Weezer – Buddy Holly

This was released to radio on September 7, 1994, which would have been Buddy Holly’s 58th birthday.

The video for this song hooked me for not only the mention of Buddy Holly, Mary Tyler Moore but also the Happy Days set… Plus its a fun song. This song peaked at #17 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 Charts in 1995.

Spike Jonze directed the video. Vintage Happy Days footage was intercut with shots of Weezer performing on the original Arnold’s Drive-In set. Al Molinaro, who played the diner’s owner on the series, made a cameo appearance in the video. One of the most popular clips of 1995, it scored four MTV Video Music Awards, including Breakthrough Video and Best Alternative Music Video, and two Billboard Music Video Awards, among them Alternative/Modern Rock Clip of the Year.

 

From Songfacts

With the “I’m yours – you’re mine” lyrics, this song sounds like a romantic missive, but lead singer Rivers Cuomo explained that it’s largely misinterpreted: the song is about defending a platonic female friend. 

This was Weezer’s second single, following “Undone – The Sweater Song.” It got a lot of play on Top 40 radio and reached #2 on Billboard’s Modern Rock chart, but in a bid to boost album sales, the song wasn’t sold as a single in America, which made it ineligible for the Hot 100 (it reached #18 on the Airplay chart).

When downloading became legal and practical, this song proved very popular, and in 2006 it became Weezer’s second Gold single (following “Beverly Hills”), thanks to downloads of over 500,000.

According to the book Rivers’ Edge: The Weezer Story, Cuomo didn’t think this song fit on the album and was tempted to leave it off. It was the album’s producer, Ric Ocasek, who convinced him to include it. Cuomo is glad they left it on, as it became one of his favorite songs to perform.

The popularity of the song skyrocketed after The Microsoft Windows 95 release included its video amongst a number of “Fun Stuff” items on the CD. Watching a music video on your computer was a pretty big deal at the time.

The early demo of this song had a slower tempo and some different lyrics. The chorus originally referenced famous dancing duo Fred & Ginger: “Oo-wee-oo you look just like Ginger Rogers, Oh, oh, I move just like Fred Astaire,” before it was changed to “Oh wee-ooh, I look just like Buddy Holly, Oh, oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore.” 

Actress Mary Tyler Moore became a household name just a couple years after Holly’s death when she landed a starring role on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961 (and later her own Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970).

This runs a very compact 2:39. 

This song was the centerpiece of a 2015 commercial for the Honda Pilot Elite minivan. In the spot, a large family sings the song while riding in the vehicle.

On their 2018 summer tour, Weezer re-created the video when they performed this song, complete with costumes and set design.

Buddy Holly

What’s with these homies dissin’ my girl?
Why do they gotta front?
What did we ever do to these guys
That made them so violent?

Woo-hoo, but you know I’m yours.
Woo-hoo, and I know you’re mine.
Woo-hoo, and that’s for all the time.

[chorus]
Woo-ee-oo, I look just like Buddy Holly.
Oh-oh, and you’re Mary Tyler Moore.
I don’t care what they say about us anyway.
I don’t care ’bout that.

Don’t you ever fear, I’m always there. I know that you need help.
Your tongue is twisted, your eyes are slit.
You need a guardian.

Woo-hoo, and you know I’m yours.
Woo-hoo, and I know you’re mine.
Woo-hoo, and that’s for all the time.

[chorus]

I don’t care ’bout that.

Bang bang knock on the door, another big bang, you’re down on the floor.
Oh no! What do we do?
Don’t look now but I lost my shoe.
I can’t run and I can’t kick.
What’s a matter babe, are you feelin’ sick?
What’s a matter, what’s a matter, what’s a matter you?
What’s a matter babe, are you feelin’ blue?
Oh-oh-oh

And that’s for all the time. (x2)

[chorus]

I don’t care ’bout that. (x3)