Make Believe
Encyclopedia
Make Believe is the fifth studio album
by Weezer
, released on May 10, 2005, the eleventh anniversary of the release of their debut album. Bolstered by the Top 10 hit single "Beverly Hills
", it gave Weezer their biggest chart album peak yet, hitting #11 in the UK, #1 in Canada, and #2 in the U.S., where it went gold quickly, and eventually platinum. The song also earned the band their first Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song. Despite this, Make Believe has received mixed reviews from critics and fans, though it has remained a consistent seller.
As of December 2007, Make Believe has sold 1,215,000 units in the U.S. alone. It reached number two, the band's highest peak to date.
Make Believe features the band's first two songs to top the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, the aforementioned "Beverly Hills
" and "Perfect Situation
."
Rivers Cuomo
's discovery of meditation in the three years between this and their previous release, Maladroit
had a great influence on the content of the album. Mainly on "Pardon Me," which was written after a ten day guided meditation course, in which he learned the ancient techniques of Vipassana
(Insight Meditation) and Metta (Lovingkindness) which encourages those who practice to "seek pardon from all those who I have hurt in action, speech or thought." He also claimed the title of the album came to him while meditating.
Make Believe marks a return to Cuomo's more personal songwriting style after taking a more distant approach on the previous two albums. An example of this is "The Other Way," which was written for Rivers' ex-girlfriend Jennifer Chiba after her then boyfriend Elliott Smith
died. Cuomo said, "I wanted to console her, but I was confused and skeptical about my own motives for wanting to do so, so I wrote that song about that." "We Are All on Drugs" was inspired by Cuomo hearing party-goers on Sunset Strip. "Hold Me" was written during a songwriting experiment in which Cuomo fasted for 24 hours and then wrote a song.
Producer Rick Rubin
told Rivers Cuomo
to "write a Billy Joel
or Elton John
type of song." The result of Rubin's request was "Haunt You Every Day" which is not the first Weezer song to feature piano, but is the first that Rivers wrote entirely on piano. According to Cuomo, Rubin told Tom Petty
the same thing and he wrote "It's Good To Be King."
As the band was working on the album, they struck a deal to have "My Best Friend" be included in the film Shrek 2
yet this deal was scrapped when the makers of the film didn't think it fit to the timings of the visuals. The Counting Crows
song "Accidentally in Love" took the place of "My Best Friend." However, in late 2010, "My Best Friend" was included on the soundtrack to the film "Yogi Bear
", and can be heard during the end credits.
Hundreds of songs were demoed during the three year period of making of the album. Despite the abundance of release-able material, to the dismay of many fans, this is the first Weezer album not to feature any b-side releases. Of the notable unreleased material, partial rough versions of "You're the One" and "Love is the Answer" can be heard on the "Making of Make Believe" special feature on the disc's Enhanced CD feature. A cover of Toni Braxton
's "Un-Break My Heart
" was in consideration for the album and later for a soundtrack, although it would only see release five years later on the Death To False Metal
album. Six other Make Believe era outtakes including three which were contenders for the final album would also see release on various versions of the same album.
While deciding on the name of the album, one of the title suggestions given by Patrick Wilson
was One Thousand Soviet Children Marching Towards The Sun. Another suggestion was Either Way I'm Fine (something Cuomo said often during the sessions when discussing changing elements of a song or sound). Ultimately the title of Make Believe won over his suggestion.
While most Weezer albums are quite short, with a time span around 30 minutes, Make Believe is the longest album they have released to date, clocking in at 45 minutes.
, Rivers Cuomo
, Scott Shriner
, and Brian Bell
standing left-to-right in front of a black
backdrop with illustrations by Carson Ellis
.
The liner notes
feature a monologue from William Shakespeare
's play The Tempest. The monologue is taken from Act 5, Scene 1 of the play in which Prospero
gives up his magic. This had prompted many fans to speculate that Make Believe would be the band's final album. The monologue is as follows:
The UK and Japan versions of the album came with two additional bonus tracks, live versions of "Butterfly" and "Island In The Sun" which originally appeared on "Pinkerton" and "The Green Album", respectively. The Japanese version also featured a live version of the song "Burndt Jamb", which appeared on "Maladroit".
score reflects this, where the album is currently listed at 52 (out of 100). Some publications like Allmusic and Rolling Stone
gave it high remarks, like comparing the album to the band's earlier release Pinkerton
in terms of its songwriting, sound, and initial critical reaction. However, Allmusic changed its rating for this album from 4 stars to 3 stars years later. Other reviewers panned the album, like Pitchfork Media
's stark 0.4 (out of 10), where reviewer Rob Mitchum stated, "Sometimes an album is just awful. Make Believe is one of those albums." Adam Downer of Sputnikmusic
gave the album a 1.5 out of 5, saying "... the album is a whirlwind of mediocrity and self deprecating lyrics."
Shedding light on the many versions that were released of the album, Weezer archivist Karl Koch posted the following at Weezer.com on June 20, 2007:
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, released on May 10, 2005, the eleventh anniversary of the release of their debut album. Bolstered by the Top 10 hit single "Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills (song)
"Beverly Hills" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer. It is the first single from the band's fifth album, Make Believe. It was released on March 29, 2005...
", it gave Weezer their biggest chart album peak yet, hitting #11 in the UK, #1 in Canada, and #2 in the U.S., where it went gold quickly, and eventually platinum. The song also earned the band their first Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song. Despite this, Make Believe has received mixed reviews from critics and fans, though it has remained a consistent seller.
As of December 2007, Make Believe has sold 1,215,000 units in the U.S. alone. It reached number two, the band's highest peak to date.
Make Believe features the band's first two songs to top the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, the aforementioned "Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills (song)
"Beverly Hills" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer. It is the first single from the band's fifth album, Make Believe. It was released on March 29, 2005...
" and "Perfect Situation
Perfect Situation
"Perfect Situation" is a song by American alternative rock band Weezer. It was released as the band's third single from their fifth album, Make Believe, following "Beverly Hills" and "We Are All on Drugs."...
."
Writing and recording process
As early as spring 2002, and at random points in late 2002 and early 2003, demos for possible use on Weezer's fifth album would be uploaded to Weezer.com's audio/visual page. After some time, the band decided to start from scratch with a fresh group of songs. 28 songs in all were uploaded on the website (and can still be found on various fan sites) yet none made the actual album. This batch of songs is commonly referred to as "The A5 Demos" or "Album 4.5", amongst fans.Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Weezer. Raised in an Ashram in Connecticut, Cuomo moved to Los Angeles at age 19, where he participated in a number of rock bands before founding Weezer in 1992...
's discovery of meditation in the three years between this and their previous release, Maladroit
Maladroit
Maladroit is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Weezer, released on May 14, 2002 on Geffen Records. The album is the band's first to feature bassist Scott Shriner, following the departure of former bassist Mikey Welsh in 2001...
had a great influence on the content of the album. Mainly on "Pardon Me," which was written after a ten day guided meditation course, in which he learned the ancient techniques of Vipassana
Vipassana
Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...
(Insight Meditation) and Metta (Lovingkindness) which encourages those who practice to "seek pardon from all those who I have hurt in action, speech or thought." He also claimed the title of the album came to him while meditating.
Make Believe marks a return to Cuomo's more personal songwriting style after taking a more distant approach on the previous two albums. An example of this is "The Other Way," which was written for Rivers' ex-girlfriend Jennifer Chiba after her then boyfriend Elliott Smith
Elliott Smith
Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
died. Cuomo said, "I wanted to console her, but I was confused and skeptical about my own motives for wanting to do so, so I wrote that song about that." "We Are All on Drugs" was inspired by Cuomo hearing party-goers on Sunset Strip. "Hold Me" was written during a songwriting experiment in which Cuomo fasted for 24 hours and then wrote a song.
Producer Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
told Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Weezer. Raised in an Ashram in Connecticut, Cuomo moved to Los Angeles at age 19, where he participated in a number of rock bands before founding Weezer in 1992...
to "write a Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
or Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
type of song." The result of Rubin's request was "Haunt You Every Day" which is not the first Weezer song to feature piano, but is the first that Rivers wrote entirely on piano. According to Cuomo, Rubin told Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
the same thing and he wrote "It's Good To Be King."
As the band was working on the album, they struck a deal to have "My Best Friend" be included in the film Shrek 2
Shrek 2
Shrek 2 is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film, produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon. It is the second installment in the Shrek film series and the sequel to 2001's Shrek...
yet this deal was scrapped when the makers of the film didn't think it fit to the timings of the visuals. The Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
song "Accidentally in Love" took the place of "My Best Friend." However, in late 2010, "My Best Friend" was included on the soundtrack to the film "Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear (film)
Yogi Bear is a 2010 American live-action film adaptation of the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series The Yogi Bear Show directed by Eric Brevig. The film stars Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Tom Cavanagh, Anna Faris, T. J. Miller, Nate Corddry, and Andrew Daly....
", and can be heard during the end credits.
Hundreds of songs were demoed during the three year period of making of the album. Despite the abundance of release-able material, to the dismay of many fans, this is the first Weezer album not to feature any b-side releases. Of the notable unreleased material, partial rough versions of "You're the One" and "Love is the Answer" can be heard on the "Making of Make Believe" special feature on the disc's Enhanced CD feature. A cover of Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
's "Un-Break My Heart
Un-Break My Heart
"Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American recording artist Toni Braxton from her second studio album, Secrets . Written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, the ballad was released as the album's second single...
" was in consideration for the album and later for a soundtrack, although it would only see release five years later on the Death To False Metal
Death to False Metal
Death to False Metal is the ninth studio album by alternative rock band Weezer, released on November 2, 2010 by Geffen. The album comprises several previously unreleased tracks from throughout Weezer's career, with vocalist and guitarist Rivers Cuomo stating "Together, [these songs] are the album...
album. Six other Make Believe era outtakes including three which were contenders for the final album would also see release on various versions of the same album.
While deciding on the name of the album, one of the title suggestions given by Patrick Wilson
Patrick Wilson (musician)
Patrick "Pat" George Wilson is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Weezer. He joined the band in 1992. In addition to his work in Weezer, he also fronts his own band, The Special Goodness....
was One Thousand Soviet Children Marching Towards The Sun. Another suggestion was Either Way I'm Fine (something Cuomo said often during the sessions when discussing changing elements of a song or sound). Ultimately the title of Make Believe won over his suggestion.
While most Weezer albums are quite short, with a time span around 30 minutes, Make Believe is the longest album they have released to date, clocking in at 45 minutes.
Artwork and liner notes
Much of the album's art direction was handled by Francesca Restrepo with photography from Karl Koch and Sean Murphy. The album cover was done in a similar manner to both the band's debut album, The Blue Album and their 2001 album, The Green Album. It featured Patrick WilsonPatrick Wilson (musician)
Patrick "Pat" George Wilson is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Weezer. He joined the band in 1992. In addition to his work in Weezer, he also fronts his own band, The Special Goodness....
, Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Weezer. Raised in an Ashram in Connecticut, Cuomo moved to Los Angeles at age 19, where he participated in a number of rock bands before founding Weezer in 1992...
, Scott Shriner
Scott Shriner
Scott G. Shriner is the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Weezer.-Early life:Shriner was born in Toledo, Ohio. He took up bass in high school. After being discharged from the Marine Corps, he found his high school bass teacher Mark Kieswetter, with whom he studied until moving to Los...
, and Brian Bell
Brian Bell (musician)
Brian Bell is an American guitarist and songwriter. Active since 1989, he is best known as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist for the American alternative rock band Weezer. Bell joined Weezer in 1993 following the departure of founding member Jason Cropper...
standing left-to-right in front of a black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
backdrop with illustrations by Carson Ellis
Carson Ellis
Carson Friedman Ellis is an artist living in Portland, Oregon. She is best known for her children's book illustrations and her album art.- Career :...
.
The liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
feature a monologue from William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's play The Tempest. The monologue is taken from Act 5, Scene 1 of the play in which Prospero
Prospero
Prospero is the protagonist in The Tempest, a play by William Shakespeare.- The Tempest :Prospero is the rightful Duke of Milan, who was put to sea on "a rotten carcass of a butt [boat]" to die by his usurping brother, Antonio, twelve years before the play begins. Prospero and Miranda survived,...
gives up his magic. This had prompted many fans to speculate that Make Believe would be the band's final album. The monologue is as follows:
Track listing
Bonus tracksThe UK and Japan versions of the album came with two additional bonus tracks, live versions of "Butterfly" and "Island In The Sun" which originally appeared on "Pinkerton" and "The Green Album", respectively. The Japanese version also featured a live version of the song "Burndt Jamb", which appeared on "Maladroit".
Reception
Opinion towards Weezer's fifth album was mixed, receiving both accolades and derision from the music press. Its MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
score reflects this, where the album is currently listed at 52 (out of 100). Some publications like Allmusic and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
gave it high remarks, like comparing the album to the band's earlier release Pinkerton
Pinkerton (album)
Pinkerton is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Weezer, released on September 24, 1996. After finishing tours in promotion of their 1994 album Weezer, the band originally planned to record a space-themed rock opera entitled Songs from the Black Hole...
in terms of its songwriting, sound, and initial critical reaction. However, Allmusic changed its rating for this album from 4 stars to 3 stars years later. Other reviewers panned the album, like Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's stark 0.4 (out of 10), where reviewer Rob Mitchum stated, "Sometimes an album is just awful. Make Believe is one of those albums." Adam Downer of Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
gave the album a 1.5 out of 5, saying "... the album is a whirlwind of mediocrity and self deprecating lyrics."
Errors
The wrong version of "We Are All on Drugs" appears on the first CD release and all vinyl releases of Make Believe. It was later replaced with the correct version on subsequent CD releases. The two versions of the song are sonically identical, but two lines of lyrics are different. The incorrect lyrics contained on the first CD release and the vinyl releases are: "I want to confiscate your drugs. I don't think I can get enough." whereas the correct lyrics on subsequent CD releases are "I want to reach a higher plane. Where things will never be the same. "Shedding light on the many versions that were released of the album, Weezer archivist Karl Koch posted the following at Weezer.com on June 20, 2007:
Originally, the album was released (May 11, 2005, contrary to what iTunes says) and that was that. But then it was discovered that there were 2 problems. The wrong version of 'We Are All on Drugs" was included, and there was a minor audio problem in "This Is Such a Pity". (Both of these things were things that the band could hear, but if you hadn't heard the song before, you wouldn't know what was 'wrong'.)
So, early on, a second version of the album was issued with the 'Drugs' and 'Pity' corrected. Its [sic] not known if any of the original copies were returned and destroyed at that point. There's likely plenty of both of these first two versions out there, as "Make Believe" sold half a million copies in a matter of weeks (and is currently well over 1 million sold).
But then, when it came time for a 3rd single, the band made some changes to "Perfect Situation", changing the "whoa oh" melody and adding the "Perfect Situation" background vocals near the end of the song. This became known as the 'single version' or the 'video version', but the band decided it was better than the original and wanted all further pressings of the album to have this new version instead. So, therefore, a 3rd version of the album was made, and that's the version that's currently on iTunes and in stores (unless they still have very old stock of the CD).
Album
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
2 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
11 |
| Sweden | 15 |
| Norway | 7 |
| Finland | 13 |
| Netherlands | 82 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Modern Rock Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
US Main- stream Rock Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
US Bill- board Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
UK Top 40 |
New Zealand |
Australia |
||
| 2005 | "Beverly Hills Beverly Hills (song) "Beverly Hills" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer. It is the first single from the band's fifth album, Make Believe. It was released on March 29, 2005... " |
1 | 26 | 10 | 9 | 31 | 19 |
| 2005 | "We Are All on Drugs We Are All on Drugs "We Are All on Drugs" is a song by American alternative rock band Weezer. It was released as the second single from the band's 2005 album, Make Believe. Contrary to popular belief, the song is not specifically about drugs... " |
10 | 35 | – | – | – | – |
| 2005 | "Perfect Situation Perfect Situation "Perfect Situation" is a song by American alternative rock band Weezer. It was released as the band's third single from their fifth album, Make Believe, following "Beverly Hills" and "We Are All on Drugs."... " |
1 | – | 51 | – | – | – |
| 2006 | "This Is Such a Pity This Is Such a Pity "This Is Such a Pity" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer. It is the fourth single from the band's fifth album, Make Believe. It was released to the radio on March 6, 2006... " |
31 | – | – | – | – | – |
Personnel
- Rivers CuomoRivers CuomoRivers Cuomo is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Weezer. Raised in an Ashram in Connecticut, Cuomo moved to Los Angeles at age 19, where he participated in a number of rock bands before founding Weezer in 1992...
– vocals, guitar, keyboards, talk boxTalk boxA talk box is an effects unit that allows a musician to modify the sound of a musical instrument. The musician controls the modification by lip syncing, or by changing the shape of the mouth... - Brian BellBrian Bell (musician)Brian Bell is an American guitarist and songwriter. Active since 1989, he is best known as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist for the American alternative rock band Weezer. Bell joined Weezer in 1993 following the departure of founding member Jason Cropper...
– guitar, backing vocals, keyboards, synthesizers - Scott ShrinerScott ShrinerScott G. Shriner is the bass guitarist for the alternative rock band Weezer.-Early life:Shriner was born in Toledo, Ohio. He took up bass in high school. After being discharged from the Marine Corps, he found his high school bass teacher Mark Kieswetter, with whom he studied until moving to Los...
– bass, backing vocals - Patrick WilsonPatrick Wilson (musician)Patrick "Pat" George Wilson is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band Weezer. He joined the band in 1992. In addition to his work in Weezer, he also fronts his own band, The Special Goodness....
– drums - Rick RubinRick RubinFrederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
– producer
External links
- Make Believe Weezerpedia entry - United Kingdom - United States - Japan