El Scorcho
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “El Scorcho” | |||||
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| Single by Weezer from the album Pinkerton |
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| Released | 1996 | ||||
| Format | CD, Cassette, Vinyl | ||||
| Recorded | September 1995 - June 1996 | ||||
| Length | 4:03 | ||||
| Label | DGC Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Rivers Cuomo | ||||
| Producer | Weezer | ||||
| Weezer singles chronology | |||||
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| Pinkerton track listing | |||||
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"El Scorcho" is the first single off the second album Pinkerton by Weezer, released in 1996. The music video features the band playing in an old ballroom in Los Angeles (as revealed by Weezer's Video Capture Device DVD), surrounded by light fixtures of diverse origin, flashing in time to the music. The name of the song was supposed to have come from a packet of hot sauce from Del Taco, labeled "Del Scorcho."[1]
The song was not a successful single; several radio stations refused to play the song, and the video stiffed on MTV. This is considered to be one of the causes for the initial commercial failure of the album.
The song is available as a playable track for the music video game Rock Band as downloadable content.
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[edit] Inspiration
Cuomo mentioned in a 2006 interview with the Harvard college newspaper, The Crimson, that the lines mentioning "Cio-Cio San" and "watching Grunge leg-drop New Jack" were actually taken from an essay from a classmate of his at Harvard in an Expository Writing class. The printed lyrics to the song identify these two lines as quoted with the enclosure of quotation marks. "...one example is, in 'Pinkerton,' in 'El Scorcho,' two lines in the song are actually taken from someone else’s essay in my Expos class. Because at one point, we had to do a little workshop thing, and we each got assigned to review someone else’s essay. So, I reviewed this one person’s essay, and I liked some of the lines in it, so I took them and used them in the song." The actual meaning of "watching Grunge leg-drop New Jack" is a reference to ECW's star Johnny Grunge leg dropping New Jack, through a table possibly at an event that Cuomo's classmate had recently attended.[2]
[edit] Cultural References
The line "listening to Cio-Cio San" is in reference to Puccini's opera, Madame Butterfly, The main characters of which are an American sailor - Pinkerton - and a Japanese girl named Cio-Cio San. The reference may additionally be to the David Henry Hwang play M. Butterfly, which, at least to a degree, deals with themes of gender, sexuality and the confusion many people experience in that. This, in conjunction with the song "Pink Triangle", and the continued reference to the opera and/or play, gives the album an over-arching theme. Additionally, the line "I'm the epitome/of public enemy" is a direct quote from Public Enemy's "Don't Believe the Hype."
The song also mentions the band Green Day in the lyric "I asked you to go to the Green Day concert/You said you never heard of them." In 2005 while on the Foozer tour, Weezer often changed the lyric to "I asked you go to the Foo Fighters concert" and changed it to "the Weezer concert" in late '05. During their stop in Chicago for Lollapalooza, this was again changed to "I asked you to go to the Pixies concert", who were playing just before Weezer on a nearby stage.
[edit] Music Video
For the single, Cuomo refused to make any "Buddy Holly"-like videos explaining "I really don't want the songs to come across untainted this time around...I really want to communicate my feelings directly and because I was so careful in writing that way. I'd hate for the video to kinda misrepresent the song, or exaggerate certain aspects."[3] The final video featured the band playing in an assembly hall in Los Angeles, surrounded by light fixtures of diverse origin, flashing in time to the music.[4] It debuted on MTV's program 120 Minutes and only received moderate airplay on the channel. [3] Mark Romanek directed the video.
[edit] Tracklist
Radio Only Promo Single
- El Scorcho - 4:03
UK 7" Single/UK CD #1
- El Scorcho - 4:03
- You Gave Your Love To Me Softly - 1:57
UK CD #2
- El Scorcho - 4:03
- You Gave Your Love To Me Softly - 1:57
- Devotion - 3:11
"You Gave Your Love To Me Softly" was recorded for and released on the soundtrack to Angus (film). This version is a completely new recording.
[edit] Covers
- Actor Michael Cera's band The Long Goodbye has covered the song.[5]
- Dashboard Confessional covered the song 'El Scorcho' on their 2007 cover's album 'The Wire Tapes Vol. 1'
- Manchester Orchestra recorded a cover of it for their youtube podcast.
[edit] Personnel
- Rivers Cuomo – lead guitar, lead vocals
- Patrick Wilson – percussion
- Brian Bell – rhythm guitar
- Matt Sharp – bass guitar
[edit] References
- ^ =W= Story. =W= Story. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
- ^ Riesman, Abe. Rivers' End: The Director's Cut. The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved on 2007-10-02.
- ^ a b Luerssen D., John. Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story. ECW Press, 2004, ISBN 1-55022-619-3 p. 202
- ^ Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 195
- ^ "YouTube - The Long Goodbye: ""El Scorcho"", YouTube.
[edit] External links
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