Pork and Beans (song)
"Pork and Beans" is a song by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released on the group's 2008 self-titled album Weezer, also known as the Red Album. It was released to radio on April 22, 2008[1] and released in digital form on April 24.[3] The track debuted at number 19 on Billboard's Modern Rock chart, and spent eleven weeks at number one. The song charted in many countries such as Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
"Pork and Beans"
A music video of the song, which incorporated many YouTube celebrities and memes with the band, was premiered on YouTube and was one of the most popular videos in the weeks following its release. The video won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.[4]
Writing and inspiration[edit]
Rivers Cuomo, lead singer and guitarist for Weezer, wrote the song in reaction to a meeting with Geffen executives, who told the band members that they needed to record more commercial material.[5] Cuomo remarked, "I came out of it pretty angry. But ironically, it inspired me to write another song."[6] Jacknife Lee produced the track with the band in early 2008 in what was the third and final recording session for the album.[7] The many references to popular culture in the song are said to be a "statement of defiance" according to Internet reviewer David Ritter, who later describes it to be an "anti-anthem anthem" that opens up a "broad space for critical exploration of what it means to be an aging band in the major label system".[8]
Composition[edit]
According to the director of the video for "Pork and Beans", the song is about "the idea of being yourself, of being happy with who you are".[9] In the album notes, Cuomo compares this to Timbaland's music, "It actually sounds like a Timbaland kind of production; he has little baby crying type of sounds."[10] A reference is also made to Timbaland in the second verse with the line "Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the chart".[11] The song similarly refers to items such as Rogaine and Oakley sunglasses.[12]
In popular culture[edit]
The song was featured in the 2009 film trailers for Yes Man and Whip It!,[25][26] and is a playable downloadable song for the Rock Band video game series.[27] It is also a featured song in Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 and in the Spill.com podcast "The League of Extremely Ordinary Gentlemen".