This Is the Way
| "This Is the Way" | |||||
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| Demo by Rivers Cuomo | |||||
| Album | Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo | ||||
| Released | December 18, 2007 | ||||
| Recorded | 2007 | ||||
| Length | 4:17 | ||||
| Label | Geffen | ||||
| Writer(s) | Rivers Cuomo | ||||
| RC# | N/A | ||||
| COR# | N/A | ||||
| Producer(s) | Rivers Cuomo | ||||
| Status | Released | ||||
| Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo track listing | |||||
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This song is part of the "I See Colors" lineage of songs
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"This Is the Way" is the fifteenth track from Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo.
Contents
Appearances
Overview
"This is the Way" is probably the closest thing to R&B that Rivers Cuomo has ever released. Cuomo was striving to write out-of-the-ordinary songs before the band got together to record The Red Album, and this produced efforts like "The Greatest Man that Ever Lived" and "Dreamin'." He describes that he was tired by that process in the Alone liner notes and was inspired to write a straightforward, cliche pop song. He lifted chords from R&B singer Mario's song hit "Let Me Love You" and used them as the basis for what would become "This is the Way." Unlike most of the material on Alone, this demo wasn't sourced from a Compact Cassette. It was instead retrieved digitally via an audio recording software.
"This is the Way" was previously unheard prior to Alone's release.
Weezer may have recorded a version of this song with Scott Shriner on lead vocals. It has yet to be released. Shriner has stated that this is one of his favorite Cuomo demos of the era.
Some of its melody was repurposed for the song "I See Colors" off of The Space Between Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Liner notes
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For Weezer's sixth album, I was feeling extremely adventurous again. I wrote an epic, 6-minute symphonic type of art song called "Daydreamer". After I wrote the song, though, I reversed myself again, deciding to write a straight-ahead, nothing-fancy, middle-of-the-road, urban pop type of song. I took the chords from a Mario hit, fired up the drum machine and the synth pads, and wrote "This is the Way".
When it camed time for Weezer to vote on songs to record for the album, I submitted both "Daydreamer" and "This is the Way" but I secretly preferred "Daydreamer" because it was so bold, weird, and gigantic. Of course, everyone voted for the straightforward pop number, "This is the Way". I called a meeting and told the guys that it was important to me that "Daydreamer" got on the record. They felt excitement and so they consented. "This is the Way" got cut from the list. Everyone around us, though, was saying "'This is the Way' is the bomb--you should really do that song." Scott, in particular was like, "I want to sing that song. I can own it." I definitely loved the song, too, but it was just too straightforward for what I wanted to do at the time. Thankfully, I have a way to get the song out now, here on this demo compilation. And maybe "This is the Way" will end up on Weezer album number 8. We'll see.
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Audio
Personnel
- Rivers Cuomo – keyboards, lead guitar, lead vocals, percussion, bass guitar, backing vocals
Lyrics
This is the way baby
This is the way
You got to question
Your situation
He's taking advantage of you
You're such a pushover
He's rolling you over
And all that you
Ask him to do
So stand up for yourself
And get what you deserve
And I will give it to you my love
I will never leave
'Cause you're the air I breathe
And you're the heaven
High up above
And this is the way
That a man loves his lady
He does what he can
And he never tells her "maybe"
The world is still turning
But you are not learning
You're letting him
Take what he wants
You give him your loving
Your kissing and hugging
But then he goes back
Where he wants
And you know that it's true
It's all because of you
And now you got
To take back your love
Open up to me
I will make you see
What I have
Is more than enough
I swear to you
I will never let you down
I care about you
From the inside to the out
Let the jokers
Learn a lesson that is true
It's only me
And you from now on
