1994Released
4:16

Did You Know?

Interesting facts and trivia about Say It Ain't So. By Songfacts®.

This song is a cathartic one for Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, who takes out his family frustrations in the lyric. He wrote the music for the song and had the title, but didn't know what the song would be about until he remembered an incident when he came home from high school and found a bottle of beer in the refrigerator belonging to his stepfather ("Somebody's Heine' is crowdin' my icebox"). Cuomo's family had been hurt by alcohol abuse in the past, as his father was an alcoholic and left the family when Rivers was four. When Cuomo saw the beer in the fridge, he thought his stepfather was also going to end up leaving.

Rivers Cuomo takes a shot at his biological father, Frank, in this song in the verse he starts with "Dear Daddy." After leaving the family when Cuomo was four, Rivers saw Frank infrequently until around the time when this song was released, at which point they renewed their relationship. When Cuomo sings, "You've cleaned up, found Jesus," he's referring to his dad's religious epiphany: Frank became a Pentecostal preacher. Years later, Rivers enjoyed watching videos of his father's sermons, which often incorporated music (Frank was a professional drummer). This helped Rivers come to terms with his insecurities on stage - he never looked like a rock star and sometimes felt like he didn't belong on stage, but seeing his father do it helped Rivers realize that he had a genetic gift for performing. Looking back at the lashing he gave his dad, Cuomo told Rolling Stone in 2014, "I was an angry young man. I was quick to point the finger."

The video was shot at the garage in the Los Angeles where Cuomo and Weezer bass player Matt Sharp lived. It was directed by Sophie Muller, whose extensive credits include most of the Eurythmics and Annie Lennox videos, and several by No Doubt.

Song Analysis

Key, BPM (tempo) and time signature of Say It Ain't So.
D♯Key
MajorMode
4/4Time Signature
76BPM

Album

The album Say It Ain't So is released on.

Released By

The record label that has released Say It Ain't So.
Universal Strategic Marketing
© 2004 Geffen Records Inc.
℗ 2004 Geffen Records Inc.

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