I Want a Dog

"I Want a Dog"
Single by Weezer
Album	SZNZ: Winter
Released	December 9, 2022
Recorded	2022
Length	2:48
Label	Crush Music/Atlantic Records
Writer(s)	Rivers Cuomo
Status	Officially released
Live debut	September 19, 2022 in West Hollywood, CA
Weezer singles chronology
SZNZ: Winter track listing
This song is part of the "I Want a Dog" lineage of songs "Still Dreaming" (2021); "I Want a Dog" (2022);

"I Want a Dog" is the lead single and first track on SZNZ: Winter.

Appearances

SZNZ: Winter (2022)

Overview

Songwriter Rivers Cuomo's family adopted two cats (Jiji and Ginchan) in September of 2021.^[1]

Cuomo mentioned the song title "I Want a Dog" to users of the website Riverchat on April 15, 2021, indicating that it was planned for the winter-themed segment of Weezer's forthcoming 2022 album project, SZNZ. Cuomo asked users, "I've release^[sic] piece of the pie, right? Does the verse melody and chords exist on any later weezer album? I want to use it for winter's i want a dog."^[2] The final song, however, bears no apparent similarities to "Piece of the Pie." The song's bridge does, however, appropriate a melody previously used in the song "Still Dreaming," from the film The Space Between.

"I Want a Dog" was originally demoed with lyrics excised from the final mix. These lyrics were still present when Weezer (under the Goat Punishment moniker) debuted the song (as well as all of SZNZ: Winter) at a secret show in West Hollywood on September 19, 2022, months ahead of the EP's release, as well as the band's performance of the song the song for Jimmy Kimmel Live! two days later.

Live performances

Personnel

Rivers Cuomo — lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, producer
Brian Bell — lead guitar, backing vocals
Scott Shriner — bass, backing vocals
Patrick Wilson — drums
Jake Sinclair — synthesizer, additional vocals

Jonathan Dreyfus — orchestral arrangement
Jonathan Leahy — string arrangement
Mike Fasano — drum technician
Patrick Lehman — guitar technician
James Flannigan — producer
Suzy Shinn — producer
Ivan Wayman — engineer
Kevin Smith — engineer
Jason Hiller — engineer
Jonathan Dreyfus — engineer
Chris Dugan — mixing
Emily Lazar — mastering

Video

Lyrics

I want a dog
To curl up beside me
I want a dog
'Cause he would keep me company
I want a dog
'Cause he would look out for me
Cheer me up
When I don’t think I’ll make it

I want a dog
'Cause he’d try to lick my face
And he would smile
When I get home to my place
I want a dog
'Cause sometimes humans hold it all inside
I need to feel connected

I made the wrong choice
Now I must pay the price
Trapped in my body
And my own mind

I want a dog
To lead me to the backyard
And fetch the ball
As if he was my lifeguard
I want a dog
To softly walk beside me
Guide me home
I wish I had a dog

We’re keeping score
We all are rational agents
We make our deals
To try to get more famous
I made my bed
Now I am gonna lie in it
That’s what I get
I just wish I had a dog

I made the wrong choice
Now I must pay the price
Trapped in my body
And my own mind

I made the wrong choice
Now I must pay the price
Trapped in my body
And my own mind

I want a dog

I want a dog
To curl up beside me
I want a dog
'Cause he would keep me company
I want a dog
I know he'd look out for me
Cheer me up
When I don’t think I’ll make it

I want a dog
'Cause he’d try to lick my face
And he would smile at my place
I want a dog
'Cause sometimes humans hold it all inside
I need to be connected

I live in a prison
There’s nothing here for me
A sink and a toilet
A flickering bulb
I made the wrong choice
Now I must pay the price
Trapped in my body
And my own mind

I want a dog
To lead me to the backyard
And fetch the ball
As if he was a lifeguard
I want a dog
To softly walk beside me
Guide me
I don’t want to walk alone

We’re keeping score
We all are rational agents
We make our deals
To get more rich and famous
I made my bed
And I am gonna lie in it
That’s what I get
I just wish I had a dog

Ooh

I want a dog

Known recordings

*about this table*
Performer(s)	Title	Filename	Date of recording	Recording location	Length	Appeared on	Notes
Rivers Cuomo		`beautiful triplet melody on the pian.mp3`	2011—2014(?)		1:03	Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years	Bridge melody for "I Want a Dog."
Rivers Cuomo		`beautiful triplets.mp3`	2011—2014(?)		1:21	~~Alone XI: The EWBAITE Years~~	Bridge melody for "I Want a Dog." Removed from Alone XI on November 25, 2020
Rivers Cuomo	I Want a Dog	`I Want A Dog 2021-06-22 15.30-2.mp3`	June 22, 2021		3:08	Leaked online
Weezer	I Want a Dog		2022	Groove Masters, Santa Monica, CA The Village Recorder, West Los Angeles, CA Funkhaus Berlin, Berlin, Germany	2:48	SZNZ: Winter

References

↑ Riverpedia. "Pets" https://books-r-fun.herokuapp.com/wiki/Pets Archived by Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20221209181253/https://books-r-fun.herokuapp.com/wiki/Pets
↑ Cuomo, Rivers. Mister Rivers' Neighborhood. 15 April 2021. https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/File:Riverchat-iwantadog.jpg

[1] Riverpedia. "Pets" https://books-r-fun.herokuapp.com/wiki/Pets Archived by Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20221209181253/https://books-r-fun.herokuapp.com/wiki/Pets

[2] Cuomo, Rivers. Mister Rivers' Neighborhood. 15 April 2021. https://www.weezerpedia.com/wiki/File:Riverchat-iwantadog.jpg

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