I Don't Want to Let You Go

"I Don't Want to Let You Go"
Album track by Weezer
Album	Raditude
Released	Alone II - November 28, 2008 ; Raditude - November 3, 2009;
Length	Alone II - 3:46; Raditude - 3:48
Label	Geffen
Writer(s)	Rivers Cuomo
Producer(s)	Alone II - Rivers Cuomo ; Raditude - Jacknife Lee
Status	Officially released
Stream	Spotify
	Apple Music
Raditude track listing
Raditude (Deluxe Edition) track listing
Raditude (International Version) track listing
Alone II track listing
Deliverance at Hand! track listing
Alternate cover
	Cover of Alone II

I Don't Want to Let You Go (originally named I Don't Wanna Let You Go) is the tenth and final track on the standard edition of Raditude. It is also the seventh track on Alone II.

Appearances

Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo (Demo) (2008)
Raditude (2009)
Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years (2020)

Overview

Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo wrote "I Don't Want to Let You Go" song while Weezer was on tour in Europe in 2005. Cuomo is proud of the song, as evidenced by its appearance on The 4 and 5 Star Demos of Rivers Cuomo. It was originally part of the demo compilation Deliverance at Hand! and was most likely demoed in sessions for Weezer (The Red Album), but it did not make that album. The Rivers demo saw release on Alone II.

The song would later see a completely new arrangement on the band's 2009 album Raditude.

Band Commentary

Rivers: Yeah, we decided to close the album out with a very beautiful, etherial ballad. It's very haunting, kind of 50s sounding, nostalgic. But at the same time it's like it's from another planet.

Brian: Something fresh about it too and it's the most common chord progression there is in Rock And Roll, it's I-VI-IV-V. [1]

Alone II liner notes

In the summer of 2005, Weezer went to Europe to do a festival run. I arrived a few days early in order to spend some time with my half-brother, Gabe, and step-brother, Shannon, both of whom grew up in Germany and have a strong European sensibility, though being American citizens. I was always amazed at how different their musical perspective was from mine or from anyone else that I knew–it was all about house music for Gabe. As we screamed down the Autobahn at 130MPH, he played the latest house hits for me and explained the genre.

"It's gotta have that beat and some cool riffs. It's gotta have a simple, cool lyrical phrase that the singer says over and over like that."

I couldn't believe that this music was so popular–as popular in Europe, it seemed, as Black Eyed Peas or Gwen Stefani in the States. I couldn't believe it because there was hardly any singing or lyrics! "Trust me," said Gabe. "This is going to be the biggest hit of the summer." He played a track called "The Weekend" by some unknown-to-me guy named Michael Gray. It had a jammin' beat for sure, but without a strong vocal presence and personality, without many lyrics, I couldn't help but think it was only half a song, that it was missing the main point of connection. I kept an open mind, though, remembering the fact that Weezer's success in America had never translated to Europe. Sure we'd done all right there, but we'd probably had only one or two gold records in twelve years throughout all of those countries, as compared to multi-millions sold in the U.S. Clearly, I concluded, I had missed something as a writer. My songs couldn't translate beyond my border in the way that the songs of some other American writers had, for example, Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day. I concluded that I had something to learn about relating to European sensibilities through my music. I told myself, "I'll write a new song over this Michael Gray song, "The Weekend", using his beat as a template, and see if that produces a song that Europeans will like." Gabe gave me the CD.

When I got back to Connecticut for a short break in the midst of all the touring, I set up a little recording area in my mom's basement, buying a cheesy Casio keyboard, and a small Marshall amp and I set up my laptop to record into. I ripped "The Weekend" into my computer, dragged it into Vegas, chopped out a piece of the beat, made a loop, ran it, played the first chords that came to my mind with a synthy sound on the casio, and started singing, not knowing what I was going to sing about. When I was finished with the demo, I simply muted the loop from "The Weekend" and I was left with my song, "I Don't Want To Let You Go" (Track 7).

- Rivers Cuomo,

Personnel

Raditude version

Rivers Cuomo - vocals, Guitar
Patrick Wilson - drums
Brian Bell - guitar, backing vocals, Organ, keyboard
Scott Shriner - bass, backing vocals
Jacknife Lee - producer

Alone II version

Rivers Cuomo – vocals, guitar, piano, drums

Audio

Alone II

Raditude

YouTube (North America)
YouTube (international)

Lyrics

All the times you came to me and told me that you cared
I was dreaming of happy days that we both could share
Maybe I got too excited and maybe you freaked out
Maybe I just have to call you up and scream and shout
All of my friends tell me that I ought to play it cool
No one likes too much attention from a desperate fool
Still I don’t believe that I can keep it all inside
When I see your pretty face I almost want to cry

I know it isn’t right
But still I have to fight
I have to let you know
I don’t want to let you go

The pain is killing me
But I can’t let it be
I have to let you know
I don’t want to let you go

I remember the days when I was stronger than wall
Try as anybody might they couldn’t move me at all
Now I fall to pieces when you softly call my name
Going up in smoke rings like a moth within your flame
I have lost all hope for being normal once again
I will be a slave to you until the bitter end
Even if it’s a hundred years before you change your mind
I will be here waiting girl until the end of time

Known recordings

*about this table*
Performer(s)	Title	Filename	Date of recording	Recording location	Length	Appeared on	Notes
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Wanna Let You Go	`i dont wanna let u go.mp3`	2005	?, Connecticut	7:57	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Wanna Let You Go	`I don't wanna let you go (overdubs).mp3`	2007(?)		3:37	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Wanna Let You Go	`04 I Don't Wanna Let You Go.mp3`	2007		4:31	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Deliverance at Hand! demo
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`I Don't Want To Let You Go TPmm1.mp3`	2007		4:17	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Overdubbed edit of "`04 I Don't Wanna Let You Go.mp3`"
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`I Don't Want To Let You Go TP-ALTmm1.mp3`	2007		4:17	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Different mix of "`I Don't Want To Let You Go TPmm1.mp3`"
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`I Don't Want To Let You Go TP-ALTmm2.mp3`	2007		4:17	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Different mix of "`I Don't Want To Let You Go TPmm1.mp3`"
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`I Don't Want To Let You Go TP-ALTmm3.mp3`	2007		4:17	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Different mix of "`I Don't Want To Let You Go TPmm1.mp3`"
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`I Don't Want To Let You Go TP-ALTmm4.mp3`	2007		4:17	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Different mix of "`I Don't Want To Let You Go TPmm1.mp3`"
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`I Don't Want To Let You Go TP-ALTmm5.mp3`	2007		4:17	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Different mix of "`I Don't Want To Let You Go TPmm1.mp3`"
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`i don't wanna let you go (tags.no br.mp3`	2007		4:17	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Different mix of "`I Don't Want To Let You Go TPmm1.mp3`""
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`- i don't wanna let you go (tags.no br (11952).mp3.mp3`	2007				Possibly same as above recording
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`I Don't Wanna Let You Go (bridge).mp3`	2007		4:56	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Overdubbed edit of "`04 I Don't Wanna Let You Go.mp3`"
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go	`07 I don't wanna let you go.vso.3sho.mp3`	2007—2008		3:59	Alone X: The Red-Raditude-Hurley Years	Overdubbed and shortened edit of "`04 I Don't Wanna Let You Go.mp3`"
Rivers Cuomo	I Don't Want To Let You Go		2007—2008		3:46	Alone II: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo	Truncated edit of "`07 I don't wanna let you go.vso.3sho.mp3`"
Weezer	I Don't Want To Let You Go		2008—2009		3:51	Leaked online	Jacknife Lee mix
Weezer	I Don't Want To Let You Go		2008—2009		3:48	Raditude