My Name Is Jonas

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"My Name Is Jonas"
Song by Weezer
from the album Weezer (The Blue Album)
ReleasedMay 10, 1994
RecordedAugust–September 1993 at Electric Lady Studios, NYC
Genre
Length3:24
LabelDGC
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ric Ocasek

"My Name Is Jonas" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer. It is the first track on the band's self-titled 1994 debut album, also known as The Blue Album. It was written by guitarist/vocalist Rivers Cuomo, drummer Patrick Wilson and guitarist Jason Cropper, and produced by Ric Ocasek. Cropper wrote the song's acoustic intro; it is his only Weezer songwriting credit, as he left the band before the release of its first album.[1]

Background[]

The song was inspired by Cuomo's brother, who was having insurance problems after a serious car crash while at college. According to Cuomo, the song "explains how The Plan is reaming us all, especially my brother."[2][3]

"My Name Is Jonas" was written in the key of B major.[4] However, as the song is played with guitars tuned to Eb, it is played as if it were in the key of C.

Reception[]

Melissa Bobbitt at About.com named "My Name is Jonas" the seventh best Weezer song, writing that its lyric "the workers are going home" was "a righteous way to kick off a weekend".[5] Michael Gallucci from Diffuser named it the third best Weezer song.[6] In his 2010 book Music: What Happened?, Scott Miller describes the song as "musicality everywhere, theatrical dynamics, little golden lyric details where the subplot reveals the whole mood."[7]

In other media[]

This song is featured in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock as a playable track, and was released as a downloadable song for the Rock Band series[8] and Rocksmith 2014.

Covers[]

Affinity covered the song on the album Rock Music: A Tribute to Weezer.[9]

Personnel[]

References[]

  1. ^ Luerssen D., John. Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story. ECW Press, 2004, ISBN 1-55022-619-3 p. 61
  2. ^ Luerssen, John D (2004). Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story. ECW Press. pp. 110–111. ISBN 1550226193.
  3. ^ "Weezer's Blue Album: 10 Things You Didn't Know". www.rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone.
  4. ^ "My Name Is Jonas". Musicnotes.com. 1994.
  5. ^ "Top 13 Weezer Songs". About.com. The New York Times Company. June 11, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  6. ^ Michael Gallucci (2013-01-20). "10 Best Weezer Songs". Diffuser. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  7. ^ Music: What Happened? - Scott Miller - Google Books. 125 Records. 2010. ISBN 9780615381961. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  8. ^ Holden, Tom (October 2007). "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock: Rock Your Way to the Top". Independent PlayStation Magazine (128): 26.
  9. ^ Tom Semioli. "Rock Music: A Tribute to Weezer - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
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