Serious Contenders: Weezer, "Perfect Situation"

I have said, repeatedly and obnoxiously, that "Perfect Situation" may in fact be the best song Rivers Cuomo ever wrote. Even above the fun quirk of "Buddy Holly" or the raw confessionality of the Pinkerton tunes, I think this is the one that hits it best. It's specific, yet intimately relatable. The lyrical content is just spot on, from the first verse's baseball metaphor, to the straightforward bitterness in "Can't ya see that she belongs to me? / And I don't appreciate this excess company," it nails that "so close yet so far" romantic-longing that Weezer does so well, not at all undercut by the bouncy piano and wailing guitars, which help emphasize the song's points.

The real star, though, is the "Ohh, ho" chorus. I've long admitted my fondness for non-lexical expressions in songs. Well placed and well delivered, they say more than real words ever can, and this sigh, this cry of resignation, this "What can I do?" feeling is so spot-on it hurts, and yet it sounds so warm. Such is the gift of great pop music.

In championing this as one of the best Weezer songs, I'm fighting what I call (for lack of a snappier name) the "Pinkerton Effect." That time after a career-defining work when releasing music that is merely very good or great is not enough for the fans. The album from which this song comes, Make Believe, is not as good as Pinkerton or The Blue Album, but several of its songs were good enough that it shouldn't matter a whit. Instead, a lot of people hold it against Weezer that something they did was so excellent, they fail to realize they're still releasing music that's better than most of their contemporaries. Even Hurley, which I reviewed early this year, had a lot going for it.

Maybe you really don't like this song, or any other post-Pinkerton releases. That may be fine. My frustration is that oftentimes, backlash prevents people from really giving the songs a listen and appreciating them on their own terms. As time goes by, I grow less and less fond of the idea that every artist's work should be measured strictly against their earlier stuff. I always prefer to listen to a song or album in its own context first, and not holding against it that "it's no Pinkerton."