December

"December"
Album track by Weezer
Album	Maladroit
Released	May 14, 2002
Length	3:00
Label	Geffen
Writer(s)	Rivers Cuomo
RC#	605
COR#	286
Producer(s)	Weezer, Rod Cervera, Chad Bamford
Status	Released
Live debut	June 8, 2001 in Toronto, ON
Last played	December 17, 2014 in Santa Ana, CA
Maladroit track listing
"Love Explosion" (12) "December" (13)
Rivers Cuomo song chronology
"The Zep Song" (RC# 604) "December (Only Love)" (RC# 605) "A Dio" (RC# 606)

"December" is the thirteenth and final track on Maladroit.

Appearances

• Released on weezer.com
• Songs from the Forthcoming "Maladroit" (2002)
• Maladroit (2002)

Overview

"December" was first recorded on May 27, 2001 at Monster Island Studios in Washington, D.C., during a stop on the Hooptie Tour, with the intention of sending the recordings to prospective producers for the band's planned fourth album. Several of these recordings were posted to weezer.com, but "December" was not among them. The song was attempted again for the Radio 1 show The Evening Session, presented by Steve Lamacq, on June 13, 2001. Normally, bands record four songs to promote a new album, but Weezer performed eight entirely new songs. "December" was not one of the songs aired, but was finished in Los Angeles on July 9 and later released for free on weezer.com. The song was brought back during the sessions for Maladroit in December of that year. The band shared several in-progress recordings of the song with fans during the album's production.

Rivers Cuomo's guitar solo and Brian Bell's counterpoint were reportedly composed independently, without either guitarist having heard the other. "We just mashed them together to see what would happen, and it sounded beautiful," Cuomo later told Guitar Player in 2002.

"December" was played live at several shows throughout June and July of 2001, during the Hooptie Tour and Euro Freak Out Tour, though it was only performed three times during the tours in support of Maladroit in 2002. In early December of 2014, Rivers Cuomo created a Christmas-themed Spotify playlist titled "Everything Will Be Jolly in the End," featuring several songs by Weezer, among others. "December" was included on this playlist. On December 6, at a show in Atlanta, Georgia on the Everything Will Be Alright in the End Tour, Weezer performed the song for the first time in twelve years, acoustically. The song was also played during that tour's final two remaining shows.

Known recordings

about this table

Performer(s)	Title	Filename	Date of recording	Recording location	Length	Appeared on	Notes
Weezer	December		May 27, 2001	Monster Island Studios in Washington, D.C.
Weezer	December		June 13, 2001	BBC Studios, London, England	3:30	Released on weezer.com	Started June 13; finished July 9, 2001.
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2001-12-18_02December_286.mp3	December 18, 2001	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:10	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2001-12-21_09December_286.mp3	December 21, 2001	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:06	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2001-12-22_09December_286.mp3	December 22, 2001	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:09	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2002-01-01_04December_286.mp3	January 1, 2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:02	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2002-01-02_01December_286.mp3	January 2, 2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:02	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2002-01-05_08December_286.mp3	January 5, 2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:10	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2002-01-06_03December_286.mp3	January 6, 2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:08	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2002-01-12_06December_286.mp3	January 12, 2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:16	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2002-01-23_December_286.mp3	January 23, 2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:09	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December	WEEZER-2002-01-24_December_286.mp3	January 24, 2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:05	Released on weezer.com
Weezer	December		2001—2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:10	Songs from the Forthcoming "Maladroit"	CD matrix/runout: BJM #11946
Weezer	December		2001—2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:10	Songs from the Forthcoming "Maladroit"	CD matrix/runout: LIGHTING HILL/11982
Weezer	December		2001—2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:02	Songs from the Forthcoming "Maladroit"	CD matrix/runout: LIGHTNING HILL 12020
Weezer	December		2001—2002	Cello Studios, Los Angeles, CA	3:00	Maladroit

Live performances

Weezer concert: 06/08/2001 Weezer concert: 06/15/2001 Weezer concert: 06/16/2001 Weezer concert: 06/18/2001 Weezer concert: 06/19/2001 Weezer concert: 06/25/2001 Weezer concert: 06/26/2001 Weezer concert: 06/28/2001 Weezer concert: 06/29/2001

Weezer concert: 07/01/2001 Weezer concert: 07/25/2001 Weezer concert: 07/26/2002 Weezer concert: 08/01/2002 Weezer concert: 08/03/2002 Weezer concert: 12/06/2014 Weezer concert: 12/10/2014 Weezer concert: 12/17/2014

Personnel

• Rivers Cuomo — lead guitar, lead vocals
• Patrick Wilson — drums
• Brian Bell — rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Scott Shriner — bass guitar, backing vocals
• Chad Bamford — additional production, engineering
• Rod Cervera — additional production

Lyrics

Only love can ease the pain
Of a boy caught in the rain
Only hope will remember
Burning flame in December

Only love, only love

Only faith can bring to life
One that falls by the wayside
Only trust can inspire
Soggy lungs to breathe fire

Only love, only love

It's only natural
The moon is just half-full
We give our best away
We give our best away

Only love

Only trust can inspire
Soggy lungs to breath fire

Only love, only love
Only love, only love

See also

• List of Weezer songs
• List of Rivers Cuomo songs