Mad Kow
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| "Mad Kow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demo by Weezer | ||||
| Format | MP3 | |||
| Recorded | 2000, 2002 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rivers Cuomo | |||
| RC# | 499 | |||
| COR# | 192 | |||
| Status | Demo circulating | |||
| Live debut | July 17, 2000 in San Diego, CA[1] | |||
| Rivers Cuomo song chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mad Kow" is a song by Weezer. The band demoed and performed the song live in the summer of 2000 and again in the spring/summer of 2002.
Appearances
- Released online
- Video Capture Device (2004)
Overview
"Mad Kow" was first documented in July of 2000,[2] with the band recording demos to a DA-88 at Cole Rehearsals in Los Angeles.[3] The band performed the song live throughout the remainder of that summer. The song did not make the cut for the band's subsequent album (Weezer's eponymous Green Album), but appeared on a semi-official Summer Songs 2000 "album" distributed by Rivers Cuomo to fans in November of 2001.
"Mad Kow" was revived in March of 2002 during early demo sessions at Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood for the band's already-planned fifth album (before their fourth, Maladroit, had even been released). The band subsequently performed the song live at a few shows during that same month. The band continued work on it that summer, with one version featuring piano by session musician Ryan "Shmedly" Maynes. The song was ultimately retired thereafter. An acoustic rehearsal, as well as a clip from a soundcheck—both filmed in 2002—appeared on the 2004 DVD Video Capture Device. Rivers Cuomo also played the song during a session on the video streaming platform Ustream on August 6, 2011. The song is most likely a reference to Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, which is also known as mad cow disease.
Personnel
2000 demo
- Rivers Cuomo - lead guitar, lead vocals
- Brian Bell - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Mikey Welsh - bass
- Patrick Wilson - drums
2002 demos
- Rivers Cuomo - lead guitar, lead vocals
- Brian Bell - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Scott Shriner - bass, backing vocals
- Patrick Wilson - drums
- Ryan "Shmedly" Maynes - piano
Lyrics
NOTE: The 2000 version of the song truncates the second verse after “I’m breaking my leases,” substituting it with the first verse’s final two lines. The closing “I’m falling” lyric is also omitted.
I'm watching and waiting
I'm disintegrating
I know that you'd hear me
If you could come near me
But no one can save me now
I'm lost, just like a cow
Madness burning inside my brain
I'm falling to pieces
I'm breaking my leases
And moving to some place
I'll live in disgrace
But no one can save me now
I'm lost, just like a cow
Madness burning inside my brain
My brain
I know that you'd hear me
If you could come near me
But no one can save me now
I'm lost, just like a cow
Madness burning inside my brain
My brain
I'm falling
Known recordings
| Performer(s) | Title | Filename | Date of recording | Recording location | Length | Appeared on | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weezer | Mad Kow | July 2000 | Cole Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA[2] | ||||
| Weezer | Mad Kow | Summer 2000 | 2:12 | Summer Songs 2000 ("album") | |||
| Weezer | Mad Kow | March 8, 2002 | 4:18 | released on weezer.com | |||
| Weezer | Mad Kow | July 2, 2002 | 4:16 | released on weezer.com | |||
| Weezer | Mad Kow | July 16, 2002 | 4:11 | released on weezer.com |
See also
References
- ↑ Live debut per Karl's Corner - 07/18/2000 by Karl Koch.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Weezer Recording History - Page 12
- ↑ Rivers Cuomo. The Catalog O' Riffs. 2002. http://weezerpedia.com/catalogofriffs.html