Byzantine

"Byzantine" is the ninth track from The Black Album.

## Overview

Most of the lyrics were written by musician Laura Jane Grace (of the band Against Me!) via text message. Said Rivers Cuomo, "She did most of the lyrics, and she sent them to me as text messages, and I turned it into a song." Grace commented on the collaboration in December of 2019, telling Rolling Stone, "Rivers one day tweeted, 'Will someone write lyrics for me?' And I responded, 'OK, I will.' And then he DM’d me. It was so fucking wild and such a cool experience. I will forever be in Rivers’ debt. [...] I find his songwriting process really interesting and to be let into that in a scientific way was really cool to see from the inside."

According to Cuomo, the bridge was taken from a 1991 Fuzz track, described as “a very early-’90s grunge Soundgarden-type of song.” In an interview with Billboard, Cuomo explained, "With 'Byzantine,' the bridge is from a pre-Weezer band that [drummer Patrick Wilson] and I were in in 1991, called Fuzz. I searched for the key and the tempo and the basic vibe I was looking for, and it popped up. All of my little bits and pieces of music will find a home eventually." In November 2020, the song in question was confirmed to be "I Can't Forget The Way", after it was leaked onto Cuomo's demo storefront and subsequently sold as part of the compilation Alone V: Before Weezer.

The verse melody of "Byzantine" greatly resembles that of the song "Dancing Girl", a track previously co-written by Cuomo for the 2018 album Hometown by Japanese alt-rock band Asian Kung-Fu Generation. This melody was was also previously used for the demos "There's a Bomb in the Air", "Hot Little Tramp", and "She's Just a Girl".

## Lyrics

[Verse 1]

I want Neil Young on your phone speaker in the morning

And fuck him if he just can't see

This is how his songs are supposed to be heard

No more lectures on fidelity

I don’t believe in mysticism

Only in what science proves

Like the sex appeal of your sick dance moves

Ooh, wee, ooh, wee

[Chorus]

Put on your red beret, baby

Moonwalk naked across the room (Ooh)

Do something kinda unique to me

Do something that'll make me swoon (Ooh)

That's how I know that I’m not pretending

I know it's not make believe (Ooh)

It's only complicated if you want it to be

Do you know what I mean? It's byzantine

[Verse 2]

I want Hi-Chews, playlists, smoking on the roof

And I love the way you look at me

Tennessee Williams in Stuart Weitzman boots

Yeah, you're just too wild to believe

A fetish for athletic fashion

Running shoes and striped track suits

I never heard of Sparks before

But I'm so glad you shared them with me

[Chorus]

Put on your red beret, baby

Moonwalk naked across the room (Ooh)

Do something kinda unique to me

Do something that'll make me swoon (Ooh)

That's how I know that I’m not pretending

I know it’s not make believe (Ooh)

It's only complicated if you want it to be

Do you know what I mean? It’s byzantine

[Bridge]

Rollin', crashin', breakin', splashing

Givin’, takin', makin', breakin' promises

You got me high when I was low

Negative ions, come save my soul (Soul, soul)

[Chorus]

Put on your red beret, baby

Moonwalk naked across the room (Ooh)

Do something kinda unique to me

Do something that'll make me swoon (Ooh)

That's how I know that I'm not pretending

I know it's not make believe (Ooh)

It's only complicated if you want it to be

Do you know what I mean? It's byzantine

[Outro]

It's byzantine, it's byzantine

It's byzantine, it's byzantine

## See Also

 Standard