You Won't Get with Me Tonight

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"You Won't Get with Me Tonight"
You Won't Get with Me Tonight cover
Demo by Weezer
Albums Songs from the Black Hole
Buddyhead Presents: Gimme Skelter
Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition)
Released 2003
Recorded February 1995 in Hamburg Germany
Length 3:29
Label Would have been DGC Records
Writer(s) Rivers Cuomo
RC# ?
Producer(s) Rivers Cuomo
Status Released (demo circulating)
Songs from the Black Hole track listing
"Blast Off!"
(1)
"You Won't Get with Me Tonight"
(2)
"Maria's Theme"
(3)
Songs from the Black Hole (Tracklist 2) track listing
"Superfriend (Reprise)"
(13)
"You Won't Get with Me Tonight"
(14)
"What Is This I Find?"
(15)
Buddyhead Presents: Gimme Skelter track listing
"Harmless Armless"/"Minus World"
(17)
"You Won't Get with Me Tonight"
(18)
"Losing Touch with My Mind"
(19)
Professional reviews
Alternate cover
2010 release
2010 release

"You Won't Get with Me Tonight" is a Rivers Cuomo demo, originally intended for the "Songs from the Black Hole" project. It was released on the "Buddyhead Presents: Gimme Skelter" compilation in 2003.

Appearences

Overview

This officially-released 8-track demo recording was done completely by Rivers (although released as Weezer), who plays all the instruments, and sings as both characters. The vocals are panned in order to differentiate the different character parts. In the Gimme Skelter liner notes, Karl wrote that Joan Wasser was to play the other character, Maria. The song is high-energy with a fast tempo and features a synthesizer/guitar duet during the instrumental break.

For Track List 1, the song leads on from "Blast Off!" as a conversation between Jonas and Maria, the female character from the previous track. Maria really wants to hook up with Jonas but has resolved to avoid any form of sexual interaction with her. Jonas affirms his friendship with Maria though by telling her that he will protect her from Wuan and Dondó, making sure they won't bother her any more. The story's premise here is preserved in the Buddyhead release of the song.

On Track List 2, the song is essentially split up into two new tracks, "Who You Callin' Bitch?" and "Please Remember" - their titles are both derived from this song and they have similar lyrics. The full "You Won't Get with Me Tonight" wasn't completely dropped from the track lists though, instead being placed near the end. It's unknown whether the Track List 2 version of "You Won't Get with Me Tonight" would have had any lyrical changes to accommodate its new track placement at the end rather than at the beginning of the album/story.

On September 29, 2010, after preview clips of Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition) were released on iTunes, Patrick Wilson revealed in a chat convo on weezer.com that an unreleased full band version of this song exists, dubbed "the crushing version". This version was leaked online on April 11, 2011. Patrick Wilson posted the following background information on "the crushing versions" in November 2010 on All Things Weezer:

"I think they were from a rehearsal in the studio as the drums are insanely loud in all the vocal mics. iirc, there wasn't any bass on You Won't Get With Me Tonight so i put it on there. that old boy matt must have been in england, it's weird as time goes on my memory of that period gets dimmer and fused with mythology. i actually have quite a good memory for certain things but that period must have been blocked out! dark!"

Liner notes

Ywgwmtliner.jpg

Karl Koch's commentary from the liner notes of Gimme Skelter:

"This track was written and recorded by Rivers as a home demo in early 1995, and was intended for the second Weezer album. At the time, the second album was to be called Songs from the Black Hole and was intended to be a "space opera", along the lines of Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar.

The song's lyrics may seem confusing, but what must be understood is that there are two different characters here, one male and one female, and that on this demo, Rivers is singing both parts. The song is really a conversation between two characters. To tell the story on the album, the plan was to get other guest vocalists in on the action to sing the various characters' other parts. In the case of this song, the female vocalist was designated to be Joan Wasser of The Dambuilders (who never knew she was earmarked for the task!).

One day on the summer '95 tour the band was practicing the song during soundcheck, when I had a revelation. After soundcheck, I ran over to Rivers saying, "Now I remember what this song reminds me of!", and I proceeded to explain in detail. Moments later, Rivers was proclaiming that the song was not to be practiced again! Sadly, I had killed the song! Of course, I should have just kept my mouth shut...needless to say I had learned my lesson: if the band practiced a great new song, don't tell them what famous song it reminds you of! (I have slipped once or twice since then, however, and it always kills the song...damn!)

In the end, Songs from the Black Hole was not to be, and was replaced by Pinkerton. Fragments of original stuff remain on both Pinkerton and some B-sides (such as the Rachel Haden-sung "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams"). A number of songs were left 'out in space' once the theme of the album shifted, but we've managed to use the robot arm and pull this one back in to the mothership!"

Though Koch doesn't specify the song he was reminded of, he would later confirm in 2022 that it was "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley and the Wailers.[1]

Personnel

Demo version

  • Rivers Cuomo – lead guitar, lead vocals, percussion, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, synth

Lyrics

[MARIA:]
Who you callin' bitch?

[JONAS:]
Don't you listen to a word they say

[MARIA:]
They make me so mad

[JONAS:]
They don't matter to me anyway
Chill out baby, stay with me for a while
But that don't mean I'll get with you tonight

[MARIA:]
So pissed at those boys

[JONAS:]
Let me comfort you and hold your hand

[MARIA:]
Especially that Dondó

[JONAS:]
...Acting like he knows he's got a big thing
I know his type, you're safe with me for a while
But that don't mean I'll get with you tonight
I want you so badly
Too bad that you're to bad for me
You love me and I like you
But I got to, got to getchoo!

[MARIA:]
Oh, I love you so

[JONAS:]
Please remember that I'm just a friend

[MARIA:]
A friend who's in my pants

[JONAS:]
Never more, never ever again
You're too crazy for me to settle down with
So I won't let me lead you on with a kiss
I want you so badly
Too bad that you're to bad for me
You love me and I like you
But I got to, got to getchoo!
It hurts you so badly
I'm sorry, you can't have me
I won't let me get with you tonight
That don't mean I'll get with you tonight
I want you so badly
Too bad that you're to bad for me
You love me and I like you
But I got to, got to getchoo!
It hurts you so badly
I'm sorry, you can't have me
It hurts you so badly
I'm sorry, you can't have me
I won't let me get with
I won't let me get with you tonight

[MARIA:]
Who you callin' bitch?

[JONAS:]
Don't you listen to a word they say

[MARIA:]
They make me so mad

[JONAS:]
I don't care about them anyway
Chill out babe, and stay with me for a while
But that don't mean I'll get with you tonight

[JONAS and MARIA:]
That don't mean I'll get with you tonight

See also

External Links

Teenage Victory Songs entry for "You Won't Get with Me Tonight"