30 Noteworthy Facts We Bet You Didn’t Know About Weezer

Weezer, formed in the year 1992 in Los Angeles, has sold over 9.2 million albums in the United States and more than 17 million albums worldwide. The current line-up of the band includes Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell and Scott Shriner. The previous members include Jason Cropper, Matt Sharp, and late Mikey Welsh. Here are some interesting facts about the band:

1. Weezer released a new single, "Represent" on June 11, 2010, which was said to be an "unofficial US anthem" to coincide with the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
2. The band's first gig was as opening for "The Matrix" star Keanu Reeves' band Dogstar, which was also just getting started at that time.
3. The name Weezer, actually originated from the nickname given to Cuomo, during his school days, as other kids teased him for having asthma.
4. The garage that Cuomo sings about in the most popular single "In the Garage" is at the Amherst House in Los Angeles. The said garage is where the band had all of its early rehearsals.
5. The most popular video for "Buddy Holly," directed by Spike Jonze, featured old clips from the 1970s TV program "Happy Days," along with new footage of the band members. The show’s Al Molinaro also makes an appearance in the video.
6. The lines "listening to Cio-Cio San" and "watching grunge leg-drop New Jack" in "El Scorcho" from the "Pinkerton" album, were taken directly from an essay written by one of Cuomo's classmates in an expository writing class at Harvard.
7. Weezer contributed a cover of The Cars' "You Might Think" for the Disney-Pixar film "Cars 2."
8. In December 1991, Cuomo challenged himself to write 50 songs for a new project. The said batch of songs included some famous future Weezer tunes - "Undone," "Only in Dreams," "My Name Is Jonas," and "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here."
9. Jason Cropper, the original guitarist of the Weezer was asked to leave the band under mysterious circumstances, during the recording of their debut album, after signing a confidential agreement that bans him from talking about his time in the band to this day. Cropper's work were removed from the record, but still was paid as a full member.
10. Cuomo applied to Harvard on a whim while visiting the Harvad campus after a soundcheck at a nearby venue. His application essay was about feeling disillusioned by his rock lifestyle.
    
11. The most popular "Pinkerton" album, considered to be a classic and a pivotal record of the era, was initially planned to be a science-fiction rock opera called "Songs From the Black Hole."
12. The most popular single "Beverly Hills" from their "Make Believe" album was actually inspired by a Cuomo fantasy of marrying an "established celebrity" and living in Beverly Hills.
13. Before Weezer, Cuomo formed a band named Fury, at the age of 14, along with his brother Leaves as guitarist. They played a set of three Kiss covers at their first show.
14. On April 19, 2002, four years after parting ways with the band, Matt Sharp filed a lawsuit against his former bandmates in regards to songwriting credit for a number of Weezer tracks, specifically “Undone - The Sweater Song,” which he claimed he helped write. The band choose to settle out of court.
15. "Pork and Beans" was originally not intended to be on their "The Red Album," but was written after the band's label decided the record was too slow and needed an upbeat hit single. It was reported that Cuomo based the song on a riff he had written and discarded 10 years earlier.
16. Following their "Pinkerton" album, the band went through a four years hiatus period, during which they occasionally played shows in their home state as Goat Punishment, covering Nirvana and Oasis.
17. The actual video for "Undone" was one of the first clips directed by Spike Jonze, and was shot on a steadicam in a single unbroken take. The shot was filmed 25 times.
18. Weezer wrote and recorded over two dozen songs before heading out on a tour in 2000, but only three of those songs namely "Hash Pipe," "Dope Nose," and "Slob" had made it to an album release. The rest of the tracks were released for free on a fan site in 2001.
19. Cuomo's dad Frank Cuomo was actually a drummer in the 1960s, and has reportedly played on jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter's 1970 album "Odyssey of Iska."
20. The most popular single "I'm Your Daddy" from their 2009 album "Raditude," was written by Cuomo in an effort to cheer up his daughter Mia, when she was hospitalized for five days as a 2-year-old.
    
21. The B-side "Mykel & Carli" is a tribute to two of the band's earliest and most devoted fans who went on to become the leaders of the band's fan club. Both girls died along with their sister Trysta in a car accident.
22. The Jonas in "My Name Is Jonas" is said to be a reference to the main character of Lois Lowry's novel "The Giver." It was reported that Cuomo was inspired to write this single after meeting a man who introduced himself by saying “My name is pretty much Jonas.”
23. Cuomo is a devoted fan of soccer and has written several songs including “The Big Checkered Ball,” “Kick The Good Ball,” “Beautiful Landon Donovan,” and “Baseball Sucks By Weezer” as tributes to the U.S. Men’s National Team.
24. Cuomo wrote his first song at the age of 14. It was called "Fight for Your Right," and he described it as a Kiss-style heavy metal anthem.
25. The popular single "The Good Life" from the album "Pinkerton," was written after Cuomo had corrective surgery on his legs. The lyrics of the single is said to be a reference for having to walk around with a cane. An X-ray of his leg is used in the single art.
26. The singles “Jamie” and “Susanne” included on the "Blue Album's" deluxe edition in 2004, is actually about real people. “Jamie,” written in March 1993, is reportedly about the band’s lawyer, Jamie Young, who helped them as they prepared to sign their first record deal. “Susanne,” written in January 1994, is said to be in honor of their A&R man Todd Sullivan’s assistant, Susanne, who became a huge supporter of the band in the time period between the album's completion and release.
27. The originally recorded "Mykel & Carli," was released after 16 years, as a digital bonus track to the rarities compilation "Death To False Metal." The B-side version recorded has noticeable differences namely the changes in Cuomo's vocals and the tempo.
28. The band played their first show at a venue called Raji's in West Los Angeles on March 19, 1992, with a setlist that featured "Undone" and "The World Has Turned and Left Me Here" along with early tunes "I Can't Forget the Way" and "The Biggest Animal."
29. The famous single "Across the Sea" from the album "Pinkerton," is said to be based on an actual letter Cuomo received from a fan in Japan. It is reported that some of the lyrics are taken verbatim from the letter.
30. The band's eighth studio album "Hurley," was actually named after the character Hugo "Hurley" Reyes from the television show Lost. The Jorge Garcia, who portrayed Hurley in the show, was featured on the album's cover. Garcia claims it to be "one of the biggest honors of his career."
    
31. Rivers Cuomo Net Worth: $35 Million