Heartsongs help

what is it about "heartsongs" that people don't like?

trying to learn.........

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Permalink Reply by BringBackBrimley(WilfordBrimley) on March 26, 2011 at 9:24am

Pat Wilson said:

It sounds like it was scripted and not played.

Permalink Reply by Blast Off Jonas on March 26, 2011 at 12:00pm

I can admire the meaning behind the song. The lyrics are weak, and production killed it. When played alongside Pig, it's quite the let down.

Permalink Reply by David J. Stepp (DJS92491) on March 26, 2011 at 12:22pm

What the heck are you talking about? Where did this post come from? He helps feed the homeless at shelters. Kevin, if you're going to be an idiot on here, let it be known now. If you're not, then please do some research before typing one negative word on here.

Kevin Schiemann said:

Rivers, get out of your LA bubble, and donate your time and money to helping the poor of the world. You're a rich rock star! Get some perspective on your life!

Permalink Reply by SubwayWolf on March 26, 2011 at 12:54pm

I don't understand why people dislike it. I personally like it. It's not my favorite song on the album, but it's not bad.

Permalink Reply by Patricia J Wiemers (wolfpjw) on March 26, 2011 at 1:24pm

I really like it. Music is, and has been, a big part of my life , and it help's remind me of that.

Permalink Reply by Simon on March 26, 2011 at 1:38pm

For me, it's not like its a bad song. I think that the production is the issue. And this is the problem with most post Maladroit albums. The production has just been too slick and we have somewhere in the mix lost the personality. This was somewhat remedied on Hurley, but still a long way to go. Red could've been the best post Pinkerton album if we took out tracks 7,8 & 9 and replaced them with Sweeney, Pig and Spider and had more natural production.

I think you're going in the right direction with the rawer style vocals lately and would love to see this translate to the rest of the instruments now too. Also, work the songs up as a band rather than do it all on your own. The songs will benefit from it!!

Permalink Reply by Karl Malone on March 26, 2011 at 1:40pm

Pat Wilson said:

It sounds like it was scripted and not played.

Permalink Reply by JinxJazz (boonsync) on March 26, 2011 at 1:52pm

For me it was a combination of lyrics and the speed of the song. Maybe if it had more of a hook or been faster (like later in the song) I would have overlooked the rhyming scheme/references I didn't catch and given it more time to grow on me, but I do understand where you were coming from.

I really appreciate all the experimenting you've done with things, and there's been A LOT of great material lately, in my opinion. I'm not going to love everything you do, though. This just happened to be one of those songs.

Permalink Reply by Gohi on March 26, 2011 at 3:31pm

I think the song feels very forced and soulless. The rhymes are pedantic, the vocal emoting sounds like it is meant to be a huge moment but it doesn't deliver because it feels like you were trying too hard to make it so. The bridge lyrics are really heavy-handed and lack that poetic touch that graces even your most straightforward songs. Now, I'm not saying all your lyrics need to be poetic, but I feel like more tact and restraint would have done wonders for what is a very serene and pretty chord progression. You should focus on what your message is in a song. Your best songs have a very strong message. What Heartsongs does is list a bunch of references and then tries to bring it all together with a rather bland chorus.

"These are my heart songs, they never feel wrong." I feel like that statement is supposed to inspire some emotion in the listener but it doesn't work for me because of how bland and tired it feels.

Permalink Reply by Victory on the Hill on March 26, 2011 at 5:51pm

A couple lyrics are a little lame. The melody's good, but nothing spectacular. That being said, I still love the song and Red is still my 3rd Fav.

Permalink Reply by Rikx on March 26, 2011 at 7:38pm

To be honest its not so much about learning as it its about remembering (or re-learning). 'Heart Songs' is not a bad song; its just not good. And the reason for this is that even though the lyrics are personal and are trying to tell you a story and grab your attention the emotion is missing. Without emotion you don't feel the need to connect, and you simply dismiss the song. In previous Weezer songs, even if the lyrics did not rhyme or did not sound right -another problem with this song- the emotion kept the song interesting.

Take 'Simple Pages': the lyrics might sound simple, but they have great structure and meaning; and the vocal performances drive the song and are full of emotion, whereas in heart songs it is the sound that tries to drive the song, but it just doesn't have the same effect as vocals as in 'Simple Pages' or 'Perfect Situation'.

Permalink Reply by Jamekae on March 26, 2011 at 8:46pm

Rivers, if there's anything you take out of this thread, please don't let it be that we don't want to hear personal lyrics from you. Because believe me, that could not be further from the truth.

When it comes down to it, I find more worth in a song like Heart Songs over something like Possibilities because I know that in Heart Songs lies an authentic sentiment, not some throwaway lyrics. It's important for me to know that you're passionate about whatever it is you're singing because that is what makes music so relatable. I can't relate to Put Me Back Together because I know you don't relate to the lyrics, there's no passion backing them up and it just comes across as the obligatory anthem placeholder in Raditude. I know that you are passionate about what you sing in Heart Songs, and that's probably its strongest aspect to me, but you fail to deliver that passion effectively.