This Is Such a Pity
Encyclopedia
"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. This marks the first time that Weezer has ever released a fourth single from one of their albums.
The liner notes of Make Believe credit Rivers Cuomo
as the sole writer of the song, yet Brian Bell
came up with the dueling guitar solo. All the keyboards on the song were done using a $75 Casio
keyboard. The band tried demoing the song with more expensive Moog
keyboards, but ended up being most satisfied with the Casio sound.
Cuomo claims "This is Such a Pity" to be his favorite song from Make Believe.
radio, partly because the song doesn't have an official accompanying music video
.
However, a mash up
music video featuring footage from the 1984 breakdancing themed movie Breakin'
was uploaded to YouTube
shortly after the song was announced as the fourth single off Make Believe. The clip was created by Rafael Sans, a theology student at Oral Roberts University
and become an Internet phenomenon both among the band's hardcore fan base and throughout the online blogging community. The clip was even featured on the weezer.com homepage.
Yet, soon after its success, the video was banned from YouTube because, as Julie Supan, the site's senior director of marketing explained, "it was likely that the user did not have the proper authorization to upload the video, and the rights-holder contacted YouTube."
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band 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...
. It is the fourth single from the band's fifth album, Make Believe. It was released to the radio on March 6, 2006. This marks the first time that Weezer has ever released a fourth single from one of their albums.
The liner notes of Make Believe credit 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...
as the sole writer of the song, yet 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...
came up with the dueling guitar solo. All the keyboards on the song were done using a $75 Casio
Casio
is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company founded in 1946, with its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Casio is best known for its electronic products, such as calculators, audio equipment, PDAs, cameras, musical instruments, and watches...
keyboard. The band tried demoing the song with more expensive Moog
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
keyboards, but ended up being most satisfied with the Casio sound.
Cuomo claims "This is Such a Pity" to be his favorite song from Make Believe.
Track listing
Radio Only Promo Single- "This is Such a Pity" - 3:27
- "This is Such a Pity (Basement Jaxx Remix Club Mix)"
Mash Up Video's Success and Controversy
The song only enjoyed modest success on modern rockModern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio, partly because the song doesn't have an official accompanying music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
.
However, a mash up
Mashup (video)
A video mashup is the combination of multiple sources of video—which usually have no relation with each other—into a derivative work, often lampooning its component sources or another text. Many mashup videos are humorous movie trailer parodies, a later genre of mashups gaining much popularity...
music video featuring footage from the 1984 breakdancing themed movie Breakin'
Breakin'
Breakin', released as Breakdance: The Movie in some countries, is a 1984 breakdancing-themed film directed by Joel Silberg. The film setting was inspired by a German documentary entitled Breakin' and Enterin set in the Los Angeles multi-racial hip hop club Radiotron, based out of Macarthur Park in...
was uploaded to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
shortly after the song was announced as the fourth single off Make Believe. The clip was created by Rafael Sans, a theology student at Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University , based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian, comprehensive university with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S. states along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries...
and become an Internet phenomenon both among the band's hardcore fan base and throughout the online blogging community. The clip was even featured on the weezer.com homepage.
Yet, soon after its success, the video was banned from YouTube because, as Julie Supan, the site's senior director of marketing explained, "it was likely that the user did not have the proper authorization to upload the video, and the rights-holder contacted YouTube."
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...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the... - 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...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - 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 guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - 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....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration... - 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...
– productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...