Mo epic. This one's a mock epic, though--except when it's not. Similar in structure to the sincere epic "Welcome to the Black Parade," Weezer's near-six minute monument parodies machismo, specifically the arrogant attitudes adopted by many an MC (rappers, rockers, passive-agressive singer-songwriters, etc...), and it mocks via six or seven different musical forms, all in the same song. The tune begins with a crowd clapping and cheering (for Cuomo, of course) as a piano plays a stark and simple melody*, representing the hero's humble origins, a defining point of sentimentality each epic needs. From there Weezer traverse the following forms (in the following order): - old-school rap
- rap metal
- folk
- martial hymn
- r&b
- emo
- rockabilly
- New Wave
- Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight"
- Gregorian chant
- Weezer rock
...all played with the appropriate bombast or sincerity, the song's title repeated multiple times in these different forms. Weezer seamlessly segue from one form to another, and they ape each of these disparate forms expertly, all while never loosing their singular sound. The lyric is funny, and the song's a hoot. However, Weezer is so good at what they do here, so perfect their pose, so genuine their performance, that the lyric can seem inconsequential, and one then falls under sway of the music itself; the epic nature of the structure, the power of the chords, the charm of the vocals, and the sweetness of the melody all combine to undermine the parody and transform the song into a genuine epic, albeit a very funny one.
This song's duplicitous nature reminds me of a time back when I was in high school, when with my buddies Mark (guitar) and Josh (bass) and Johnny (vocals), I formed a mock metal band: Meat Cleaver. Before we ever practiced a note, we produced Meat Cleaver tour tee shirts and Meat Cleaver gold & platinum records. When we finally decided to start practicing, we realized that, uh, we weren't very good. The metal performers we made fun of were, uh, much better than we though they were. We began, then, with simpler songs to play, and worked ourselves up to the point of where we could create our own tunes. One of these was an instrumental; I don't remember its title (though I'm sure Mark does), but I thought of it as simply "the metal ballad," as in, "Hey, Mark, let's play the metal ballad." Mark and Josh created the song, and I helped give it the pounding pomp and sheen it needed for it to sound as bombastic as, say, "Home Sweet Home" or "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" or "Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone" sounded to us back then. Each time we played it, the song got better. We started minimizing our mistakes, tightening a few loose screws, and--doggone--the mock metal ballad actually started sounding...almost like the real thing...and I enjoyed it (and I think the other two did as well, though they were probably as loathe to say so to each other at the time as I was).
There seemed to be real feeling there, as if those overused power chords actually had power. Well, they did. Predictible, yeah, but chocolate has the same predictable effect on me every time I eat it, and I still eat it. Candy never diminishes in quality in my mind just because everyone else likes it, it's mass produced, it's pleasant, and I don't have to think to enjoy it. What's wrong with music having the same effect? I can't believe it took me years to discover this analogy. Wonder if Weezer makes a candy bar, too?
*Notes - "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived"'s melody resembles the melody of an old Shaker hymn entitled "Simple Gifts," originally composed by Elder Joseph Brackett. The song was later made famous by Aaron Copland, and it's melody has been featured in many a movie and television broadcast. Reportedly, Weezer didn't cop the melody, but a band member's mother heard the song, and told the band that it reminded her of a hymn--thus the song's subtitle. Very pretty melody, regardless.
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