"Lyrically, that track was actually really depressing." Four second speedrun description of Pinkerton

The album starts with him saying “I’m tired,” and ends with “I’m sorry,” so that gives you some window to his mindset at this time period. Great record.

The three vocalists recorded their vocals simultaneously without isolation so the lead vocalist simply went with his best takes regardless of what strange stuff the other guys were doing on those takes, which adds to the goofy character of the background vocals.

I sat here watching this with tears in my eyes. Oh what I would give to Hear Pinkerton for the first time again.

The story behind Across The Sea is pretty interesting but at the same time weird. Rivers received a fan letter from a Japanese girl and that kinda spiraled into the creation of that song. I’m pretty sure Rivers said in an interview the girl actually gets royalties from that song since some of the lyrics are from the actual letter.

That's funny you said you believed Pinkerton had a more polished, put together sound than the blue album considering the blue album was mixed, engineered, and mastered to hell and back for a more commercial audience, while pinkerton was done in house by the band and was actually criticized for its sloppiness. Glad you enjoyed the album so much, definitely one of my favorites! You should totally keep diving in to Weezer, I really enjoy these uploads.

I had the same reaction the first time I heard "El Scorcho". It seemed so odd to me, yet I was so intrigued. Now its literally one of my favorite songs of all time.

Pinkerton was initially supposed to be a fluid rock opera called "Songs from the Black Hole", but it ended up being scrapped when Rivers had his leg surgery. He decided to instead write about his personal life and all his emotions while in college. He felt very insecure, had a hard time finding someone, and ultimately decided to practice celibacy (which is where that line of becoming a monk came from). When the album was first released, it was heavily criticized since it was almost a complete 180 from the blue album. Overtime though, it has turned into one of their best albums. Would love to see you continue the Weezer discography and do "Green Album" next :)

Across the Sea and Pink Triangle are the two songs that really define the concept of the album.

As a musician myself, this album really changed a lot of things for me. Wonderful album... People didn't like it as much when it released, but it just fits the fact that people sometimes don't like facing "truth" but instead prefer the fantasy of things being all sunshine and rainbows. The emotional intensity of this album is amazing.

My personal favorite from the band. Great reaction!

Molly PLEASE listen to their unreleased song, "Tragic Girl." It was meant for this album but they finished it too late to get it on the album. It brings together several musical themes that run through the album. It's a perfect encore for the album and it's a really, really good song too.

Classic alternative rock / power pop album, when I first heard “Tired of Sex” I was blown away by the explosive energy because after Blue Album I wasn’t sure what to expect. Fun reaction as always :) I would love to see you react to any of Mike Pattons bands, but more specifically Faith No More and Mr Bungle. Cheers!

I'm not super attached to Weezer for the most part, but the 3 song hit (Good life > Scorcho > Pink Triangle) were so huge in my life in the 90s and every time I hear them they transport me in time to my teenage years. That's a good thing and a bad thing - just like the 3 songs. I'm glad you enjoyed this and are enjoying 90s music. There's so much music to love back there.

One thing that makes this album so impactful and important to the fans is the fact that Rivers was really wearing his heart on his sleeve for this one. Almost all of the tracks were inspired by his life and in the case of "Across the Sea", Rivers actually received a letter from a Japanese fan and even used some lines while writing the song. Basically, Pinkerton is good because Rivers is using it to confront his darkest thoughts.

I got the Blue Album when I was 12 and boy I found Pinkerton right afterwards at the perfect age. I love this album so much.

Super great reaction. You really dug into the lyrics and themes in a meaningful way in your first look. Glad you took the time to do Pinkerton as well!

Weezer is one of those bands that always splits my group of friends in two - one that loves them to death, and one that hates them beyond my comprehension. Maybe that's why I never got around to listening to their records, however, since my musical taste have grown and I've become more and more interested in the 90's emo/alternative scene, *Pinkerton* has seemed more and more like an obvious listen for me. And oh boy it was. That album just broke me, mostly because the lyrics resonated so strongly with the things I was going through at the time and also during my teen years. It's grown on me ever since, even though I can't listen to Butterfly without being on the verge of tears, Rivers Cuomo really poured out his soul and brought out his innermost desires and feelings. IMHO he really tapped into the unconscious and imaginary desires that drive so many young men into bad decisions of _chasing butterflies_ . I can't help but to draw parallel's with the work of French psychoanalyst Jaques Lacan. Fellas, isn't the "Butterfly" just an expression for _the objet petit a_ , the unattainable object of desire?

I always hear people parrot the same critiques of Pinkerton's problematic themes. It actually depresses me. There's a lot of problems in this world, and picking on this band's masterpiece does nothing to help anyone, and doesn't change the minds of anyone with one (a mind). There are always immature people who like it, but then there are the people who needed an honest piece of art about the tattered connections we can have to ourselves and others. It is one of the most emotionally mature albums of the nineties and certainly the most emotionally mature work by men of that time. Most men hide their flaws to become successful, and that's just boring. Rivers is painfully honest in a way that not only continues to hurt his reputation but it is immensely relevant to the world we currently live in. This album has matured alongside me. Check out Rivers' diary reading from their cruise if you want insight into how much he understood the themes of his record.

I'm so excited people are still listening to this album! Such a classic album. First time I heard this album was in 2009 in high school and it's just as amazing now as it was then.

I heard this when I was 13 in 2002. I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to me back then. Rivers wrote this album while he was undergoing medical treatment to have both his legs be the correct length and after he enrolled at Harvard. You can hear the pain and confusion.

This album can make cry every time I listen to it. Butterfly is such a beautiful vulnerable song. It’s difficult to listen to it, but it in the end of I always feel a sense of relief.

5:40 the face you make captures the pinkerton experience perfectly. great video!

Great video! Pinkerton is my favourite Weezer album (despite the lyrics) and I was super excited when I saw that you made a video reacting to it.

You should check out OK Human. It’s the first of the 2 albums Weezer released this past year, and it is by far the most different sounding from any of their previous albums. The album doesn’t use any electric guitars, and instead they go for a more classical style with an entire orchestra behind them. Not to overhype it too much, but it’s probably the best thing they’ve done since Pinkerton.

I once heard someone describe this album as "cringy over-sharing" and I don't think you can get any more accurate than that.

you can't even imagine what it was like to hear the good life on the radio as a 5th grader...life changing! this was super fun to watch. also love that you ended up gravitating most to the two singles (good life and el scorcho)...that's interesting. i feel very lucky to have seen them do this whole album start to finish

Pinkerton and The Smashing Pumpkins' album Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness kinda bridge the gap Between Grunge and Emo. I believe Rivers has actually talked about Pinkerton and Emo. If you think about it, in many ways the My Chemical Romance album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge sounds like the child of the Pinkerton and Melon Collie albums.

Just found this channel and i really enjoy this content. It just feels like I'm listening to a very nice podcast. Hope to see more in the future!

Hey great channel. Definitely gonna do another listen of Pinkerton which is something I’m always forgetting to do. El Scorcho rocks and I’m seeing you have some other cool reviews so yeah thanks for the great content keep it up

The original side tracks in the deluxe version are all amazing too!! great video

Great reaction video! Another one of my favs! Keep up the awesome work, Molly!

I'd highly recommend Weezer's Everything Will Be Alright In The End (EWBAITE) if you like the bombastic quiet/loud sound of Pinkerton. It's heavy, melodic, and really hones in on what makes Weezer's sound so unique. Also, Rivers really steps it up on his vocals and guitars on this one. Even if you don't make a video on it, definitely check this out (and the outtake track Everybody Needs Salvation) if you get a chance!

You are no joke on the reviews.. meaning one the best I have heard in a while. I grew up on pinkerton and knew back then I liked the album but you just encapsulated it here. Thanks!

I hope you one day get to Maladroit, their 4th album. That one is my favorite because of its guitar work!

for those who don’t know: rivers actually imposed a two year celibacy on himself before writing pinkerton, as the little nerd boy got overwhelmed by the rock and roll life style from blue. So Pinkerton was the result of this.

Awesome listen and video! Great to experience the album with someone new. Lots of great comments too. Im sure people have already recommended things but check out some of the other stuff from this era (inbetween blue and pink, then of course the sftbh/pink demos, bsides, and other songs that didnt get released) Some really interesting stuff all around that I think you'd like! ("Weezer - Getting up and Leaving" is fun bside from this era, same with "You Gave Your Love to Me Softly" which was after blue but before pink)

please do a video on the B-Sides, they’re such slamming bops and a lot of them are on par with, if not better than, what the album had to offer

A white album reaction would be cool, it's Weezer about 20 years after Pinkerton was released, but it's definitely got the beach vibe to it

Yaaay! Now you gotta react to the Blue/Pinkerton Bsides/demos! I'm sure many others have already suggested ewbaite/white, but I'll add those too.

simplemente cualquier fan de weezer se sentiria especial por que alguien mas haya escuchado el album virjenton, buen video

I'm binging all your videos. Love your content, keep it up!

I don’t think i’ve clicked faster on a video in my life. One of my favorite albums of all time

A woman analyzing Rivers’ Pinkerton lyrics is fascinating!

My favorite album of all time glad you liked it Another band I recommend is interpol if you haven't heard them before there first 3 albums are great

You really do a great job of analyzing the lyrics for someone that’s never heard this album before; I enjoyed this.

gosh.... what i'd do to hear across the sea for the first time again. i love this song so much.

Dope reaction definitely in my top 5 albums

The original bass player for Weezer (was on the blue album and pinkerton) also had a band called The Rentals. You should check out their first album called "Return of the Rentals".. it's a fantastic album from start to finish

that part in pink triangle where it slows down is so fucking good, great reaction as usual

Loved your genuine reactions!! 🤍 If you ever decide to come back to Weezer, I would suggest skipping all the way to the White Album. It's a super different vibe (very 'beach rock'), but very much worth the listen.

I really enjoyed your take on this. I was ready to defend this album but you see the beauty in it.

I love this album. It's my most listened to and favorite album of all time, not just for Weezer. I also came to this album late in life (early 2021) and it turned out to be a major turning point for me especially while going through my own lousy feelings (pandemic, political turmoil etc). I enjoyed getting to listen to this album with someone who had never heard it before. It's a really special work of art.

Funny story about Pink Trianlge, Rivers Cuomo fell in love with a girl in his class when he went to Harvard, but ine day he noticed she had a pink triangle, which is commonly associated with lesbians, on her backpack. He was super depressed because she was a lesbian and wouldnt like him back, so he wrote that song. About a year after the album was released, he met that girl again, and found out she wasn't actually lesbian, she had the pink triangle to show support for her friends. I might be a little inaccurate, but I tried ny best.

Man, I would love for you to at some point react to some Queens of the Stone Age if you haven’t already

Great reaction!!! This album took awhile to grow on me, but over time it became one of my favorites. The instrumentation was heavier and sloppier than the blue album but the lyrics were much darker, which was a certainly a cool combo. I hope you keep going with the weezer albums. The next one (the green album) was a huge departure from this sound, but had some really well written songs.

Better than the blue album in my opinion it’s so good and comes from a place of grief

easily Weezer's best album..this album was the soundtrack to my first real heartbreak

Wow you did it. I like blue more but I find myself rocking out harder to Pinkerton. Both classics. Thanks for the review, followed on insta!

You should do the strokes room on fire or fioe

Some other great weezer albums i think would make for good reaction videos: Maladroit, Everything Will Be Alright In The End, OK Human, Red Album and White Album

Oh yeah I was waiting for this one

You really need to do A Perfect Circle's first album Mer De Noms.

Cool! I pretty much agree with your opinions about this album. Heavier and darker than the Blue Album.

I've listened to this album since it was first released. Probably 1000 times over the years. You seem to have understood it more after listening to it just once.

I loved watching her face at the beginning of El Scorcho. 😅

I liked “El Scorcho” back when it was released and that was about it. Revisited the album years later and realized the brilliance.

Weezer is one those bands (at least to me) that they become more interesting the more history you know about them. Think the important phases are “Blue Album”, “Pinkerton”, “Make Believe”, “Hurley”, “Everything Will Be Alright In The End”, “White Album”, “Ok Human”. These I feel show the progression of the band (for better or for worse). Definitely check out Songs From The Black Hole if you are interested in unreleased albums.

So which one did you like better, blue or pink?? Also, you should totally do maladroit next!

I got so hyped when I saw this!!

Great reaction. This album was singer-songwriter Rivers Cuomo birthing the emo genre. After the sunny debut, this album was not well-received, landing on many "worst" album of the year lists. It wasn't what people were expecting at all. After bearing his heart (and slightly creepy fantasies), this reaction nearly caused Rivers to quit music. But time has shown PInkerton to be an amazing album.

Fyi the intro to Pink Triangle is a Glockenspiel/Xylophone. Your theory was a good thought though. The song is about Rivers' crush being a lesbian... haha

I would love too see you go through all of Weezer's albums in order. After these first two albums, my favorite album is Pacific Daydream, but all Weezer albums are good

Come on, at 19, i figured it out. He's having a conflict on what to do about his relationship with Japanese girls.

Hey, Moly. Loved your reaction. Pinkerton is my favorite album from Weezer. You should check an album that for me is one of the most underrated from the 90s. Supergrass´ In it for the money. I think you are going to enjoy it. Merry Christmas.

Nice, I wish I had someone to listen to music like this with but this video will have to do. I think you're also a Radiohead fan (my favorite band)? They both scratch that itch of being depressed and alone. If you like that, you should check out The Devil and God Are Raging Inside of Me by Brand New. It's very Radiohead-esque and Deftones-esque. PS finally some Butterfly love.

I love your Fresh points of View 🙌❤️🌹

LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I would highly recommend you listen to the deluxe edition, I find a lot of those songs to be just as good if not better than the main songs

I highly recommend getting into toadies if you end up liking both blue and pinkerton. Toadies is another great jam band and fun live!

Bet you would love Gravity X by Truckfighters or Seven Thunders Roar by Stoned Jesus, two of the top stoner rock albums of all time imo. Love how you immerse so deeply into the albums. So awesome!

In the deluxe edition there’s a short interview segment with the band from a radio show where a fan calls in comparing Pinkerton to the blue album it’s pretty fun and they also go into the difference between the two albums and they hit on some things you mention the rougher sounds of Pinkerton. Anyway I know it’s on the deluxe edition on Spotify.

Great reaction

Interesting you picked the two singles from this album (The Good Life and El Scorcho) as favorites when listening. Apparently the record company as really unhappy with Pinkerton and didn't think any of the tracks would make decent singles. Pink Triangle is still probably my favorite on the album (if I had to pick on). The vocal harmonies during the chorus are incredible.

If you end up living with this album and spinning it for a few days, it’ll quickly grow on you and become a favorite. It has endless replay value.

Great video. I like this and Blue equally and for different reasons. A many of fans will disagree with me, but I think Van Weezer is their best album since this. Has a blue vibe, definitely check it out. Keep it up!

This is really entertaining, I wouldn’t mind seeing you go through every album. I know it’s kind of a commitment but it just sounds cool lol.

Can't believe I got into this album after watching this video. Even made a playlist, I swear.

Check out Everything Will Be Alright In The End. 2014 album.

i know people are saying Green and White but if you decide to do green or not, please do Maladroit. It’s their last good album before they went into their…experimental phase.

My cats name is Pinkerton

You should do Maladroit, it's another heavier Weezer album! Because of the initially negative reaction to Pinkerton, which Rivers poured his heart and soul into, Weezer began to start making more mainstream and less personal music. A lot of their post-Pinkerton stuff pales in comparison to Blue and Pinkerton but they still made a few great albums since then! Maladroit, Everything Will Be Alright in the End, White, and OK Human are my favourite post-Pinkerton Weezer albums!

Now you got to listen to the b-sides on this album! the b-sides are sooooo good. “you gave your love to me softly” and “devotion”!

Always loved the Blue album cause it is so heartfelt. This was kinda my first time hearing Pinkerton too… I’ve only ever heard tired of sex cause my roommate blasted it a lot. It’s actually a killer album I need to queue it up for next long drive 🤟🤟

The Blue Album is my favorite, and I don't think they will ever make an album as great as it. Only In Dreams is my favorite Weezer song. Anyway, Happy Holidays, and keep up the good work.

fun fact, the ending of Pink Triangle and the start of Falling For You flow perfectly into one another. There's videos on KZfaq connecting them and it sounds like one song, almost.

React to Maladroit. It's worth it. Sick album.

I loved the blue album. I listened to it to death. It had seemed like Weezer had broken up. I didn’t love Pinkerton. Since it seemed like there might not be anymore new music from Weezer, I found myself relistening to Pinkerton (since I’d already listened to blue 1000+ times). The songs grew on me and it ended up becoming my favorite album because of how specific and personal it was. I wonder if it was like that for anyone else?

Have just been given this album, so thanks for the video!

Just found your channel and i absolutely love it! One of my favorite bands of all time is Incubus. I'd really love for you to review their albums. S.C.I.E.N.C.E Make Yourself Morning View A Crow Left of the Murder Light Grenades If Not Now When Also Brandon Boyd (the lead singer) has a really underappreciated solo album called The Wild Trapeze that is amazing.