“Memories” can, in some way, be seen as a nostalgic cry for help. I mean, nowhere in the song does Rivers explicitly say anything about Weezer‘s serious case of the “not what they used to be’s” but with a track like “Memories,” it’s at least heavily implied. There’s no way that wasn’t going through his head when he wrote this song; his band has fallen victim to the same criticism too many times in the past. But the thing is, I don’t actually believe Rivers wants to be respected like he used to be – rather, I believe he doesn’t give a shit. And this song, this deceivingly written song, in my eyes, is simply a slap in the face of every person who said “Weezer was better in the 90s” or “I wish they were like they used to be.” I being one of those people.
You might wonder if I’m being over presumptuous in thinking there’s a deeper meaning behind this song, when, ostensibly, this is a song about remembering the days “When Audioslave was still Rage.” But try to understand my rationale: Weezer, a band once widely praised by fans and critics alike, now under the focus of the critical eye, to the point where anytime they do anything at all, you get the same collective of “I miss the Blue/Pinkerton days” from Youtube Commenter #35. Are these fans a victim of the herd mentality? Possibly — probably. But you have to admit, things have changed a lot, Weezer has grown up, and maybe not even for the better. And then, imagine that from the artist’s point of view, comments like that are probably going to hit you hard, whether you believe or not; you will always have some deep scars in your psyche, no matter how little you think you care about others’ criticisms. So I want to go back and say: I truly believe that, at one point, during the writing process of this song, exactly those criticisms Rivers/Weezer have been a victim of, were flowing through everyone’s minds, albeit subconsciously.
A part of me was hoping “Memories” would bring Weezer‘s naysayers into question more bluntly, maybe just a little bit. I wouldn’t ever expect them to go too deep into that idea, that would be far too much of a risk for any band, really, and I don’t demand anything like that from Weezer. (But maybe they’re rich enough that it wouldn’t realistically matter to them?) Instead, it somewhat meanders around, talking about how cool being a teenager in the 90s was (I being a teenager in the 2000s might not get it as well as others), and in the back it leaves their history in question, without any real mention. But then again, maybe that was the “slap in the face” to the fans. Maybe Rivers doesn’t want to give the satisfaction of acknowledging his critics because he doesn’t care. This entire song could simply be a tease for all I know. That would be a ballsy move for any band, I would think.
My pretentious pontificating aside, “Memories,” structurally and instrumentally, holds well, and is pretty solid all around. There a few questionable points in the song: The intro, for a prime example, is an orchestra of string instruments tuning up, and it then cuts abruptly into the starting guitar riff and moves on from there. The only issue I had, really, was that it didn’t flow with the song in anyway and it felt copied and pasted. Besides that, though, you have a very well produced — but not overproduced — poppy, energetic song here. The youthful exuberance of the song is very apparent, from the thrashing, distorted power-chords, to Rivers’ line delivery. The chorus ramps up the song in a big way, as well, with its full back up vocals and synth following the melody. It’s all very catchy and fun, but in return becomes repetitive. The song is about two hooks, with little to no variation besides lyrics, thrown together. I grew tired of it after multiple listens, but that’s normally the case for any pop song.
“Memories” holds a lot of promise for the upcoming Hurley album, its repetitive nature aside. Weezer had their weird, out of left field phase with Raditude, but Hurley sounds like it may, probably unintentionally, bring back a bit of history. As a person who misses the days of Blue and Pinkerton, I’m happy with that direction – if they succeed or not is still up for question.
WINNER: “Memories” by Weezer
WHY: “Memories” is a good sign for things to come: it’s loud, vibrant, fresh, and — possibly — bold. Also, it doesn’t have Lil’ Wayne in it.
Fermata over Whole Rest 