Pork and Beans

"Pork and Beans" is the lead single and third track off of The Red Album.
===Appearances===
*Weezer (The Red Album) (2008)
*"Pork and Beans" single (2008)
*Several Official Bootlegs (Live Version)
*Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years (2020)
==Overview==
===Liner notes===
===Inspiration===
"Pork and Beans" was not originally a part of The Red Album. The song was written by Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo after a meeting with Geffen Records that left him fuming. In the meeting, label suits told Cuomo that the album was too slow and needed more upbeat, commercial material, which upset the band. Cuomo then wrote what Brian Bell would later call "a kickass song" based on a demo he'd written in 1998 entitled "Wan and Wistful Silvertone Riff." This demo went unheard by fans until Cuomo began self-releasing demos on his personal website in 2020. Cuomo reworked the song's riff and melody into a new song, adding a new chorus and bridge. The lyrics of the song explain his point of view of the meeting with the label. Supposedly, he'd paraphrased actual quotes of the label representatives. Ironically, "Pork and Beans" would go on to become one of Weezer's biggest hits ever. Pork and Beans is the first Weezer single ever to lack a guitar solo.
===Announcement===
Originally, Rivers posted on his official MySpace page that the lead single would be twelve letters and one word that started with T and ended with R. In a revised update, Rivers said that he was wrong about the initial lead single and that the new single would be about a four-legged pink farm animal. He then added, "You ain't never gonna figure it out boi!" Many Weezer fans took this as a tongue in cheek comment that the lead single was obviously "Pig", which had leaked a little under a year ago in 2007.
On Albumsix, band webmaster Karl Koch shot this down saying he "for one would be very surprised if Pig was the first single", but commented that he did not know of the band's intentions. On April 1, Rolling Stone released information that Weezer's new album was a self titled red album with the lead-off single to be "Pork and Beans". Many fans took this as an April fool's joke. Shortly after, a few Albumsix boardies posted a prank online of fake lyrics for the song. On April 12, a clip of "Pork and Beans" was posted on Amazon.com, with a release date scheduled as April 24, 2008.
==Release==
The full song was premiered by KROQ on April 15, 2008 -- three days after the initial Amazon clip. That night, Karl signed into the Albumsix chat room to discuss "Pork and Beans" with fans. The single was later released as a two-track CD, and on vinyl, in three versions, each with a different B-side. All of the single's various B-sides were cover songs.
===Reception===
Initial fan reactions to "Pork and Beans" were mostly positive. Fans were quick to note the guitar tone being crunchy and reminiscent of The Blue Album (something Pat had hinted about on his Twitter page). Fans were also quick to unhappily note that the song lacks a solo. The lyrics of the second verse were initially criticized as well. Generally, however, Pork and Beans is viewed highly by more devout Weezer fans. It has received critical and commercial fame in the mainstream market, and is one of Weezer's most successful singles.
==Music video==
The wildly popular music video for "Pork and Beans", released on YouTube on May 23, 2008, was directed by Mathew Cullen. The video contains many internet celebrities and memes - mainly from YouTube - including Numa Numa, The Evolution of Dance, and Afro Ninja. It was an immediate hit at the site, and as of November 2009, it has had over twenty million views. On February 8, 2009, the video won the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. In August of 2009, the video was named the 3rd best music video of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media. The band would again collaborate with YouTubers in a promotional campaign for Hurley, appearing in more than a dozen videos on various popular channels across the site.
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==Personnel==
*Rivers Cuomo – lead guitar, lead vocals
*Patrick Wilson – percussion
*Brian Bell – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, keyboard
*Scott Shriner - bass guitar, backing vocals
*Jacknife Lee - producer
==Lyrics==
<tabber>
|-|Album version=
Image:Weezer Weezer (The Red Album) 14.jpg|Lyric sheet
They say I need some Rogaine to put in my hair
Work it out at the gym to fit my underwear
Oakley makes the shades to transform a tool
You'd hate for the kids to think that you lost your cool
I'm 'a do the things that I wanna do
I ain't got a thing to prove to you
I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like
I'm fine and dandy with the me inside
One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot about what you think
Everyone likes to dance to a happy song
With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along
Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the chart
Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art
I'm 'a do the things that I wanna do
I ain't got a thing to prove to you
I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like
I'm fine and dandy with the me inside
One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot about what you think
No I don't care,
I don't care,
I don't care, I don't care, I don't care, I don't care
I'm 'a do the things that I wanna do
I ain't got a thing to prove to you
I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like
I'm fine and dandy with the me inside
One look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot about what you think
|-|Demo=
They say I need some Rogaine to put in my hair
Work it out at the gym to fit my underwear
Oakley makes the shades to transform a tool
You'd hate for the kids to think that you lost your cool
I will the things that I wanna do
I ain't got a thing to prove to you
I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like
I'm fine and dandy with the me inside
I look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot about what you think (About it)
Everyone likes to dance to a happy song
With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along
Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the chart
Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art
I will the things that I wanna do
I ain't got a thing to prove to you (I ain't got a thing to prove to you)
I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if I make a scene (Excuse my manners if I)
I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like
I'm fine and dandy with the me inside
I look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot about what you think (Feel about it)
No I don't care,
No I don't care,
No I don't care, I don't care, I don't care, I don't care, I don't care
I will the things that I wanna do
I ain't got a thing to prove to you
I'll eat my candy with the pork and beans
Excuse my manners if I make a scene
I ain't gonna wear the clothes that you like
I'm fine and dandy with the me inside
I look in the mirror and I'm tickled pink
I don't give a hoot about what you think</tabber>
==Known recordings==
==See also==
* List of Weezer songs
* Jacknife Lee
==External links==
* YouTube
Category: Weezer songs
Category: Weezer singles
Category:Songs that appeared on the 4 and 5 Star Demos of Rivers Cuomo list
Category:Allmusic track picks
Category: Songs on Weezer (The Red Album)
Category:Weezer songs produced by Jacknife Lee
Category:2008 releases