Songs that could (or should) have been singles, but weren't from each album.

From my knowledge, some of the criteria for a single would be as followed:

Has to have mainstream popularity.
Has to be catchy.
Has to be relatable.
Has to reflect the mood of the album it represents so the album will sell.

In my mind, there are many songs in the Weezer discography that could have been singles, but were passed on. This could just be a sign of a great album, but it may even be passed as a mistake.

The following are the singles from each Weezer album:

Blue: Undone (The Sweater Song), Buddy Holly, Say It Ain't So
Pinkerton: El Scorcho, The Good Life, Pink Triangle
Green: Hash Pipe, Island In The Sun, Photograph
Maladroit: Dope Nose, Keep Fishin'
Make Believe: Beverly Hills, We Are All On Drugs, Perfect Situation, This Is Such a Pity
Red: The Greatest Man That Ever Lived, Dreamin', Pork and Beans, Troublemaker
Raditude: (If You're Wondering If I Want You to) I Want You to, I'm Your Daddy, Trippin' Down The Freeway
Hurley: Memories, Hang On

With the singles being listed, the criteria for each album will be which song that isn't a single could have been a single. Also, you can turn that "could have been" into a "should have been" and replace any of the singles above with that song.

The following is what I believe could have (or should have) been a single on each album:

1. Blue

Could have been: "My Name Is Jonas" - This might be the easiest call out of all of the albums. This is already a hit on rhythm games like Guitar Hero and Rock band, and this song is as catchy as they come.

2. Pinkerton

Should have been: "Falling For You" over "Pink Triangle" - Everyone has that one special someone that they've fallen head over heels for. Not everyone, however, has fallen for a lesbian. I can see why "Pink Triangle" was selected to be the third single. The chorus is something a crowd can jump to at live performances, and some people can manage to get a laugh out of Rivers' misfortune (even though I really doubt this idea was apart of the single selecting process). "Falling For You" is without a doubt one of the greatest songs that Weezer has ever created (It's one of two songs that Rivers called his proudest musical achievements. The other being "Beverly Hills" from Make Believe.) and is also the song that I believe should have been the first single off of Pinkerton. It's much more relatable than "El Scorcho" and "The Good Life", and this may be a stretch, but it might have made Pinkerton more of a commercial success than it was.

3. Green

Could have been: "Smile" - The verbiage is clever, melody is catchy, and it's uplifting. A great smile is also what many people would consider their favorite quality in a person. It's definitely mine. :)

4. Maladroit

Should have been: "Fall Together" and "Take Control" over "Dope Nose" and "Keep Fishin" - Brian Bell when talking about "Fall Together" and Maladroit as a whole in an interview with Alternative Press in 2005 said that "Fall Together" was, “Really powerful – the band’s tight, and we’re playing riffs. It [could] have been an album of that. Instead, I’m a bit confused when I hear it…” Last night I watched a concert of Weezer in Camden from the 2002 Enlightenment Tour in support of Maladroit. In this concert, I saw a side of Rivers Cuomo that I've never seen before. He was just irradiating confidence, wearing sunglasses with a suit and tie, and looking like a rock star on a set that included the trademark Flying W and pyrotechnics. The psychology of the concert was that of a hard/arena rock atmosphere more than it was the intimate and fun atmosphere that most Weezer fans would be used to. In this atmosphere, it only supported what Brian said about Maladroit even more. With Rivers being in the most confident state of mind in his life and looking more like a rock star, songs like "El Scorcho" and "Don't Let Go" which featured the writing of an insecure Rivers just did not fit. Just like songs like "Death and Destruction" and "Keep Fishin" didn't fit at all in Maladroit. The concert was just begging for "Fall Together" and "Take Control" to be played instead. I'm not saying that the songs that were played instead aren't great songs. I'd go as far as saying that they may be better songs overall, but just like most of the track list in Maladroit, they just didn't fit in with the state of mind that Weezer was in at that period of time. So, not only am I saying that both singles should have been different, but I'm also saying that Maladroit should have been an exclusively hard rock album.

5. Make Believe

Should have been: "Peace" OR "Pardon Me" over "We Are All On Drugs" - First, I'll say why "We Are All On Drugs" shouldn't have been in a single. The riffs and backup vocals were great in this song, but the subject matter is what kept this single from being successful. I know the back story behind this song, but it seems like only a small number of people could relate to this song. I'm guessing Weezer figured that the instrumental would make up for it's lyrics, but it didn't. I couldn't make my mind up between "Peace" and "Pardon Me", so I just left both songs under consideration. Both are relatable and somewhat catchy. Both can help someone through a difficult time. In terms of commercial success though, I think they'd both fail, but with the success of "Beverly Hills" and "Perfect Situation" I don't think it would matter that much. It's just that both songs would have been more successful than "We Are All On Drugs".

6. Red

Could have been: "Automatic" - I wanted to say "The Angel and the One" so badly here. It's just an amazing album closer, and I love how creatively unique it is. However, epic songs just aren't radio friendly nowadays which is a shame. With this being said, "Automatic" would be the better choice. It's a simple and yet awesome song which is uplifting and fun to drive to. As a matter of fact, a remixed version of it is in the upcoming driving simulation game Gran Turismo 5. Although a casual Weezer fan might be a bit confused to hear someone other than Rivers at lead vocals, I believe they'd enjoy it nevertheless.

7. Raditude

Could have been: "Let It All Hang Out" - If I allowed myself to pick b-sides, I'd say that "The Prettiest Girl in the Whole Wide World" would make the better single. Since it's not apart of the original track list, I'd say that "Let It All Hang Out" would be the best choice. It fits the criteria, although if I had one request, I'd remove the "children's choir" portion of the song from the radio mix.

8. Hurley

Should be: "Ruling Me" - Throwing a bit of a curveball here because I have a feeling that "Memories" and "Hang On" won't be the only singles coming from Hurley. So instead of "could haves" or "should haves", I'm saying that the third single should be "Ruling Me". Although I prefer "Unspoken", "Run Away", and "Time Flies" over "Ruling Me" I just believe that "Ruling Me" fits the criteria of a successful single nowadays more. It's a catchy power pop song that Weezer is known for and although I won't guarantee it would be successful, I can guarantee that most radio stations would give it a chance.

9. Death to False Metal

Should be: 1. "Turning Up The Radio", 2. "Trampoline", 3. "Blowin' My Stack", 4. "Odd Couple" - I'm not sure if this is officially being considered album nine yet, so I decided that I'd just do this for fun. All four songs fit the criteria, and that's all I have to say.

I hope you all enjoyed my post, and I am looking forward to seeing what you all believe could have (or should have) been Weezer singles! =w=

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jack F Underwood on November 19, 2010 at 9:00pm

The Girl Got Hot...all the other songs I wish were singles aren't exactly mainstream (i.e. Tired of Sex, Holiday)

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Permalink Reply by MakeUpOnShelf on November 19, 2010 at 9:11pm

None. Seriously none. The songs that end up being singles are usually so obviously written to be singles.

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Permalink Reply by David J. Stepp (DJS92491) on November 19, 2010 at 9:24pm

MakeUpOnShelf said:

None. Seriously none. The songs that end up being singles are usually so obviously written to be singles.

So, with this being said, you're not a believer of the "accidental single" concept. Where a band doesn't mean to write a single, but it ends up having the potential of being one anyways.

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Permalink Reply by Corey Gregory on November 19, 2010 at 9:34pm

I disagree with Pinkerton being radio friendly. I think a fourth Pinkerton single would've been Why Bother.

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Permalink Reply by David J. Stepp (DJS92491) on April 14, 2011 at 3:09am

...I never said that. I do agree with you, but I never said that. lol

Corey Gregory said:

I disagree with Pinkerton being radio friendly.

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie-H on April 14, 2011 at 4:08am

I actually agree mostly agree with what you said but for a Maladroit single I would have to have Love Explosion as it is such a catchy and fun song (even though the lyrics are a bit dark...)

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Permalink Reply by Xavier on April 14, 2011 at 4:37am

Good topic.

Blue: they got it right
Pinkerton: Why Bother? over Pink Triangle
Green: Simple Pages over Photograph
Maladroit: Burndt Jamb is radio-friendly and would've had some success
Make Believe: The Other Way/Peace over We Are All On Drugs. Could've been mid/high-charting hits, certainly higher than We Are All On Drugs
Red: Everybody Get Dangerous could've been a moderate hit
Raditude: Let It All Hang Out, The Girl Got Hot, Can't Stop Partying, Put Me Back Together, The Prettiest Girl In The Whole Wide World ALL could've been hit singles. It's a shame really.. they made a great pop record, and then did little about the fact that nearly every track could've been a single if promoted properly.
Hurley: Ruling Me.. although still waiting for the Hang On video..
Death To False Metal: don't bother

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Permalink Reply by Terminator on April 14, 2011 at 5:25am

Don't let go from green has everything you need. And time flies from Hurley has a bit of a McCartney/Lennon sound. That one too.

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Permalink Reply by =gregor= on April 14, 2011 at 5:56am

Dope Nose should have been left off of Maladroit, so it boggles my mind how it became a single. I would have picked Fall Together. I really think that could have been a huge rock radio hit. It's got the classic rock feel to it, but it's from weezer, so Alt stations would have played it to.

Can't Stop Partyin' should have been the 3rd single from Raditude. It should have been released during the summer of 2010.

For The Red Album, I would have liked to see Dreamin' released instead of Troublemaker.

And for Hurley, I'll take any 2nd single at this point. f'ing rediculous.

All the other albums, the correct singles were released.

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Permalink Reply by oprah on April 14, 2011 at 9:29am

I agree with most of your choices but there are a few which i dont agree with

Raditude definitely should have been "Can't Stop Partying". I think Rivers originally intended for it to become a single (for those who have not seen it:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t_B5koFx5Y&feature=fvsr) and it had real potential to become a hit in the top 40.

Maladroit-I dont think Fall Together should have been a single (too much of a metal feel to it imo) but Take Control definitely should have been one should

Oh and i wouldnt count on another single from Hurley, we dont even have a video for the second yet and the album was released around 6 months ago. But if there is another single i hope its Ruling Me

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Permalink Reply by wears superman skivvies on April 14, 2011 at 11:18am

blue: any song off of blue could have been a single except for "only in dreams" (for the same reason as "angle and the one"). i LOVE every song on blue and feel that they all have the criteria.

pinkerton: "getchoo" could have been a fourth, but i feel like this album had the best choices for singles.

green: "photograph" should have been FIRST, "island in the sun" is a solid second, then "glorious day", followed by "simple pages"

maladroit: "slob" should have been a third single

make believe: "peace" instead of "we are all on drugs"

red: get rid of "dreamin'"

raditude: "the girl got hot" and "let it all hang out"

hurley: "trainwrecks"

DTFM: "the odd couple"