Getting Up and Leaving

From Weezerpedia
Revision as of 15:46, 22 August 2015 by Runnersdialzero (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
"Getting Up and Leaving"
Getting Up and Leaving cover
Album track by Weezer
Album Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition)
Released November 2, 2010
Recorded Spring 1997 at Fort Apache Studios
Length 3:45
Label Geffen
Writer(s) Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson
RC# 170
COR# N/A
Producer(s) Weezer
Status officially released
Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition) track listing
"Long Time Sunshine"
(12)
"Getting Up and Leaving"
(13)
"Tired Of Sex (Tracking Rough)"
(14)
Rivers Cuomo song chronology
"I Swear It's True"
(RC# 169)
"Getting Up and Leaving"
(RC# 170)
"Longtime Sunshine"
(RC# 171)

"Getting Up and Leaving" is a Weezer song written in 1993 by Rivers Cuomo and Patrick Wilson.

Initially considered (but ultimately not making the cut) for The Blue Album, the song would only later recieve a formal recording during the Pinkerton sessions. The song remained unreleased for a number of years. Highly sought-after by fans, a version of the song was finally released on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton in 2010.

Appearances

Overview

Consideration for The Blue Album

"Getting Up and Leaving" was one of fifteen songs considered for the band's debut album. A pre-production version done with Ric Ocasek was recorded on November 8, 1993 at S.I.R. Studios, but the song would not make it to the formal album sessions. This version, unlike later recordings, was said to have a "classic Weezer breakdown" similar to those of "Surf Wax America" or "Holiday".

The song was known to have been played live only a small handful of times in either 1994 or 1995, one such occasion at The Metro in Chicago, IL, but no live recordings have surfaced among fans.

Pinkerton sessions

"Getting Up and Leaving", as well as another Blue-era track titled "I Swear It's True", were re-recorded by the band in the summer of 1996 during the Pinkerton sessions at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, Los Angeles. It's said both songs were recorded for the purpose of single B-sides and not the Pinkerton album, but both tracks were unfinished as the sessions came to a close.

Abandoned "Pink Triangle" B-side version

In the spring of 1997, plans were made for a retail single for the song "Pink Triangle", with Geffen insisting on the song being "cleaned up" for radio with a new mix. The band took the opportunity to further work on "Getting Up and Leaving" and "I Swear It's True" for inclusion on a "Pink Triangle" retail single. At the time, Matt Sharp was at work on The Rentals' Seven More Minutes album and was unable to attend the sessions, scheduled for Rivers' spring break from Harvard.

After several levels of auditions for a bass player, Scott Riebling, who formerly played with Letters To Cleo, was chosen to function as the stand-in bass player for the sessions. According to Riebling, future Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh may have been the runner-up in the final audition. In 2005, Riebling claimed that the 1997 versions of "Getting Up and Leaving" and "I Swear It's True" were completely re-cut and that the earlier Pinkerton sessions versions had been abandoned, although it is unknown if this is true.

According to the recording history, the lyrics were re-written for the 1997 version of "Getting Up and Leaving". Rivers later expressed regret in revising the lyrics, preferring the song's original lyrics.

Ultimately, due to the single remix not gaining momentum on radio, the "Pink Triangle" retail single would not come to fruition, with the two songs designated for B-sides remaining unreleased until 2010.

Fan demand and release

Being considered for the band's debut album and later recorded during the Pinkerton sessions, "Getting Up and Leaving" was among the most sought after tracks by Weezer's fanbase for a number of years. For unknown reasons, the 1993 pre-production recording done in preparation for The Blue Album was passed up when the album was remastered and expanded with bonus tracks in 2004 (two other songs from this session were included, however).

In response to demand for unreleased songs, Rivers began posting sheet music to several unreleased songs on his MySpace account in 2006, including "Getting Up and Leaving", leading to several fan-recorded interpretations of the song. The second verse contains an alternate lyric ("Don't blah blah blah, don't read no books"). It's unknown if this is an actual lyric, if this line was never finished, or if Rivers could not recall the original lyric (when performed live in 2008, Rivers essentially skipped over the line).

On November 25, 2008, at a hootenanny with Rivers on the eve of Alone II's release, the song was included in the setlist at the prompting of fans. The song was attempted, but aborted due to most fans at the event being unfamiliar with it. Rivers did, however, perform a full a capella version to please the crowd.

In 2010, the "Pink Triangle" single sessions version of the song (as well as the other intended B-side, "I Swear It's True") were set to be released on the deluxe edition of Pinkerton. Prior to release, it's known the song recieved overdubs in 2009. It's thought that the majority of the vocals were re-cut given Rivers' favoring of the song's earlier lyics, which feature on the released version. A non-overdubbed mix of the song was slated to also appear on the album, but remains unreleased.

In anticipation of the release of the deluxe edition of Pinkerton, the song was given out by Rivers for free on weezer.com on October 19, 2010 at 10:53 am. Fan repsonse was overwhelmingly positive. Pinkerton deluxe, including the song, was finally released on November 2nd, 2010. Patrick Wilson was accidentally not credited as co-writing the track on intial copies of the album.

Personnel

1993 Ric Ocasek pre-production version

1997 "Pink Triangle" single sessions version

Lyrics

<lyrics>My life is changing And I'm feeling blue The things I wished for Have come true

Stop! I really really wanna go back Back to where I belong

Now I'm getting up and leaving I'm leaving home Now I'm getting up and leaving I'm leaving home

Don't write no music Don't read no books Don't call my baby On the phone

Stop! I really really wanna go back Back to where I belong Stop! I really really wanna go back Back to where I came from

Now I'm getting up and leaving I'm leaving home Now I'm getting up and leaving I'm leaving home

Now I'm getting up, now I'm getting up Now I'm getting up and leaving (Now I'm getting up, now I'm getting up) Now I'm leaving</lyrics>

Sheet music

See also