But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from Weezer’s career, it’s that “soothing” is not a phrase that belongs in its vocabulary. Maybe the song’s appeal was due to that video with all the cute animals after all, music soothes the savage beast.
Maybe the Green Album wasn’t amazing, but it had a half-dozen single-ready tracks better than “Island In The Sun.” After a lifetime of exposure thanks to commercials and radio play, it’s officially time to retire this tired number. So laid back it’s practically catatonic, “Island In The Sun” somehow managed to become one of Weezer’s biggest hits. With Cuomo and crew about to launch their own online radio station courtesy of Clear Channel, what better time to examine the most overrated and underrated Weezer songs? While some of Weezer’s songs have passed into our collective memory (“Buddy Holly,” “Beverly Hills”) and have no intention of leaving anytime soon, others should never have been released in the first place (we’re looking at you, “Heart Songs”). And even if the band’s recent efforts haven’t lived up to its classic debut and history of hits, this is still a band with the power to surprise us. Tucked beneath its Cheap Trick riffs and nerd-friendly lyrics, Weezer managed to record some of the best power-pop anthems of the past 15 years. We come not to bury Rivers Cuomo, but to praise him. Weezer has always gotten more than its fair share of contempt.