Wanda (You're My Only Love)

"Wanda (You're My Only Love)" is the tenth track on Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo. The song was written and demoed by Rivers Cuomo in 1995.
===Appearances===
*Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo (2007)
==Overview==
"Wanda" is an acoustic song written by Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo. The melodies used in "Wanda" were written by Cuomo throughout the summer and fall of 1994. Cuomo transcribed chords and early couplets ("What's wrong with me / I'm making money") on a fax dated August 31, and a section of what would become part of the chorus melody ("Somebody, please, tell her for me") first appeared in a counterpoint exercise composed by Cuomo on October 24. The melody for the song's titular line was inspired by the ballet by Tchaikovsky."Rivers Cuomo." Discord. 2 December 2021 :File:Mrn-tchaikovsky.pngRoyal Opera House "The Nutcracker – Sugar Plum pas de deux: Adagio (Nuñez, Muntagirov, The Royal Ballet)" YouTube. 26 December 2018. https://youtu.be/qy6dlGpC3Ns?t=20s
The lyrics for "Wanda" are based on the script to the 1995 film Angus (itself an adaptation of the short story "A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune" by ). The film follows Angus (Charlie Talbert), an overweight teenage boy who, as part of a prank, is elected king of the school's Winter Ball. The titular "Wanda" refers to a so-named inflatable sex doll used by Angus to practice slow dancing. The song also makes reference to Angus' mother () being a truck driver, and his father being gay (a plot point cut from the final film after an audience member used a homophobic slur during a test screening"Interview: Patrick Read Johnson" That Shelf. 11 February 2013. https://thatshelf.com/interview-patrick-read-johnson/). "Wanda" was rejected for use in the film due to being "too literal" of an interpretation of the film's script. Weezer ultimately submitted the song "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly" instead, which plays during the Winter Ball after the climax of the film.
"Wanda" was briefly revisited by Cuomo in 1997, when he performed the song during two concerts billed as "Homie" (the short-lived side project that would release only the song "American Girls" for the soundtrack to the 1998 film Meet the Deedles). "Wanda" is known to have been subsequently rehearsed by Homie as a band,Weezer Recording History - Page 10 though it is unknown if the song was among the songs recorded at Fort Apache Studios in Boston.
Cuomo distributed an MP3 of "Wanda" to fans in the early 2000s. The demo was officially released in 2007 as part of the demo compilation Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo. A brief acoustic rendition of "Wanda," performed by Cuomo, appears on the DVD Video Capture Device, released in 2004.
==Live performances==
*Homie concert: 11/05/1997
*Homie concert: 11/21/1997
==Reception==
Pitchfork Media gave a positive review of "Wanda" in their review of Alone, comparing it favorably to Pinkerton.Crock, Jason. "Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" Pitchfork. 13 December 2007. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/10981-alone-the-home-recordings-of-rivers-cuomo/
==Audio==
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==Lyrics==
What's wrong with me?
I'm kinda funny
I'm not a dummy
But I'm all alone
Nobody sees me
No one talks to me
Unless they're laughing
Laughing at me
Except for her
She was my true friend
Dancing with me
She was my girlfriend
Somebody, please, tell her for me
Wanda, you're my only love
You're so lucky
Your family's normal
Mom drives a big rig
And my daddy's gay
No matter to her
She was my true friend
Dancing with me
She was my girlfriend
Somebody, please, tell her for me
Wanda you're my only love
Until the day I threw you away
Now I'm alone, and I wish you were home
==See also==
*List of Rivers Cuomo songs
* HOMiE - Volume 1
==References==
Category:Rivers Cuomo songs
Category:Homie songs
Category:Songs that appeared on the 4 and 5 Star Demos of Rivers Cuomo list
Category:Songs on HOMiE - Volume 1
Category:Songs on Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo
Category:Self-produced Rivers Cuomo songs
Category:Alone series