Unique and rememberable yet faithful | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Arts Entertainment

7 Aspects Of Weezer's Version Of 'No Scrubs' That Make A Perfect Rock Cover

As a rock cover connoisseur, I fully endorse this new favorite.

185
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Archim%C3%A8de_rock_band.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Archim%C3%A8de_rock_band.jpg

In This Article:

For several weeks now, I have been blasting out Weezer's "No Scrubs" cover through my speakers and singing along at the top of my lungs as I commute to work. There was a point where I had a hilarious vision of Weezer participating in a video reminiscent of TLC's. Unfortunately there currently exists no such video.

Even more tragically, the first result on Google was an article by Jillian Mapes of The Pitch/Pitchfork entitled "Will Weezer Ever Stop Being Disappointing?"

Mapes says that "No Scrubs" has been malformed from its powerful and sexy tone. This got me wondering why exactly I really liked this cover, and I soon realized that Mapes' opinion of the cover and of Weezer is kind of irrelevant because it is perfect in just about every way.

Unique and rememberable yet faithful

I'll concede that TLC has a certain empowerment from their original song that's hard to achieve, but what Weezer lacks in bolster they make up for with their outgoing tone and guitar work.

Weezer put their own flare on the song while also retaining the original tone of the song. They are instantly recognizable because of their unique voice and style, yet it's easy to transition from the cover to the original because of their faithfulness to the pitch and layering of TLC's "No Scrubs."

Original pronouns

This might seem like a minor detail, but Weezer didn't change the original pronouns of the song. This inherently allows the song to conform to the standards of the original as well as rid the cover of any signs of homophobia or insecurity.

Even good covers can be found to have the pronouns changed to fit the orientation of the performer, but it makes the song more authentic and less toxically masculine. An example of a song that pulls this off beautifully is "Holding Out For A Hero" covered by Emery: a male singer yet every (see: lots) male pronoun is kept without incident.

Existential irony

Even as I'm praising their exceptional execution, even I must admit it's frankly hilarious to think of the epitome of geek bands Weezer covering the suave TLC. This hilarity has only fed into my enjoyment of the cover, and I find myself relating heavily to Weezer themselves just as much TLC and their remaining essence within the cover.

Nostalgia

In the immortal words of cover artist Jonathan Young in an interlude of his "All Star" cover:

"Hey kids! If you wanna make more money than you deserve on the internet, I've got some tips! Social media algorithms and sensationalism culture is gonna decentivize you from making quality, original content, so don't waste your time on that. Pander to everyone's nostalgia, or the latest trend, act super relatable on Twitter, and cash in on dem memes!"

While Jonathan Young himself was certainly meme-ing at the time, what he says rings true. When Weezer sings "No Scrubs," it's a throwback to that time period. While I myself was not necessarily born at the time of its release, I was still practically raised on this song.

Slightly slower tempo

The vast majority of covers actually speed the song up, but Weezer did this unusual move in an expert way. The song was almost imperceptibly slower than the cover, but it was counteracted with the power provided by the strong vocals and heavier and intense guitar. This allowed their cover to have an increased impact than if they kept the clicks.

Approval from the original band

Chilli from TLC herself showed her approval of Weezer's cover of their song via both Twitter and interview with The Rolling Stone. Not only did she approve of their version, she called for a collaborative version and maybe even a tour feature. Weezer appropriately asked if that means yes, she wants their number. Mostly cover band Our Last Night showed with the Baha Men in their cover of "Who Let The Dogs Out?" that a cover/original mashup makes the experience that much better, so let's hope Weezer and TLC end up following through.

Strong finish

Another minor but well executed difference between the original and the cover is that Weezer chose not to fade out after the last verse. Their rendition of the last verse included the typical delicate treatment that comes through in the face of powerful guitar chords, but it seemed that they chose to go with upping the dedication towards the end of the song instead of choosing the fade. Every yearning "tryina holla at me" Weezer left me off with at the end of each of my infinite replays made me want the song to restart, and luckily my loop button is always on.

In short, Weezer did an expert job covering "No Scrubs" and the other songs included on their Teal Album. I'm proud to see their album making up the latest additions to my almost 500-song long rock covers playlist. If Weezer chose to do more covers, I would be infinitely more open towards them based on the excellent experience I've had with the new classic "No Scrubs."

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

6 Unrealistic Expectations Society Has For Young Adults

Don't let the thesaurus-inspired vocabularies in our résumés fool you. We're actually just big kids.

2411
boy in adult clothes

Well over four feet tall and 100 pounds in weight, many of us "young adults" of the world still consider ourselves children. Big, working, college-attending, beer-drinking children. We may live on our own, know how to cook noodles, and occasionally use a planner, but don't be fooled; the youthful tendencies that reside within us still make their way into our daily lives. From choosing to stay up until 3:00 a.m. playing video games on a school night to going out in 30 degree weather without a coat, we still make decisions that our parents and grandparents would shake their heads at in disappointment. So why are we expected to know exactly how to be a wise, professional, sensible adult? It's not that we're irresponsible (for the most part, anyway). It's that we are young, inexperienced, and still have the sought-after, enthusiastic mentality that we can do and be whatever we want, which has not yet been tarnished by the reality of the world. These are just a few of the unrealistic expectations that society has for young adults.

Keep Reading...Show less
pizza
Fandango

There are a lot of foods in this world, but there is only one dish that stands above the rest: Pizza. If you're close to me or at least know who I am, then you know that I'm totally obsessed with pizza. It's one of my favorite things to eat and I will NEVER turn down a slice, even if it doesn't have my favorite toppings. There isn't a day that goes by where I'm not thinking about pizza. I even sleep with a pizza pillow every night! There are many reasons why pizza stands above all other foods, and here are just a couple reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
sex and the city
Warner Bros. Television

1. You don't have to feel guilty about flirting with customers for tips (or just for shits and giggles).

2. You can be obnoxiously flirtatious with anyone you want. You are free to be that girl that flirts with everybody and makes 'em all smile (it's especially fun when the guy is as cute as Collin Jost). No shame.

3. Making random men nervous with your superior beauty and intense eye contact just for the hell of it is really amusing and empowering.

4. No one gives two poops if ya legs are hairy (your man shouldn't either but *Kermit the Frog meme* That's none of my business)

5. The toilet seat will remain down.

6. There's more money to spend on yourself.

7. There's always this secret butterfly in your tummy that marvels at the possibility that when you go out this weekend you're gonna meet someone super handsome/wonderful/prince-like and have this moment of dazzling dalliance.

8. Nothing is that serious...you can take it all with a grain of salt...you don't owe anybody anything.

9. You can dance with anyone and everyone...or no one (Hello frat boi w/ glasses, I see you).

10. You don't have to fluff anyone's ego but your own.

11. Free drinks and dinners from single guys (It's not taking advantage if they're offering; a girl's gotta eat).

12. You have more time to learn how to love and improve yourself rather than constantly pouring your energy into another person.

13. You don't have to sacrifice your cheesy Jen Aniston rom-coms and Gilmore Girls for his Fast and Furious/other dumb action movie featuring blonde that is only in the movie to supply a relationship to the male lead and to make him look more masculine/empowered in juxtaposition (In other words, you don't have to deal with a guy being a crabby Patty while you watch your cute movies).

14. You can daydream about what your future husband may be doing right now (and not get stressed/guilty out because you're not picturing your current boyfriend that's crazy about you as your future husband).

15. There is more time to be spent with your girlfriends.

Girls Night In
Milk + Blush

We've all been there - you've been saying since Tuesday after French that this weekend is the weekend. You're finally going to break out those new heels and actually put on eyeliner on and make this Friday night be one for the memory books! That is, of course, until Girls Night Out turned into...Girls Night In.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

What Is Your Zodiac GIF?

Characteristics of the astrological signs, explained through GIFS.

882
zodiac
Wordpress

Whether you believe astrology is a legitimate "science" or not, we have all found ourselves looking at our horoscopes from time to time. The 12 astrological signs all fall under one of four elements: air, water, earth, or fire. Air signs are rational, social, and love to communicate with others. Water signs are are emotional, intuitive, and mysterious. Fire signs tend to be passionate, creative, and adventurous. Earth signs are conservative, realistic, and loyal.

Each sign is determined by the relative positions of celestial bodies to ourselves at our moment of birth, which is said to influence our personalities. Find your zodiac GIF below, based on the traits and characteristics provided by each sign.

***Disclaimer: GIFS are meant to be lighthearted and are based on descriptions of signs from http://www.astrology-zodiac-signs.com/.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments