Best tunes of 2001: #22 Weezer “Island in the sun”

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I remember really enjoying their set and told the lead singer so when I saw him afterwards at the merch table. However, I had no idea how massive the band would get, or that I would be seeing them headline a massive outdoor festival more than fifteen years later, when I saw Weezer open up for British shoegazers Lush in the summer of 1994.

The only song I had heard at the time on the radio was “Undone (The sweater song)” but shortly afterwards, I started hearing “My name is Jonas” quite regularly. Then, came the video for “Buddy Holly”, which spliced footage of the band performing with archive images of that of classic sitcom, “Happy days”, so that Weezer appeared to be performing at Arnold’s drive-in. And that was it, they were huge. So then I found myself getting someone to make me a copy of their debut, self-titled album (aka the Blue album) on cassette tape. The tricky sophomore album, “Pinkerton”, came next in 1996 but personally, I never really bothered with it. I was too embroiled in the ridiculousness of Britpop by that time.

Five years passed and I started hearing them on the radio again.

The first single from their third album and second self-titled album (aka the Green album), “Hash pipe”, felt to me like a bit of a lazy effort and well… dumb… for want of a better word. But the second single by comparison was sweet pop goodness.

“Island in the sun” is yet another simple tune by the band but it has one heck of a catchy melody. It has all the hallmarks of the 50s and 60s doo-wop sound that they played with and that made their debut so successful but this time, without all the crunchy guitars. “Island in the sun” is as laidback as I imagine Island life to be: lawn chairs, fruity drinks, white powdery sand, and the cool, blue salt water lapping at your naked and slowly tanning toes. It is without a care. It is that place knowing that your workday is still a few more days and a few thousand kilometres away.

And isn’t that a nice thought on a cold wintry morning such as this?

For the rest of the Best tunes of 2001 list, click here.