 1, 1994
  11. ↑ Entertainment Weekly article - December 9, 1994
  12. ↑ Weezer Recording History - Page 2
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Weezer Recording History - Page 3
  14. ↑ Karl Koch [Karlophone]. (November 11, 2024). Message sent to the Weezerpedia Discord Server channel #karlification. Transcribed at Weezerpedia Discord Q&A with Karl Koch - November 2024.
  15. ↑ Weezer Recording History - Page 4
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