Weezer (also known as The Teal Album to separate it from the band's other self-titled releases) is the twelfth studio album and fifth Self-Titled Album by Weezer, released in 2019. It is notable for being a Cover Album of songs predominantly from The '80s.
The album is believed to have been set in motion by an online campaign to get the band to cover Toto's "Africa," spearheaded in late 2017 by a Twitter account with the handle @weezerafrica run by a 14-year-old fan. After several months, the band responded...with a cover of a different Toto song ("Rosanna"). Eventually, they did release a cover of "Africa" in May 2018, which reached #51 on the Billboard Hot 100 (becoming the band's first hit on that chart since 2009's "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To"), as well as peaking at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart (becoming the band's first #1 single since 2008's "Pork and Beans"). The cover also received a music video that notably spoofs the Spike Jonze-directed video for "Undone (The Sweater Song)", with none other than "Weird Al" Yankovic performing as frontman Rivers Cuomo.
On January 24, 2019, the album was announced and released on the same day as a surprise ahead of the band's thirteenth album, also self-titled and referred to as The Black Album, which came out under two months later.
The album received a mixed reception; while its light-hearted, seemingly self-aware style was enjoyed by some — with analyses even being made interpreting it as a satire of cover albums — it was taken by others as unimaginative and ultimately unnecessary ahead of The Black Album.
Tracklist:
- "Africa" (originally recorded by Toto)
- "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (originally recorded by Tears for Fears)
- "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" (originally recorded by Eurythmics)
- "Take On Me" (originally recorded by a-ha)
- "Happy Together" (originally recorded by The Turtles)
- "Paranoid" (originally recorded by Black Sabbath)
- "Mr. Blue Sky" (originally recorded by Electric Light Orchestra)
- "No Scrubs" (originally recorded by TLC)
- "Billie Jean" (originally recorded by Michael Jackson)
- "Stand By Me" (originally recorded by The Drifters)
Personnel:
- Rivers Cuomo - guitar, lead vocals, piano, backing vocals
- Patrick Wilson - drums, percussion, backing vocals, production
- Brian Bell - guitars, keyboard, backing vocals
- Scott Shriner - bass, backing vocals
"I bless the tropes down in Africa":
- Ascended Meme: This album happened because the band responded to a fan request to cover "Africa" by Toto at the height of the song's memetic popularity.
- Cover Album
- The Cover Changes the Gender: Averted with their version of "No Scrubs," as Rivers sings the lyrics about loser guys completely straight, leaving out only Left-Eye's rap segment.
- Face on the Cover: The band in 80's style fashion.
- Genre Mashup: Not quite that extreme, but, their dives into R&B and metal are quite different for them.
- Miniscule Rocking: The longest song, "Billie Jean," runs 4:54, and the shortest, "Happy Together," runs a mere 2:25. The full album runs 36:18.
- Minimalistic Cover Art: As with all of Weezer's "color" covers.
- Mythology Gag: The video for "Take On Me" features a fictionalized version of Rivers' high school band Avant Garde.
- Self-Parody: The video for "Africa" is a parody of the video for Weezer's first single, "Undone (The Sweater Song)", featuring none other than "Weird Al" Yankovic as Rivers Cuomo.
- Step Up to the Microphone: Brian Bell sings lead vocals on "Paranoid."
