El Scorcho

Infobox Single
Artist = Weezer
Name = El Scorcho


from Album = Pinkerton
Released = 1996
Format = CD, Cassette, Vinyl
Recorded = September 1995 - June 1996
Length = 4:03
Label = DGC Records
Writer = Rivers Cuomo
Producer = Weezer
Chart position =

• #19 US Modern Rock Tracks
• #50 UK Singles Chart

Last single = "Say It Ain't So"
(1995)
This single = "El Scorcho"
(1996)
Next single = "The Good Life"
(1996)
Misc = Extra tracklisting
Album = Pinkerton
Type = Studio
Tracks =
# "Tired of Sex"
# "Getchoo"
# "No Other One"
# "Why Bother?"
# "Across the Sea"
# "The Good Life"
# "El Scorcho"
# "Pink Triangle"
# "Falling For You"
# "Butterfly""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."cite web | last = | first = | url = http://home.pacbell.net/wepeel/weezer101/weezer1.htm | title = =W= Story | format = | work = | publisher =W= Story | accessdate = 2007-10-02]

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.

On WeezerJonas, the official online street team for Weezer, "El Scorcho" was ranked the 3rd best song on "Pinkerton", losing to "The Good Life" and "Tired of Sex."

The song is available as a playable track for the music video game "Rock Band" as downloadable content.

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 referencing a photograph of Grunge fighting wrestler New Jack that was published in Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Puccini's opera, "Madame Butterfly", The main characters of which are an American sailor - Pinkerton - and a Japanese girl named Cio-Cio San. The actress who played Cio-Cio San in the premiere cast of 1904 was named Rosina Storchio though the alternate spelling indicates that this is likely an unintentional reference. 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. The song also goes onto mention 1990's professional wrestling company ECW in the lyric "Watching Grunge leg drop New Jack through a press table."

Charts

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." Luerssen D., John. "Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story". ECW Press, 2004, ISBN 1-55022-619-3 p. 202] 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. Luerssen D., John, 2004 p. 195] It debuted on MTV's program 120 Minutes and only received moderate airplay on the channel. Luerssen D., John. "Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story". ECW Press, 2004, ISBN 1-55022-619-3 p. 202] Mark Romanek directed the video.

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.

Covers

*Actor Michael Cera's band The Long Goodbye has covered the song. [cite news|last=|first=|coauthors=|title=YouTube - The Long Goodbye: ""El Scorcho"|publisher=YouTube|date=|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tJYwjmQpNU|accessdate=]
*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.
*Chilean band Los Miserables in their album "Date Cuenta" made a cover called "Chow Chow Sen" inspired by the song El Scorcho. [http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Miserables_(banda)]

Personnel

*Rivers Cuomo – lead guitar, lead vocals
*Patrick Wilson – percussion
*Brian Bell – rhythm guitar
*Matt Sharp – bass guitar

References

External links

* [http://www.weezernet.com/index.php?page=lyrics&lid=24 Lyrics to El Scorcho]