'The Sound of Science'

In 1994, the band Weezer burst onto what was then called the ‘Alternative Rock’ scene with what would later be dubbed “The Blue Album” and while inciting a lot of negative reactions from rock fans and critics, it was also massively successful with several hit singles and now considered a power-pop classic. Two years later, they released their follow-up album “Pinkerton”.  This effort was hailed by most critics and the band and leader Rivers Cuomo were hailed for growth and development they showed in the two years between albums. While being (and remaining) a cult hit, the album was a commercial flop as Cuomo strayed from the more standard songwriting format he excelled in on their debut. The quality of the song craft did not change and if anything improved, but mainstream rock fans who were still calling themselves “alternative” (…alternative to what?) were not ready for something that broke the mold. At the same time, the album had an effect similar to that of the first couple Pixies or Velvet Underground albums wherein almost nobody bought the album, but everyone who did started their own band.

Meanwhile, Cuomo was so discouraged by the commercial failure that he went into seclusion. Rumor has it that he painted his entire apartment black and spent five working out a formula for the perfect pop song. The result was “The Green Album” released in 2001, which alienated “Pinkerton” loyalists but brought back their more passive fans and cultivated many, many new ones. To serious fans of rock music this has earned him a reputation along the lines of a Paul McCartney for the 21st Century (READ: douche bag), but it has also shed light on a controversial dichotomy and serves as a near perfect metaphor in the debates over the value of commercial success vs. creative success and a number of more specified debates derivative of that larger issue.

The point is that (in case you were wondering), songwriting is a science…at least on a commercial level. There are no shortage of books, articles, websites and so forth that claim they can teach you how to write a hit song. Obviously, luck has a lot to do with the success of any band, song or album, but I for one have never heard a songwriter give credit to any sort of handbook, instructional video or how-to-anything for their success. It’s possible that there are some pride issues involved and/or avoidance of having to pay royalties to a jack*** who wrote an Modern English single in the 80s that was only heard in the London suburbs. Whatever the case, there is no question that songwriting is a science and whichever side of the debate you land on, it is certainly something worthy of study. To find out more, follow the link below:  

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