Finally, I feel like writing. I have to admit that my mother’s death last took the wind out of my sails. It was gut punch of reality that although I thought I was ready for it, I really wasn’t. No matter how logically and medically looked at the situation, it was still my mom. But, I am doing better. I am still tweaking the playlist for her visitation. Although it is dominated by her favorites like Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond, I still have thrown in a couple of Motown songs I remember her loving in the Sixties, along with a couple of songs from my days in the house. Plus, our Pastor wanted me to choose a secular song to put in the service, so I made it one that fit her personality of a fun-loving, non-wallflower of a person. But, I am not giving away the secret yet. That, along with writing her eulogy, have given me the peace and calm I had been searching for. Wait! Should I throw in some U2? Hmmmm. Mom wouldn’t care. Hell, I always teased her that I would play the Pat Travers Band’s live version of “Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)” at her funeral, and she would always say, “Go ahead!” and just laugh.
So, this week is Weezer Week for me as the Black Album with be released on Friday. Hopefully, it will arrive that day, as well as a copy of the Teal Album. They are my boys’ version of my Cheap Trick. They both take a great pop song and turn it inside out with power cords and irreverence. Only, Weezer might be a bit better because leader Rivers Cuomo puts more effort in writing a great song, most of the time.
With that said, I thought I would, due to the release of the Teal Album, release my list of my 20 Favorite Cover Songs by Weezer. From all the covers the band have recorded over the years, you can tell that Rivers once kept a notebook detailing why certain pop songs were hits. The man studied the hits, and it shows in his choice of covers that the band has recorded and performed in concert over the nearly 25 years of rocking this world. I always find Weezer’s cover choices interesting and nearly impeccable.
With that said, let’s begin my countdown. I will list the original artists in parentheses after each songs on my list.
20. “Paranoid Android” (Radiohead)
19. “Velouria” (Pixies)
18. “Worry Rock” (Green Day)
17. “Billie Jean” (Michael Jackson)
16. “Paranoid” (Black Sabbath)
15. “Unbreak My Heart” (Toni Braxton)
14. “Pumped Up Kicks” (Foster the People)
13. “Rosanna” (Toto)
12. “The Weight” (The Band)
11. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (Eurythmics)
10. “You Might Think” (The Cars)
9. “Happy Together” (The Turtles)
8. “No Scrubs” (TLC)
7. “Rainbow Connection (with Hayley Williams)” (Kermit the Frog)
6. “Africa” (Toto)
5. “Take on Me” (a-ha)
4. “Viva la Vida” (Coldplay)
3. “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (Tears for Fears)
2. “Mr. Blue Sky” (Electric Light Orchestra)
1. “Kids/Poker Face” (MGMT/Lady Gaga)
I think you can find all of these on Spotify and iTunes but I am by no means an expert on either. If I like, I find a way to get a hold of it. Still, Weezer’s take on “Kids/Poker Face” is impeccable! Enjoy the search!
If My Records Could Talk 