Weezer has been a band I’ve loved since a pretty early age. The music was fun, nonsensical at times, but still had quite a bit of tortured soul behind it. Now, obviously the quality of music has dropped a bit in the last decade, but for me, Weezer, especially the first three albums, have always been albums that I go back, and keep on enjoying.

10. Falling for You, Pinkerton:

We start the list with a song from the once despised, to the now highly regarded Pinkerton. I think this album was such a initial failure because of the drastic departure from the first album. It has almost none of the carefree, joyous riffs that accompanied the Blue album, but that’s not to say it’s a bad album. In some ways it’s better than it predecessor. Everyone know’s what it’s like to be falling hard for someone. It’s always a bit nerve-racking but exciting at the same time. The doubt you feel about the outcome of the situation can be overwhelming, but hopefully things work out for the best.

Across the Sea, Pinkerton:

Some might say this is a bit creepy, but if you know anything about River’s Cuomo, it’s pretty in line with how he genuinely seems to be. The idea that he holds this person he’s never met to such high esteem speaks on his tendencies to being a romantic at heart. Any man who’s a romantic at heart can relate to it. I know I can. The idea of love isn’t a rational thing at all. It does something to you, that at times its unhealthy and dangerous. It’s important too though. It’s good to give yourself to something you don’t fully understand every now and then. Across the sea laments that agony that the perfect person for us, might be completely out of our reach, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

Pork and Beans, Red Album:

This might be a surprising entry in the list, but the song really goes back to the old fun days of the band. It sounds like an update on the anthems presented on the Blue Album. If you’ve seen the video, then you know how well it goes with the overall vibe of the song. At this point Weezer hasn’t kept to the impossible status they produced with the first two albums, but this is a good example of how great they were once, and that maybe they still have some interesting things to say musically.

7. Undone(the Sweater Song), Blue Album:

For many of us this song was our first encounter with the greatness of the Weez. I’m still not sure what the opening monologue means, but after all these years I don’t really care. Also the song is pretty all over the place at times. It has equal parts where you scratch your head at the content, but it’s also a fun song. The great thing about this band is that they aren’t trying to push the limits of music. It’s just about rocking out and having some fun. Who else could get away with putting in a line about “Superman Skivvies” and have it not be completely weird. Lastly, why was there a horde of dogs running onto the set at the end of the video? I guess it was to be memorable, which it certainly is.

6. Say It Ain’t So, Blue Album:

Probably their most well known song, and it’s for a damn good reason. The majority of the album is fun and down to earth, but this song is a verbal “heartbreaker” in every song. We wouldn’t fully see the pain and depth presented on this song until the next album, but the sadness is real. I never found out if the basis of the song has an acual back story, but I think it works so well because everyone has felt pushed aside, forgotten and used in their lives. It’s never a good feeling, but hearing a song you can relate to is often a powerful song. The song is both anthenmatic and depressing, and that’s no easy feat at all. It’s still one of my favorite songs of all times, and you can’t help but belt it out when it comes on. The guitar work at the end of the song ties in perfectly, and the very last lines of the song remind us of sorrow we’ve all felt.

5. Island in the Sun, Green Album:

One of my favorite memories in life was seeing this band for the first time. One of my best friends and I went to Houston to see them, and it was probably one of the best days of my life. For this song in particular, Cuomo came out into the crowd and played this song surrounded by the crowd. To be probably 50 yards from him seeing this played on his acoustic guitar remains one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of at a show. The song itself is lovely, and fits in nicely with Weezer’s brand of easy going hits that flow off your tongue.

4. Don’t Let Go, Green Album:

This was the first album that followed Pinkerton. I believe it took about 6 years to arrive, but in my opinion, it was as good of a third album as we could’ve gotten. It’s extremely quick and fun all in one. For the band I think this was an easy choice for the type of album they needed to make at the time. It’s good old american guitar driven rock and roll. Like I said earlier, things don’t always have to be so well thought out to still have an impact. This song, the first song on the album, is not only fun but sets the stage for the rest of the album.

3. Butterfly, Pinkerton:

Easily one of the darkest and saddest songs in their discography. The butterfly in the title has always been a metaphor to me for a ruined loved. The ruining of the love was of course brought upon by a person who thought they could hold on to something beautiful and lovely forever and that the love would never fade. Sadly the writer was mistaken. Love takes work, and you can’t just keep your love locked up in a bottle and still allow the love to grow. The most heartbreaking part of the song is the ending notes and singing of “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

2. My Name is Jonas, Blue Album:

The most rocking and appropriate opening song for an album? I’m not sure about that, but when you hear it it’s immediately a sing along event and it set’s the tone for the rest of the album. One thing that has always drawn me to this band is the ability for some songs to be romantic, some are downright comical, and other songs, such as this one, make little or no sense at all. What does “ the workers are going home” actually mean? More than likely it means nothing, but you wouldn’t know it or care when you’re singing along to this awesome song by this awesome band.

1. Only in Dreams, Blue Album:

A truly epic song that brings the conclusion of the album to a dramatic climax. I’ve never paid much attention to the lyrics, besides the fact that it seems to be another song about things of love and a whimsical nature. For me the song remains a mythical type of creation. It somehow feels different than any other song they’ve written as a band, and that’s probably why I like it so much. I imagine a couple under beautiful trees at night, being enveloped by tiny lights overheard, slowly holding each other, as if to say “ Let’s not allow this night to end.” Meanwhile, the bass line keeping the pace perfectly, while the drums and guitar slowly maneuver to something explosive and thick at the end of the song. When you hear Rivers Cuomo screaming “Only in dreams,” you realize this song is almost too perfect to exist, and it’s not meant to be heard too often, because it wouldn’t be good, because then it would be normal and not special.