The Blue Album by Weezer is an outstanding collection of music. The Blue Album was Weezer’s first album, but it doesn’t feel like a novice attempt. With masterful production by former car Rick Ocasek, the whole album has a flow and feel that is almost impossible to copy.

The opening track “My Name is Jonas” is about Singer Rivers Cuomo’s brother and his issues with his car insurance, but it’s so much more than that. River’s repeats the sentiment “the workers are going home” towards the end of the song in a beautiful rebel against what River’s perceives as a pointless pursuit of some greater life through work.

River’s is an interesting fellow. He’s one of the few rock stars who mostly keep to themselves, but he reveals a lot about himself through his writing. His perception is very interesting at times. After My Name is Jonas, Weezer blasts into the song No One Else, about Rivers’ relationship with his significant other and how her attitude towards others upsets him. He says in the song “I want a girl who will laugh for no one else, when I’m away she puts her makeup on the shelf, when I’m away she never leaves the house”, and in this he’s talking about the selfish desires of anyone in a relationship, to be the main focus of another person’s life. Rivers knows that this isn’t really feasible, but recognizes that it’s a cognitive desire that many people choose to ignore.

The next song on the album is The World Has Turned And Left Me Here, a song about lost love. It’s about how after losing someone you love, it feels like you’ve lost some kind of humanity in yourself. I really like the lyric “and in your place, an empty space has filled the void behind my face”, because it really sums up the emptiness rivers is trying to convey in the song.

The album then moves on to the smash hit Buddy Holly. Everyone knows this song. The iconic track was actually almost kept off of the album because Rivers thought it was “too cheesy”. The soaring guitar melody is one of the most iconic riffs I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. After that comes one of the best songs I’ve ever heard in my life undone-the sweater song. The perfect song for suburban teenage angst. The metaphor of the sweater coming undone is a perfect example of how it feels to be completely unraveled and exposed. It’s simply great.

Then comes Surf Wax America, another song mocking the idea of a working life saying “you take your car to work, I take my board, and when you’re out of fuel, I’m still afloat”. This theme is represented heavily throughout the albums as another form of rebellion that Weezer was so known for. The next song was another super smash hit, say it ain’t so. This song is a lot more visually jarring than many of Weezer’s other songs, using more descript imagery than many of the more abstract Weezer songs.

After this, The Song in My Garage Begins. This is another song with strong visuals as rivers describe his garage where he spent a lot of his time growing up. The garage is supposed to represent a safe space free of judgment.

The next song is Holiday, about taking a trip away from all of your worries and troubles with someone you love.  It’s a beautiful song about running from your problems. The final song on the album is definitely my favorite, Only In Dreams. The song lasts 10 beautiful minutes of bliss. This song is basically about the concept of unrequited. I can talk about this song for hours, but I’m just going to recommend that you listen to it for yourself. The blue album is perfect. From Patrick Wilson’s laid-back drumming to Matt Sharp’s intense bass playing, to Rivers’ and Brian Bell’s iconic guitar riffs. It’s just perfect. Please, please, PLEASE listen