Pinkerton

Recorded
 Genre
 Length
 Label
 Producer

2. "El Scorcho"Released: September 3, 1996
3. "Pink Triangle"Released: September 24, 1996

***Pinkerton*** is the second studio album by Weezer, released on September 24, 1996, by DGC Records. After abandoning plans for a rock opera entitled Songs from the Black Hole, Weezer recorded the album between songwriter Rivers Cuomo's terms at Harvard University, where he wrote most of the songs.

To better capture their live sound, Weezer self-produced Pinkerton, creating a darker, more abrasive album than their self-titled 1994 debut. Cuomo's lyrics express loneliness and disillusionment with the rock lifestyle; the album is named after the character BF Pinkerton from Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera Madama Butterfly, whom Cuomo described as an "asshole American sailor similar to a touring rock star". Like the opera, the album contains references to Japanese culture.

Pinkerton produced the singles "El Scorcho", "The Good Life", and "Pink Triangle", and debuted at number nineteen on the US Billboard 200. It failed to meet sales expectations, and received mixed reviews; Rolling Stone readers voted it the third worst album of 1996. Embarrassed, Cuomo returned to more traditional pop songwriting and less personal lyrics for Weezer's subsequent albums. In the years following its release, Pinkerton was reassessed and achieved acclaim; several publications have named it one of the best albums of all time, and it was certified platinum in 2016. It was the last Weezer album to feature bassist Matt Sharp.

## Background

In 1994, after the multi-platinum success of Weezer's self-titled debut album, Weezer took a break from touring for Christmas. In his home state of Connecticut, songwriter Rivers Cuomo began preparing material for Weezer's next album using an 8-track recorder. His original concept was a science fiction rock opera, Songs from the Black Hole, that expressed his mixed feelings about success. Weezer developed Songs from the Black Hole through intermittent recording sessions throughout 1995.

In March 1995, Cuomo, who was born with one leg shorter than the other, had extensive leg surgery to lengthen his right leg, followed by painful physiotherapy sessions. This affected his songwriting, as he would spend long periods hospitalized, unable to walk without the use of a cane, and under the influence of painkillers. In the same period, Cuomo applied to study classical composition at Harvard University with an application letter describing his disillusionment with the rock lifestyle: "You will meet two hundred people every night, but each conversation will generally last approximately thirty seconds ... Then you will be alone again, in your motel room. Or you will be on your bus, in your little space, trying to kill the nine hours it takes to get to the next city, whichever city it is.". He quoted.

Cuomo felt limited by rock music. Every night, after performing with Weezer, he listened to Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera Madama Butterfly; the "depth of emotion and sadness and tragedy" inspired him to go further with his music. By May 1996, Cuomo's songwriting had become "darker, more visceral and exposed, less playful", and the Songs from the Black Hole concept was abandoned. Weezer's second album would instead feature songs written while Cuomo was at Harvard, chronicling his loneliness and frustration, or what Cuomo referred to as his "dark side".

## Recording

In 1995, a few days before Cuomo left to study at Harvard, Weezer spent two weeks at New York City's Electric Lady Studios, where they had recorded their debut, and tracked the songs "Why Bother?", "Getchoo", "No Other One" and "Tired of Sex". Weezer hoped to explore "deeper, darker, more experimental stuff" and better capture their live sound. They decided against hiring a producer, feeling that "the best way for us to sound like ourselves is to record on our own". To give the album a live, "raw" feel, Cuomo, guitarist Brian Bell and bassist Matt Sharp recorded their vocals in tandem around three microphones rather than overdubbing them separately.

While Cuomo was at Harvard, other Weezer members worked on side projects. Sharp promoted Return of the Rentals, the debut album by his band the Rentals, and Bell and drummer Patrick Wilson worked on material for their bands the Space Twins and the Special Goodness. In January 1996, during Cuomo's winter break, Weezer regrouped for a two-week session at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, to complete the songs they had worked on in August. After recording "El Scorcho" and "Pink Triangle", they separated again while Cuomo returned to Harvard.

During Cuomo's 1996 spring break, Weezer regrouped at Sound City Studios and recorded multiple songs, including; "The Good Life", "Across the Sea" and "Falling for You". This was all before Cuomo returned to Harvard for his finals. They completed Pinkerton in mid-1996 in Los Angeles. Two additional tracks, "I Swear It's True" and "Getting Up and Leaving", were abandoned prior to the mixing.

## Track Listing

* 1. Tired of Sex
* 2. Getchoo
* 3. No Other One
* 4. Why Bother?
* 5. Across the Sea
* 6. The Good Life
* 7. El Scorcho
* 8. Pink Triangle
* 9. Falling for You
* 10. Butterfly